The first thing you notice on the Annapurna Circuit is how quickly the scenery changes. One day starts in humid green forest, a few days later you are walking through dry, wind-scoured valleys, and eventually you are standing next to a turquoise lake at almost 5,000 metres with snow peaks on both sides. This guide covers an eleven-day circuit that begins and ends in Pokhara, with a day-by-day overview and notes on the route, where you sleep, what you eat, and how the altitude actually feels.
About the Author: Wouter
Wouter travelled through Nepal from May 10 to June 8, 2024. During his trip, he completed the 11-day Annapurna Circuit trek alongside a local guide and a fellow Dutch traveller. He chose the Annapurna Circuit for its perfect combination of physical challenge, traditional teahouse stays, stunning valleys, and ever-changing mountain landscapes.
The Route Day by Day
- Day 1: Pokhara to Dharapani (1,860 m).** Jeep up the Marsyangdi valley, skipping the dusty road section.
- Day 2: Dharapani to Chame (2,670 m).** Forest, waterfalls and suspension bridges.
- Day 3: Chame to Pisang (3,200 m).** Pine forest gives way to the first open Annapurna views.
- Day 4: Pisang to Manang (3,540 m).** The valley turns dry and wide.
- Day 5: Manang.** Acclimatisation day with a short hike to a viewpoint above the village.
- Day 6: Manang to Tilicho Base Camp (4,150 m).** West via Khangsar and Shree Kharka.
- Day 7: Tilicho Lake (4,920 m) and back to Shree Kharka (4,060 m).** Early start, long day at altitude.
- Day 8: Shree Kharka to Yak Kharka (4,050 m).** Back onto the main circuit towards the pass.
- Day 9: Yak Kharka to Thorong High Camp (4,880 m).** Short distance, slow pace.
- Day 10: Thorong La (5,416 m) to Muktinath (3,800 m).** Pre-dawn start, long descent.
- Day 11: Muktinath to Jomsom, jeep back to Pokhara.** Through Kagbeni, then the drive down the Kali Gandaki.
Starting in Pokhara
Pokhara is the natural base for this trek. It has the lakeside cafes, the gear shops and the permit offices, and it is where a guide-led group usually meets before heading into the hills. Anyone who wants a warm-up before the circuit can find hiking trips around Pokhara that cover the lower trails and viewpoints, which also helps legs get used to Nepali stairs. Those stone steps are everywhere, and they are steeper than they look.
The circuit itself starts with a jeep ride rather than a walk. The road from Pokhara runs up the Marsyangdi valley, and the first stretch of the classic route is now mostly dirt road shared with jeeps and buses. Taking a vehicle for this first part saves a day or two of walking beside traffic and dust, and puts you on the proper trail where the valley narrows and the forest closes in. A mirror-image jeep ride at the end of the trek brings you back to Pokhara, so the walking part is the good part: everything in between is done on foot.
The Lower Valley: Forest, Waterfalls and Rhododendron Country
The first days follow the Marsyangdi river through steep, green terrain. Late May is the tail end of the pre-monsoon season, so the forest is lush and clouds hang low over the ridges. Expect suspension bridges, waterfalls beside the path, small villages with terraced fields, and plenty of mules and porters on the trail. Views of the big peaks are brief and come in gaps between the clouds, which makes each one count.
The route climbs steadily through the villages that every Circuit trekker knows: Dharapani, Chame and Pisang. Pine forest takes over from broadleaf trees, the air gets thinner and cooler, and the architecture shifts from Hindu farmhouses to flat-roofed stone buildings with prayer flags and mani walls. Past Chame the valley opens into a dry, glaciated landscape and the first real Annapurna summits appear above the trees.
Sleeping: Lodges That Are Better Than You Expect
Nobody camps on the standard circuit. You sleep in teahouse lodges, and the surprise is how comfortable they are. On this trek the rooms were consistently good: private rooms with proper beds, thick blankets, and in most places a decent bathroom. Heating is the one thing that depends on altitude. Lower down a room barely needs it, while higher up the dining hall with its stove is the only warm place, and everyone gathers there in the evening.
Because the lodges along the main route are well established, the quality is relatively luxurious compared with other Himalayan treks. Hot showers are available at most stops, though higher up they are solar-powered and run out fast. Treat the first shower of the day as a bonus. A sleeping bag liner is worth carrying, even when the bedding looks clean.
Eating: Dal Bhat and a Few Surprises
Food on the Annapurna Circuit is a big part of the experience. Most meals were local Nepali: dal bhat, which is rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry and pickle, with refills included. It is the standard fuel of every porter and guide for a reason. It is filling, it is cheap in energy terms, and it keeps you walking for hours. Momos, fried noodles, thukpa soup and Tibetan bread are other reliable options.
The menus in the bigger villages are more surprising than you might expect. Pasta, pancakes, apple pie, and even pizza show up, especially around Manang, which is the main acclimatisation stop. A pizza after several days of walking and a steady dal bhat diet tastes better than it has any right to. It is not authentic Italian, but it is hot, cheesy and eaten with a mountain view, which counts for more than authenticity.
Manang and the Viewpoints
Manang is the pivot of the circuit. Most trekkers spend an extra night or two here to acclimatise, taking short hikes to viewpoints above the village and then sleeping low again. The broad valley is dry and open, with the Annapurna and Gangapurna massifs standing right above the rooftops.
The viewpoints are a theme of the whole trek, not just of Manang. Almost every day has a moment where the trail tops a ridge or bends around a spur and the valley drops away below, with snow peaks hanging in the gaps between the clouds. Each time it felt like a highlight, and a camera roll from this route fills up with near-identical shots that all deserve to be kept.
Tilicho Lake: The Detour Before the Pass
From Manang the route detours west to Tilicho Lake before turning back towards the pass, and it was the most beautiful stop of the whole trek. Tilicho Lake sits at roughly 4,900 metres, one of the highest lakes in the world, and the water is a deep, almost unreal blue against bare grey slopes and snowfields. A small Nepali flag on a pile of stones marks the spot where most visitors stop to take it in. It is a long, tiring day, and the thin air makes every uphill step slower, but the view repays the effort, and it is the image that stays longest. The detour also works as acclimatisation: touching 4,900 metres and sleeping lower again a few days before Thorong La gives the body a head start on the pass.
Over Thorong La
The pass is the climax. Thorong La sits at 5,416 metres, and it is the high point of the circuit. The days before it are short and slow on purpose, moving from the Tilicho detour to Yak Kharka and High Camp so the body adapts. The crossing day starts well before dawn, with a headlamp, cold hands and slow, deliberate steps.
Altitude sickness is the major risk on this trek, and the way it hit was typical. Up to about 4,500 metres everything felt manageable and the group stayed in good shape. Above 5,000 metres the symptoms became noticeable: a headache, breathlessness with the slightest effort and a heavy tiredness that sleep did not fix. That is exactly the reason for the slow ascent, the extra Manang night and a guide who watches the group. Going slowly is not a luxury, it is the plan.
The Descent to Muktinath and Kali Gandaki
The other side of the pass is a different world. Muktinath is a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists, and after the cold of the pass the warmer air is almost shocking. The landscape below is the high-desert terrain of the Kali Gandaki valley: arid, windy and coloured in shades of brown, ochre and grey, with Tibetan-style villages such as Kagbeni tucked in. Strong afternoon winds funnel through the gorge, so the walking is best done in the morning.
The route finishes in the Jomsom area, where the road begins again. A final jeep ride takes the group back down to Pokhara, closing the loop. Eleven days with a guide, mostly walking, one jeep ride at each end.
Practical Notes
Hiking with an organised group and a guide made the logistics simple: permits, lodging and the daily pace were all handled, and the group size stayed small, which meant a guide for just a handful of people. That is a real advantage if it is the first time above 4,000 metres. Pack warm layers even if the lower valley feels humid, since the temperature drops steeply with each day of climbing.
Anyone planning a longer Nepal trip will find more context in this Nepal travel guide, covering regions, seasons and how the main trekking areas compare. Others who want to see what other mountain regions look like before choosing a trek can browse a map of beautiful mountain destinations filtered for Nepal.
The Annapurna Circuit is long, tiring and sometimes cold, but it is also one of the most varied walks in the world. Forest, a glacial lake, a high pass and desert all fit inside eleven days, and the lodges and dal bhat make it surprisingly comfortable.
Wouter van Kemenade writes about travel and trekking at Pack Lightly, a multilingual travel platform with destination guides and planning tools.
