Annapurna Circuit Trek, Nepal

Overview

The Annapurna Circuit is the great loop: 160–220km (depending on access point) circumnavigating the Annapurna massif through the world's deepest gorge, over the highest trekking pass in Nepal, and through a landscape that changes from subtropical lowland to Tibetan plateau within 100km. It is one of the most diverse and complete mountain journeys on earth. The route climbs north from Besisahar through increasingly dramatic terrain: the Marsyangdi River gorge narrows at Jagat, the forest gives way to dry scrub above Chame, and Manang sits in its high valley at 3,519m with Annapurna III (7,555m) filling the north wall. Two acclimatisation days in Manang are non-negotiable: Ice Lake at 4,600m is the standard acclimatisation hike, offering views of the entire circuit ahead. Thorong La Pass at 5,416m is the physical and psychological centrepiece. The 3am start from High Camp gets you to the pass before the afternoon wind builds. The descent to Muktinath on the far side drops 1,600m in 8km on loose scree and moraines — the knees feel it for two days. The Mustang region on the far side of the pass is the hidden reward: a Tibetan plateau landscape with 14th-century cave monasteries, mustard-yellow fields against red cliff faces, and prayer wheels turning in the dry wind. It feels like a different country because, a century ago, it was.

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