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Annapurna Circuit Trek Kathmandu: 12-Day Mountain Loop

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration12d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · DE +4

PickupAt your hotel

The Annapurna Circuit: 12 Days Crossing Nepal's High Pass

You trek eleven days across the Annapurna Circuit, starting from Kathmandu and crossing Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters before descending to Pokhara. All permits, accommodation, meals, a guide, and transport between towns are included — you walk, and everything else is arranged. The trek takes moderate fitness and acclimatization time, but the fixed itinerary and included logistics mean you're not managing logistics while managing altitude.

12d

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival and transfer to hotel

Arrive in Kathmandu
Transfer to hotel

Day 2 — Drive to Dharapani via Beshishar

Drive to Dharapani

Day 3 — Trek to Chame

Trek to Chame

Day 4 — Trek to Upper Pisang

Trek to Upper Pisang

Day 5 — Trek to Manang via upper trail

Trek to Manang

Day 6 — Acclimatization day in Manang

Rest and acclimatize

Day 7 — Trek to Yak Kharka

Trek to Yak Kharka

Day 8 — Trek to Thorong Basecamp or Phedi

Trek to Thorong Basecamp or Phedi

Day 9 — Trek to Muktinath via Thorong La Pass

Trek over Thorong La Pass
Arrive at Muktinath

Day 10 — Trek to Marpha via Jomsom

Trek to Marpha via Jomsom

Day 11 — Drive to Tatopani

Drive to Tatopani by bus or jeep

Day 12 — Drive to Pokhara and trip ends

Drive to Pokhara
End of trip

The Experience

The trek doesn't start the way you'd expect. You arrive in Kathmandu, get picked up from the airport, and instead of heading straight into the mountains, you spend a night in a 3-star hotel while your guide sorts permits and paperwork. It feels like a pause before the real thing begins — which it is. The next morning, you're in a shared jeep for seven to eight hours heading toward Dharapani, climbing from the valley floor to 2,000 meters. The road is rough in places. Your legs aren't tired yet, but you're already thinking about what comes next.

The Annapurna Circuit Trek itself unfolds over eleven days of walking, each one building on the last. You trek from Dharapani through Chame, Upper Pisang, and Manang — each stop a village where you sleep in a teahouse and eat meals cooked by locals who've fed trekkers for decades. The rhythm is steady: four to eight hours of walking each day, with one acclimatization day built in at Manang so your body adjusts to the altitude. Then comes the push to Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters. That's the high point of the circuit, and it's the day that separates the people who trained from the people who didn't. Seven to eight hours of steep terrain, thin air, and the knowledge that you're crossing the spine of the Annapurna range. On the other side, you descend to Muktinath, Marpha, and Jomsom — the landscape shifts from alpine to something drier and more open.

What makes this trek manageable is what's already arranged. Your guide is experienced and stays with you the whole way. Accommodation is sorted each night — no hunting for a room or negotiating prices. Meals come three times a day, plus tea and fresh fruit after dinner. The permits (Annapurna Conservation Entrance Permit and TMIS card) are handled before you start. You carry a duffle bag that Nature Explore provides, and they give you a down jacket too — both returned at the end. The shared buses and jeeps between Kathmandu, the trailhead, and Pokhara are included, as is the airport pickup. It's the kind of detail work that sounds small until you're standing in a Himalayan village at dusk and realize you don't have to figure out where to sleep or how to eat.

The trek ends in Pokhara, where you get one more night in a hotel before heading back. By then, you've walked over a hundred kilometers, crossed a pass higher than most people have ever been, and seen the Annapurna massif from angles that change how you think about mountains. Your legs will know it happened. So will your lungs.

What’s included

Airport pickup and drop-off in Kathmandu, 3-star hotel accommodation in Kathmandu, all permits (Annapurna Conservation Entrance Permit and TMIS card), experienced guide for the entire trek, teahouse accommodation during the eleven trekking days, one night hotel in Pokhara, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus tea and coffee during the trek, fresh fruit after dinner each day, shared transport by bus or jeep between Kathmandu and the trailhead and between the trek end and Pokhara, treated drinking water, Nature Explore down jacket and duffle bag (both returned after the trek), and a Nature Explore t-shirt as a gift.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Nature Explore Trekking Pvt Ltd

Is this one for you?Right for trekkers who want the Annapurna Circuit's full loop without arranging permits, transport, accommodation, or meals separately — the fixed itinerary and included guide mean you walk and everything else is managed.