Nepal: the Annapurna Sanctuary and Annapurna Base Camp trek

1. Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu

   Tribhuvan International Airport to your hotel, then the old city on foot

   • Dinner
   • Stay in Kathmandu
   Day 1 details

   Welcome to Nepal. Sort out your visa before you travel (rules vary by passport; check Nepal's Department of Immigration), then a driver meets you outside arrivals at Tribhuvan International Airport for the short drive to your hotel near Thamel. If you land by about 2 pm, join your See Sight Tours guide for a late-afternoon walk through the old city: south from Thamel through the spice and brass stalls of Asan and Indra Chowk to Kathmandu Durbar Square, where the temples and the old royal palace catch the low light and the evening crowds gather on the temple steps. In the evening the whole group meets for a welcome dinner of momos and dal bhat and a first briefing on the trek: how the days run, what goes in the duffel the porters carry, what stays in Pokhara, and how teahouses and altitude work. This is the only night in Kathmandu before the trek, so if you would like more time here, we can add nights before the trip starts.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)
   • Old city walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square with your guide, entry fee as set out in the quote, for arrivals by about 2 pm
   • Welcome dinner and trek briefing

   Free time: Free until the old city walk or the welcome dinner

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot on the old city walk, on flat streets.

   

2. Day 2: Fly to Pokhara

   Kathmandu to Pokhara by plane, then Lakeside

   • By plane
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Pokhara
   Day 2 details

   A morning flight west to Pokhara takes about 25 minutes, against roughly seven to nine hours by road (an estimate; road conditions vary). Sit on the right side of the plane: on a clear morning the Himalaya runs along the horizon, with the Annapurnas and the fishtail peak of Machhapuchhre ahead as you land. We drive a few minutes to our hotel at Lakeside, on the shore of Phewa Lake, where we stay tonight and again on day 11, so whatever you do not need on the trail stays in the hotel storeroom. Lunch is a sit-down meal by the lake. Afterwards you meet your licensed Nepali trek leader and the porters, pack your duffel (up to 10 kg), collect the sleeping bag and down jacket we lend, and go through the trek day by day, including how we watch for altitude sickness. Late afternoon and evening are free: walk the lakeshore, buy any last gear, or have an early night.

   Included

   • Flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara
   • Airport transfers in Kathmandu and Pokhara
   • Sit-down lunch at Lakeside
   • Trek briefing and gear check, with a sleeping bag and down jacket to borrow

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free at Lakeside

   

3. Day 3: Nayapul to Ghandruk

   Pokhara to Nayapul by road, then on foot via Birethanti and Kimche to Ghandruk

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Ghandruk
   Day 3 details

   After breakfast we drive about an hour and a half west to Nayapul, where the trek begins at about 1,000 metres. At Birethanti, where the Modi and Bhurungdi rivers meet, the conservation area checkpoint stamps your permit. The trail follows the Modi Khola upstream past rice terraces, water buffalo and small shops to Syauli Bazaar, where we stop for lunch, then climbs on stone steps to Kimche and up the hillside to Ghandruk. This is a large Gurung village of stone houses and slate roofs spread across a terraced slope at about 1,940 metres; many men from villages like this have served as Gurkha soldiers. If we arrive in time, we visit the Old Gurung Museum, a traditional house kept with farm tools, clothes and household objects. On a clear evening Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre stand at the head of the valley. About 5 to 6 hours on foot and roughly 900 metres of climbing.

   Included

   • Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul
   • Permits and TIMS card, as set out in the quote
   • Trek from Nayapul to Ghandruk with your guides and porters
   • The Old Gurung Museum in Ghandruk
   • Lunch on the trail and dinner at the teahouse

   Easier option: Where the jeep road is open, ride on to Kimche with the porters' bags and walk only the last 1.5 hours up to Ghandruk.

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Ghandruk

   Activity: About 5 to 6 hours on foot with roughly 900 m of climbing, the last part on stone steps. Distances and drive times to be confirmed at quoting.

   

4. Day 4: Over the ridge to Chhomrong

   Ghandruk to Chhomrong via Kimrong Danda and the Kimrong Khola

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Chhomrong
   Day 4 details

   We leave Ghandruk after breakfast, while the mountains are clear, and climb through oak and rhododendron forest to a ridge at Kimrong Danda, roughly 2,600 metres, with the first long view up the Modi valley towards the Sanctuary. From the ridge the trail drops steeply to the Kimrong Khola, where we stop for lunch by the river, then climbs again across terraced fields and along the hillside to Chhomrong. This is the last permanent village in the valley, a Gurung settlement of stone houses on a steep slope at about 2,170 metres, looking straight across at Annapurna South and Hiunchuli, with Machhapuchhre's twin summit up the valley. Arriving by mid-afternoon leaves time for a hot shower and a bakery stop if the lodges have one. Tonight is the last village before the Sanctuary; your guide will tell you what the lodges above here serve, and menus there are usually vegetarian. About 6 hours on foot.

   Included

   • Trek from Ghandruk to Chhomrong
   • All meals on the trail with a hot drink and drinking water

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Chhomrong

   Activity: About 6 hours on foot: about 650 m up to the ridge, 800 m down to the river and 400 m up to Chhomrong.

5. Day 5: Into the Modi gorge to Bamboo

   Chhomrong to Bamboo via the Chhomrong Khola and Sinuwa

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bamboo
   Day 5 details

   Today begins with the staircase Chhomrong is known for: a long flight of stone steps down through the village to a suspension bridge over the Chhomrong Khola, and another flight up the far side to Sinuwa, where we stop for tea and the view back across the gorge. From Sinuwa the trail enters the main Modi Khola valley and the character of the trek changes. There are no more villages, only lodges, and the path runs through dense forest of oak, rhododendron and bamboo, wet with streams, where langur monkeys are sometimes seen in the trees. We have lunch at Bamboo itself, a small cluster of lodges in a clearing on the river, and stay the night here, which leaves a free afternoon to rest your legs. The gorge is narrow and gets little sun, so evenings are cool and damp. About 4.5 to 5.5 hours on foot.

   Included

   • Trek from Chhomrong to Bamboo
   • All meals on the trail with a hot drink and drinking water

   Free time: Afternoon free at Bamboo

   Activity: About 4.5 to 5.5 hours on foot, with about 500 m down and 600 m up on stone steps.

6. Day 6: Up the gorge to Deurali

   Bamboo to Deurali via Dovan, Himalaya and Hinku Cave

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Deurali
   Day 6 details

   A steady climb all day up the west side of the Modi Khola. The trail rises through bamboo and then mossy rhododendron forest past the lodges at Dovan, crosses side streams on stepping stones and reaches Himalaya, at about 2,920 metres, where we stop for lunch. Above Himalaya the trees thin out and the trail gets rockier, passing Hinku Cave, a rock overhang beside the trail, and crossing open slopes where the cliffs close in on both sides. Deurali sits at about 3,200 metres, the first night above 3,000. We walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and your guides check how everyone is feeling at dinner, as they will every evening from here up. From late autumn through spring this upper section can carry snow, and the stretch from Hinku Cave towards Machhapuchhre Base Camp is where avalanches are reported after snowfall; if local advice says the trail is unsafe, the group waits or turns back. About 5 to 6 hours on foot and about 900 metres of climbing.

   Included

   • Trek from Bamboo to Deurali
   • All meals on the trail with a hot drink and drinking water
   • Evening altitude check with your guides

   Activity: About 5 to 6 hours on foot with about 900 m of climbing, to a sleeping height of about 3,200 m.

7. Day 7: Machhapuchhre Base Camp

   Deurali to Machhapuchhre Base Camp

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Machhapuchhre Base Camp
   Day 7 details

   A short day on purpose. The trail climbs out of the gorge past the last scrub and into the Sanctuary itself, a wide glacial valley of grass and moraine where the walls of the Annapurna massif open out on every side. Machhapuchhre Base Camp sits at about 3,700 metres, directly below the sharp fishtail summit of Machhapuchhre, a mountain reported to be closed to climbing. We arrive by late morning, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Deurali, and have lunch at the lodge. The afternoon is for acclimatising: rest, drink, and if you feel well, walk slowly up the slope behind the lodges for an hour with your guide and come back down to sleep, which helps the body adjust. Cloud often builds in the valley after midday; on a clear evening the light can turn the ice on Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South pink. The night is cold, so the down jacket earns its place.

   Included

   • Trek from Deurali to Machhapuchhre Base Camp
   • Time at the lodge for sunset (weather permitting)
   • All meals with a hot drink and drinking water

   More active option: An acclimatisation walk of about an hour up the slope behind the lodges with your guide, back down to sleep.

   Free time: Afternoon free to rest and acclimatise

   Activity: About 2.5 to 3 hours on foot with about 500 m of climbing, to a sleeping height of about 3,700 m.

   

8. Day 8: Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 metres

   Machhapuchhre Base Camp to Annapurna Base Camp, then the moraine viewpoint

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Annapurna Base Camp
   Day 8 details

   We set off after breakfast, while the morning is clear, for the slow two-hour climb across the open valley to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 metres, the high point of the trip. The lodges sit in a ring of peaks: Annapurna I, at 8,091 metres the tenth highest mountain in the world, with Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, Annapurna III and Machhapuchhre all around. Prayer flags and memorial stones for climbers who died on Annapurna stand at the edge of camp. After lunch, if you feel well, walk a few minutes to the moraine ridge above the South Annapurna Glacier with your guide. The afternoon is for resting and drinking water. On a clear evening the sunset light can reach the face of Annapurna I. This is the coldest night, well below freezing, in a very basic lodge with shared rooms likely in October, and you may sleep poorly at this height, which is normal.

   Included

   • Trek from Machhapuchhre Base Camp to Annapurna Base Camp
   • The moraine viewpoint over the South Annapurna Glacier
   • Time at the lodge for sunset (weather permitting)
   • All meals with a hot drink and drinking water

   Easier option: If the altitude is bothering you, stay a second night at Machhapuchhre Base Camp with one of the guides, then walk up to Annapurna Base Camp at dawn on day 9 for sunrise and rejoin the group.

   Free time: Afternoon free at base camp

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot with about 430 m of climbing, to a sleeping height of 4,130 m.

   

9. Day 9: Sunrise at base camp, down to Bamboo

   Annapurna Base Camp to Bamboo via Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Deurali and Himalaya

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bamboo
   Day 9 details

   No climb is needed for sunrise: step out of the lodge before dawn; in clear weather the first light reaches the summit of Annapurna I and moves along the ring of peaks. After a hot breakfast we head down the way we came, and the air thickens with every hour. We pass Machhapuchhre Base Camp, drop through the rocky upper gorge to Deurali and stop for a long lunch at Himalaya, then follow the forest trail back down to the lodges at Bamboo. This is the longest day of the trek, 6 to 7 hours and about 1,800 metres of descent, and it is hard on the knees; poles help, and we take it at a steady pace with rests. Most people sleep much better tonight at about 2,310 metres. If anyone stayed at Machhapuchhre Base Camp, they come up for sunrise and walk down with the group.

   Included

   • Time at the lodge for sunrise (weather permitting)
   • Trek from Annapurna Base Camp to Bamboo
   • All meals with a hot drink and drinking water

   Activity: The longest day: 6 to 7 hours on foot, about 1,800 m of descent on rocky trail and steps.

   

10. Day 10: Back through Chhomrong to the Jhinu hot springs

    Bamboo to Jhinu Danda via Sinuwa and Chhomrong, then the hot springs

    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Jhinu Danda
    Day 10 details

    A morning of ups and downs. From Bamboo the trail climbs back to Sinuwa, drops to the bridge over the Chhomrong Khola and climbs the long staircase up through Chhomrong, where we stop for lunch with Annapurna South now behind us. From the top of the village a steep descent on stone steps brings us down through terraced fields to Jhinu Danda, a small settlement on a ridge at about 1,780 metres. We arrive in the early afternoon, drop our bags and walk about 20 minutes down to the hot springs, a set of warm pools on the bank of the Modi Khola, for a soak after eight days on the trail. The walk back up takes about half an hour. The evening is the warmest of the trek, and there is often time to sit outside before dinner. About 5 to 6 hours on foot, plus the hot springs.

    Included

    • Trek from Bamboo to Jhinu Danda
    • The Jhinu hot springs, entry fee as set out in the quote
    • All meals on the trail with a hot drink and drinking water

    Easier option: Skip the walk down to the hot springs and rest at the lodge.

    Free time: Late afternoon free in Jhinu Danda

    Activity: About 5 to 6 hours on foot with about 600 m up and 1,100 m down on stone steps, plus about 50 minutes to the hot springs and back.

11. Day 11: Down to the road and back to Pokhara

    Jhinu Danda to Siwai on foot, then by road to Pokhara and a boat on Phewa Lake

    • Drive about 2.5 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Pokhara
    Day 11 details

    The last morning on the trail is short and gentle. We follow the Modi Khola downstream on a broad path past fields and suspension bridges to the road head at Siwai, about 2 hours, where our vehicle meets us. If the jeep track is in good order, we may meet it a little higher, at New Bridge. The drive back to Pokhara takes about 2.5 hours on a rough road at first, then the Baglung highway, and we stop for lunch on the way. After a hot shower at the Lakeside hotel and your stored luggage, we walk to the boat landing in the late afternoon and cross Phewa Lake in a wooden rowing boat to the island temple of Tal Barahi, as the light goes gold over the water. In the evening we sit down for an end-of-trek dinner with the trek leader and porters, a chance to thank the crew.

    Included

    • Trek from Jhinu Danda to Siwai
    • Drive from Siwai to Pokhara, with lunch on the way
    • Rowing boat on Phewa Lake to Tal Barahi temple
    • End-of-trek dinner with the crew

    Free time: Free time between arrival and the boat

    Activity: About 2 hours on foot, mostly level or downhill, then about 2.5 hours by road. Distances and drive times to be confirmed at quoting.

    

12. Day 12: Fly to Kathmandu and depart

    Pokhara to Kathmandu by plane, Pashupatinath, then Tribhuvan International Airport

    • By plane
    • Breakfast
    Day 12 details

    A morning flight back to Kathmandu, about 25 minutes; sit on the left side of the plane for a last look at the Annapurnas. If your flight home leaves from about 4 pm onwards, your guide takes you to Pashupatinath, a short drive from the airport: the great Hindu temple on the Bagmati River, where non-Hindus are reported to be unable to enter the main shrine but everyone can watch from the terraces across the river, where the river terraces look across to the temple complex. Then we drive you to Tribhuvan International Airport; allow three hours before an international departure. Book your flight home for the evening if you can. Cloud sometimes delays or cancels the Pokhara flight, and the road takes roughly seven to nine hours (an estimate), so a later flight, or an extra night in Kathmandu that we can add, protects your connection. If you would like longer in Nepal, we can also link this trek to our classic Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara trip.

    Included

    • Flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu
    • Airport transfers in Pokhara and Kathmandu
    • Pashupatinath with your guide, entry fee as set out in the quote, for flights home from about 4 pm
    • Drop-off at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)

    Activity: Book a flight home leaving Kathmandu in the evening of day 12, or ask us to add a Kathmandu night.

Wildlife and weather: Autumn (October and November) is usually the clearest season, with very cold nights at Annapurna Base Camp. March and April are milder, with the rhododendron forest below Chhomrong and Sinuwa in flower, but cloud builds earlier and snow can lie above Deurali. Cloud often fills the valley by late morning, so the base camp views are timed for sunset and sunrise. After snowfall the section between Hinku Cave, Deurali and Machhapuchhre Base Camp can be unsafe for avalanches; the trek leader follows local advice and the group waits or turns back. Nepal Tourism Board lists March to May and September to November as the recommended windows for the Annapurna region and warns that winters are extreme with snowfall at altitude.

• Kathmandu1 night
• Pokhara1 night
• Ghandruk1 night
• Chhomrong1 night
• Bamboo1 night
• Deurali1 night
• Machhapuchhre Base Camp1 night
• Annapurna Base Camp1 night
• Bamboo1 night
• Jhinu Danda1 night
• Pokhara1 night