Things to do in Annapurna Circuit
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Annapurna Circuit
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Main peak season, clearest views and all lodges and the Manang aid post operating, but the busiest and priciest period.
Second peak, warmer at altitude and rhododendron bloom low down, with hazier views by May and pre monsoon heat in the lowlands.
Monsoon, leeches and landslides on the wet east side, road washouts and cancelled flights. Manang and Mustang are drier in rain shadow.
Winter, superb clear low trail days but extreme cold on Thorong La, reduced lodges at Phedi and a pass periodically closed by snow.
What's on
- Yartung Festival August, around the full moon
Horse racing and village celebration in the Muktinath and Ranipauwa area, reached in monsoon usually by road from the Mustang side.
- Janai Purnima at Muktinath August full moon
Hindu pilgrims fill Muktinath Temple and its lodges for the sacred thread festival.
- Tiji Festival, Lo Manthang Usually May, dates vary
Upper Mustang festival north of Kagbeni, requiring a separate restricted area permit and a separate journey, not part of the standard circuit.
Best things to do in Annapurna Circuit
Thorong La Pass
The 5,416 m culmination of the circuit, crossed before dawn from Thorong Phedi and descended to Muktinath the same day.
Muktinath Temple
A sacred Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage complex with 108 water spouts, reached on foot over Thorong La or by road.
Kag Chode Thupten Samphel Ling Monastery
A 15th century red walled monastery in Kagbeni, the gate village where you look into Upper Mustang without entering it.
Braga Monastery
One of the oldest monasteries in Manang district, above a cliff stacked village on the walk into Manang.
Gangapurna Lake
A turquoise glacial lake below Manang, the easy first acclimatisation walk on a rest day in the valley.
Praken Gompa
A small monastery shrine above Manang, a steep climb high and sleep low outing with a blessing for the pass.
Upper Pisang
A stone village facing Annapurna II, with a monastery sunset view and the start of the high route to Manang.
Marpha
A whitewashed Thakali village of flagstone lanes and apple orchards, famous for apples, cider and apple brandy.
Where to stay in Annapurna Circuit
Besisahar
road gateway and first night after Kathmandu drive
Where the bus ends and jeeps up the Marsyangdi begin, simple guesthouses for a logistics night.
Chame
highest sensible jeep start for walking
District headquarters at 2,710 m with shops and the lodge group property, and acclimatisation still required from here.
Pisang
Upper Pisang monastery and high route start
Sleep in Upper Pisang for the Annapurna II view and to start the Ghyaru and Ngawal high route next morning.
Manang
acclimatisation heart of the whole trek
Largest upper circuit village with bakeries, the aid post, the museum and the widest choice of lodges at every tier that exists.
Yak Kharka
first sleeping night above Manang
Lodge clusters in yak pasture at about 4,050 m, with Leddar higher as the alternative if acclimatising well.
Thorong Phedi
pass eve
Lodges at 4,450 m and High Camp at 4,850 m, where sleeping lower is the safer choice for most trekkers.
Think twice about
- Lower Pisang roadside
Sleep in Upper Pisang instead for the monastery, the view and the high route start, away from the road.
- Thorong High Camp as a default
Sleeping at 4,850 m gives many trekkers a bad night and raises altitude risk. Default to Thorong Phedi at 4,450 m.
- Lower road sections on foot
The Besisahar to Bhulbhule and lower Kali Gandaki road stretches are dusty road walking. Jeep them and walk the NATT and high route sections.
Best restaurants in Annapurna Circuit
Hotel Yeti
A Manang lodge whose cooking trekkers single out, a good rest day table in the middle of the village.
Annapurna Restaurant Cafe and Bar
A standalone cafe and bar in Manang village centre, giving rest day variety from lodge dining rooms.
Hotel New Yak
A budget Manang dining hall for teahouse staples and the yak dishes Manang is known for.
Yac Donalds
The best known eatery name on the west side of the pass, feeding trekkers and pilgrims in Muktinath at budget prices.
Hotel Bob Marley
A reggae themed lodge restaurant and bar in Muktinath, the relaxed evening stop after crossing Thorong La.
Outdoor things to do in Annapurna Circuit
Tilicho Lake
One of the highest lakes in Nepal at about 4,919 m, a two to three day side trip from Manang past landslide ground.
Ice Lake
A steep acclimatisation day hike to about 4,620 m above Manang, climbing high and sleeping low before the pass.
Tatopani Hot Springs
Natural hot pools beside the Kali Gandaki at 1,200 m, the recovery soak after the high circuit and the pass.
Poon Hill
A pre dawn climb from Ghorepani to a 3,210 m panorama of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Machhapuchhre at sunrise.
Ghyaru to Ngawal Trail
The high route to Manang through Ghyaru and Ngawal, off the road with continuous Annapurna views and better acclimatisation.
Dhumba Lake
A calm sacred lake below Thini village, the quiet morning walk out of windy Jomsom after the pass.
Milarepa Cave
A half day walk from Manang to a cave shrine linked to Milarepa, quieter and richer than the standard rest day walks.
Best hotels in Annapurna Circuit
Mountain Lodges of Nepal Manang
The one true splurge on the circuit, large rooms with attached bathrooms and a varied menu for acclimatisation nights.
Hotel Thorong La
A comfortable Manang lodge with hot showers and a rooftop cafe, a strong base for rest and acclimatisation days.
Mountain Lodges of Nepal Chame
The lodge group's Chame property, better rooms and dining than the budget stock at the start of the high valley.
Hotel Grand Shambala
A modern small hotel in Muktinath with an in house restaurant, the recovery night after crossing Thorong La.
Hotel Om's Home
A long established Jomsom hotel near the airport, known for its dining room, garden and help with flight changes.
Hotel Sunny
One of the better Ghorepani lodges with attached bathroom rooms, for the night before the Poon Hill sunrise climb.
Tilicho Hotel
A classic Manang main street teahouse hotel, simple rooms and a busy dining hall in the middle of the village.
Thorong Base Camp Hotel
The best known Thorong Phedi lodge at 4,450 m, the safer lower sleeping option on the night before the pass.
Is Annapurna Circuit expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NPR 5,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NPR 8,500 a person |
| Splurge | NPR 16,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mountain Lodges of Nepal Manang: weeks ahead
- Hotel Thorong La: a few days ahead
- Mountain Lodges of Nepal Chame: a few days ahead
- Hotel Grand Shambala: a few days ahead
- Hotel Om's Home: a few days ahead
- Hotel Sunny: a few days ahead
- Thorong Base Camp Hotel: a few days ahead
- Thorong High Camp: a few days ahead
- Book Mountain Lodges of Nepal Manang and Manang mid tier lodges ahead in October, November, March and April.
- Have your guide phone ahead for Thorong Phedi on pass eve, when good weather windows fill both Phedi and High Camp.
- Confirm ACAP and TIMS fees close to departure, as they are revised each Nepali fiscal year in mid July.
Is Annapurna Circuit safe?
- Major flood damage affects the Rasuwa district border area in the Langtang region, which is not on this circuit.
- Watch for protests, trekking hazards, poor roads and earthquake, flood and landslide risk.
- Above 3,000 m, raise sleeping altitude by no more than about 300 to 500 m a night, take Manang acclimatisation days, and never ascend with worsening symptoms.
- Attend the Himalayan Rescue Association altitude talk in Manang and get checked there for any symptom you are tempted to explain away.
- Start Thorong La before dawn, cross only in a settled window feeling well, and treat waiting a day at Phedi as a normal decision.
- Carry insurance covering trekking to 5,416 m and helicopter evacuation, and carry agency and insurer numbers on paper.
Annapurna Circuit travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Jeeping straight to Manang at 3,540 m and walking at the pass within two days.
- Cheap packages that cut acclimatisation nights in Manang or use unlicensed guides and uninsured porters.
- Alcohol above 3,500 m and meat high on the trail where supply travelled without refrigeration.
- Crossing Thorong La in a poor forecast because a flight home is booked.
Getting around Annapurna Circuit: public transport and more
- Bus Kathmandu to Besisahar, then shared or private jeep up the Marsyangdi to your walking start, no lower than Dharapani or Chame for most people.
- Use NATT marked side trails and the Upper Pisang to Manang high route wherever they keep you off the jeep road.
- Jomsom to Pokhara flights run only in the morning and cancel often for wind. The jeep and bus down the Kali Gandaki is a long rough day.
- Carry a buffer day before any international flight from Kathmandu.
Who Annapurna Circuit suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Not ideal |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Annapurna Circuit your trip
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