Annapurna Conservation Area

Nepal's most varied trekking region — short village trails, the Sanctuary, and the crossing of Thorong La.

The region

If the Khumbu is Nepal's most famous region, Annapurna is its most versatile. From Pokhara you can be on a trail within an hour, and the choice runs from three-day walks between Gurung villages to the three-week circuit of the whole massif. Altitudes are more forgiving than the Khumbu, the teahouses are comfortable, and the mountain views start early.

The Annapurna Sanctuary is the region's set piece: a natural amphitheatre ringed by peaks that you enter through a narrow gorge, ending at a base camp completely surrounded by 7,000 m walls. The full Circuit is a different journey altogether — a traverse from subtropical foothills through pine forest into the arid Manang valley, over the 5,416 m Thorong La, and down to the pilgrimage temple at Muktinath.

For travellers with limited time, Ghorepani and Poon Hill deliver a genuine Himalayan sunrise in under a week, through some of the finest rhododendron forest in the country.

ABC TrekAnnapurna CircuitPoon HillTilicho Lake

What defines it

01

Annapurna Base Camp

The Sanctuary floor at 4,130 m, enclosed by Annapurna I, Machapuchare and Hiunchuli.

02

Thorong La

The 5,416 m pass that defines the Circuit, crossed before dawn from Thorong Phedi.

03

Poon Hill sunrise

The classic short-trek viewpoint over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas.

04

Tilicho Lake

One of the highest large lakes in the world at 4,919 m, on a demanding side trip from Manang.

Practical detail

Maximum altitude
5,416 m (Thorong La) · 4,130 m (ABC)
Typical duration
5 days (Poon Hill) to 15+ days (full Circuit)
Access
Fly or drive to Pokhara, then road to the trailhead
Permits
ACAP entry permit and TIMS card
Best months
October–November and March–April

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