Short Annapurna Circuit Trek 10 Days

Our short Annapurna circuit trek will start with a long jeep or bus ride towards Dharapani Village. We will leave Kathmandu through Kalanki and climb over the Thankot Pass surrounding the valley. The Prithvi Highway will now descend by around 400 m and run along the Trishuli Valley. Glancing at Annapurna, Lamjung, Ganesh, and Langtang, we will be at Muglin after about 4 hours of drive. The road will further continue on to Dumre along the main track to Pokhara. Then our driver will take the right turn into the green hills and we will be at the town of Besisahar on the shore of the Marshyangdi River where we will stretch our limbs and eat our lunch. Now the unpaved bumpy road will dotted with small villages of Khudi, Bhulbhule, Ngadi, Dobhantar, Ghermu, Bahun Danda, and Syangje of Lamjung Valley. The onward mountain dirt track will continue on when we will ride through Jagat, Chamje, and Tal Villages. At this point, we have entered the beautiful dry Manang Valley. Traveling through the green hills of Karte, our long driving journey will finally end at Dharapani. We will be initiating our hiking from tomorrow, for now, we will stay in the local lodge and enjoy our first authentic local dinner. Activity: Drive for 9 to 10 hours Max. Altitude: 1,860m/6,102ft. Dharapani Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

The real exciting part of our 10 days Annapurna circuit trekking journey begins now. As a warm-up, the path will initially be easy through the beautiful landscape of green forest. Shortly, we will be at Bagarchhap Village (2160 m) where there is a tiny monastery that we can explore. From here, the trail will gradually climb for about 2 hours directing us toward Timang Village. Manaslu can be seen afar in the distance as we move on through 2400 m high Lata Marang and Koto to Chame. This small hamlet is the center of the Manang area which gives us the blissful aura of the Manaslu. Near Chame, there is also a thermal spring on the shore of the Marshyangdi River which we can enjoy at the end of the day. Activity: Trekking 6 hours Max. Altitude: 2,650m/8,694ft. Chame Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

From Chame, we will pick up our walk along the Marshyangdi River and head towards Bhratang Village. Here, we will have to move across a hung steel bridge. Moving further, we will encounter the 1500 m high natural granite walls of Paungdi Hill adjacent to Dhukur Pokhari. Walking up further, we will be at 3200 m high lower Pisang Village. It also has its charm but for the more Himalayan experience, we will push for 100 m more and settle in the Upper Pisang, more calmer and more beautiful. Pisang and Annapurna II will kiss the sky of this village which we will certainly enjoy at sunset. Activity: Trekking for 5-6 hours Max. Altitude: 3,250m/10,663ft. Pisang Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

From Upper Pisang, we will progressively climb through the sparsely vegetated slope of Manang Valley towards Ghyaru Village (3730 m). we will start to see the full size of Annapurna II, the Annapurna IV, the Annapurna III, Gangapurna, Lamjung, Pisang, and Tilicho Peaks as we descend a bit to Ngawal (3650 m). The trail now sharply goes down till we are at Bragha Village (3470 m) from where we will again ascend around 100 m or so to Manang. This is the final main town we will stay in so if you want to buy any gear or clothing, you can do it here. Activity: Trekking for 5-6 hours Max. Altitude: 3,519m/11,545ft. Manang Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

We will take a day off today in the Manang village to prepare ourselves for the following days of the Annapurna circuit short trek. We can head up towards the Milarepa Cave under the glacier of Annapurna III or we can also head up towards the Gangapurna alpine lake under the Gangapurna glacier. We can also continue further up to 4130 m high Bodzo Gompa or the Chongkor observation point from where we can admire the glacier. We will then move back down and wander through the old town. Activity: Rest Day Max. Altitude: 3,519m/11,545ft. Manang Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

Leaving Manang, we will continue our journey towards the enormous pass of Thorong La. A steep path along the slope will first lead us to 3650 m high Tengi Manang near the Jar Sang Khola. We will now leave the Marshyangdi Valley and walk higher and higher to 3890 m high Ghunsang where we can see yaks grazing calmly on the grassy slope. Taking the north path, we will reach the village of Yak Kharka situated just over the elevation of 4018 m. The altitude will begin to take its toll as we proceed further up to Upper Yak kharka and then to Letder Village. Activity: Trekking for 4-5 hours Max. Altitude: 4,200m/13,780ft. Churi Letdar Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

We will begin our short but quite hard day of walking from Letder towards the end of the wide valley. Then, we will ascend sharply along the Thorong Khola and eventually reach the tea house of Thorong Phedi. Located beneath the foot of the high Thorong La Pass, this site is also known as the base camp of this pass. Instead of wondering around, we will spend the day just resting and have early dinner and sleep as we have the very serious day tomorrow. Activity: Trekking for 2-3 hours Max. Altitude: 4,450m/14,600ft. Thorong Phedi Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

The maximum and the highest elevation of our short trek to Annapurna circuit will be touched today. Starting our day at around 4 am, we will place our headlamps and begin to gain around 425 m altitude within 1.5 hours to reach the Pass High Camp. Another 600 m sharp ascent will have to be dealt with before we are atop the pass summit. En route, we will have to overcome multiple small and high hills which seem to last forever. The climb will therefore be long, hard, tough, and sometimes snowy but quite doable. At last, the fluttering lungtas (prayer flags) will come into view hinting we are at the pass. See the light of the rising sun brightening the white features of Manaslu, Annapurna I, Hiunchuli, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung, Fishtail, and Nilgiri. Now get ready for the 1600 m long sharp descent from the pass to the village of Muktinath. On the way, we will meet the locals of Rani Pauwa, Ekle Bhatti, and Khinga before reaching Muktinath, an important religious center for both Hindus and Buddhists, with a lot of cultural and spiritual value Activity: Trekking for 8-9 hours Max. Altitude: 3,710m/12,172ft. Muktinath Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

Muktinath is a magical and religious gem and so we will grab the opportunity to see the ever burning flame of the temple over the stream. There are also 108 natural water jets and the custom is to bath under all its water to abolish the sins. We will now begin walking down to the large valley of Kali Gandaki towards the Kagbeni Village of the lower Mustang and the gate to the restricted Upper Mustang. Positioned between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, the village lies in the rain shadow area and so is pretty dry. Nilgiri seems pretty impressive from here as we progressively keep walking down through Dagarzong to Jomsom. Activity: Trekking for 7-8 hours Max. Altitude: 2,743m/8,999ft. Jomsom Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Local Lodge

We can end our short Annapurna circuit trek with either a long drive from Jomsom to Pokhara or with a quick flight from Jomsom airstrip to Pokhara. The drive will take around 7 to 8 hours, which offers the views of various picturesque rural villages in Nepal. On the other hand, the flight will be a speedy one and within 20 to 25 minutes, you will be in Pokhara. You will have plenty of time then to explore the beautiful lake city of Pokhara. Please remember, opting for the flight will you an extra fee. Activity: Fly for 20-25 minutes Max. Altitude: 822m/2,697ft. Pokhara Meal: Breakfast Accommodation: 3 Star Hotel