Annapurna Circuit Trek

Begin your adventure at the Royal Singi Hotel in Kathmandu, the start point for many of our Himalayan treks over the years. Around 6pm, bid namaste to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead during a full trek briefing. Your tour leader then ensures a big Nepalese welcome by arranging a group dinner. Want to explore Kathmandu further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

We leave Kathmandu early morning and drive towards Pokhara. Leaving the Kathmandu Valley, we follow the river to Mugling until we arrive at Besisahar. From Besisahar, we change to a high-clearance local bus (due to rough road conditions) and continue onto Syange for our overnight stay before we start our trek tomorrow. The total drive time can vary depending on road conditions and traffic but is approximately nine to ten hours.

We start our trek today with a short but scenic walk. Our trail crosses the river at Syange by bridge. We climb up through Germu and follow an undulating trail through farmland to Tallo Chiple, where we stop for a tea break. The trail then descends to cross a suspension bridge, from where we have a steep climb towards Maththillo Chipla. The trail contours round the hillside and we then have a steep descent to the Marsyangdi River, which we cross by a suspension bridge. Walking steeply uphill for approximately 20 minutes, we rejoin the main trail at the village of Jagat, where we spend the night. We arrive in Jagat around lunchtime and the afternoon is free to explore the area. Down by the river are some hot springs!

Immediately after leaving the lodge, a small, old trail turns off the road up to the left and undulates through forest and farmland all the way to Chyamje, after which we cross a suspension bridge and climb through oak forest. An undulating ascent brings us to a level valley where Tal, the next village, is situated at the foot of a grand waterfall (5,580ft/1,700m). From Tal, we cross the river and climb up to a jeep track which we follow to Dharapani.

Beyond Dharapani, we leave the jeep trail and turn sharply up to the left and have a steep 40 minute climb up a stone staircase to the pretty village of Odar. Passing traditional farms and homesteads, we trek through Galenchowk before descending to the main trail at Bagarchap at 7,100ft (2,164m). The name of this village means ‘butcher’s place’ and, although Buddhist, the people of this region used to hunt animals. Continuing, we follow the jeep track for a short while past apple orchards to Dhanagyu. From here, we turn sharply up into the forest and have a fairly long climb to Temang, where we have lunch with magnificent views of Manaslu and Peak 29. The trail then descends through fir and pine forests to Thanchowk and further on through Koto to Chame (8,900ft/2,713m), the administrative centre of the Manang district.

We now experience a dramatic change of scenery. Leaving the forests and vegetation of the alpine regions, we enter the upper district of Manang, known as Nyeshang. At first, our trail follows the river closely through a deep canyon on the jeep track for a couple of hours to Brathang (9,577ft/2,919m) where there is now a large apple plantation. We can stop for fresh coffee and cakes (and maybe some fresh apple juice) before we begin our climb this morning. The trail then crosses the river and leaves the jeep track to climb on forest trails through fir and pine trees. Here, the curved rockface of Paungda Danda rises nearly 4,920ft (1,500m) from the riverbank to Dukha Pokhari, where we stop for lunch. Next, we veer off to the right and take the trail that climbs away from the road track and to Upper Pisang village, where we stay in a lodge for the night. There is an impressive monastery in the village, which we can visit in the afternoon. From here to the pass, we are the closest we will be to the mountains and today the views of Annapurna II are particularly impressive (weather permitting).

We have a shorter but spectacular day for acclimatisation. From Upper Pisang, we take the fantastic high-level route towards Manang via the villages of Gyaru and Ngawal. This is a wonderful walk with great views across to the Annapurnas. We start with a short descent through the forest to a small green lake and then have a very steep climb up to Gyaru for a tea break. The views across the valley become more spectacular the higher we go. From here, the trail undulates high above the river with magnificent views across the Annapurnas to Ngawal, where we stay tonight. After lunch at our lodge we can explore this pretty medieval village and also have the option for a 6km acclimatisation walk up above the village to a small shrine and cave (approximately two and a half hours) ascending 420m.