Annapurna Base Camp Trek – 10 Days

Welcome to Nepal! Someone from our team will meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive you to your hotel, about 20–30 minutes away. Take the afternoon to rest and get your bearings.

Later you meet your guide, who goes through the route, checks your boots, rain gear and warm layers, and collects your passport details for the ACAP permit and TIMS card. If anything is missing, the shops in Thamel sell or rent almost every piece of trekking gear.

Get an early night. The tourist bus to Pokhara usually leaves by about 8 am and takes most of the day.

The road west follows the Trishuli River for much of the way, past terraced hills, river gorges and roadside towns where buses stop for tea and dal bhat. Pokhara is about 200 km from Kathmandu, and the tourist bus usually takes 7–10 hours, depending on the road and traffic. If you’d rather fly, the flight takes about 30 minutes at extra cost.

Pokhara sits at 822 m beside Phewa Lake, which covers about 5.7 square kilometres. On a clear evening the peaks of the Annapurna range, including the sharp tip of Machhapuchhre, show above the hills and reflect in the water. A small two-storey pagoda temple, Tal Barahi, stands on an island in the lake.

Walk along the lakeside, have dinner and pack for the trek. Leave anything you won’t need on the trail at the hotel.

An early shared jeep takes you out of Pokhara and up into the hills. The road gets rougher and narrower as it climbs, and the 3–4 hour ride ends at Kimrung Khola, where the walking starts.

The trail climbs through farmland and forest to Chhomrong (2,170 m), a large Gurung village built on a steep hillside. From here Annapurna South (7,219 m), first climbed by a Japanese team in 1964, and the Fishtail peak of Machhapuchhre fill the view to the north.

Below the village a long stone staircase drops to the Chhomrong Khola, and after the bridge the path climbs again to Lower Sinuwa. You enter the Annapurna Conservation Area today, Nepal’s largest protected area at 7,629 square kilometres. Expect 3–4 hours of walking and a lot of steps.

The trail heads deep into the Modi Khola valley. It climbs through oak and rhododendron forest above Sinuwa, then drops down long stone steps to Bamboo (2,310 m), named after the thick bamboo groves along the river. Langur monkeys are often seen in the trees here.

After lunch at Dovan, the path climbs steadily beside the river, crossing side streams and passing small waterfalls. The valley walls get steeper and closer, and by early afternoon the sun disappears behind them.

Himalaya, also called Himalaya Hotel, is a small group of lodges at 2,920 m. It’s cooler and damper than the villages lower down, so put on a warm layer as soon as you arrive.

The big climb of the trek, about 1,200 m, so you start early. The trail passes Hinku Cave, a large overhanging rock once used as a shelter, and reaches Deurali (3,230 m) in about two hours. From Deurali to base camp is roughly 7.7 km and 4–5 hours of steady walking.

Above Deurali the trees fall away and the valley opens. The path follows the Modi Khola past waterfalls and old avalanche debris to Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3,700 m), right below the twin-tipped summit that gives the mountain its Fishtail name. Local people consider Machhapuchhre sacred, and it’s closed to climbers.

The last climb to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m) is slow and breathless. When you arrive, you’re inside the Annapurna Sanctuary, a high bowl almost completely ringed by peaks, with Annapurna I (8,091 m), the first 8,000 m peak ever climbed, straight ahead. After heavy snow, the stretch between Deurali and Machhapuchhre Base Camp can be hit by avalanches, and your guide won’t continue if it isn’t safe.

Get up before sunrise and wrap up warm. The first light hits the top of Annapurna I, then works its way around the ring of peaks, from Annapurna South and Hiunchuli, which is really a spur of Annapurna South, to Gangapurna, while the camp below is still in deep shadow and frost covers the ground.

After breakfast you head back down the valley, past Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Deurali and Himalaya, to Bamboo. It’s a long downhill day of 6–7 hours, and your knees will notice the stone steps, so use your poles and take your time.

As you lose height, the air gets thicker and warmer, and the forest closes in again around you.

The day starts with a climb back up the stone steps out of Bamboo, then the trail drops past Sinuwa to the Chhomrong Khola. From the bridge comes the hardest part: the long staircase back up to Chhomrong, which most people take slowly, with plenty of stops.

After lunch in Chhomrong, with a last look back up the valley at Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre, the trail drops steeply to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m).

In the afternoon, walk about 20 minutes down to the natural hot springs beside the Modi Khola. The pools are simple and open to the sky, and the warm water feels very good on tired legs after five days of walking.

If you like, go back for one more soak in the morning. Then a short walk down the valley brings you to the road, where a shared jeep takes you back to Pokhara in about 2.5–3 hours.

The afternoon is free. Hire a boat on Phewa Lake, row out to the island temple, or just enjoy a long hot shower and a meal by the water.

In the morning a tourist bus takes you back to Kathmandu along the same road, which can use up most of the day if the traffic is heavy. You should be in by late afternoon, with time to freshen up.

In the evening, join us for a farewell dinner to celebrate the end of your trek.

Your trip ends today. Our driver collects you after breakfast and drops you at Tribhuvan International Airport in good time for your flight.

If you have more time, ask us about a jungle safari in Chitwan, a day tour of Kathmandu’s old temples, or a short trek to Poon Hill.