Annapurna Circuit Trek

Tackle this essential Nepal trek, enjoying an unmatched variety of scenery and staying in teahouses

The Annapurna Circuit – considered the classic trek in Nepal – is legendary in the hiking community for its unrivalled variety of landscapes. However, few trekking trips complete the route, often skipping the final leg, which means missing out on deserted trails and unforgettable nights in quiet teahouses. We just couldn’t do that. Join us to tackle the full lap, enjoying superb views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountains and the ever-changing scenery. Based in teahouses throughout, we spend time in villages inhabited by many of Nepal’s different peoples, both Buddhist and Hindu.

Why trek with Exodus?

• One of the highest staff-to-traveller ratios on the trek with one staff member to every four travellers
• More than 30 years’ experience organising treks in Nepal
• A carefully designed itinerary to minimise long road journeys and maximise comfort and ascent rates on the trails
• Exodus annually commissions independent air-safety audits on domestic carriers in Nepal and only use those approved as part of the audit
• Experienced English-speaking local leaders who are qualified in first aid and trained to recognise and deal with altitude sickness
• All staff (leaders, guides and porters) are fully insured and paid a fair wage
• Staff carry oxygen, a first-aid kit, and self-assessment acute mountain sickness cards, used to monitor every traveller at altitude
• Speak to Exodus office staff who have done the trek themselves

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 5 (Challenging), mainly due to the number of days walking and the maximum altitude reached. For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

Suitability: This is a lodge-based trek with 18 days of walking and full porterage throughout – you need only carry a backpack. The Annapurna Circuit is renowned for offering particularly varied scenery and we recommend it to those who want a thorough overview of the Nepalese Himalaya. It is suitable for those confident of their physical fitness, ideally with some previous trekking experience. If you do not exercise or hill walk regularly, you should do some training or physical preparation beforehand.

Apart from the Thorong La, the walking is generally quite moderate and the first few days do not involve any long or steep ascents. On most days, we walk for between approximately five and seven hours. The Thorong La crossing takes around 12 hours. The walking is almost entirely on well-established trails. During the Thorong La crossing, we may encounter some snow or ice and it will be extremely cold. It is also likely to be below freezing on several nights. To help you better prepare for your Nepal trip, please also see our Nepal Destination Guide.

Altitude: Much of the walking is at moderate altitude with the exception of the Thorong La, a high pass with a steep approach. Please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for more information and advice on how to limit the effects of altitude sickness.

• Maximum altitude: 17,778ft (5,416m)
• Average altitude: 9,186ft (2,800m)
• Maximum sleeping altitude: 14,501ft (4,420m) at Phedi

Weather: Although we schedule this trek at times of the year when conditions should be favourable, there can be unseasonal snowfall, which very occasionally makes the Thorong La impassable. In this case, we can spend one day waiting. Then, if it is still not possible to cross the pass, we must retrace our steps to Besisahar.

Heights: The trail crosses numerous modern suspension bridges, all of which have mesh sides and none are especially high; however, anyone with a strong fear of heights or vertigo may find them difficult.

Itinerary: A dirt road is currently under construction along part of the main Annapurna Circuit route; however, our itinerary takes alternative trails (known as NATT – New Annapurna Trekking Trails) wherever available to avoid the road as much as possible. These are a combination of new trails and previously disused old trails that have recently been cleared. There are a series of small wooden bridges over the Kali Gandaki constructed every November after the monsoon. Treks in October and November use the suspension bridges and trips departing from late November to April use the wooden bridges to cross the river.

Walking hours stated within the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated exclude lunch stops and vary depending on the group’s pace. Altitude gain given within the itinerary refers to the total ascent that day (ie all the uphill sections added together). Unfortunately, we do not have this data for the altitude loss at present.

Nepal flight safety

Many of our treks in Nepal use domestic flights to reach the trekking areas. The mountainous Nepalese terrain is subject to changeable weather, which makes flying conditions complex and challenging, and unfortunately there are significantly more incidents here than in other countries, including fatalities. The EU highlighted the poor safety record in Nepal in 2013 by including all Nepalese-registered airlines on the EU banned list, which prevents them from flying in EU airspace. While no Nepalese-registered airlines currently fly within the EU, the EU instigated this ban to highlight the risk of flying in Nepal to EU citizens. These airlines are unlikely to be members of any internationally recognised safety audit systems and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of Western nations.

Flying within Nepal is therefore a known risk, and we strongly encourage you to consider this carefully before booking. We suggest you refer to the following sources:

• The current travel advice for Nepal issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
• The Air Safety Network entry for Nepal

In response to concerns over this safety record, Exodus arranges for independent air-safety auditors to visit Nepal annually to assess the suitability of the available carriers. We then restrict our use to only those approved as part of this audit. In emergency situations, we will need to use helicopters, so we also have a list of approved helicopter carriers. Should concerns arise regarding the safety of an airline on our approved list, we will remove the carrier from the list immediately, and it would only be reinstated once our air-safety auditors are confident the airline meets acceptable safety standards.

We appreciate that you may have concerns about flying within Nepal, so we ask that you please consider all the information above when deciding to book this trip.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Nepal

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cholera, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and tuberculosis. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Some travellers may also need proof of a polio vaccination. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

There is little to no risk of malaria in Nepal; therefore, antimalarial tablets are not usually advised although may be considered for certain high-risk groups. You may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in Nepal. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Most of our trips to Nepal go to high altitudes where there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected. Please refer to the Altitude Warning within the Trip Notes for further advice on AMS.

When trekking at altitude, and particularly in cold weather, there is a higher chance of developing a cough (sometimes referred to here as the Khumbu cough) or cold symptoms. These symptoms could be a result of inhaling cold mountain air or dust (in the Everest region). You can mitigate against picking up coughs and colds by washing your hands with soap and water at available opportunities and using hand sanitiser. Also wear a buff over your neck and mouth when walking at altitude, particularly in colder weather, which will help limit cold, dry air entering your airways and keep your neck and chest warm.

Visa

Nepal

You can obtain your visa in advance or on arrival. The Immigration Department of Nepal has suspended visas on arrival for certain nationalities – please check if this applies to you with your nearest embassy or consulate.

Visa in advance

To get a visa in advance you can apply online at nepaliport.immigration.gov.np and collect it from your nearest Nepali embassy. Find more information at www.immigration.gov.np.

Visa on arrival

1. When you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, there will be three lines. If you have already secured your visa, go straight to the Immigration line. If not:
   Fill in a tourist visa form at the electronic kiosks. After inserting your passport, the machine will automatically fill out an application form, take an electronic photograph of you and print a paper slip. If the machine won’t read your passport, complete the details manually using the touchscreen. We recommend taking a passport photo with you just in case.
   Top tip: This process can be completed through the online immigration portal (click ‘Visa On-Arrival’) within 14-days prior to arrival in Kathmandu, helping you to avoid lengthy queues at the kiosks when you come through immigration – ensure you print and bring the confirmation with you. If you have completed your visa on arrival form in advance, go directly to the visa fees counters with your printed confirmation and skip the kiosk queues.
2. Proceed to the visa fees collection counter and pay the visa fee (in cash, if possible). Make sure to keep the receipt. Card payments are not always possible, so paying in cash is easiest, most currencies are accepted but US dollars are preferred.
3. Go to the relevant immigration desk and present your tourist visa form, payment receipt and passport to obtain your 15-, 30- or 90-day visa stamp. Please check you have been given the correct visa duration.

Food & Drink

Breakfast is included throughout the trip.

In the teahouses, breakfasts comprise of a choice of bread (a slice of toast, chapatti or Tibetan bread), a choice of egg (boiled, fried or omelette), and a choice between either muesli or porridge each day. Hot tea/coffee is also served. On some days, a pancake with jam/honey is served. You may also be able to supplement your included breakfast with additional items on the teahouse menu should you wish, additional items not included in the set menu should be ordered and paid for separately.

Please note, some more remote teahouses/lodges are unable to provide an extensive menu due to irregular delivery schedules and during periods of bad weather or a high volume of trekkers, there may be a more limited menu choice. Also, the higher altitude the more expenses the menus and extras generally are.

Lunch is at a teahouse en route – sometimes one of your guides will go ahead with the group’s order to make it more expedient. Dinner will be in the same teahouse that you sleep at (this is custom in Nepal as teahouses base their room rate on it).

The menus in the lodges are almost identical to one another but offer a varied choice, ranging from traditional Nepalese dhal bhat to pizza and apple pie. Dhal bhat is the staple diet in Nepal and comes in many different forms but generally comprises curried lentils and meat or vegetables, rice, and a pickle/chutney. Another popular snack is momos, a type of Nepalese dumpling, fried or steamed and filled with meat or vegetables.

Although meat is available in the teahouses, we advise against eating it on trek. The meat has often been carried in the heat from lower altitudes for several days before reaching the lodges and can cause stomach upsets or illness. Germs can also be spread by handling dirty money – we recommend using hand sanitiser.

If you have a gluten-free diet, we strongly recommend you bring extra food and snacks with you to supplement the food on trek as there will be little variety available to you, particularly for breakfast. Even many of the soups are from powder/packets and contain gluten. If you buy imported food and drink on trek you will spend more than the suggested amount.

Drinking water

Staying hydrated is important when undertaking any physical activity but particularly so at altitude where it is generally recommended to drink at least 100floz to 135floz (three litres to four litres) per person per day.

However, we strongly encourage you not to buy bottled water on trek as this contributes to the growing problem of plastic pollution in the trekking areas of Nepal.

A few villages along the Annapurna Sanctuary route have safe drinking water stations selling UV-treated water for about 50 rupees (US$0.40) per litre but these are not always open.

The teahouses also sell boiled water for approximately 150-300 rupees (US$1.15-US$2.30) per litre (the price increases the higher you trek) which should not require treating. This is also perfect for a bedtime refill as it can double up as a hot-water bottle.

Alternatively, all teahouses provide free cold water. Although this should not be drunk untreated, we recommend you bring a reusable bottle/water bladder/Camelpak (ideally two) and use an effective form of water treatment. There are a wide range of products available including Steripens or purification tablets, which are the quickest and easiest options to use on trek – we recommend talking to an outdoor retailer for the latest advice as technologies are improving all the time. Make sure to check the product’s performance in cold/freezing conditions and consider battery life (lithium batteries are best in cold conditions).

Exodus has partnered with Water-to-Go, a filtration system that eliminates more than 99.99 percent of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source – visit Water-to-Go for more information. Exodus customers can claim 15 percent off their first order and, better still, 15 percent of the purchase value will be donated to the Exodus Travels Foundation. These bottles filter the water as you drink through the spout may not be the most efficient while on the go on a trek. Please note, if the water freezes it will clog up the filter. In this event, defrost before use by sitting the filter in lukewarm water for 10-15 minutes.

Weather

The main trekking season in Nepal is from October to mid-May when daytime temperatures at most altitudes are generally comfortable for walking, the sky is clear much of the time, and rain and snow are occasional occurrences. Daytime temperatures will vary from 15C to 30C (59F to 86F) in the Kathmandu Valley to around 10C (50F) at 11,800ft (3,600m) and progressively lower the higher we go. Different seasons offer different advantages for trekking.

The crossing of the Thorong La can be cold at any time of year. Sometimes the pass is clear of snow and there is no wind while at other times it is covered in snow (or ice) and is extremely windy and cold. We cannot predict the weather, so you must have adequate clothing and equipment for very cold temperatures. We cannot guarantee you will need them but we suggest you take YakTrax or microspikes (the ones with spikes, not coils) in case of snow or ice as it is best to be prepared.

Snow can be expected on any departure, usually at the higher altitudes above Manang.

Post monsoon/autumn (Mid-September to November): This is the main trekking season in Nepal. Day temperatures in Kathmandu are typically above 20C (68F). Skies are usually clear and days on trek are sunny and mild with clear mountain views. Nights will be colder with temperatures dropping as low as -5C (23F) at higher altitudes.

Winter (December to end of February): An ideal time to trek in Nepal, despite the colder conditions. Skies are usually very clear, especially in December, and the mountain views are at their best. Nights will be very cold with temperatures down to -10C (14F) or lower at the highest altitudes but days are pleasant and sunny. The trails are also much less busy at this time of year. In Kathmandu, maximum daytime temperatures are 19C (66F).

Pre-monsoon/spring (March to May): Both day and night temperatures are warmer in general but haze often builds in the afternoons. It is very hot in the lowlands and temperatures rise to 35C (95F) in Kathmandu. Flowers bloom in this season and this is one of the reasons people chose to trek in spring. A buff is highly recommended as protection against the dusty winds that can occur on certain sections of the trip.