Annapurna Circuit Trek Package — 13 Days

This Annapurna Circuit trek package is the modern version of Nepal's most famous loop — 13 days from the day you land in Kathmandu to the day you fly home, crossing the Thorong La pass (5,416 m) from the Manang valley to the temples of Muktinath. The plan uses the road the way today's trekkers do: drive the low stages up the Marsyangdi to Dharapani, walk the best of the circuit — Upper Pisang, Manang, the high desert and the pass — then fly or drive out from Jomsom via Pokhara.

This page lays out the full Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu itinerary, what an Annapurna Circuit tour like this includes, a realistic cost range and the best months to go. For the route in full depth — highlights, side trips and the honest picture of the road — see our Annapurna Circuit trek guide.

At a glance

The 13-day itinerary, day by day

The Manang rest day (day 6) is the heart of the plan, not padding — the circuit's long, gradual approach through Pisang and Manang is exactly what makes Thorong La achievable, and skipping it is how trekkers get sick. Read altitude sickness in Nepal before you go, and see the Thorong La pass guide for the crossing in detail.

Be clear-eyed about one thing before you book: jeep roads now run up both sides of the circuit — the Marsyangdi valley to Manang and the Kali Gandaki from Muktinath down — and construction continues, so conditions shift from season to season. The good news is that the waymarked NATT trails thread footpaths along the opposite bank or above the road for most of the route, and the high section from Manang over the pass to Muktinath remains pure trail. This itinerary drives the lowest stages and walks the best of it, so you barely notice the road on the days that matter.

What's included

A standard guided package covers:

• Airport transfers, 2 nights in a Kathmandu hotel and 1 night in Pokhara.
• All ground transport — the drive to Besisahar, shared jeep to Dharapani, and the Jomsom–Pokhara and Pokhara–Kathmandu legs (a short flight out of Jomsom is a common upgrade).
• A licensed English-speaking guide and porters (typically one porter per two trekkers). Since April 2023 a licensed guide is required in the Annapurna Conservation Area, so a guided package satisfies the rule by default — see do you need a guide in Nepal.
• Teahouse accommodation on the trail, on a twin-sharing basis.
• Most meals on the trek (usually breakfast, lunch and dinner on trail days).
• All trekking permits — the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area) permit and TIMS card, roughly USD 20–30 and USD 15–20 respectively, though fees change periodically, so confirm current rates.

Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa, travel and helicopter-rescue insurance, meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara, drinks and snacks, hot showers and device charging on the trail, personal gear, and tips for your guide and porters.

Annapurna Circuit trek package cost

A guided 13-day package typically runs from around US$1,000 for a budget group departure to US$1,700 or more for premium, small-group or fully private trips. What moves the price is group size, teahouse comfort, the season, and how you leave Jomsom — the short flight to Pokhara costs more than the long jeep ride down the Kali Gandaki. For a line-by-line view of where the money goes — permits, transport, teahouses, guide and porter wages, insurance and tips — see the Annapurna Circuit trek cost breakdown.

Luxury and private options

A luxury Annapurna Circuit trek upgrades the same route: the best lodges in each village, private rooms with attached bathrooms where they exist, a higher guide-to-trekker ratio, and the Jomsom flight plus a lakeside Pokhara hotel bundled in. Private departures run on any date in season and typically add a few hundred dollars per person over group rates.

11, 13 or 17 days — which length?

The pass crossing is the same; the difference is how much of the circuit you walk around it.

• 10–11 days jeeps even further up the valley, to Chame or beyond. It works for the time-pressed but trims the walking that builds your acclimatisation, so treat it with care.
• 13 days is the sweet spot for a full guided trip: it keeps the scenic Upper Pisang–Manang high route and the Manang rest day, and wraps the trek in Kathmandu arrival and departure days.
• 16–17 days or more adds the superb Tilicho Lake side trip from Manang, or walks the descent down the Kali Gandaki instead of riding it.

Best time to go

Autumn — especially October into November — is prime: post-monsoon skies are at their clearest, trails are dry and Thorong La is at its most reliable, which is why this is also the circuit's busiest window. One peak-season reality check: in October, beds at the pinch points — Yak Kharka, Thorong Phedi and High Camp — can fill by early afternoon. There is no formal booking system at altitude; your guide phoning ahead a day out is the usual fix, along with starting stages early. Spring (March–May) is the second season, trading some clarity for rhododendron blooms and a slightly higher chance of snow on the pass. Avoid mid-winter, when snow can close the pass, and the summer monsoon. For the month-by-month detail, see the best time for the Annapurna Circuit.

Difficulty and fitness

This is a strenuous walk, not a climb — no ropes or technical sections, but 5–7 hours on your feet most days and one very long pass day at real altitude. Regular hikers with solid cardio fitness manage it well; trekking poles help on the 1,600 m descent to Muktinath.

Thorong La safety: treat the pass with respect. You start before dawn to beat the wind, carry proper cold-weather layers even in October, and never cross in fresh snow or a deteriorating forecast — storms have caught trekkers out here in the past, including in peak autumn. If the weather turns or anyone in the group shows altitude symptoms, your guide will wait it out at Thorong Phedi or High Camp or descend; the pass will still be there tomorrow.

Book this trek

Ready to go, or want to tweak the dates, group size or route? Departures run through both trekking seasons, and the itinerary can be customised — private trips, a Tilicho Lake extension, or the Jomsom flight upgrade.

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