Duration: 10 – 18 days (10 minimum; up to 3 weeks if you linger)

Highest Point: Thorong La Pass (5,416m) — highest trekking pass on Earth

Major Surrounding Peaks: Annapurna I (8,091m), Annapurna II (7,937m), Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Manaslu (8,163m)

Best Seasons: March – May | October – November

Difficulty / Fitness: Moderate to Challenging. Expect long hiking days, altitude acclimatisation. No technical climbing experience required.

Permits Required: TIMS Card (Trekkers’ Information Management System) & ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit)

The Circuit circles the Annapurna Massif, with views of four Himalayan giants, all among the highest peaks on earth. The trail rises and falls through valleys and ridges before reaching Thorong La (5,416m), the highest trekking pass on Earth and the high point of the journey.

For this guide, I’ve divided the trek into broad stages based on geography, altitude and key trail villages. These aren’t strict stops, they’re reference points & way markers that naturally shape the trek.

Villages appear every few hours, each with tea houses offering a bed, a hot meal and a pot of masala tea. Walk until something feels right. If a place looks good, stay the night. That’s the beauty of Annapurna, you plan the outline, the trail fills in the rest.

Fly into Kathmandu, Nepal’s restless capital. The city is a jumble of temples, history and chaos.

Stay in Thamel the backpacker quarter, where ancient brick lanes meet trekking shops, cafés and karaoke bars. Spend a day or two to get sorted with gear & passes.

From here you can:

• Take a bus or jeep to Besi Sahar, the start of the trial.
• Or travel first to Pokhara, the lakeside town, to gear up and then head to Besi Sahar.

Wayfarer’s Tip: Begin in Pokhara if you can. Sort permits there, leave behind anything you won’t need and start light. When you return from the trek, your gear and a cold drink by the lake will be waiting.

Starting Point, Besi Sahar: The trail begins & follows the Marsyangdi Valley, winding past terraced fields. It’s an easy start. Two save a day or two, skip this section and Jeep to Bhulbhule, where the road gives way to true trail & the landscape opens into the kind of scenery that makes you slow down without trying.

By the time you reach Tal, the first village of Manang District, you’ve crossed suspension bridges over valleys, come across waterfalls & ridges that feel worlds apart from where you began.

Day 4: Tal → Chame: a long push with a 500m climb between Danaque and Timang. It’s one of the trek’s most scenic & tiring stretches. Take some extra days and stop in Timang, Koto, Dharapani. A few towns around Chame have hot springs!

From Dharapani, you’ll begin to see Manaslu. The worlds 8th highest peak.

The trees begin to thin, the ridges sharpen and the air grows colder. This is where you leave the lush valleys behind and step into high Himalayan terrain, a mix of alpine forest, rocky slopes and wind-carved cliffs.

The trail passes, stone chortens, and fluttering prayer wheels that spin softly in the mountain wind.

By the time you reach Upper Pisang, you’re no longer walking beside the mountains, you’re walking into them.

Altitude & Peaks: Upper Pisang sits beneath Annapurna II (7,937m) and Gangapurna (7,455m), snow filled peaks that fill the horizon.

Wayfarers Note: on’t stop in Lower Pisang, its tempting but push on to Upper Pisang, where the sunrise paints the peaks.

Leaving Upper Pisang, the trail splits. Take the northern route via Ghyaru and Ngawal, it's higher and steeper but the views are unforgettable. The climb is tough, but it is your first true test of acclimatisation.

Meeting the Killer: Here you first meet Annapurna I (8,091 m), the world’s 10th highest peak only 757m lower than Everest. Yet it is widely regarded as the most dangerous mountain to summit.

Among all 8,000m giants, this peak is known as the killer. Its fatality rate has historically sat above thirty percent, meaning roughly one death for every three successful summits. In comparison, Everest claims about four in every hundred.

It's presence is all consuming. The clouds sit below it, the light breaks against it and the wind rises in its wake. It is not a view, it is a reckoning. In its presence, the noise within you falls away and what remains is the quiet understanding that you're not conquering the mountain, you're being measured by it.

Manang is your high-altitude base, a larger mountain village. Spend at least a full day, ideally two, letting your body rest and adjust.

After days on the trail, the promise of Manang feels like a city on the hill. It isn’t, but it has its comforts: trekking shops for supplies, a pharmacy & even a small movie theatre if you can call it that. You have to spend one evening there watching Seven Years in Tibet, it’s almost a rite of passage, and it’s probably still playing.

Take a short acclimatisation hike up to the silent monk on the hill & receive a blessing for the pass ahead. Attend the free HRA safety lecture on mountain sickness and then settle into the rhythm of rest. Feet up, masala tea & book in hand.

Stay Ideas: There are plenty of teahouses here. The first one as you enter has a great view and reading room.

Wayfarers Note: Rest properly the handwork begins next.

As you start to climb toward the pass, the trail begins to change. There are fewer villages now, so your goal is to reach Yak Kharka and then Thorong Phedi. You can only ascend about 500m per day to stay safe. The landscape turns dry and desert-like & the nights fall faster.

Thorong Phedi means foot of the hill and that’s exactly where you are. At the base of Thorong La Pass. When There's only really one teahouse to stay. it was quite vibey, the owner plays the guitar and their is a real sense of excitement & anticipation for the big day ahead.

Wayfarers Note: This is your final stop before the pass. Rest, hydrate, and respect the mountain! You’ll leave at dawn, but only if the locals say it’s safe. In 2014, a sudden snowstorm here took more than forty lives, a reminder, not a warning. The pass is safe when respected. If it’s snowed, wait until the mule teams have cleared the way.

Leave between 4am-5am. It takes around 5-6 hours to reach the pass and you still have a steep 1,600m descent into Muktinath. The climb is raw and exposed, not much survives up there.

Reaching The Summit: Thorong La Pass (5,416 m). You'll be standing on the highest mountain pass in the world, don't let that slip by. You’ll see the Annapurnas with Dhaulagiri (7th highest) rising beyond.

Take a photo beside the prayer-flag-covered sign. Up here, there’s no noise, no competition, just the quiet realisation that you’ve earned your place among the mountains.

Muktinath is sacred pilgrimage to both Hindus and Buddhists. Trekkers have to stay in Ranipauwa, just 10 minutes downhill. Accommodation fills quickly, ask trekkers going ahead to secure a room.

Wayfarers Note: This is the moment it all comes together, your Wayfarers Why. In Ranipauwa, celebrate the Nepali way..

You’ll be tired but don’t end your trek here or rush for a bus or flight to Pokhara. Walk one last stretch descending into Kagbeni where you can enter the kingdom of Mustang.

Mustang & the Kali Gandaki

North of Kagbeni lies the ancient kingdom of Mustang. A land of red cliffs, cave monasteries and a culture deeply shaped by Tibetan heritage. Often called “The Last Forbidden Kingdom,” it remains a place seemingly untouched by time. To enter, you’ll need a Restricted Area Permit and a registered guide. No photo's are allowed.

Beyond Jomsom lies the Kali Gandaki Gorge, the deepest on earth. The Earthquake damaged this section so most trekkers finish at Jomson.

Wayfarers Note: From Jomsom, you can either fly or bus to Pokhara. The flight is unforgettable, a small twin-prop weaving through the valley with peaks rising on both sides. It’s only around 15 minutes but feels like a final gift from the mountains.

After the circuit, Pokhara feels like another world, calm water, cold beer & warm sun. It’s Nepal’s lakeside escape. I stayed a week here, splitting some R&R with a few nights out.

The Town: Pokhara rests beside Phewa Lake, the lakeside strip buzzes with cafés, bars, and music.

Where to Stay: Anywhere along the strip or just behind. Zostel Pokhara is a bit further north along the lake but it's a great spot to meet other travellers.

Things to Do: Catch a film under the stars at Movie Garden, rent a boat on the lake, or just sit at a café or bar and watch the paragliders, maybe even or paraglide yourself.

Wayfarers Note: Don’t rush to leave. Plan a few extra days here into your trip. It's where travellers swap hiking boots for sandals, the climb for a cold beer and the silence for music and conversation.