Annapurna Circuit Religious trekking Itinerary
Day 01: Kathmandu arrival
Welcome to Kathmandu! Upon your arrival, our representative will warmly receive you at the airport and bring you to your hotel. You'll meet your trek guide at the hotel and discuss the itinerary in detail.
Day 02: Rest (official preparation documents)
The guide will begin preparing your TIMS, Annapurna Conservation Area permit, and other permits. While your guide is busy obtaining the permits, you can choose to rest at the hotel or embark on a scenic, cultural tour of the historic Kathmandu valley.
If you wish to indulge in a sightseeing tour of the valley, we can arrange a private tour with an experienced tour guide. The tour begins with a visit to Swayambhunath, one of the UNESCO Heritage sites located atop a hill at the heart of the city. The tour moves towards Kathmandu Durbar Square, an age-old palace site with numerous temples. Afterward, you'll drive towards Pashupatinath temple and witness the most revered Hindu temple in Nepal. The tour will end with a visit to Boudhanath, the largest spherical Stupa in the country. Overnights stay in Kathmandu.
Day 03: Kathmandu to Besi Sahar (820m)
After early breakfast, you'll embark on a commute towardsBesi Sahar. It takes around 6 hours to reach Besi Sahar in the Lamjung district. Besi Sahar is the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit route. From Besi Sahar, you can view mountains like Annapurna II, Machhapuchhre, and Lamjung Himal.
Day 04: Besi Sahar to Bahundanda (1300m)
Leaving Besi Sahar, you'll drive uphill through the narrow road leading towards Bhulbule via Khudi. You’ll advance towards the nearby village of Ngadi and shortly reach Bahundanda. Overnights stay in Bahundanda.
Day 05: Bahundanda to Chamje (1430m)
Leaving Bahundanda, you'll begin heading northwards along with the traditional mid-western villages and forested path towards Chyamje. En route to Chamje, you'll hike towards Nyingma Pa, a highly revered Buddhist site. After almost 7hr of the trek, you'll arrive at Chamje village resting beside the massive Marsayangdi River.
Day 06: Chamje to Dharapani (1960m)
Leaving Lamjung, you'll may your way towards Manang District. From Chamje, the trail crosses a rocky path along the Marsayangdi River and enters the Tal village. Tal is the first village you'll enter while trekking into Manang district. Here on, you'll be traversing inside Manang. The trail continues and reaches Dharapani (1890m), a Tibetan styled village with Buddhist adherents. Overnight in Dharapani.
Day 07: Dharapani to Chame (2675m)
Leaving Dharapani, you'll begin climbing the trail leading towards Tyanja. You'll encounter lush forests along the trail. After a brief hike, you'll reach Kopar and have lunch. Afterward, you'll begin trekking towards Chame. Here, you can catch the natural sight of Annapurna II. If you choose, you can take a dip into the small hot springs for relaxation.
Day 08: Chame to Pisang (3100m)
Leaving Chame, the trail advances through deep forests towards a steep and narrow valley. After crossing two long bridges, you'll find the beautiful view of Paungda Danda's Rock face. A short trek from here, you'll arrive at Pisang village.
Day 09: Pisang to Manang (3440m)
Leaving Pisang, the trail goes along Marsayangdi River. Instead of taking a northern route, you'll take a southern way to reach Mungji. The vegetation will start getting sparse here on. The inhabitants of the valley mostly account for yak breeders. Walking along the Marsayangdi River, you'll reach Mungji. The trail goes directly towards Hongde village. The trail continues along the beautiful but partially hidden village of Braga that leads to Manang.
Day 10: Rest day - a visit to Khangsar – Shree Kharka back to Manang
Today, you'll spend the day acclimatizing and exploring the beautiful Manang valley. You will find many lodges, shops, and a museum at Manang. The people here mostly indulge in yak herding. Formerly, they used to embark with Yak Caravan for salt-trade with the neighboring Tibet.If your body is fit to travel, you can consider making a side trip to Khangsar and Shree Kharka. You can take a short 2-3 hours hike to Khangsar and Shree Kharka.
Day 11: Manang – Yak Kharka (4350m)
Leaving Manang, you'll begin trekking uphill through the rugged path towards Tenki village. The villages in the area resemble that of Tibet with flat-roof and thick stone walls. You'll cross a stream and climb towards Tenki village. You'll continue walking beside Marsayangdi valley and head northwest towards Jar Sang Khola valley. The trail passes along the Yak pastures and juniper trees to reach Ghunsang village, a typical Tibetan-styled village. After crossing a small river, you'll head towards Yak Kharka. The term ‘Yak Kharka' basically means yak pasture.
Day 12: Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi (4420m)
From Yak Kharka, you'll make your way towards Churi Ledar and then to Thorong Phedi. You'll trek almost 6km and climb 400m in elevation. In a high-altitude region, you will not find any vegetation along the trail. You'll soon be approaching the permanent snowline today. Crossing Churi Ledar, you'll begin climbing for almost 3hr to reach Thorong Phedi. Thorong Phedi lies just below Thorong La Pass, the highest mountain pass in the region.
Day 13: Thorong Phedi – Muktinath (3850m) via Thorong La (5416m)
The day starts early mainly because it's essential to cross the Thorong la Pass before the weather becomes harsh in the latter part of the day. Leaving Thorong Phedi, you'll begin climbing the rocky ridge to head towards Thorong High Camp. You'll start encountering thick snow as you start heading towards the top. Once at the top, you can enjoy the majestic panorama of Himalayan peaks lying inside Tibet. You'll start heading down to the other side and enter Mustang District. You'll see more of a desert-like landscape once you enter Mustang. Heading down to the base of the pass, you'll reach the famous pilgrimage site of Muktinath. Muktinath Temple is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists.
Day 14: Muktinath – Jomsom
You'll get up early morning and begin exploring the temple. The temple boasts 108 stone-taps that are used by the incoming pilgrims to take a bath. After breakfast, you'll start heading down the Kali Gandaki Valley. Although sparsely populated, you will find an excellent pitch-black road leading to Marpha. Vast canyons cover the valley. You'll walk along the Kali Gandaki River to reach Jomsom.
Day 15: Fly from Jomsom – Pokhara
From Jomsom, we take a flight to Pokhara early in the morning. At Pokhara,we will spend the day sightseeing various landmarks like Phewa Lake, Davis Fall, and Mahendra Gufa (cave) as well as go shopping. In the evening, you can have lunch at one of the finest diners around Lakeside. Enjoy the evening as you celebrate your successful journey.
Day 16: Pokhara – Kathmandu drives
Today, you'll drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu. While bidding farewell to Pokhara city, you'll get the uninterrupted view of Annapurna I and Machhapuchhre at a distance. The drive may last around 6 hours. Once at Kathmandu, you'll be escorted to your hotel. And, in the evening you will enjoy a farewell dinner with us.
Day 17: Final departure
Today, our representative will drop you off at the airport.
