Annapurna Sanctuary — Self-Launched 15-Day Trek

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a pre-paid airport taxi (~NPR 700–1,000 / £5–7) to a guesthouse in Thamel or Paknajol. Spend the afternoon orienting yourself around Thamel's trekking shops — this is the place to buy or rent a down jacket, sleeping bag, poles and waterproofs far cheaper than at home. Sort out a Nepali SIM/eSIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3–5 for data), draw cash from an ATM (ATMs in Thamel are reliable; carry cash for the whole trek), and have dinner at a dal bhat house.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5–7

🛏Thamel guesthouse, twin/double with hot water and Wi-Fi (~£12–18)

• →Thamel orientation walk
• →Rent/buy trekking gear
• →Buy Nepali SIM card
• →Dal bhat dinner

Book a small-group Kathmandu Durbar Square and old-city walking tour through GetYourGuide or Viator (~£15–20), covering Kumari Ghar (home of the living goddess), Kasthamandap and the old bazaar lanes. In the afternoon join a momo-making cooking class in Thamel or Patan (~£18–25 on Klook/GetYourGuide, includes eating what you make). Finish the day by walking to the Nepal Tourism Board office (Bhrikutimandu) or a registered TIMS counter to arrange your ACAP entry permit (~NPR 3,000 / £18) and TIMS card (~NPR 2,000 / £12) — bring passport photos and cash. If you've hired an independent guide, they'll often handle the paperwork for you.

🚌Walking; taxi to permit office ~£2

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£12–18)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square guided walk
• →Momo cooking class
• →ACAP + TIMS permit application

Take the tourist coach from Kathmandu to Pokhara along the Prithivi Highway — book through your guesthouse or a Thamel agency the day before (~NPR 1,800–2,500 / £11–15, 7–8 hours, departures 6:30–7:30am). The air-conditioned 'deluxe' buses are worth the small extra. Arrive mid-afternoon, walk the Lakeside strip, sort your trekking permits if you haven't already (there's an ACAP/TIMS counter in Pokhara), and grab dinner overlooking Phewa Lake with the Annapurnas on the horizon. Optional: a 1-hour paragliding tandem flight can be booked for later on return.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu–Pokhara ~£12–15; local taxi ~£2

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (~£12–20)

• →Scenic highway drive
• →Lakeside orientation walk
• →Phewa Lake sunset

Take a shared jeep or local bus from Pokhara to Birethanti/Nayapul (~1.5–2 hours, NPR 300–500 shared, or ~NPR 3,500 for a private jeep split between two). Show your ACAP and TIMS at the checkpoint, then start walking along the Modi Khola with your first views of the Annapurna range. Today is a gentle warm-up of 3–4 hours to Tikhedhunga, crossing suspension bridges through Bungajung and Ulleri's lower terraces. Sleep in a teahouse — dal bhat, milk tea, and an early night.

🚌Shared jeep Pokhara–Nayapul ~£3–5

🛏Teahouse, twin room (~£4–7 including meals basis)

• →Trek Birethanti → Tikhedhunga (~3–4 hrs)
• →ACAP checkpoint
• →Suspension bridge crossings

The big stair day: around 3,300 stone steps up through Ulleri, then a long climb through rhododendron and oak forest with the Himalayas opening up ahead. Roughly 5–6 hours and 1,300m+ of ascent — pace yourself, drink water, and treat it as acclimatisation rather than a race. Arrive in Ghorepani (2,860m) in the afternoon; it gets cold fast here so layer up and claim a spot by the stove in the dining room.

🚌On foot (~5–6 hrs)

🛏Ghorepani teahouse, twin room 2,860m (~£5–8)

• →Trek Tikhedhunga → Ghorepani
• →Ulleri stone staircase
• →Rhododendron forest

Headlamp on and out at about 4:30am for the 45-minute climb to Poon Hill (3,210m) for sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South — the classic Annapurna photo. Back down for breakfast, then walk the ridge trail through rhododendron forest to Tadapani (~5 hours): a mix of climbs and descents, quieter than the main Ghorepani route, with Machhapuchhare coming into view.

🚌On foot (~6 hrs incl. Poon Hill)

🛏Tadapani teahouse, twin room (~£5–8)

• →Poon Hill sunrise (3,210m)
• →Trek Ghorepani → Tadapani
• →Rhododendron ridges

A mostly descending-then-climbing day of around 5–6 hours, dropping into the Kimrong Khola valley and then up into Chhomrong — a large Gurung village that marks the gateway to the sanctuary. The last hour is a stair climb but the reward is a huge panorama of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhare from the teahouse terraces. Chhomrong is the last proper village before the sanctuary, so top up cash, chocolate and batteries here.

🚌On foot (~5–6 hrs)

🛏Chhomrong teahouse, twin room (~£5–8)

• →Trek Tadapani → Chhomrong
• →Gurung village stop
• →Annapurna South viewpoint

Up early for sunrise over Annapurna South from the teahouse terrace, then a hard day into the gorge: steep steps down to the Chhomrong Khola suspension bridge, then climb through bamboo and rhododendron to Sinuwa, Bamboo and Dovan, finishing at Himalaya (~2,920m) — around 6–7 hours. Streams, waterfalls and increasingly rugged terrain. Accommodation gets simpler and dorm-style here; hot showers usually cost extra (NPR 200–300).

🚌On foot (~6–7 hrs)

🛏Himalaya teahouse, dorm/twin (~£5–7)

• →Trek Chhomrong → Himalaya
• →Bamboo and rhododendron forest
• →Sinuwa suspension bridge

The biggest day of the trek. Climb steadily past Deurali into the sanctuary, through Machhapuchhare Base Camp (3,700m), then across rocky glacial moraine to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130m — roughly 5–6 hours. Walk slowly, watch for headache and nausea, and check in with your guide. Sleeping at ABC is cold and basic (dorm rooms, shared bathrooms, extra blankets are worth the fee) but the 360° amphitheatre of Annapurna I, South, Fang and Machhapuchhare more than pays for it. Set an alarm for the sunrise.

🚌On foot (~5–6 hrs)

🛏ABC teahouse, dorm at 4,130m (~£6–9)

• →Trek Himalaya → Annapurna Base Camp
• →Machhapuchhare Base Camp
• →Sunrise at ABC (next morning)

Sunrise at base camp, then retrace your steps downhill past MBC to Bamboo (~2,310m) — about 6 hours of steady descent. Downhill is faster but harder on the knees; poles help. You'll feel the oxygen return almost immediately. Bamboo has a cluster of decent teahouses with hot food and better Wi-Fi than up high.

🚌On foot (~6 hrs)

🛏Bamboo teahouse, twin/dorm (~£4–7)

• →Sunrise at Annapurna Base Camp
• →Trek ABC → Bamboo

Walk down through Sinuwa and across the Chhomrong Khola to Jhinu Danda (~5–6 hours), passing terraced farmland and villages as you drop in altitude. The reward: the natural riverside hot springs 20 minutes below the village (small entry fee ~NPR 100). Soak tired legs in the steaming pools beside the Modi Khola. A proper end-of-trek treat.

🚌On foot (~5–6 hrs)

🛏Jhinu Danda teahouse, twin room (~£4–7)

• →Trek Bamboo → Jhinu Danda
• →Jhinu Danda hot springs

An easier half-day of 3–4 hours through forest and terraced fields to Pothana (1,990m) and on to Dhampus or Phedi, where the trail rejoins the road. Take a shared jeep or local bus back to Pokhara (~1 hour, NPR 200–400). Hand back any rented gear, check into a Lakeside guesthouse, and celebrate with a cold Everest beer and a proper Pokhara dinner.

🚌On foot (~3–4 hrs); shared jeep Phedi–Pokhara ~£2–4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (~£12–20)

• →Trek Jhinu → Pothana
• →Terraced village walk
• →Evening in Lakeside

A well-earned buffer day. Sleep in, then rent a boat on Phewa Lake (~£4/hour) and row to the Tal Barahi temple, visit the World Peace Pagoda (walk up or tuk-tuk ~£4), or cycle to the old bazaar. Optional big splurge: a tandem paragliding flight from Sarangkot (~£70–85 booked via GetYourGuide/Klook) with views straight onto the Annapurnas. Keep this day flexible — if the trek ran late, this is where you catch up.

🚌Boat hire, tuk-tuk, walking ~£5

🛏Lakeside guesthouse (~£12–20)

• →Phewa Lake boat hire
• →World Peace Pagoda
• →Optional tandem paragliding

Either fly Pokhara–Kathmandu with Buddha Air/Yeti (~£50–70 one way, 25 minutes, book a few days ahead) or take the tourist bus back (~£12–15, 7–8 hours). Spend the evening in Kathmandu: Boudhanath Stupa at dusk (entry NPR 400) with butter lamps and prayer flags, or Swayambhunath at sunset. Dinner in Thamel or the quieter Patan/Lazimpat side of town.

🚌Domestic flight ~£50–70 or tourist bus ~£12–15

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£12–18)

• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Swayambhunath options
• →Thamel shopping for gifts

A last Nepali breakfast, any remaining souvenir shopping (pashmina, singing bowls, trekking gear in Thamel), then an airport taxi for your flight home. If you have a late flight, Patan Durbar Square and its museum are an easy half-day and a quieter alternative to Kathmandu Durbar Square.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5–7

🛏N/A

• →Breakfast in Thamel
• →Optional Patan Durbar Square