Annapurna Region Trek

Annapurna Region has been voted as the best trekking destination of the world by renowned travel journals on numerous occasions. It is no wonder that the region attracts thousands of visitors, mostly avid trekkers, each year.

Annapurna Region is located in the North Western part of Nepal. The lake city of Pokhara is the entry point to the Annapurna Region. Annapurna Sanctuary is situated between the Manaslu Region in the east and the Dhaulagiri region in the west. The Kali Gandaki and Marsyangdi rivers, one of the largest rivers in Nepal, drain the snow melt from the mountains of Annapurna massif.

Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), also known as Annapurna Sanctuary, was formed in 1986. It covers an area of 7,600 m. Some of the most popular trekking destinations in the Annapurna Region include Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), Ghorepani, Poon Hill, Ghandruk, Mohare Danda, Mardi Himal, Khopra Ridge, Mustang, Upper Mustang, Manang, Jomsom, Muktinath, ThoRong La Pass and Lake Tilicho.

Nepal guide trek offers Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Khopra Ridge Trek, Nar Phu Valley and Tilicho Lake Trek, GhorePani Poon Hill Circuit Trek, Tilicho Lake Thorong La Pass Trek, Upper Mustang Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek and many other standard and customized treks. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a complete list of available tours in the Annapurna Region. Please contact us if you want to customize a trek to Annapurna Region based upon your specific needs.

While it is not possible to include all destinations of the Annapurna region in one trek, trekkers can easily cover most of the landmarks with medium length and long trekking options.

Places like Ghandruk, Ghorepani, Poon Hill and Phedi lie in the lower stretch of the Annapurna region. They are beautiful villages of local Gurung people. These villages lie on the way to Annapurna Base Camp and offer a spectacular view of mountains in the Annapurna Massif and Dhaulagiri range. These villages are also famous for their homestay experience. Staying with the locals and experiencing their culture first hand is way better than staying in hotels.

The Annapurna Base Camp is the place from where climbers to Annapurna I (8,091m) and surrounding peaks start their ascent. The base camp is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Peaks like Annapurna I, Annapurna II (7,937 m), Annapurna III (7,555 m), Gangapurna (7,455 m), Hiuchuli (6,441 m), Pisang (6,091 m), Lamjung Himal (6,983 m) and Machhapuchhre (6,993 m) surround the small valley like land where the base camp is situated.

If you skip the Annapurna Base Camp and take the legendary Annapurna Circuit Trek instead, you will start your trek from Besisahar in Lamjung District. You will visit the hidden villages of Manang and scale your way towards the Tilicho Lake with this route. Tilicho Lake, situated at an altitude of 4,919 m is one of the highest lakes in the world. Hindus revere this lake as the ancient Kak Bhusundi Lake mentioned in the epic Ramayana.

You will cross the ThoRong La pass after reaching the Tilicho lake and venture towards the Kali Gandaki River Valley. ThoRong La pass (5,416 m) is the highest point in the trek. The Kali Gandaki Valley holds the majestic district of Mustang. Upper Mustang is also known as the ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ and outsiders were barred entry into it until very recently.

The beautiful town of Jomsom lies in upper Mustang. The Muktinath Temple, one of the holiest shrines of the Hindus, is located in this region. This region is characterized by apple orchards and the unique culture of the Thakali people. The village of Marpha, located just below Jomsom, is the home of the Thakali people and is known for the apple brandy of the same name ‘Marpha’.

You can take a flight to Pokhara from Jomsom or take a bus/jeep from Jomsom to Pokhara via Beni. If you choose to walk back to Pokhara, you can also visit the deepest gorge in the world – the Dana Gorge. This gorge is made by the Kali Gandaki river and is one among many gorges and ravines in the region.