Self-Launched Annapurna Circuit Trek — 15 Days

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport, take a prepaid taxi to Thamel (~NPR 800–1,000 / £5–6) or the local Sajha bus if you're travelling very light. Check into a Thamel guesthouse, get a local SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3 for data), and spend the afternoon applying for your permits at the Nepal Tourism Board office (Bhrikutimandap, open Sun–Fri) or at the ACAP counter in Pokhara/Besisahar if you're going straight out. You need: ACAP entry permit ~NPR 3,000 (~£18) and TIMS card ~NPR 2,000 (~£12) — bring 4 passport photos and cash. Rent or buy a down jacket and sleeping bag in Thamel (~£2–3/day rental) rather than carrying your own. Early night — you're leaving at dawn tomorrow.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£5–6; walking in Thamel

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private twin ~£12–18/night (e.g. budget guesthouses around Chhetrapati or Paknajol)

• →Arrival transfer to Thamel
• →Buy Ncell/NTC SIM card
• →Apply for ACAP + TIMS permits at Nepal Tourism Board
• →Rent down jacket and sleeping bag in Thamel

The group tour does this as a private 6-hour drive plus off-road transfer. Independently: catch an early tourist or local bus from Kathmandu's Machhapokhari/Naya Bus Park to Besisahar (~5–6 hours, NPR 500–700 / £3–4). From Besisahar take a shared local jeep up the dirt road toward Chamje/Dharapani (NPR 700–1,000 / £4–6, 3–4 hours) — jeeps leave when full, so arrive by early afternoon. If the road is washed out, you may need to switch jeeps at Syange. Overnight in Chamje: simple teahouse with dal bhat dinner (~NPR 500–700 for room + food). This is where the walking actually begins.

🚌Local bus ~£4 + shared jeep ~£5

🛏Teahouse in Chamje, twin room ~included/free with meals (~£8–10 total with dal bhat)

• →Local bus Kathmandu to Besisahar
• →Shared jeep up the Marsyangdi valley
• →Settle into first teahouse

First proper trekking day, ~6 hours up the Marsyangdi gorge through bamboo and pine, past Tal and Dharapani, crossing a string of suspension bridges. No guide needed — the trail is obvious and well-signed, and each village has tea stops. First views of Manaslu and, later, Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal open up as you climb. Show your ACAP permit at the checkpoints in Dharapani and Chame. Chame is the district capital of Manang with hot springs, a baker, and reliable phone signal — good spot to recharge everything.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Chame, twin ~£4–6 room offset by meal spend (~£15 total)

• →Trek Chamje to Chame (~6 hrs)
• →Suspension bridge crossings
• →ACAP checkpoint at Dharapani
• →Optional riverside hot spring at Chame

A shorter, spectacular day (~5 hours) through pine forest to Telekhu and then the huge open valley below Paungda Danda, the great curved rock wall. Cross to Lower Pisang and overnight there. Strongly recommended: walk up to Upper Pisang in the late afternoon — the gompa and the Annapurna II wall at sunset are the highlight of the whole first half of the trek. Start watching for headache and breathlessness from here; you're above 3,000m and the acclimatisation rule kicks in — don't sleep more than ~500m higher than the previous night.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Pisang, twin ~£15 with meals

• →Trek Chame to Pisang (~5 hrs)
• →Paungda Danda viewpoint
• →Sunset walk to Upper Pisang gompa

Two route options today. The high route via Ghyaru and Ngawal (Upper Pisang) gives the best views of Annapurna III and Gangapurna but adds ~2 hours and 300m; the low route along the river past Hongde airstrip is flatter and faster. Either way you finish in Manang village, the biggest settlement on the circuit — bakeries, gear shops, a medical post and the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) lecture hall. Take the low route if you had any altitude symptoms yesterday.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse or small guesthouse in Manang, twin ~£15–18 with meals

• →Trek Pisang to Manang (~5 hrs low route / ~7 hrs high route via Ghyaru–Ngawal)
• →Visit Braga monastery (optional detour)

Do not skip this — the group tour builds it in for a reason. Morning hike up to Gangapurna viewpoint (~3,800m, 2–3 hours return) for close-up glacier views, then attend the free HRA altitude-sickness talk in Manang at 3pm (donation appreciated) — it covers AMS, HACE and HAPE symptoms and what to do on the pass. Rest, hydrate, eat well. If you have spare days, a side trip to Ice Lake (4,600m) or Tilicho Lake is worthwhile but adds 3–4 days and serious altitude.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Manang, twin ~£15

• →Hike to Gangapurna viewpoint
• →Free Himalaya Rescue Association altitude lecture
• →Rest and gear check

A gentle 3–4 hour climb out of the Manang valley on the north side of the river, past Tengi and Gunsang, with Gangapurna and the Annapurnas behind you. Yakkharka is a scatter of lodges in open pasture where blue sheep and yaks graze. If you feel strong and acclimatised, you can push on one extra hour to Ledar/Letdar (4,200m) — but there's no clinic above Manang, so err on the side of caution. Cold nights now; make sure your sleeping bag is rated to at least -10°C.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Yakkharka, twin ~£15 with meals

• →Trek Manang to Yakkharka (~3–4 hrs)
• →Optional continuation to Ledar (4,200m)

Short 3–4 hour walk across high pasture and a landslide-prone section to Thorong Phedi, the last lodge cluster before the pass. There's a basic ACAP/insurance checkpost here. Option: climb the extra 45 minutes to High Camp (4,800m) to shorten tomorrow's pass day — but only if you're symptom-free and sleeping well. Eat a big early dinner, lay out headtorch and layers, and ask your lodge what time other trekkers are setting off so you're not alone on the trail.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Thorong Phedi or High Camp, twin ~£16 with meals

• →Trek Yakkharka to Thorong Phedi (~4 hrs)
• →Optional move to High Camp (4,800m)
• →Early night before pass day

The big day. Leave at 4–5am with a headtorch to reach the pass before the wind picks up (and to avoid afternoon snow). It's 4–5 hours of slow zigzags to Thorong La at 5,416m — the highest point of the trek, prayer flags, and Dhaulagiri and Annapurna filling the horizon. Then a long 4-hour descent to Muktinath. Do not attempt this solo if you have any AMS symptoms; descend immediately and abandon the pass. Walk with the trekkers you met at Thorong Phedi. In Muktinath, visit the temple complex and the eternal flame, and eat well — you're back below 4,000m.

🚌On foot (~8–9 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse in Muktinath/Ranipauwa, twin ~£15–18 with meals

• →Cross Thorong La (5,416m) at sunrise
• →Descend to Muktinath
• →Muktinath temple and Jwala Mai flame

The group tour does this as a private jeep transfer. Independently: shared jeeps and local buses run Muktinath–Jomsom (~1.5 hrs) and Jomsom–Ghasa/Tatopani (~3 hrs); you'll likely change in Jomsom or Ghasa, and seats fill up early, so be at the jeep stand by 7am. Total ~£8–12. The scenery through the Kali Gandaki gorge — the deepest gorge in the world, between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna — is a highlight in itself. Arrive at Tatopani and soak in the natural hot springs by the river (small entry fee ~£1.50). Excellent dal bhat and apple pie in town.

🚌Shared jeeps/local bus ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Tatopani, twin ~£9–12

• →Shared jeep/bus Muktinath to Tatopani via Jomsom, Kalopani and Ghasa
• →Kali Gandaki gorge views
• →Tatopani hot springs

A long, hard day (~8–9 hours) of almost continuous stone-step climbing through terraced farmland, villages and rhododendron forest — one of the toughest days of the circuit, but the forest is stunning in spring when the rhododendrons bloom. Break at Sikha or Chitre for lunch. Ghorepani's lodges are busy with Poon Hill sunrise trekkers, so if you want a specific lodge, call ahead from Tatopani or arrive by 3–4pm. Expect the temperature to drop sharply at night.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Ghorepani, twin ~£15 with meals

• →Trek Tatopani to Ghorepani (~8–9 hrs)
• →Rhododendron forest and terraced farmland
• →Village tea stops at Sikha and Chitre

Up at 4:30am for the 45-minute climb to Poon Hill (3,210m) for sunrise over Dhaulagiri, the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhre — get there early for a spot at the viewing tower, and pay the small Poon Hill entry fee (~£2). Back to Ghorepani for breakfast, then descend the long stone staircase through Ulleri, Banthanti and Tikhedhunga (~5 hrs) to Hile, where shared jeeps and buses run down to Nayapul and Pokhara (~2 hrs, ~£4–6, or a direct jeep from Hile ~£12). Check into Lakeside, eat a real meal, and sleep in an actual bed.

🚌On foot + shared jeep ~£5–7

🛏Lakeside guesthouse or budget hotel in Pokhara, twin ~£12–18

• →Poon Hill sunrise hike
• →Descend via Ulleri and Tikhedhunga
• →Shared jeep to Pokhara
• →Evening at Phewa Lake

Give yourself a day to recover rather than being whisked straight back to Kathmandu. Hire a boat on Phewa Lake (~£3/hr), row to the Tal Barahi temple, and cycle or take a local bus to the World Peace Pagoda, Gupteshwor Cave and Davis Falls. Paragliding over Pokhara is world-class and bookable via GetYourGuide or direct with local operators (~£60–75, including the Sarangkot flight) if you want one big splurge. Rinse out two weeks of trekking kit, and book your bus back to Kathmandu for tomorrow evening or the morning after.

🚌Local bus/cycle rickshaw ~£3–5

🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Pokhara, twin ~£12–18

• →Phewa Lake boat hire
• →World Peace Pagoda
• →Davis Falls and Gupteshwor Cave
• →Optional paragliding from Sarangkot

The group tour drives the Prithvi Highway (6–7 hours). Independently you can do the same on a tourist bus (~NPR 1,200–1,500 / £7–9, departing Lakeside 7–8am) — comfortable, with a lunch stop. Faster option: a 25-minute flight Pokhara–Kathmandu (~£55–90 booked a few days ahead) if you're short on time, though delays are common. Back in Kathmandu, treat yourself to a proper dinner in Thamel or Patan and pick up any last gifts. Overnight near Thamel for an easy airport run.

🚌Tourist bus ~£8 (or flight ~£55–90)

🛏Thamel guesthouse, twin ~£12–18

• →Tourist bus or domestic flight to Kathmandu
• →Evening in Thamel or Patan Durbar Square

Breakfast, last-minute shopping or a wander to Swayambhunath if your flight is late, then a prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport (~£5–6, allow 45–60 minutes in traffic). Depart. If you have extra time, Boudhanath and Patan are both worth a half-day each — but book buffer days on either side of the trek; domestic flights and mountain roads are frequently delayed.

🚌Prepaid taxi to airport ~£5–6

🛏—

• →Airport transfer
• →Optional Swayambhunath or Boudhanath visit