Annapurna Circuit Trek - 14 Days

Discovery World Trekking provides free airport arrival and departure transfer on any flight for guests who have booked the trek package. You will find our representative holding a pamphlet with your name and our company name at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. They will welcome you with a khaki or a marigold garland and then take you to your hotel in a private vehicle. We provide this service to all our clients so that they do not feel alone in a new country or face any navigational challenges.

Trek start

You will arrive one day earlier (before 3 pm) in Kathmandu for last-minute preparations. If, in case, you missed the online trip briefing, it will also provide us time to conduct an in-person briefing. On the second day, early in the morning, your guide will pick you up at your stay hotel in Kathmandu and take you to the bus station. Then, we will drive you to Bhulbhule via Besisahar. This package includes local transportation (Kathmandu - Besisahar - Bhulbhule, Jomsom -Tatopani). We can arrange a private Jeep for an extra cost.

Accommodation

Annapurna Circuit Package includes twelve-night lodge-to-lodge stays at trekking regions and one night in a Pokhara hotel. We will be staying for a total of 12 nights - 7 nights room with attached bathroom in Jagat, Dharapani, Chame, Pisang, Muktinath, Tatopani, and Ghorepani. 5 nights standard rooms -  Bhulbhule, Manang (2 nights), Yak Kharka, Thorang Phedi (twin sharing room). 

You will spend a one-night at a hotel in Pokhara with an attached bathroom, TV, 24-hour hot water, power, and laundry facility. Solo trekkers will have a single private room with an attached bathroom in the available lodges.

You will require two nights of hotel stays in Kathmandu one each before and after the trek, but it is not included in the package. Kathmandu has a wide range of hotels for all budgets and tastes. 

Meals 

Annapurna trek takes you to high elevations around the world’s highest peaks, which means your body needs enough carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrition. You will get nutritious food throughout the trek, but may not get all the options available in big cities.

This trek package includes 14 breakfasts, 13 lunches, and 13 dinners in the trek regions. Here are some options. The menu consists of traditional local, Asian, and Western cuisine, but as you go up, the menu gets shorter. 

We highly recommend liquids like green tea, lemon tea, hot lemon, ginger tea, garlic soup(must), and fresh vegetables at high altitudes. Similarly, we encourage you to try dal (lentils), bhat (rice), tarkari (curry), momos (dumplings), and Chow Mein (noodles). Though plenty of non-veg items will be available in the trekking regions, we don’t recommend them because the meat in such places may not be hygienic and healthy. We highly encourage you to avoid dairy, alcoholic drinks, caffeinated items, and hot chocolates.

All personal bills (alcoholic, hot (tea, coffee), and cold drinks) in tea houses/lodges/cafes except standard meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner with seasonal fruits) are excluded from the package. This package does not cover lunch and dinner in Pokhara.

Luggage

Porters will be assigned to carry your luggage. One porter will serve two trekkers and the combined luggage weight should not exceed 18 kg. So the luggage weight limit is 9 kg per trekker. We never overload our porters. Moreover, we expect you to carry a small backpack for your valuables and important documents. Please carry only the essentials. You can leave any excess baggage at your hotel or the Discovery World Trekking store for free.

Typical day

Every day on the trail brings you a unique trekking experience - climbing up and down the hills, enjoying the scenery, taking photos, and exploring local villages. Throughout your journey, our experienced and friendly Sherpa guide will share information and the history of the places you will be visiting. Our porters will carry your luggage. However, you might need to bring a small bag for your valuables and important documents.

The day starts with an early morning hot cup of tea/coffee. After breakfast, we will pack our bags and set off on the day’s walk around 7 to 8 AM, depending on the duration and nature of the day’s walk. After trekking for three to four hours, you will have lunch, rest for an hour, and continue the journey. 

The afternoon walk is generally shorter - about two to three hours. Once we reach our overnight lodge/tea house/tent, you can snack on the extra dietary food and explore the nearby places before it gets dark. 

You will have dinner from around 6 to 7 pm. After dinner and before going to bed, you can indulge in friendly conversations. The expedition leader/guide will brief you about the next day’s plan. After this briefing, you can enjoy onboard games like Monopoly, and cards, read books, or watch available mountaineering documentaries. Most of our guests also prefer to learn common Nepali words from our crew.

Electricity and water

Throughout the lodges at Annapurna Trek, electricity for the camera and mobile battery recharge is available at an extra cost. For water, you can buy packed mineral water from local lodges and en route shops or carry a water bottle and fill it with boiled water that you can buy from the lodges. Discovery World Trekking provides purification pills to make water drinkable. We advise you not to drink water from the rivers, taps, or wells in the trekking regions as the water may not be drinkable.

Communication

During your trip, for a small service fee, you can use the internet service at the lodges you will be staying. You can contact your family and friends from these lodges. However, once we reach high altitudes, we will use phones for communication. Discovery World Trekking Office remains in contact with all trekking groups via trek guide at least once a day. Moreover, depending on the kind of network you use, you might get network signals, but they may not be strong enough at high altitudes. However, you can get a local sim card in Kathmandu.

Tipping

Tipping is culturally accepted in Nepal and shows you are happy with the service provided. We expect you to tip based on the service quality, trek length, and trek cost. Further, it is best to tip at the end of the trek and as a group.

Trek End

On the fourteenth day, we will drive you back to Kathamndu from Pokhara on a tourist bus. The journey will take around seven hours. However, if you want, you can take a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu for an added cost. 

Feedback

After the completion of the trek, Discovery World Trekking hosts a farewell dinner in Kathmandu. After dinner, you will receive a printed certificate mentioning your trek achievement. We also look forward to getting feedback on your trek experience.

Useful Info

Please note we might need to modify the itinerary due to events beyond our control, such as weather, landslides, or unavailability of lodging. In such cases, your team lead will decide based on the interest of all group members. We suggest you add two days extra for the trip as a cushion so that you will not miss your international flight back home in case of trek delays. 

Trip extension

If you have extra days after completing the trek we can arrange Kathmandu Valley sightseeing tours or a trip to Nagarkot. Similarly, you can go to Chitwan Jungle Safari, paragliding, rafting, canyoning, and other treks.

Departure

On the day of your return to your country, we will pick you up from your hotel in a private vehicle and transfer you to the Tribhuvan International Airport. We hope you had a wonderful time in Nepal and will return for more adventures.

The weather is the most important factor you need to consider for this trek. You will find trekkers in the Annapurna circuit throughout the year, but there are ups and downs as seasons change. For easier treks, spring and autumn are perfect seasons. The skies are clear from dawn to dusk, and there is no rain, allowing you to enjoy spectacular vistas. The winters are cold with snowfalls in the trekking regions, while the monsoon season brings in a lot of rain. So treks during these seasons are quite challenging but not impossible. In fact, some trekkers enjoy facing these challenges. Discovery World Trekking organizes safe and secure Annapurna Circuit treks throughout the year. Here is a detailed summary of the trial conditions, mainly at high elevations, based on seasons. 

March-May (Spring): In spring the weather is mild, the rainfall is low, and the trekking conditions are perfect. The average daily temperature at high elevations in this region is between  8 to 0 °C. Lower trek regions are warmer, which makes the hike quite comfortable. The trekking season begins after March. By April, at elevations over 3,000 meters, the trek routes are full of red, pink, and white rhododendron flowers. The temperature starts rising from mid-March up to mid-May. The weather is cool the skies are clear, and you can enjoy the clearest views of the mountains.

June to August (Summer): If you are coming to trek Annapurna Circuit between June to August, you are signing up for summer, when the temperatures are warm. But the monsoon that coincides with the summer means that you must be careful while you trek, as the trekking trails might be wet and slippery.

Monsoon generally begins around the end of June and continues through the second week of August. The temperature during the day ranges from 10 to 23°C and gets relatively colder at night (5°C to 10°C). Mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up during the afternoon and disappearing at night. Though the rain may cause some problems, various plants bloom during this season - the valleys look green and different from other seasons.

September to November (Autumn): Autumn (September, October, November), like spring, is a season that attracts travelers from around the world to trek in this region. Moderate temperatures, mild wind, and low precipitation make autumn a perfect time for trekking. During this season, the sun shines brightly, the day temperature is well-suited for trekking, the skies are clear, and you get a superb view of the mountains. Moreover, you can enjoy spectacular starry skies. 

The monsoons will be over by early September, and the weather ranges from mild to warm days. Daytime temperatures can reach 20°C in high altitudes, and the nights are colder with temperatures that may go down to 5°C. The monsoon greens fade to golden/amber providing a spectacular contrast against the crystal blue skies, and you can see the grains ripening in the fields. The environment is clean, and the lowlands are lush. The two biggest festivals of Nepal - Dashain and Tihar - also fall during these seasons. 

December to February (Winter): Winter treks in the Annapurna region are as popular as the spring or autumn treks. During winter some parts of the Annapurna region are cold, but it also excites many trekkers. The temperature of the Annapurna Circuit can be as low as -10 °C.

The coldest time in the Annapurna region starts in December and lasts through early February. After late February, the climate gradually gets warmer. Daytime is relatively warmer with sunshine. Despite being cold, the skies are usually very clear, and snow-capped mountains look incredible. It is the season when the trails are least crowded. This season may not suit very well for trek-beginners, but experienced trekkers will find no problems. 

Trek difficulty 

The 14 days Annapurna Circuit Trek is a challenging trek in the Annapurna region. The hiking takes place in lower land for five days (below 3500m) from Bhulbhule (845m) to Manang (3540m) and consists of walking for five to six hours per day. For two days, you will be hiking for 3 to 4 hrs above 3,500m - from Manang (3,540m) to Thorong Phedi (4,525m) - taking regular breaks because high altitude trek is physically more demanding than lower altitude treks. 

However, the most challenging part of your trip takes you from Thorong Phedi to Muktinath Temple (3,760m), and we will be crossing Thorong La Pass (5,416m) - the highest elevation for this trip. This is a remote mountain journey, and the routes involve long climbs, steep descents, and straightforward roads. 

Past hiking experience would be an added advantage, but no technical experience and skills are necessary. Trekkers who can hike at a reasonable pace for 5 to 6 hours a day can complete this trip. Exercising regularly for a couple of weeks before the trip increases your stamina and allows you to enjoy the trek to its fullest. Having a positive attitude, self-confidence, and strong determination certainly helps. 

Trek safety

Discovery World Trekking guarantees client safety, security, and satisfaction. Your safety is of the utmost concern to us. Here are some of the ways we ensure your safety.

• We carry all necessary gear, equipment, and first-aid kits
• Our trek guides have completed extensive first-aid training
• We check food & accommodation in trekking regions for hygiene
• If someone falls sick, our trek guides have complete authority to suspend the trip or move forward
• In emergencies, we will deploy a helicopter for evacuation (covered by insurance).
• All trek members will trek as a group.

Our 14 days trek package provides a rest day in Manang (3,540m) for proper acclimatization to prevent altitude sickness, also called acute mountain sickness. You will start from Bhulbhule (845m) and hike in low elevations for four to five days before reaching Manang (3540m). The trek buildup provides plenty of time for your body to cope with the high-altitude environment and reduces the chance of altitude sickness problems.

Our trekking leaders and guides have extensive first-aid training and are well-experienced in the Himalayas. We constantly use oximeters to monitor your oxygen level and detect early altitude sickness symptoms. We guarantee that your health will be in reliable hands.

DWT team

During the trek, our well-experienced guide/Sherpa will be by our side, making sure you are comfortable. Porters will be carrying your luggage. Our team members are locals from the high Himalayas, and their physical endurance at high altitudes is very high. All our staff members are valuable to us. They are well-paid, and we cover their insurance, clothing, food, and lodging throughout the expedition. All our guides and porters receive medical care when ill or injured. We ensure that our team members are happy because only happy people can make others happy. Our trek/expedition team members have:

• Intensive Wilderness First Aid Training Certificate
• Government-authorized Trekking Guide Training Certificate
• Fluency in speaking English and other major languages
• Conservation and Biodiversity Training
• Rock Climbing experience

Visa

All foreigners except Indian nationals need a valid visa to enter Nepal. You can get an on-arrival visa at Tribhuvan International Airport and Nepali borders with India and Tibet. To apply for a visa, you need a passport valid for at least six months, a passport-size photo, and visa fees. The current cost for a 30-day visa is US$50 (to be paid in cash).

Children under the age of 10 will get a free visa. Visa regulations can change without prior notice. For current information, please visit www.immigration.gov.np.  Chinese and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) citizens get a free visa. 

Citizens from certain countries may not get a visa upon arrival. Citizens from Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan may not get an on-arrival visa. So, if you are a citizen of these countries, please visit your local Nepalese Embassy.

Trek booking

Discovery world trekking is a government-authorized, bonded trekking and touring operator in Nepal. We are members of the Trekking Agency Association of Nepal (TAAN), and the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). 

Therefore, you can book your trips with Discovery World Trekking with confidence. We require 10% as advance for the trip booking confirmation. You need to send us your necessary documents like a passport copy, passport-sized photos, travel insurance policy, and arrival and departure flight details within a week of booking.

You can pay by bank transfer, western union, and online from our website. You can pay the remaining trip cost in cash, bank transfer, or using a credit card after you arrive in Nepal. We also forward the necessary modes of payment details in your email.

You can book this trek here.

Currency exchange

Nepali Rupees (NPR/Rs) is the local currency. (1 USD = ~ Rs.130 NPR).
You can exchange major foreign currencies through local banks and legitimate money exchanges in Kathmandu and all over Thamel. Legal money exchanges display their ongoing exchange rates visibly for the public. Despite having the security advantage of traveler's cheques, we recommend you cash exchange. It helps avoid lengthy processes and high bank commissions. 

You can withdraw cash (in Rupees) from ATMs all over Kathmandu and in Thamel itself. Many of these ATMs are open around the clock. The maximum withdrawal amount is 35,000 Rupees for a 500 Rupees processing fee for foreign cards. If you use the money exchange facilities at banks and financial institutions, they impose a service charge fee of about 4% or more.

There are no banks and money exchange services in trek regions so you should exchange your money in Kathmandu, depending on how much personal expense you require. Only Nepali Rupee is honored in trek regions.

Extra personal expenses

This package does not cover all costs. You need to bring spending money for various things. Meals and accommodations in Kathmandu are not covered in this package. This package covers meals, transfers, and accommodations during the trek. However, this package does not cover lunch and dinner in Pokhara. Pokhara is the tourist capital of Nepal and provides plenty of food choices. We encourage you to explore this city and enjoy your food choice. Similarly, trekkers need money for visa fees, travel insurance policy purchases, beverages, snacks, tips, souvenirs, etc. 

Travel Insurance

This trek is a challenging journey that takes you to 5,416m at Thorung La High Pass. This mountain journey is not a leisurely walk but a challenging one, and there remains a slight chance of altitude sickness and other unforeseen events such as injury, illness, flood, landslide, or sudden climate changes.

Travel insurance is compulsory for this trek. All trekkers must provide a copy of their comprehensive travel insurance policy certificate to Discovery World Trekking. The policy must cover medical and emergency repatriation - including helicopter rescue and evacuation expenses at high altitudes for all trekking members.

We can recommend insurance companies based on our previous clients' experiences, but we do not sell insurance policies. We strongly request our valuable clients to send their detailed insurance information once they book trekking. In emergencies, we will use the insurance policy and informational documents you sent us. It will help us arrange a quick and effective rescue operation, transfer for emergency medical help, etc. 

Last-minute booking

For those unable to book early, Discovery World Trekking allows last-minute bookings. Last-minute booking requires you to pay 100% of the trip cost 24 hours before the intended trek departure date. We will try our best to make the trip happen at the accepted date, but sometimes circumstances beyond our control, such as weather, lodging unavailability, might delay the trip. For more information, call: 977- 9840055491 (Paul Gurung) or email us at [email protected].

Group & private trek

We organize groups as well as private treks. Group discounts are available based on your team size. The bigger your team is, the more discount you will get. Please view our price list for details. However, if Discovery World Trekking assembles the group, you will not be eligible for discounts.  We can handle all group sizes. Each group will have a guide, a porter for every two trekkers, and an assistant guide for a group of 12 or more.

Responsible travel

We strongly believe in sustainable eco-tourism. Hence, we partner with Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) to organize environmentally friendly trips so that trekkers and communities in the trekking regions can mutually benefit.

Notes

This trek includes fixed departure dates from Kathmandu and Pokhara. However, we can tailor the trip to accommodate your specific requests and schedule. Please review your designated departure dates for this trek, and if the departure dates do not suit your schedule, contact us, and we will arrange a trip that suits your convenience. 

We look forward to guiding you on the Annapurna Circuit Trek through some of the most dazzling landscapes on the planet!