Annapurna Circuit Trek with a drive
Annapurna Circuit Trek is popular for long-distance trekking but it got shortened after the construction of a motor road from Besi Sahar to Chame and Muktinath (a famous pilgrimage site) to Beni. It requires 12 to 14 days to complete this trek without taking a flight from Jomsom to Pokhara, but it does require some off-road drive travel.
This trek option is suitable for those who have less time and are hesitant to walk on motor roads; they can use overland transport where motor roads are available. There is no problem going from Kathmandu to Besi Sahar by public bus, but there is an off-road from Besi Sahar to Chame where a four-wheeler jeep (vehicle) is required. From Muktinath or Jomsom to Tatopani you will travel by bus to experience the Himalaya bus service, if you want to travel by private transport then package cost will be expensive.
The trek starts with an off-road-drive journey from Besi Sahar to Chame, but it takes 6 to 7 hours to reach Besi Sahar from Kathmandu by car or bus and 4 to 5 hours to reach Chame from Besi Sahar by local jeep. Chame village is the headquarters of the Manang District in the Gandaki region of northern Nepal. From here, the trek enters the Manang Valley, a beautiful valley that offers spectacular views (every turn offers a different view of the Annapurna and Manaslu Mountains), an amazing variety of landscapes, from subtropical through alpine peaks to arid semi-desert similar to Tibet. The trek enters picturesque Farming villages, river basins, glacier lakes, a great variety of cultural diversity, Buddhist monasteries, and a challenging Thorong La Pass (5416 m).
The trek from Chame to Manang is a gradual climb but from Manang to Thorong La pass with a challenging climb. Thorong La Pass is the thrilling and most popular difficulty pass of this trek but it does not require any technical experience. After the Thorong La pass, we will descend to the spiritual place Muktinath. Muktinath is a Vishnu temple, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. People believed that bathing in the 108 water streams in the back courtyard of the Muktinath temple would purify the soul and attain salvation.
After Muktinath, we descend into Kali Gandaki River and follow the trail to Jomsom, on this day see an eyeful landscape view of the Mustang, and immense views of Mount Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri Himal, and Tukuche peak. Jomsom has daily flight connections with Pokhara and has a tenuous road connection with Beni and onwards to Pokhara. Tourists can hire a four-wheel-drive jeep from Jomsom to go Pokhara but also the availability of bus service, so we use the bus to go Tatopani, this is on the way to Beni. Tatopani has the best natural hot spring beside the Kali Gandaki river, Trekkers can take a natural hot spring bath here.
After crossing the Kali Gandaki river, we need to ascend to Ghorepani (2855 m). It is a long day trek but beautiful provides good views of Mount Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and other snowy peaks. On arrival at Ghorepani, you will forget your tiredness because you rarely get such a beautiful place on earth. From Ghorepani in the early morning, we need to hike up to Poon Hill at 3210 meters, to see the wonderful sunrise with good views of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Himalayan ranges.
From Ghorepani, it is possible to reach Pokhara in a single day via Ulleri village. Nowadays, there is a motor link to Pokhara even from Ulleri village, but we have to hire a private jeep, which is a bit costly, so it is better to continue the trek to Nayapul where there are various transportation options.
However, our program includes continuing the trek to the village of Ghandruk and finishing there before taking the jeep to Pokhara. Traveling Pokhara to Kathmandu by tourist bus is our original plan, but if you prefer to take a flight also possible, but you have to pay airfare.
Annapurna Circuit Trek with a drive on roads Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to Hotel
Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing and trek Preparation
Day 03: Kathmandu drive to Chame (2710 m) [Not available in Monsoon]
Day 04: Chame trek to Upper Pisang (3300 m)
Day 05: Upper Pistang trek to Manang (3540 m)
Day 06: Acclimatization Day in Manang (3540 m)
Day 07: Manang trek to Yak Kharka (4110 m)
Day 08: Yak Kharka trek to Thorung Phedi (4420 m)
Day 09: Thorong Phedi trek to Muktinath (3800 m) over the Thorong La Pass (5416 m)
Day 10: Muktinath drive by public bus to Jomsom continue to Tatopani (1190 m)
Day 11: Tatopani trek to Ghorepani (2855 m)
Day 12: Ghorepani Hike to Poon Hill (3210 m) and trek to Tadapani (2610 m)
Day 13: Tadapani trek to Ghandruk (1940 m) and drive to Pokhara (820 m)
Day 14: Drive to Kathmandu (1550 m) by tourist bus
Day 15: Depart Kathmandu