Into the Annapurna Sanctuary at 4,130 m, finishing at the Jhinu hot springs
In short
The Sanctuary is a glacial basin roughly four kilometres across, entered through a gorge barely a few hundred metres wide, and ringed by Annapurna I at 8,091 m, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna and Machhapuchhre. Standing at base camp at 4,130 m, you have peaks on every compass point, which is not true anywhere on the Everest side. Getting there takes six walking days from Pokhara through rhododendron forest, Gurung villages and stone staircases that go on longer than seems reasonable. One thing to be clear about: the section between Hinku Cave and Deurali runs under avalanche-prone slopes, and after heavy snow — most often in late winter and early spring — it can be genuinely dangerous or closed outright. We will turn a group round there rather than push through, and no itinerary that promises otherwise is being straight with you.
Permits arranged for you
Annapurna Base Camp, 4,130 m is the high point of this route. Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), NPR 3,000 (about USD 22), TIMS card, NPR 2,000 (about USD 15). We file these on your behalf; the cost is inside your package price unless the exclusions say otherwise.
Where you sleep each night, day one to day 11. This is the chart worth reading before the itinerary — it is what determines whether you enjoy the trek.
11 days planned in full. Drive times and walking hours are stated so you can judge the pace before you book.
Day 1
Phewa Lake
Day 2
Ghandruk village ·Gurung Museum
Day 3
Kimrong Danda ·Chhomrong village
Day 4
Sinuwa ·Modi Khola gorge
Day 5
Hinku Cave ·Himalaya Hotel
Day 6
Machhapuchhre Base Camp ·Sanctuary gate
Day 7
Annapurna Base Camp ·Annapurna Glacier ·Annapurna South
Day 8
Day 9
Jhinu hot springs ·Modi Khola
Day 10
Phewa Lake ·World Peace Pagoda
Day 11
Small group, maximum 10 trekkers — private departures on request. Seat counts are live at the last catalogue update; we confirm availability in writing before taking any payment.
Departs Pokhara
Available11 left
Departs Pokhara
Last few seats4 left
Departs Pokhara
Filling fast7 left
Departs Pokhara
Available10 left
Departs Pokhara
Filling fast6 left
Departs Pokhara
Available12 left
Real enough that people have died there, most in late winter and early spring after heavy snowfall. The gorge walls above that section shed regularly. Guides check with the ACAP post at Chhomrong, cross early in the morning when snow is bonded, and turn back if conditions are wrong. December to March carries the highest risk; October and November the lowest.
Less than on the Everest routes, because 4,130 m is the ceiling and you reach it gradually over six days from 822 m. Even so, the Deurali to MBC to ABC sequence gains about 900 m across two days, so we split it rather than running it as one push. Mild headaches at ABC are common and usually settle overnight.
Yes, to nine days by driving to Jhinu Danda instead of Kimche and skipping Ghandruk, which saves one day at each end. You lose the best Gurung village on the route and gain nothing but time. If your schedule is genuinely tight, we would rather send you to Mardi Himal, which is a better seven-day trek than a compressed ABC.
Basic and getting steadily more expensive as you go up. ABC has four lodges, all with plywood twin rooms, shared toilets and no heating outside the dining room. Meals are dal bhat, noodles, soup and porridge, priced roughly double Chhomrong. A minus-15 sleeping bag is worth carrying for the ABC and MBC nights alone.
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