Annapurna Circuit Trek with Ghorepani - Poon Hill

Upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, you will be greeted by our correspondent who will assist with your transfer to the hotel. Once checked in, we will arrange a pre-trip meeting where we will brief in short about the trek, answer any queries you have and meet your trekking guide as well. After the short brief, you can relax and spend rest of the day at your leisure. Stay overnight at the Hotel / Resort in Kathmandu.

This day you will prepare to begin the journey from city of temples, Kathmandu to village of majestic Himalayas, Annapurna Region. Today’s whole journey will be drive from Kathmandu to Dharapani via Besisahar which takes about 9-10 hours (220 km). You will change the vehicle from Besisahar and drive in local private jeep for next 3-4 hours journey in mountain road till Dharapani.

You will enjoy the scenic and adventurous ride to Dharapani as the road lies along the bank of Marsyangdi River thorugh Syange and continues with a short and steep climb to one of the beautiful villages of Tal (an ancient glacier lake) before we reach Dharpani. From Besisahar you can see local village people, small villages, spectacular waterfalls on the way to Dharapani. Stay overnight at lodge in Dharapani.

This day you will have breakfast in the morning and then begin the trek to Chame which takes about 6 hours (approx. 16km).

Today on the first day of our trek, you will follow some straight and some ascending trials (mostly road route) and other side we can see pine, oak forest, and maple trees. You will be walking alongside Marsyangdi River. Also, you get to explore Tibetan settlements, Chortens, prayer flags, apple farms on the way as we pass through Bagarchhap and Danakyu. You will pass through the beautiful villages like: Timang (route from Namum Bhanjyang trek) and Koto (route connecting to Nar-Phu Trek). We will have lunch camp in Timang.

With that as we reach Chame, you can see beautiful views of Lamjung Himal (7000 m), Mount Manaslu and Annapurna II and (8156m). Chame is the headquarter of Manang district. There are shops and stores here in Chame, if anyone wants to buy any equipment, medicine or any essentials required for the trek. Stay overnight at lodge in Chame.

This day you will have breakfast in the morning and begin to trek towards Pisang which takes about 6 hours.

Today, you will walk straight ascending trial (mostly road trial) along the pine and rhododendron forest along the small and rocky ways. On the way you will pass through Bhratang village (2850 m), where we can explore apple farm and also observe Gurung community (one of the ethnic groups of Nepal). From here crossing suspension bridge of Marshyangdi River you will reach Dhikur Pokhari (3060 m) which will be the lunch camp. From here you can enjoy beautiful view of Annapurna II, Pisang Peak, Tililcho Pek, Chulu Peak, and so on. Also, you can see amazing view of Pangdi Danda & Swargadwari Danda which is considered sacred by local people.

having lunch in Dhikur Pokhari you will walk another straight trial to reach Upper Pisang which takes another 2 hours. As you reach Upper Pisang we can see mesmerizing views of Annapurna Range. Also, you can explore around mani walls, monastery and observe local Tibetan Gurung people around the village. Stay overnight at lodge in Upper Pisang.

This day you will have breakfast in the morning and head towards Manang which takes about 7-8 hours. Today you will be trekking via upper trials passing through the villages: Ghyaru, Humde, Ngawal and Braga to reach Manang. On the way, you will explore mani walls, Tibetan people, Buddhist culture, Monasteries, apple farms and amazing views of Himalayas.

Walking some straight ascending and uphill trial along the alpine forest until you reach Ghyaru village (3570 m) which takes about 3 hours. Ghyaru is a beautiful village with the local settlement of Tibetan Gurung and from here you can see mesmerizing view of Mount Manaslu, Pisang Peak, Gangapurna, Tilicho Peak and Annapurna Range.

Walking another 2 hours you will reach another beautiful town Ngawal (3660 m) which will be your lunch camp. In mean time, you can explore Buddhist monastery and observe their culture and beautiful settlement around Ngawal.

lunch, you move forward some descending and straight trial and reach Braga (3439 m). You will explore Braga Gompa which is believed to be 900 years old. This place is believed to be historic settlement of Tibetan residential people. From Braga, walking straight trails you will reach our destination of the day, Manang. Stay overnight at lodge in Manang.

This day will be the day of acclimatization to prepare your body for high elevation. Also, you can explore around beautiful Manang on this day.

There are different options today to explore around Manang, i.e. to go Gangapurna Glacier (3 hours) or Milarepa Cave (6 hours) or Ice Lake (8 hours).

En route to Gangapurna Glacier you can see Gangapurna Lake, and from the top lower view of Manang village, Tanki Manang, 100 Lama Monastery and top of Ice Lake. The whole journey will be of 3 hours. This route is quite popular amongst tourists as it is short and best for acclimatization.

You can also explore one of the historic Milarepa cave which is believed to be 300 years old. The route is opposite to Ice Lake from Braga. From the cave, we can also see the views of Himalayas.

Ice Lake, also known as Kicho Tal which lies at the elevation of 4600 m, as you reach Ice Lake, you can see Ice Lake and see magnificent close view of Annapurna Range, Pisang Peak, Thorang Peak, Tilicho Peak, Mount Manaslu, Chulu Peaks and so on. If you want to explore Ice Lake, you have to take packed-lunch from Manang as you will be going uphill almost 1000m. And as there are no lodges en route you return back to Manang, the whole trip will be of almost 8 hours. Stay overnight at lodge in Manang.

This day we will have breakfast in the morning and head towards Yak Kharka which takes about 4.5 hours. Today we will be walking straight ascending trial and some stone step trials to reach Tengi Mannag and from there straight ascending through the dry landscape to reach Gunsang.

is a small village with the settlement of Tibetan people having small mud houses. Also, we can see yaks and horse pastures in the village. From Gunsang we walk straight ascending trial and cross wooden bridge to reach Yak Kharka. We will reach Yak Kharka at lunch camp. After lunch there are small hills around which we can hike for acclimatization. Stay overnight at lodge in Yak Kharka.

Today we head to the foot of Thorong La pass, Thorong Phedi. This day we will have breakfast in the morning and prepare to begin our trek to Thorang Phedi which takes about 3 - 4 hours. As we will be climbing high altitude, we will walk slowly, taking rest.

From Yak Kharka, we will climb up to a ridge till we reach Ledar (4200m), then descend down and cross the Marsyangdi river on a wooden bridge. Then after we climb uphill for about 40 minutes and reach small tea shop. We will rest here for a while and enjoy the scenery.

we begin to follow a narrow trail across a slope and descend to Thorong Phedi. Thorong Phedi is not a village, it is a rugged terrain with lodges and lush lowland. Stay overnight at lodge in Thorang Phedi.

Today is one of the important and memorable day of the trek, as we will be crossing one of the highest passes of the world. Early morning we will have breakfast and then begin to trek towards our next destination Muktinath via Thorong La Pass which takes about 8-9 hours.

At beginning we will climb steep uphill till we reach High Camp and from there we will walk zig zag trial till we reach small tea shop and then again walking straight ascending trial we will reach Thorang La Pass in about 4.30 hours.

Thorang La Pass is one of the most challenging as well as the highest pass in the world. From the top of the pass, if weather is clear, we can see breathtaking views of Mustang Range, Dhaulagiri Range, Thorang Peak, Nilgiri Himal and so on. We will celebrate our success and take pictures here and with all the memories we will begin to descend towards Mustang region of Nepal.

From the pass, we will walk total steep descending trial for 2.30 hours and reach Phedi and have lunch here. We will rest for a while and again prepare to walk descending trial for another 1.5 hours until we reach Muktinath.

Muktinath is a religious temple which lies in the Mustang district of Nepal. Muktinath is a sacred temple for Hindu as well as Buddhists. Buddhist people name Muktinath as Chumig Gyatsa (meaning: the hundred springs). While for Hindu people Muktinath means lord of Liberation (mokshya). This it is one of the most important religious places for Hindu and it is believed that taking bath in 108 stone sprouts will give individual salvation from the bad deeds they have done during their lifetime. Also, here lies the statue of Lord Buddha, statue of Guru Padmasava and Buddhist thanka. Also inside, we can see the eternal flame which has been burning for more than 2000 years. Stay overnight at lodge Muktinath.

This day after having breakfast prepare to drive from Muktinath to Tatopani via Jomsom which takes about 4-5 hours of drive.Today's drive typically involves a jeep ride in local vehicle along the Kali Gandaki River valley, surrounded by views of Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri. On the way you will pass through the charming villages of Mustang like: Marpha, Tukuche, and Ghasa, gradually descending in elevation and entering greener terrain to Tatopani.

Tatopani is one of the famous destinations which lies in Myagdi district of Nepal. Tatopani is renowned for its naturally occurring hot springs. Geothermal reservoirs located under the surface are provided in the hot springs. These calming waters are said to have therapeutic qualities, primarily for skin and rheumatic disorders (diseases affecting the joints or connective tissue that cause persistent, frequently sporadic discomfort). Stay overnight at lodge Tatopani.

This day you will have breakfast in the morning and then prepare to trek towards Ghorepani which takes about 7- 8 hours of walking.

Today's walk will be total ascending trials along lush forest & Rhododendron forest leaving Kaligandaki River behind. You will have lunch camp in Sikha. After resting for a while after lunch, continue walking through a ascending trial for another 3.5 hours to reach Ghorepani.

Ghorepani is a beautiful settlement of Magar people surrounded by the hills and amazing forests. As you enter Ghorepani we start to see local house, horses, mules, and so on. Also, from Ghorepani you can see amazing views of Annapurna South, Dhaulagiri, Himchuli, Mount Nilgiri and other Annapurna Range. The word ‘Ghorepani’ means water to horses. It is place where the horses carrying the goods and commodities would clear their thirst. Stay overnight at lodge in Ghorepani.

This day we will wake up early in the morning and then hike to Poonhill which takes about 2 hours. Poon hill is a hill station from where we can see 360-degree views of Himalayas and catch the amazing sunrise in the early morning. From the top, we can see amazing views of Mount Annapurna, Mount Dhaulagiri, Mount Machhapuchre, Mount Manaslu, Himchuli, Nilgiri, Lamjung Himal, Tukuche, and many more. After enjoying the scenic view, taking pictures from Poonhill we descend back to Ghorepani.

As we return back from Poonhill we will have breakfast at the lodge and then prepare to descend back towards Birethanti. Today will be the last day of trek. We will have to descend for almost 6 hours along the Rhododendron and oak forest to reach Birethanti. On the way we will have lunch at Hille and then again walk for about 1-hour motorable road and reach Birethanti.

Upon arrival in Birethanti, we will drive to Pokhara which takes about 2 hours. Stay overnight at the Hotel in Pokhara.

This day after having breakfast at the hotel, you will prepare to return back to Kathmandu by tourist bus which takes about 8-9 hours. Stay overnight at Hotel in Kathmandu.

Note: There are three options (flight / private vehicle / tourist bus) to return back to Kathmandu. You can choose the favorable option and return back to Kathmandu. It takes 25 minutes by flight, 7-8 hours by private vehicle and 8- 9 hours by tourist bus to reach Kathmandu from Pokhara.

This day will be free day in Kathmandu for UNESCO WORLD HERITAGEsightseeing / mountain flight to see beautiful views of Everest range and so on..

• Patan Durbar Square: Home of several ancient places, temples, statues, religious objects, former royal palace (museum).
• Boudhanath: One of the largest stupas in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Pashupatinath: A sacred Hindu temple complex on the banks of the Bagmati River.

Enjoy your last day in Kathmandu before departure. At your scheduled departure time, our correspondent will pick you up from the hotel, transfer you to the airport, and bid you farewell with warm hearts.