Detail Itinerary
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Day 01 : Arrival at Kathmandu International Airport.
The representative of Orbit Alpine Adventure welcomes you at the Kathmandu International Airport on the arrival schedule. Then, s/he takes you to the hotel for your accommodation for the night. In your leisure time, you can stroll around Thamel area to adjust with the new environment.
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Day 02 : Full Day Sightseeing Tour in Kathmandu
The tour guide of Orbit Alpine Adventure directs you around the UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the Kathamndu Valley. The religious sites like Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple), Bouddhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple helps you learn about their art and artifacts. Kathmandu Day Tour takes you to Patan Durbar Square where you can experience the ancient art and architecture of Nepal. In the evening, the trekking guide gives you the required info about Annapurna Circuit trekking itinerary and gears. The information from the trekking guide helps you make up your mind to successfully accomplish this Nepal trekking package.
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Day 03 : Drive to Beshisahar (830m/2723ft) and Hike to Bahundanda (1,430m/4692ft) -8/9 Hrs
After taking breakfast at the hotel, your journey to Annapurna region trekking begins in a private jeep to Beshisahar. By enjoying the spectacular vistas of hills, snowcapped peaks of Manslu region and lush valleys, you reach Beshisahar within 7 hours. Then again the jeep moves ahead towards Bahundanda, a pleasant hillside village in Annapurna region. John Wood in his book “From Microsoft to Bahundanda” has described this classic village of Annapurna Circuitin a perfect way. You spend overnight at a teahouse by relishing the local cuisine served with the finest hospitality.
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Day 04 : Trek to Chamje (1,560m/5118ft) -5/6 Hrs
Today’s destination is Chamje village where you can reach by walking along steep uphill and sloppy downhill trail. After taking breakfast, you begin the journey following the trail that goes down past Kanigaun and Ghermu villages. You can have a great joy of the natural waterfall just on the other side of the trekking trail. You have to go across Syagne and Jagat which are the important stations for the Annapurna Circuit trekkers en route. You will also enjoy the rhododendron and pine forests which have added to the natural prettiness of these villages.
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Day 05 : Trek to Dharapani (1,810m/ 5938ft) -5/6 Hrs
The hiking of the day begins after you take breakfast at Chamje to reach the farthest point Dharapani for the night stay. The rugged path moves ahead along some ridges covered with forests offering you an extraordinary scenery. The trail moves across Tal, a beautiful ethnic village in Annapurna Circuit and an important lodging site. You can take a short break at a spring with naturally hot water on the way to recharge the energy to move further. You spend the night at a teahouse in Dharapani, where magical Manslu Circuit trekking trail meets with Annapurna Circuit trek.
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Day 06 : Trek to Chame (2,725m/8940ft) -6 Hrs
Today’s hiking route moves ahead along the Marsyangdi River Valley crossing the Marsyangdi River via some suspension bridges. Chame is the administrative headquarters of Manang district with the facilities of bank, quality hotels and other amenities for your luxury. You can adore the amazing view of the pristine valleys, bizarre landscapes and snowy peaks of Annapurna Himalayan range. The trekking trail goes past some rustic villages such as Bagarchhap, Timang, Thanchowk and Koto to reach Chame. You spend the night at Chame by enjoying the majestic vistas of the landscapes and mountains.
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Day 07 : Trek to Pisang (3,190m/ 10466ft) - 5/6 Hrs
The path ascends through the dense oak and maple trees along the rugged cliffs leading you to Pisang. You will go across the Marsyangdi River Valley, seasonal meadows and magnificent view of the peaks in the Nepalese Himalayas. The trail moves ahead alongside Phungda Danda ridge which is eroded by the glacial movement. By observing the distinct sight of the landscapes in the Himalayan region, you reach Pisang for the night stay. You stay at a hotel that serves you with the local organic food items perhaps the Thakali Dish!
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Day 08 : Trek to Manang (3,500m/11483ft) - 5/6 Hrs
After having breakfast, you begin your journey to Manang Village following the rocky path moving upwards and downwards. The trekking route takes you to the rain-shadow area of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. The plus feature of Manang trek is the familiarity with the bizarre landscapes and enthralling view of the snowy mountains. After walking for about 6 hours through the pastoral section of Annapurna region, you get to Manang for night station.
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Day 09 : Acclimatization in Manang.
As today is the acclimatization day in Manang village, you can sleep till late morning to recover from the trekking fatigue. The most important aspect of acclimatization day is to help you adjust with the high altitude region. The rest day in Manang enables you to cross Thorung La Pass (5,416m), the highest point of Annapurna Circuit trek. For this purpose, you can take a short hike to Gangapurna Glacial Lake or the cave above Manang village. If you want to learn about AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) or altitude sickness, you can take a short walk to Vraga village. You can take a stroll around the village to know about the typical culture and tradition by interacting with the local people.
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Day 10 : Trek to Yak Kharka (4,090m/13419ft) -4 Hrs
The trekking trail ascends towards the Jarsang Khola valley leaving the Marsyangdi River Valley far behind. You go across a rustic village Ghunsang which offers eye-catching outlook of the snowcapped peaks of the region. You might see some herds of yak grazing in the pastureland situated in the highland. You have to walk past some mani walls immediately after crossing a wooden bridge over the Jarsang Khola. You will reach Yak Kharka (meaning ‘meadow for cattle grazing’), a small human settlement area for the night station.
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Day 11 : Trek to ThorungPhedi (4,441m/14570ft) -4 Hrs
The trekking route follows the banks of the Jarsang Khola to reach Thorung Phedi (bottom of Thorung La Pass) for the night stay. En route Thorung Phedi, you go across a beautiful village named Letdar that is one of the visit worthy pastoral villages. For acclimatization purpose, you can take a short walk around Thorung Phedi village to know about the socio-cultural aspects of this Himalayan region. Take a complete rest tonight as you are going to cross the highest point of the entire Annapurna Circuit trek 20 days itinerary. Enjoy the hygienic organic cuisines at a good hotel in the village so that you can restore the energy for further ascent.
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Day 12 : Trek to Muktinath (3,802m/12474ft) via Thorung La Pass (5,416m/17769ft) -7/8 Hrs
Today is the most memorable day of trekking around Annapurna region as you are crossing the highest point of this trek. As soon as you have your breakfast, you start ascending towards Thorung La Pass at the elevation of 5,416m). Winning over this Nepalese Himalayan high pass is a noteworthy achievement in itself giving you a lifetime experience. Follow the ‘slow but steady wins over the race’ strategy to avoid the altitude sickness while going uphill the pass. The journey to this challenging Himalayan pass will be more fantastic as you can see the prayer flags hoisted on top of the pass.
Thorung La Pass is the vantage point rewarding you with the incredible view of the Kali Gandaki River Valley. The panoramic vistas of the snowcapped peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Massifs accompanied by the strangely alluring landscapes are really soothing. After having ‘once in a lifetime’ experience of the Himalayan region, the trail leads you downwards to Muktinath. Muktinath trek awards you with the scarcest opportunity to witness the Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Himalayan kingdom of Mustang.
MuktinathTemple is a vantage point to have 360-degree panoramic view of Dhaulagiri Massif and Tukuche Peak including other snowy mountains. The most captivating feature of Muktinath Temple is the 108 waterspouts exposing water continuously and the natural flame which never exhausts in the temple premises. Overnight stay at a hotel which offers delicious food items best suitable for your health and have enough sleep.
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Day 13 : Trek to Jomsom (2,743m/ 8999ft) via Kagbeni (2,665m/8743) -6 Hrs
The Mustang trekking trail today descends towards the Jhong Khola River Valley showing the dry hills of Upper Mustang. You know, Upper Mustang is a restricted zone for tourists, so you need Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit to visit there. You meet a large flock of pilgrims, some walking bare feet; going to Muktinath Temple to pay their homage to the shrine. Drawing closer to Kagbeni, you see the spectacular scenery of the Kali Gandaki River and the Jhong Khola River valley. You also see some apple orchards which are full of mouth-watering apples if you make Kagbeni trek in autumn.
Kagbeni is a small but really beautiful pastoral village and one of the major gateways to Upper Mustang trek. You can find some good quality hotels which serve you with good accommodation facilities and local organic cuisines at the reasonable cost. After taking a short stroll around Kagbeni, you descend further towards Ekle Bhatti (one-hut settlement area) which is located in the Kali Gandaki River Valley. The rugged path below Ekele Bhatti introduces you with the strange walls indicating deserted landscapes in the rain-shadow area.
You stop at Jomsom, the administrative headquarters of Mustang district where you can find good hotels and other amenities. If you are enough with walking through the rocky trail up and down, you can catch a bus or flight to go to Pokhara. You can spend the night with some celebration with your fellow trekkers who have already done with hard trail of Annapurna Circuit trek.
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Day 14 : Trek to Ghasa (2,080m/6824ft) - 6 Hrs
After breakfast, you follow rocky and dusty downhill path that leads you towards Marpha, also known as ‘Apple Capital of Nepal’. You can observe the apple orchards in Marpha, a Sherpa village and best place for apple production in the world. You go past some ethnic rustic villages like Kobang and Tatopani where thousands of tourists spend nights during Annapurna region trek.
Then the rugged route descends towards the Kali Gandaki River Valley offering you with the picturesque vistas of snowcapped peaks. You can have a wonderful glimpse of Annapurna Massif, Dhaulagiri Massif, Tukuche and Nilgiri Peaks including Dhaulagiri Icefall. On the way, you can sight some monasteries reflecting Tibetan Buddhist Culture and tradition and small human settlement areas. You spend overnight at a teahouse at Ghasa by tasting the typical Nepali cuisines served with purest hospitality.
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Day 15 : Trek to Tatopani (1,110m/3642ft) -6 Hrs
Today’s trekking is an unforgettable moment in your lifetime as you are going to witness the deepest gorge in the world. The trail from Ghasa village goes down towards the Kali Gandaki River Valley by crossing a few suspension bridges. Along with the landscapes on the sides of the rocky path, you see the Rupchechhara Waterfalland the Kali Gandaki Gorge. Following the banks of the Kali Gandaki River, you will reach Tatopani for the night stay. Reaching there, you can take a bath in the natural hot water to get rid of travel fatigue, if any.
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Day 16 : Trek to Shikha (1,935m/5348ft) - 5 Hrs
The trail leading towards Shikha moves uphill by crossing two suspension bridges and walking up thousands of rock staircases. You can see the forests inhabited by diverse species of birds and seasonal flowering plants. The hillsides having terraced farming practices and mountain villages, like Ghara (1,705m) showing purely rustic lifestyle are some attractions for you. Although lifestyle in such mountain villages is hard, people are happily living there experiencing the distant view of the snowcapped peaks. During the journey, you come across Durbin Danda (Telescope Hillock) a vantage point for distant view of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. Overnight at a lodge at Shikha that has houses with slat roofs that maintain temperature in different seasons.
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Day 17 : Trek to Ghorepani (2,834m/ 9298ft) -5 Hrs
Today’s trekking path further ascends towards Ghorepani by crossing Chaitre, a small settlement area in Ghorepani Poon Hill trek. You also witness rhododendron forests which look awesomely colourful if you do Ghorepani Poon Hill trek in spring. The trail comprises of lots of stone staircases to climb up and down comfortably even while carrying heavy loads. The trekking to Ghorepanioffers you the majestic view of gigantic mountains Annpaurna and Dhaulagiri; two eight thousanders of Nepal. Spend the night at a lodge at Ghorepani by relishing the typical Nepali food items prepared in local flavor.
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Day 18 : Trek to Poon Hill (3,210m/10532ft), then Nayapul and drive to Pokhara (827m/ 2713ft) -6 Hrs
Today is the second most important day of the entire Annapurna Circuit 20 days itinerary as you are visiting Poon Hill. Ghorepani Poon Hill trek is also known as Annapurna Sunrise View trek which is the world’s best sunrise view trek. You start the hiking to Poon Hill from Ghorepani early in the morning to grab the lifelong opportunity of sunrise view. Witnessing the sunrise view from the elevation of 3,210m is the rarest opportunity in one’s life.
After enjoying the sunrise view, you will trek back to Ghorepani and have your breakfast after arranging your backpacks. Then, you start the last walking of Annapurna Circuit trek all the way down to Ulleri along very steep stone staircases. You cross a suspension bridge over the river to reach Tikhedhunga, Hile and Birethanti, the last check-post in Annapurna region trekking. Getting your Annapurna trekking permit checked for the last time, you will head towards Nayapul which takes about 15 minutes.
From Nayapul, catch a bus to reach the hotel in Pokhara booked for your accommodation tonight. You can organize party with your fellow beings as you have completed one of the most popular treks in Nepal, Annapurna Circuit trek. You can visit the most important touristic sites like Phewa Lake, Devi’s Fall, Begnas Lake, etc. in Pokhara if possible.
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Day 19 : Drive Back to Kathmandu
Fly or drive to Kathmandu. The approximate driving duration is a little under 7 hours and the flight time is about 30 minutes. Stay overnight stay at a 3-star hotel. The dinner will be hosted for you by Orbit Alpine Adventures.
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Day 20 : Final Departure
Today is the final day of Annapurna Circuit trek 20 days itinerary which we hope you enjoyed a lot. So, the team member of Orbit Alpine Adventure accompanies you up to the Kathmandu International Airport for the farewell. Nevertheless, if you have more days to spend here in Nepal, you can consult with us for other packages. We’d love to assist you plan the right kind of Nepal tour or trekking package according to your choice.
