Best Time, Route, Itinerary and More for Annapurna Circuit Trekking

1. Best Time, Route, Itinerary and More for Annapurna Circuit Trekking The Himalayas have always fascinated trekkers and hikers from across the globe. The Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the most widely chosen trekking routes for trekkers and you can see the whole of the Annapurna massif, reaching the highest point at Thorong La Pass at an altitude of 5,416m. Not only this, the trekking route takes you on a walk through the Kali Gandaki gorge, which is the deepest gorge in the world. On looking up from the gorge, view the majestic and spectacular Mt. Annapurna I to the east situated at 8091m and Dhaulagiri to the west at 8167m. The whole of the Annapurna range can be explored during this trekking adventure. This circuit trek also covers areas like Jomsom, Manang and Muktinath regions and in these areas, trekkers can come in close contact with varieties of Nepalese cultures, customs, ethnicities and most importantly, landscapes. Best time for Annapurna Circuit Trekking Annapurna Circuit Trekking cannot be done as and when you want. This is because the weather and climatic conditions of Nepal play an important role in deciding what the best time for this trekking is. There are two best times for trekking and hiking the Annapurna Circuit – late February to April and October to early December. These are ideal times for hiking the trails as the weather conditions remain more than perfect. In the lower regions of the trek, you might get balmy and a slightly hot climate. But as you go towards the top at the higher levels and towards the Pass, the weather gets crisp and you might experience light snow in some areas as well. Apart from the above mentioned times, trekking the Annapurna Circuit is quite risky, particularly the Thorong La Pass. The whole Pass remains under snow and there can also be disastrous blizzards in the mountains. During the monsoons too, there is torrential rain leading to landslides and extremely slippery surfaces making the conditions extremely dangerous for walking, leave alone trekking. Route and Itinerary of Annapurna Circuit Trekking Now that you know the best time for Annapurna Circuit trekking, you must have a clear idea regarding the route and the itinerary of trekking. The length of the trek varies from 16-20 days. The distance that is covered in the trek depends greatly on the route and also on the options of side treks. But the range of the distance is between 170km - 230km. The highest point of this trek is the Thorong La Pass at an altitude of 5416m. Annapurna I is the highest mountain in the Annapurna Massif at 8091m. One route and the itinerary plan are as follows. There might be minor changes in the other route plans, but more or less it is the same.

2. Kathmandu to Bandipur by car Bandipur to Bahundanda via Besishahar (till Besishahar car, after that hiking to Bahundanda Bahundanda to Jagat Lamjung Jagat Lamjung to Dharapani Dharapani to Chame Chame to Lower Pisang Lower Pisang to Manang Acclimatization day in Manang Manang to Yak Kharka Yak Kharka to Phedi Phedi to Muktinath via Thorong La Pass summit Muktinath to Jomsom Jomsom to Pokhara Pokhara to Kathmandu Trekking permit for Annapurna Circuit Trekking mandatory Whenever you are taking the Annapurna circuit trek with Tilicho lake, it is mandatory to get permits for the same. Two permits are needed – the Trekking Information Management System permit and Annapurna National Park Permit. Both these permits are checked and validated at different checkpoints all along the trek. In case you are going as a part of a guided tour, the guide arranges the permits for the whole group. The Annapurna Circuit trekking route is strenuous and one has to be physically fit to overcome the strain.