The route, in one paragraph
The Sanctuary is a glacial basin ringed by ten peaks above 7,000 m. To reach it you walk through bamboo forest, climb stone staircases that Sherpa porters built two hundred years ago, and emerge into an amphitheatre where the silence is the loudest thing. Two nights at Base Camp, sunrise both mornings.
What you'll remember
The days that stay with you.
- 01
Sunrise at Annapurna Base Camp — the south wall lights up first
- 02
Hot springs at Jhinu Danda on the way down
- 03
An afternoon at Chhomrong with a slice of the famous apple pie
Day by day
The 13-day itinerary.
- 01 DAY
Pokhara → Nayapul → Tikhedhunga
- End alt.
- 1,480 m
- Walking
- 5 h
- 02 DAY
Tikhedhunga → Ghorepani
- End alt.
- 2,870 m
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 03 DAY
Ghorepani → Poon Hill → Tadapani
- End alt.
- 2,630 m
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 04 DAY
Tadapani → Chhomrong
- End alt.
- 2,170 m
- Distance
- 9 km
- Walking
- 5 h
- 05 DAY
Chhomrong → Bamboo
- End alt.
- 2,310 m
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 06 DAY
Bamboo → Deurali
- End alt.
- 3,230 m
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 07 DAY
Deurali → MBC → ABC
Two nights at the basin.
- End alt.
- 4,130 m
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 08 DAY
Annapurna Base Camp — sunrise, exploration
- End alt.
- 4,130 m
- 09 DAY
ABC → Bamboo (descent)
- End alt.
- 2,310 m
- Distance
- 16 km
- Walking
- 7 h
- 10 DAY
Bamboo → Jhinu Danda (hot springs)
- End alt.
- 1,780 m
- Distance
- 12 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 11 DAY
Jhinu → Pothana
- End alt.
- 1,990 m
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 12 DAY
Pothana → Phedi → Pokhara
- End alt.
- 820 m
- Distance
- 8 km
- Walking
- 4 h
- 13 DAY
Pokhara — rest, debrief, departure
- End alt.
- 820 m
The fine print
Everything that's in the price.
No surprise add-ons. No "premium upgrades." This is the trek.
Included
- All ACAP and TIMS permits
- Twin-share teahouse lodging
- Three meals daily from the teahouse menu
- Mukunda as lead guide
- Porters (one per two trekkers, 12 kg limit)
- All ground transport from Pokhara
- Pre-trek briefing in Pokhara
- First-aid kit, oximeter, satellite messenger
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa
- Travel and rescue insurance to 5,000 m
- Personal trekking gear (rental list provided)
- Tips for guide and porters
- Drinks beyond water and tea, hot showers
What to expect
- 5 to 7 hours of walking daily — lots of stone-step climbing
- Wet underfoot in the lower bamboo forest, dry above
- Cold nights at Machhapuchhre and Base Camp
- Two of the most photographed mountain views in the world, earned with your feet
Fitness honestly
You should be able to walk for 6 to 7 hours on consecutive days with significant stair-climbing. The altitude is moderate; the legs do the work.
Permits
ACAP + TIMS — arranged by Mukunda.
From past clients on this trek
“We were two retirees a little nervous about altitude. Mukunda built our trip around two extra acclimatisation days. He never made us feel slow, never made us feel like the youngest weren't on the same trek with us.”
Margaret & David Edinburgh · 2024
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