Annapurna Circle Lodge Trek 14 Days

Visit Nepal for less!

Trek Grade: Moderate to Strenuous
Season: October to November & February to May.

Why Lodge Trek?

Because lodge trek is cost effective and do not have to carry a lot of camping equipment. Moreover, the money you spend on lodges stays in the local community that contributes to the improvement of the local economy. Also, it is environmentally low impact trekking and is the ideal way to trek, particularly on the popular trek routes where established lodges are readily available. Itinerary provided below is a typical program. However, we can be flexible to trek a little bit off the main trek routes and explore the local lifestyle bit more in detail whenever possible. Discover Asia Travel is committed to preserve the nature and culture wherever it leads tours and treks as well as present the best travel options to its clients. We find the lodge accommodation more comfortable and affordable to our clients as well as meet the eco-tourism theme. Therefore, we request visitors to join us on our Nepal Himalayan treks that uses the lodge accommodation on the popular trek routes and help us promote environmentally sound tourism in the Himalayas.

Introduction :

Welcome to the Land of Annapurna (means the Goddess of Plenty)! The Annapurna Circle Trek offers you an encyclopedic experience of Nepal's landscapes, its diverse cultures, floras and faunas. The trek begins in the low lands with paddy fields in the Gorkha foothills at 1200 meters and goes as high as 5416 meters above sea level at Thorongla Pass. The trek passes through beautifully terraced fields and villages offering you a complete experience of how the Nepalese people live, exposing you to their daily life chores. In the lower part of this trek, we will meet Magar, Gurung, Chhetri, Brahmin, Gharti, Kami, and Dhomai ethnic groups while we will meet Manangye Gurung and Bhotya ethnic groups as we go up. The ethnic groups in the lower hills are mostly followers of Hinduism and the upper mountain region followers of Buddhism. The life styles of these people are as diverse as the landscape itself; definitely not by religion, but by virtue of the landscapes in which that they live in.

All along the Annapurna Circle Trek, we can experience spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains towering above the lush green hills that offer you opportunities for excellent snapshots to treasure. Moreover, the trail occasionally passes through deep river valleys and gorges with total silence. Thus, every step takes you to a new destination and scenery. This is a journey of discovery. So, bring plenty of films. The changes of shooting excellent pictures or videos do not end until you complete the trip.

In addition to the above described scenery, the Annapurna Region is home for many different varieties of floras and faunas. Among the floras, the rhododendron forests are interspersed with various other species. There are over 30 species of Rhododendrons found in Nepal. The Rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal and are found in several colors, red, white, and pinkish red, when in blossom in the spring. Those who love to see the spectacular rhododendron flower covered forest scenery with snowcapped peaks in the background should consider to trek in Nepal in the spring season from March to April. Other species of floras found along the Annapurna trails are conifers, Sal, Acacia, Chestnut, walnut, Birch, Rosewood, Silky cotton trees, Oak Hemlock, Alder, Silver fir, Maples and Bluepines to mention a few.

Mammals: Among the mammals, the rhesus Macaque, common Langur monkeys, snow leopard, Himalayan Weasels, Yellow-Throated Marten, jackal, wolf, fax, Ghoral, musk deer, blue sheep, and many other species are found here. However, the most commonly seen ones are the blue sheep, weasels, and martens around Manang and the monkeys in the lower valleys.
Birds: Some of the birds that make their home in the Annapurna Region of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project are the White capped river chat, Thrushes, Whistling thrush, Little fork tail, White breasted king fisher, Eurasian king fisher, Brown dipper, the White breasted dipper, Lamergier, Himalayan Griffon and many others. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project covers a huge area from altitudes of about 1500m to 8091m above sea level. Therefore, there are great varieties of bird species live here as permanent residents and as migratory residents. Those of you (the bird watchers) love to see birds in detail, should join the bird watching tour. Nevertheless, we can sample a few of the above while trekking around the Annapurna.

Thorang La Pass at 5416 meters above sea level is the highest elevation we reach on this trek. After we cross the Thorang La Pass, we enter a totally different world, the deepest river gorge (Kali Ghandaki) in the world. The first village we reach after the pass is Mukhtinath, where an eternal flame is seen on the water and on the rock, a famous pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. However, the local inhabitants are all Buddhists. Here, one can experience a little piece of Tibet or Ladakh like architctures and landscapes in Nepal.

From here, we trek along the Kali Ghandaki river gorge passing through Kagbeni, Jomsom, Marpha, Tukuche and Kalopani villages. This area is the Thakali ethnic group area. However, many other ethnic groups also make their home here nowadays. Thakali people are known for making the most delicious meals in the past. Today, they are, like any other Nepalese people, involved in all fields of employment and business. The views along the Kali Ghandaki gorge between the towering peaks of the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri range is superb.

Beyond the Kalopani, we will experience more Magar and Gurung villages all along the trail until we reach Pokhara. Of course, there are other ethnic groups in between, but majority of the inhabittants are Gurung and Margar groups as the entire region was the kingdom of Gurungs and Margars before the Kingdom of Nepal was united into one country by great King Prithivi Narayan Shah from Gorkha. Thus, the Annapurna Circuit Trek offers the best of Nepal's landscapes and its diverse ethnic groups. Come and join the Discover Asia Travel team and associates to see and discover the best of Nepal.

Itinerary: Annapurna Circle Lodge Trek 14 Days:

Day 1 Arrival in Kathmandu, meet and greet, transfer to the chosen hotel and itinerary briefing, overnight at the Hotel.

Day 2 At leisure or half day Kathmandu Valley tour.
Today, we pick up all the necessary accessories and equipment needed for the trek.

Day 3 Early morning drive Bensi Sahar and trek Bulbule.
Early morning breakfast and drive Besi Sahar and trek to Bulbule. Overnight at lodge in Bulbule.

Day 4 Trek to Jagat (1,350 m), about 7 hours and camp.
Breakfast and trek. Trek passes through scenic valleys and terraced farmlands. Overnight at lodge.

Day 5 Trek to Dharapani (1943 m), about 6 - 7 hours and camp.
Breakfast and trek. Trek passes through scenic valleys and deep gorge.
Overnight at lodge.

Day 6 Trek to Chame (2,700 m), about 6-7 hours and camp.
Breakfast and trek through scenic valleys with occasional views of icy peaks in the distance and forests. Overnight at lodge.

Day 7 Trek to Pisang (3,170 m) about 6 hours and camp.
Breakfast and trek through scenic valleys and forests. Today, we reach the upper alpine zone of Manang Valley, where pine, fir and alpine scrub are the main forest cover. The mountain views and scenery today is gorgeous.
Overnight at lodge.

Day 8 Trek to Manang Village (3,540 m) about 6 hours and camp.
Breakfast and trek through Manang valley, surrounded by sharp icy peaks.
The mountain views and scenery we experience from Manang is one of the best in this region. Overnight at lodge.

Day 9 Manang Village at leisure
Day at leisure to rest and to acclimatize. Best chance to take hot shower before the Thorang La Pass.
Overnight at lodge.

Day 10 Trek to Thorang Phedi (Base Camp) (4,400 m) about 7 hours.
Early breakfast and start trekking. It is a gradual and easy trek.
Overnight at lodge.

Day 11 Trek to Mukitinath (3,660 m) about 8 to 10 hours.
Today, it is a high altitude uphill and downhill trek. At 3:00 AM, we start with flashlights. We have to do this to avoid the afternoon snow storm for slow walkers. Make the best use of your muscles today. This walk is pure adventure; you may not like the uphill trek, but you will definitely enjoy the spectacular views and will be happy after the trek that you trekked here!
Overnight at lodge.

Day 12 Trek to Jomsom (2,710 m)
It is about 6 hours of easy trek along the Kali Ghandaki River gorge.
Overnight at lodge or hotel.

Day 13 Jomsom to Pokhara Flight
Early breakfast and trek to airport to catch flight to Pokhara.
On arrival, transfer to lodge or hotel. Remaining time at leisure to explore Pokhara. Overnight at hotel.

Day 14 Pokhara to Kathmandu flight
Early breakfast and drive to airport to catch flight to Kathmandu.
Upon arrival, transfer to hotel and end of services.

VISIT NEPAL FOR LESS 2004-2005!
Trek Cost Per Person In US Dollars:

Trek Price Includes:
Two nights hotel in Kathmandu at two star boutique hotel or a quality none star hotel,
Eleven nights accommodation in lodges with basic comfort along the trek route (best available lodges) with hot and cold shower,
All meals while on trek (breakfast, lunch and dinner),
Trekking guide and porters,
Transfers on arrival and departures and to domestic flights,
All local transfers from Bensi Sahar and Pokhara,

Trek Price Excludes:
Personal travel equipment, personal expenses, travel insurance, and beverages,
Jomsom-Pokhara one way airfare US$70 per person,
Pokhara-Kathmandu one way airfare US$80 per person
Tourist bus from Pokhara US$20 one,
Annapurna Conservation Area Project entrance fee US$28 per person,
Staff insurance as per government regulation,
Hotel in Kathmandu after trek,