OVERVIEW

Annapurna circuit is a good alternative for you that wants to trek in Nepal beside Everest Base Camp trek. It is considered as one of the best treks in the world. A very scenic trek from the lush green subtropical valley to high passes above 5,000m. Taking you through rivers, unique flora and fauna, and cultural sites. Though, the reputation now is in threat because of road construction. People didn’t have to do the classic trek again, though some trekkers still do it. Half of this trek can be done using jeep. The classic trek takes 21 days long, while now can be much shorter. Even though, the outstanding scenery still can’t be disputed.

We offer you a half trek of the circuit in this program. We prefer to avoid trekking on the jeep road. The classic trek goes passing four districts: Lamjung, Manang, Mustang, and Myagdi. In our program, we pass Lamjung district by jeep and cut the Myagdi district. It will go from Besisahar to Pisang by jeep, and then trekking from Pisang to Manang and up to Thorong La Pass until Muktinath. Thorong La Pass is one of the highest mountain passes in the world.

On the trek, we can see great mountains such as Langtang Himal, Annapurna II and IV, Annapurna III, Gangapurna, and eight thousanders mountain, Manaslu. As well we can visit some holy sites on the trek. Added for the program, is a bit detour of the circuit and go to Tilicho lake. Situated at an elevation of 4,949m, it is one of the highest lakes in the world and the view there is stunning.

ITINERARY

DAY 1

Fly to Kathmandu
Flight to Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Followed by checking in to hotel in Thamel.

DAY 2

Kathmandu
Gear check in the morning and if necessary, you can go shopping in Thamel to complete your gear list. Sightseeing in Kathmandu and after that final packing.

DAY 3

Kathmandu-Besisahar
After breakfast, we will drive to Besisahar for 6 hours. Lunch en route. Stay overnight at lodge.

DAY 4

Besisahar-Pisang
Today we head to Pisang (3,300m) by jeep. We will stop on the way for lunch with beautiful waterfall panorama. Around eight to ten hours drive to Pisang, stay at the Lodge in Low Pisang.

DAY 5

Pisang-Manang
We start trekking today, 5-6 hours walk to Manang. On the way, we can see Lamjung Himal (6.983 M), Kangaru Himal (6,981m), and Annapurna II (7,937m) on the west. The trek is not too hard, mostly quite flat with beautiful valley and high mountain panorama. Before arriving in Manang, we can stop at Braga and visit Braga monastery as one of the oldest monasteries in the region. Stay overnight in Manang.

DAY 6

Acclimatization day Manang
We go for a short trek, around 2-3 hour to the hill for acclimatization. We take a break and a cup of tea at the teahouse on the hill. After that, we will go to Gangapurna lakes. Back to Manang for lunch.

DAY 7

Manang-Kangsar
Today will be a short trek to Kangsar Village. Just 2-3 hours trek and it will be good for acclimatization before going above 4,000m.

DAY 8

Kangsar-Tilicho Basecamp
Through grassy fields and hills amalgamated with views of Manang valley. Some of the trail will be challenging. Stay in the lodge at Tilicho basecamp.

DAY 9

Tilicho Basecamp–Tilicho Lake–Tilicho Basecamp
At 6 am, we will start our trek to Tilicho lakes. Climb around 3-4 hours to the lake. Tilicho Lake is one of the biggest and highest lake in the world, situated at an altitude of 4,949m. We take a cup of tea at teahouse with beautiful panorama on the lakes. After that, just 2 hours walking down to Tilicho Basecamp. Stay overnight again.

DAY 10

Tilicho Basecamp–Yak Kharka
Today trek descends downwards through the Kangsar Village, Gumsang and to Yak Kharka. 7-8 hours trekking. Yak Kharka offer an attractive view of Annapurna III. Yak Kharka, as the name suggests, is a village full of Yaks. Stay overnight in the lodge.

DAY 11

Yak Kharka-High Camp
Another major attraction of the trek is Thorong Phedi (4,450m). From Yak Kharkha, the trail climbs upwards and gains elevation through the banks of the Jarsang River. Thorong Phedi is the base of the Thorong La Pass. 3-4 hours trek.

DAY 12

High Camp-Thorong La Pass-Muktinath
This day involves the climb to the Thorong La Pass via a steep elevation. Upon reaching the highest location of the pass situated at an altitude of 5,416m, trekkers are rewarded with mind-boggling views of the Himalayan Peaks extending from Nepal to Tibet. The magnificent peaks make all the hard work worth it. Upon moving forward, we reach Muktinath. Muktinath is an abode portraying the religious harmony that exists between people of Nepal. It is a pilgrimage site visited by thousands of domestic tourists each year. 7- 8 hours trek.

DAY 13

Muktinath-Jomsom
Today, Muktinath temple with its beautiful natural water sprouts and the Narsingh Monastery can be visited. After visiting the pilgrimage site, the trail extends into Kagbeni following exquisite close views of the Dhaulagiri Peak and streams and bridges. Fossilized mollusk called the Shaligram can be obtained along the way. On Kagbeni, various stupas, chortens and monasteries can be visited. Through the Kali Gandaki valley the trail moves into Jomsom thus ending today’s trek. 5-6 hours trek.

DAY 14

Jomsom – Pokhara
From Jomsom, a spectacular flight will take you to Pokhara. This flight is amalgamated with views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri peaks. Pokhara, the city of lakes consists of various beautiful lakes like the Phewa and Rara, which can be visited. The major attractions like the Mahendra Cave, Davis Falls, World Peace Pagoda, Gupteshwore Cave, Bindyabasini Temple are not to be missed. An evening stroll and boating in the still waters of the Phewa Lake will be a welcome experience. 30 minutes flight.

DAY 15

Pokhara-Kathmandu
Back to Kathmandu by airplane. The flight will take around 30 minutes. You can take another sightseeing tour as an addition or just wandering around Thamel for shopping.

DAY 16

Fly back home
Fly back home. End of trip.

PREPARATION

For this trek, you need to be very fit. It’s not only because of long trek, but also about the altitude. The trek to Thorong La Pass will be quite challenging. Besides the steepness, the high altitude will drain your stamina faster. Go weekend hiking regularly will be the best training. It can be started with 8 km round trip hike with roughly 6kg pack, ascending and descending 600m, in less than 2.5 hours. The aim is to ascend 900m carrying an average pack of 10 kg in 3 hours. To reach it, try to increase the difficulty of your training in some way, either by adding weight to your pack (no more than 10 percent per week) or by completing the hike in a shorter amount of time.

In addition, you can do running two to three times a week for 45 minutes to an hour per session. Running on a route that have elevation gain will be a lot better, or use treadmill if there’s no such terrain in your hometown. You can change one of your running sessions in a week with cycling or swimming and especially you need to do also stair climbing with at least 10kg pack. It will be a good cross training. Besides that, muscle training is advisable. Strengthen your upper and lower body muscle, as well core muscle. You can do it at the gym or do your own set of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, plank, etc.

Training should be focus on cardiovascular because it can help to deal with the altitude. The capability to acclimatized are different for each person. So, building up your fitness even more will not be a waste. Just make sure you don’t injure yourself by overtraining and always have enough rest. Train 6 month before will increase the rate of success. But if you don’t have that much time, train at least 3 months before.

GEAR LIST