Short Annapurna Base Camp Trek — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid airport taxi to Thamel (~£4-6, roughly 30 min). Check into a Thamel guesthouse, buy a local Ncell/Namaste SIM with data (~£3-5), and spend the afternoon wandering Thamel's trekking shops — you can rent a down jacket, sleeping bag and trekking poles for around £1-2 per item per day. In the evening, sort your permits: the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP, ~£20) and TIMS card (~£10) from the Nepal Tourism Board office on Exhibition Road or via an agency in Thamel. Eat dal bhat at a local spot for under £3.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£4-6

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room ~£12-18

• →Thamel orientation walk
• →Buy SIM card
• →Arrange ACAP permit and TIMS card
• →Rent or buy trekking gear

Take the morning tourist bus from Kantipath (Thamel area) to Pokhara — around £8-10, 7-8 hours on the Prithvi Highway, or a cheaper local bus for ~£4-5 taking longer. Alternatively, short flights (Buddha Air/Yeti) cost roughly £60-90 if you're short on time. Arrive in Lakeside, check into a guesthouse, and walk the lakeshore for sunset views of the Annapurnas, Machapuchare and, on clear days, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu. Confirm your trekking timetable and top up cash (ATMs in Lakeside) — there are no ATMs on the trail.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu–Pokhara ~£8-10

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, private room ~£12-18

• →Scenic bus ride along the Trishuli and Marsyangdi valleys
• →Phewa Tal lakeside sunset walk
• →Buy trekking supplies and snacks

Take a shared jeep or local bus from Pokhara's Baglung bus park to Nayapul (~£3-4, 1.5 hours; a private jeep is ~£20-25 to split). From Nayapul, walk along the Modi Khola to Birethanti village where you show your permits at the checkpost, then follow the Burundi Khola valley up through Hille to Tikhedhunga. About 4-5 hours of gentle walking. Stay in a teahouse with dal bhat dinner included in the room rate.

🚌Shared jeep or local bus Pokhara–Nayapul ~£3-4

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£5-10 per person including meals

• →Trek Nayapul to Birethanti along the Modi Khola
• →Permit checkpost at Birethanti
• →Trek through Hille to Tikhedhunga

A tough but rewarding day: cross a couple of the trek's many suspension bridges, then climb the famous Ulleri stone staircase (thousands of steps) before easing through Banthanti and Nangethanti's oak and rhododendron forest to Ghorepani. Roughly 6 hours. Stay in a Ghorepani teahouse at ~2,860 m and get an early night ahead of the Poon Hill sunrise.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£6-11 per person including meals

• →Ulleri stone staircase climb
• →Rhododendron forest trekking
• →Suspension bridge crossings

Set off around 4:30am with a headtorch for the 45-60 minute climb to Poon Hill (3,210 m) for sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South and Machapuchare. The viewpoint entry is included in your ACAP. Back for breakfast, then trek over mountain ridges and through forest to Deurali (the other Deurali on the Ghorepani–Chomrong line, not the ABC one) — around 5-6 hours.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£6-11 per person including meals

• →Poon Hill sunrise viewpoint (3,210 m)
• →Ridge walk through rhododendron and bamboo forest

Descend and traverse through dense rhododendron and bamboo forest, crossing a couple more suspension bridges before the long climb down to the Chomrong Khola and back up to Chomrong village (~2,170 m). About 6 hours. Chomrong is the last settlement before the sanctuary — it's the place to charge devices and stock up on snacks.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£6-11 per person including meals

• →Rhododendron forest traverse
• →Chomrong Khola descent and climb
• →Chomrong village afternoon

Drop down to the Chomrong Khola, climb past Khuldighar, then continue gently through bamboo and rhododendron forest with the Machapuchare massif ahead to Himalayan Hotel (~2,900 m). About 5-6 hours. Shorter day — use the afternoon to acclimatise properly, hydrate and rest.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£7-12 per person including meals

• →Chomrong Khola crossing
• →Khuldighar climb
• →Bamboo and rhododendron forest trek

The big day: climb via Hinko Cave and Deurali to Machapuchare Base Camp (3,700 m), then across the moraine to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m). Roughly 6-7 hours — go slowly, watch for headaches, and keep eating and drinking. Watch sunset on the Annapurna I south face from the teahouse dining hall.

🚌On foot

🛏ABC teahouse, twin room ~£8-14 per person including meals (prices rise with altitude)

• →Hinko Cave
• →Deurali to Machapuchare Base Camp
• →Annapurna Base Camp sunset

Sunrise at base camp, then retrace your steps down the Modi Khola valley past Machapuchare Base Camp and Deurali to Bamboo (~2,310 m). Long descent — around 7 hours — so take care of your knees and use poles. Altitude drops quickly, which is a relief for most people.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£6-11 per person including meals

• →Sunrise at Annapurna Base Camp
• →Long descent to Bamboo

Trek back up over the Chomrong ridge via Khuldighar, then down to Chomrong and on to Jhinu Danda (~1,780 m) — about 6 hours. In the afternoon walk 20 minutes down to the riverside hot springs on the Modi Khola for a soak. Entry is a few hundred rupees (~£2) though some teahouses include it.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse, twin room ~£5-10 per person including meals

• →Chomrong ridge traverse
• →Jhinu Danda hot springs

Final morning trek down along the Modi Khola past the 287 m Jhinu suspension bridge to Birethanti and Nayapul — about 4 hours. Take a shared jeep or local bus back to Pokhara (~£3-4). In the evening, book yourself a rowing boat on Phewa Tal to visit the Barahi Temple on the island (~£3-4 per boat, direct at the Lakeside boat hire stands) and eat lakeside momos.

🚌On foot to Nayapul; shared jeep or bus to Pokhara ~£3-4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, private room ~£12-18

• →Trek Jhinu to Nayapul
• →Boat to Barahi Temple on Phewa Tal
• →Lakeside dinner

Tourist bus back to Kathmandu (~£8-10, 7-8 hours) or an early flight (~£60-90). Push the bus later and instead book an optional add-on in Pokhara directly: a Chitwan National Park jungle safari package (2 days, from ~£60-80 including transport, jungle walks and jeep safari), a Trishuli River rafting day (~£25-30) or canoeing and mountain biking around Lakeside. Back in Kathmandu, browse Asan Tole and Durbar Square in the evening.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara–Kathmandu ~£8-10 (or flight ~£60-90)

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room ~£12-18

• →Optional Chitwan jungle safari
• →Optional Trishuli rafting
• →Kathmandu evening bazaar walk

Depending on your flight time, a last morning in Thamel or a walk to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) on foot from Thamel (~£1). Take a prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport (~£4-6) and fly home. Bring spare rupees for the departure-day snacks and any excess gear you want to donate to a local trekking gear charity shop.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4-6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Swayambhunath walk
• →Thamel shopping