Overview

Short Annapurna Circuit Trek – takes the crown of ultimate trekking experience that whole of Nepalese Himalaya has to offer and we are not the only ones making this statement, ask any other fortunate soul who has completed the circuit and more than likely, he/she will run out of adjectives to embellish their experience.

Short Annapurna Circuit Trek is an alternative to traditional Annapurna Circuit Trek for those who have less days to spend and want to walk less and cross the Thorong Pass.

The lodges in this region provide many dining options and are usually full of necessary resources that you might need in various stages of trek. There are many relatively unexplored villages on the way, housed by indigenous Gurung people well known for their warm hospitality, unique culture and honesty.

This is a circular trek and thus it will entail going up from one valley and over the high pass to descend to a different valley. The highlights of this trek include tropical lush woodlands, the deep valley of Marshyangdi, descending into the world’s deepest gorge Kali Gandaki Gorge, ancient salt trading routes, Throang La pass, the windy valley of Jomsom, the holy temple of Muktinath, spectacular views of Dhaulagiri (8167m), Manaslu (8163m), Annapurna (8091m), Annapurna II (7937m), Annapurna III (7555m), Annapurna IV (7525m), Nilgiri (7041m), Machhapuchhre (6998m) and many more.

We provide another beautiful trek in Annapurna Region like the Mardi Himal Trek which is one of the popular treks in Nepal for trekkers and has a short period in Nepal. Similarly, Annapurna Base Camp Trek is one of the favorite and most popular trek among trekkers.

Annapurna Circuit Trek starts with a short drive from Kathmandu and with newer roads, this trek has been more accessible. The trek starts from Kathmandu where you will catch a private or public vehicle for Besisahar. Your trek route is shortened to Pisang where you will end your journey in the vehicle and start to trek to Ngawal and overnight in Ngawal in 5th day of the trek. The next day you will trek to Manang Valley and acclimatize there. You can hike to Ice Lake in Manang which is 4/5 hours short trip from Manang. Also, you can explore the beautiful Gangapurna Lake in Manang which is just 20/30 mins from Manang.

Similarly, you will cross Yak Kharkha, Thorang Phedi, and Thorang Pass and down to Mustang Valley.

Day 1 :

Arrival in Kathmandu (1,300m/4,264 ft), Airport pick up and Check in to hotel.

After landing at the Tribhuwan International Airport, we will be greeted by a representative of Trek Venture Nepal, who will drop us off at our hotel. We then check in at the hotel, freshen up, and relax. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day 2 :

Sightseeing, cultural tour followed by preparation for the trek.

We tour Durbar Square, Pashupatinath temple, Swayambhunath stupa and Bouddhanath stupa which are all world heritage sites. The Durbar Square reveals the life of the royals in ancient times. Pashupatinath temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for all Hindus. Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple and Baudhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas in the world. In the afternoon, we stroll around the street shop of Thamel to buy the necessary. Overnight in Kathmandu,Breakfast, Dinner Included.

Day 3 :

Drive from Kathmandu to Bulbulle(191 km, 8-10 hrs drive)

We will have our breakfast at hotel in Kathmandu and our trekking guide will meet you there in hotel. He will brief about the schedule for the day. We then drive along the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway to Dumre and turn right towards the narrow and paved road by the Marsyangdi River to Besisahar. Beshisahar means the lower city and it is the junction for shopping, get together and getway for traveler in this region. We drive to Bhulbhule, a quiet small village for overnight or walk an hour to next place Nagdi.Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 4 :

Drive to Pissang village

This day, we take a jeep to Pisang, the trail is mainly flat and runs through deep forest in a narrow valley and recrosses to the south bank of the Marsyangdi River at 3080m. You will pass through popular spot of Dhukur Pokhari, where you will have a great first view of the Paungda Danda rock face. This drive will take around 4/5 hours until we reach Pisang. From here we leave our vehicles, and stretch up our legs for the trek onwards. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 5 :

Trek to Ngawal

Upper Pisang to Ngawal will be quit demanding as it passes through Ghyaru which is in 3730 m above the sea level. The trail zigzags nearly thirty times steeply up the side of the mountain. It is an extremely steep ascent with plenty of water breaks. Ghyaru is located at 3730 meters above sea level with picturesque views of Annapurna II, IV and III. This typical village of the Manang area is full of beautiful homes made of stone with flat roofs. We will break our trek for lunch. Since Ngawal is in lower elevation, the tack between Ghyaru and Ngawal ascends another 500 meters and finally, the trail starts descending downhill into the village of Ngawal. It will take approx 3 hours to reach Ngawal where we will take a rest for the day. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 6 :

Trek to Manang

It’s the sixth day on the Annapurna Circuit and we will be decreasing in altitude. Day sixth will take us from Ngawal to Humde, Humde to Braka and Braka to Manang. The total journey from Ngawal to Manang consists of 10 kilometers of hiking over 5 hours and an elevation decrease of 140 meters. Heading out of Ngawal we descend down an extremely steep trail which takes us straight down into the valley floor towards Humde, which actually has an airport but not functional over the period of time due to certain reasons. We will leave Humde behind and trek towards Barka where we witness large fields down here making it look sort of like a golf course. Back off the high route and connected up with the main road it is a lot easier on the legs. We shall pass Braka which is an old small town for Manang. The walk between Braka and Manang is easy along the road. We shall explore steep mountains on each side, snow-capped peaks and nearby paddocks fill with dressed up yaks until we reach Manang. Manang has great views to the nearby Gangapurna glacier as well. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 7 :

Trek to Yak Kharkha

In the vary day, we can hike to Manang view point couple of hundred meter up which make is quite an adventuring journey in certain stages of walk. The views of Manang village below are extremely beautiful. Also being higher gives us a greater view of the nearby mountains and Gangapurna glacier. This will help us for acclimatization day for the trek. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 8 :

Trek to Thorong Phedi

It's the ninth day on the Annapurna Circuit and we will be trekking up to base camp. Day ninth will take us from Yak Kharka to Churi Ledar and Churi Ledar to Thorong Phedi (Base Camp). The total journey from Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi consists of 6 kilometers of hiking over 4 hours and an elevation increase of 400 meters. The higher altitude wakes us up early, which is perfect as its best to get the majority of trekking done in the first portion of the day. This is because the weather can rapidly change in the afternoon and you don’t want to be exposed to such elements at a high elevation. Walking away from Yak Kharka the trail is extremely quiet. We follow the mountainside around through the valley. The difficult trails carved into the side of a mountain are not the easiest to navigate, though it is just a quick 15-minute walk to the next portion of the path. We enter the landslide zone trying to move as quickly as possible without having to take a break before reaching Thorong Phedi. We will take rest for the day.

Day 9 :

Trek via Thorong -la to Muktinath

We start early morning and ascend the Thorung La (5416m. This is our final push and it will be quiet strenuous. The formula is simple, one foot step, couple of inhales, exhale. Following the legendary path of trekking slowly, we eventually summit the Thorng-La of 5430-meter elevaton. The descent to Muktinath is a knee pounding 1600m but it’s compensated for with excellent views of Dhaulagiri. Eventually the moraines give way to grassy slopes before a pleasant walk along the Jhong Khola Valley to Muktinath and its shrines. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 10 :

Trek via Lupra to Jomsom

We head towards Muktinath temple in the morning after our breakfast. We head towards Muktinath temple in the morning after our breakfast. Muktinath literally means ‘place of liberation’ and temple of Lord Vishnu. We will pay our visit to the Monastary and stupa laying below famed Thorong La. Later, we descend towards Lupra village and continue our journey following the wide motor road until Jomsom. Overnight in Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included.

Day 11 :

Fly to Pokhara from Jomsom Airport. Transfer to Hotel. Overnight in Pokhara.

We prepare to leave for Pokhara after breakfast in hotel. We board inside airport terminal an hour earlier before flight. Make sure we leave no trash and farewell to Mustang. We will be transfer to our hotel by private vechicle and the rest day at a leisure.

Day 12 :

Drive/Flight to Kathmandu.

After breakfast, we say goodbye to the beautiful northern skyline of Pokhara and drive towards Kathmandu. This will be a journey along river banks with wonderful views of terraced hills and the rural Nepalese lifestyle. After reaching Kathmandu, we take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have a farewell dinner in the evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day 13 :

Drop to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Departure

Our Lower Mustang Trek in Nepal comes to an end today! A representative from Trek Venture Nepal will take us to the airport approximately three hours before the scheduled flight. On our flight back home, we take with us amazing memories of our Lower Mustang trip and Nepal.