Asia · Nepal
Annapurna Circuit
Annapurna Conservation Area, Gandaki Province, Nepal
Hikes / Asia / Annapurna Circuit
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 8 mi (12 km) and 1,773 ft (541 m) of climbing a day over 19 days, up to 17,769 ft (5,416 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
Public sources, official ones first, each numbered and listed under Sources, checked Nov 2026. Anything they don't give is left out.
Relief map
The route
A long teahouse trek around the Annapurna massif, usually walked anticlockwise from Besisahar up the Marsyangdi valley to Manang, over the Thorong La pass to the pilgrimage site of Muktinath, then down the Kali Gandaki gorge past Jomsom. It runs from subtropical foothills into dry, Tibetan-like country above Manang.1,2,3
Route drawn from OpenStreetMap (Annapurna Circuit, read Nov 2026). © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS. A sketch for planning, not for navigation.
Before you go
The basics
- Direction
- Anticlockwise is strongly recommended, so the climb to Thorong La is gradual and helps acclimatisation; clockwise gains height faster and more steeply.1
- Distance
- About 230 km for the full loop, as Cicerone gives it.1
- Elevation gain
- Roughly 10,000 m of cumulative ascent, per Cicerone.1
- Usual difficulty
- Cicerone rates it challenging; the key is acclimatisation days and a steady pace before the pass.1
- Best time
- the tourism board gives March to May and September to November; Cicerone calls October and November the peak, and says to avoid the June to September monsoon with its rain and landslides4,1
- Permits
- An Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) entry permit is needed: NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, single entry, online by card (plus 2.9%) or in cash at the NTNC counter; it costs double at a trail check-post and must be shown at check-posts along the way. Since 31 March 2023 the Annapurna Circuit also needs a licensed trekking guide and a TIMS card issued through a registered trekking agency (NPR 2,000; NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals).5,6,7
From the sources
Safety
Phone signal
- Mobile coverage is limited on long stretches of the circuit; the UK government suggests renting a satellite phone and agreeing check-ins with people at home
Source 7
Insurance
- The UK government says to check your policy covers mountain rescue and helicopter costs, and warns of guides pushing trekkers too high too fast before calling costly helicopter evacuations
Source 7
From the sources below, checked Nov 2026. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
No creator versions yet.
Hiked Annapurna Circuit and filmed it? Get a creator page and add your version here.
Walked Annapurna Circuit? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
Your time
Sign in and log a few hikes to see how long this one would take you.
Typical: 15–22 days (the hike's facts).
Ask this hike
Planning questions about Annapurna Circuit, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
Comments
Sign in to comment. Free; your hikes stay private unless you share them.
Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Annapurna Circuit?
How long is Annapurna Circuit?
143 mi (230 km). About 230 km for the full loop, as Cicerone gives it.
From Cicerone, Trekking the Annapurna: everything you need to know (guide), checked Nov 2026. [1]
When is the best time to hike Annapurna Circuit?
Mar–May, Sep–Nov. The tourism board gives March to May and September to November; Cicerone calls October and November the peak, and says to avoid the June to September monsoon with its rain and landslides.
From Nepal Tourism Board, Annapurna Conservation Area (official); Cicerone, Trekking the Annapurna: everything you need to know (guide), checked Nov 2026. [4] [1]
Do you need a permit for Annapurna Circuit?
An Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) entry permit is needed: NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, single entry, online by card (plus 2.9%) or in cash at the NTNC counter; it costs double at a trail check-post and must be shown at check-posts along the way. Since 31 March 2023 the Annapurna Circuit also needs a licensed trekking guide and a TIMS card issued through a registered trekking agency (NPR 2,000; NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals).
From NTNC ACAP online entry permit (official); Nepal Tourism Board, TIMS Card (official); UK FCDO travel advice, Nepal: safety and security (official), checked Nov 2026. [5] [6] [7]
How do you get to Annapurna Circuit?
Fly or drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (about 30 minutes by air, 6 to 9 hours by road), or take the 6 to 8 hour bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar. At the end, regular flights link Jomsom with Pokhara, and a road from Jomsom to Beni has buses on to Pokhara.
From Cicerone, Trekking the Annapurna: everything you need to know (guide); Nepal Tourism Board, Annapurna (French page) (official); Nepal Tourism Board, Muktinath, Mustang (official), checked Nov 2026. [1] [2] [3]
Where do you sleep on Annapurna Circuit?
How high does Annapurna Circuit go?
What's the emergency number on Annapurna Circuit?
Police: 100. Tourist police (English speaking): 1144. Ambulance: 102. Fire: 101.
From UK FCDO travel advice, Nepal: getting help (official), checked Nov 2026. [8]
Sources
- Cicerone, Trekking the Annapurna: everything you need to know (guide) · guide · checked Nov 2026
- Nepal Tourism Board, Annapurna (French page) (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- Nepal Tourism Board, Muktinath, Mustang (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- Nepal Tourism Board, Annapurna Conservation Area (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- NTNC ACAP online entry permit (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- Nepal Tourism Board, TIMS Card (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- UK FCDO travel advice, Nepal: safety and security (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
- UK FCDO travel advice, Nepal: getting help (official) · official · checked Nov 2026
Facts are written in our own words from these pages; nothing is copied. Rules, fees and closures change: check the official page before you go.