Nepal Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Annapurna is the 10th highest peak on the planet and is located in the Himalaya Mountains of north-central Nepal. The trek to Annapurna Base Camp is one of the more popular treks in Nepal for a reason...and the reason is the stunning, jaw-dropping views along the way! This moderately rated trek is a great "first time" trek for those who have never trekked in Nepal before. Our expert, English speaking guides will be with you throughout this journey not only to lead your trek, but to teach you about the uniqueness of the people and culture of the Annapurna Region!
We arrange this as a private trek anytime of year. Whether you are traveling solo or with a group of friends/family, we can arrange this for you. The best months to do this trek are March, April, May, October, November and December. While this trek can be arranged during the monsoon months of July and August, it will be quite rainy and wet along the trail during those months.
Contact our expert sales managers for more information on the Nepal Annapurna Base Camp Trek!
Send us an email at info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this trek or for any questions you may have.
Nepal Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Send us an email at info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this trek or for any questions you may have.
Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,300m/4,264ft). You will be received at the Kathmandu International airport and be transported to your hotel. Overnight at a centrally located hotel.
Day 2: Half-day guided tour. In the morning, you will visit the Bhaktapur Durbar square which is. This is also listed as the UNESCO world heritage site and shows the ancient civilization of Nepal. Bhaktapur city and its native Newar people shaped majority of the Nepalese traditional handicrafts, arts and architecture. In the evening you will prep for next day and go through final shopping for necessities for your trekking journey.
Day 3: Today you will take an early flight to Pokhara. The flight is a short 25 minutes only. Then from Pokhara you will take a short drive (about 1.5 hours) to Nayapul and then trek to Ulleri (2050 m/6725 ft). The trek takes you through little tropical valley forests and villages leading you to some strenuous steps. Trek around 6 hours.
Day 4: Today you will hike up from Ulleri to Ghorepani (2,750 m/ 9,020 ft). Trek around 4 - 5 hours. Ghorepani offers good panoramic views of the mountains as well the local village has very friendly people to do meet and greet.
Day 5: Today early in the morning you will trek to Poon Hill (3,210m/10,529ft). You will hike about 1 hour to get to the viewpoint and wait for the sunrise as well as early morning views of sun rays hitting the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri peaks. You will descend back to Ghorepani and have breakfast. Then you will start your trek from Ghorepani to Tadapani (2,700m/ 8,860ft). You will hike through some beautiful rhododendron forests and lovely waterfalls.Trek around 5 - 6 hours.
Day 6: Today you will trek from Tadapani to Chhomrong (2170m/7120ft). You will first descend and the do an uphill trek to reach Chhomrong. The very beautiful with little villages, terraced fields and lush green hills. Trek around 6 hours.
Day 7: Today you will trek from Chhomrong to Bamboo (2310m/7578ft). The days trek has some downhill and uphill mixed until you reach Bamboo at a higher altitude. Trek around 4 - 5 hours.
Day 8: Today you will trek from Bamboo to Deurali (3230m/10,595ft). The trek involves going through forests of bamboo and later opening to a sunny hike. Slowly you will climb above tree-line and you will forests decline. Trek around 3 - 4 hours.
Day 9: Today you will trek from Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m/13,545ft) via Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3700m/12135ft). The trek follows some steep trail till the Machhapuchhre Base Camp and you will see the vegetation start to disappear and head by a hill side towards Annapurna Base Camp. More and more clear views of many peaks as Annapurna south, I. III, Gangapurna, Hiunchuli and have a prefect 360 degree panoramic view. Trek about 5- 6 hours
Day 10: Today you will trek from Annapurna Base Camp to Bamboo. Following back on the trail you will hike downhill and start to lose altitude, but enjoy great landscapes. Trek about 6 - 7 hours.
Day 11: Today you will trek from Bamboo to Jhinu Danda (1760m/5770 ft). With some downhill and steps up to get to Chhomrong you will arrive at Jhinu Danda. If possible you can take a dip at the local hot spring which definitely be a relief to your tired body. Trek about 5 - 6 hours.
Day 12: This last day of trek will be from Jhinu Danda to Naya Pul. After lunch in the middle, you will arrive in Nayapul and then drive to Pokhara: 6 hours trek, 1 hour drive. Overnight at a hotel.
Day 13: Free day of rest/Contingency Day. Today you can rest and relax in Pokhara. You can visit Pokhara’s famous Fewa lake and enjoy a peaceful boat ride. Overnight at a hotel.
Day 14: Today you will take a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu. Upon arrival you will check into your hotel in central Thamel town. Late in the afternoon, you will visit Nepal’s famous Bouddhanath Stupa and have a final dinner in the evening. Overnight at a hotel.
Day 15: Final day of your 15 day journey. We will say our goodbyes and transfer you to the airport for your final departure.
Send us an email at info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this trek or for any questions you may have.
Annapurna Base Camp Trek Dates and Costs
Send us an email at info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this trek or for any questions you may have.
Dates: March through May and mid September through mid December
For costs on this trek, contact us and let us know if you will be trekking by yourself or with a group of friends or family. We will then get back to you with the cost of this trek.
Included in the price:
- Airport pick up and drop off in Kathmandu, Nepal
- 3 nights accommodation with breakfast at the highly rated Aryatara Hotel in Kathmandu
- Ground transportation and entrance fees to Bhaktapur
- All accommodations during the Annapurna Base Camp Trek based on double occupancy
- All meals during the trekking portion
- Expert English speaking Nepali trekking guides
- Roundtrip flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara
- Porters (1 porter for 2 trekkers)
- All trekking permits
Not included in the price:
- Passport and Nepal visa fees
- International airfare to and from Kathmandu, Nepal
- Travel vaccinations
- Excess baggage fees on flight to/from Pokhara
- Lunch or dinner in Kathmandu (other meals are included)
- Travel and rescue insurance (required)
- Travel expenses including internet, phone calls, laundry, snacks, bar beverages, showers, bottled or boiled water, battery charging, additional porters, personal clothing and trekking gear, sleeping bag and other similar items,
- Gratuities to the guide and porters
- Extra days to the trek caused from delays due to bad weather/Force Majeure
Each participant will be sent a list of required and recommended gear for the trek in Nepal that they will be responsible for.
Accommodations: In Kathmandu and Pokhara you will stay in the highly rated and centrally located hotel. Along the Annapurna Base Camp Trek you will stay in basic, but comfortable and clean guesthouses. Internet access is available at most guesthouses in the lower section for a fee. Internet access can be limited in the upper section. All accommodations are based on double occupancy.
Meals: Breakfast will be provided for each day you are in Nepal. Lunch and dinner are not provided while you are in Kathmandu, but are provided for each day you are trekking. Meals will be a combination of Western and Nepali dishes.
Eligibility: Clients should be in very good health and able to do this long-distance, high altitude trek. As with all of our journeys, we take proper time to acclimatize in order to reduce the risk of serious altitude sickness. Ascent will be slow and gradual throughout the trek. This tour is not recommended for those who have severe asthma or who have had problems with high elevation in the past.
Travel and Rescue Insurance: All participants are required to have an insurance policy that covers helicopter rescue, flight cancellation, lost luggage, etc. We can recommend some insurance agents to contact.
Responsible Tourism: Himalaya Journey is a joint American, Nepali and Tibetan owned company. All of our guides, porters and drivers are local people who have been working in tourism for many years. The preservation of the culture of the Himalaya, as well as the protection of the environment, are extremely important to us. In fact, when we are not out leading journeys and treks across the Himalaya, we are working with local people in numerous eco-tourism and conservation projects.
Why travel with us: Unlike other travel companies who have sales managers who have likely never seen Annapurna base camp and have spent little time (if any!) exploring Nepal, we have decades worth of experience in the Himalaya Mountains. We have trekked, climbed and explored all areas of Nepal and know the area better than anyone! Go to the following link to read more about why you should travel with experts who specialize in Nepal journeys: Why travel with us
Send us an email at info@himalayajourney.com to apply for this trek or for any questions you may have.
Trekking Guides and Leaders
We have 6 expert guides that we use for our Annapurna Base Camp Trek. All of the trekking guides we use for the this trek are local Nepalis who have done this trek many dozens of times (some more than 100 times!), as well as all of the other major treks in Nepal. In addition, many of the trekking guides we use have vast Himalayan climbing experience between 6000 meters and 8000 meters. Our guides speak English very well, are experts in their culture and history and are a lot of fun to trek with!
Managing all of our treks in Nepal is Mr Ashok Shahi. Ashok is a native of Kathmandu and has trekked and explored Nepal thoroughly. He also spent over 2 years exploring Tibet and has traveled through the Karakoram Region of Pakistan. He has been working in tourism management since 2008. Ashok will meet with each client, go over the trek with them and handle all matters of the trek.
Serving as an advisor for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek is Jamin "Lobsang" York. Lobsang has lived in Tibet full-time for over 14 years and has vast trekking experience on both the Tibet and Nepal sides of Everest. He is the author of the popular travel blog The Land of Snows.
More independent reviews of Himalaya Journey are found in the following link: Our Reviews
Loved my time with Himalaya Journey from start to finish. I was very nervous about travelling on my own, but I felt welcomed and well looked after. The food was amazing, the guides were really informative and I learned so much. What a wonderful place Tibet is. Thank you so much for an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Emma—UK—October 2018
We highly recommend using Himalayan Journey if you want to see and experience Tibet.
We had such a wonderful journey from beginning to end. From the time we were welcomed by our guide and driver at the train station in Lhasa, to the time we said goodbye to your Nepalese employee in Kathmandu. At all times we felt secure and in very good hands. Our guide, Sonam, was exactly as we had hoped he would be. Attentive, great English skills, extremely knowledgeable about Tibet, the religion, etc. and of course, very very kind. Our driver, Udo, is a great and safe driver. Also very kind.
We truly appreciate knowing that we only supported Tibetan-owned restaurants and hotels throughout our stay. Even our children were taken by the stunning landscape that we drove past and the friendly Tibetan people we met along the way. They found it most interesting to see how the locals live (we were lucky to enjoy tea in Sonams father in-laws house), and loved the many animals that walks freely around the streets. So thank you, Jamin and company, for putting together the perfect schedule for our family’s journey through Tibet. We will always keep these memories in our hearts and minds.
Suzanne—Denmark—October 2018
I joined the 3 week group tour from Lhasa to Mt Kailash via Everest in June 2018 and had the most amazing journey. Jamin and Phurphu made sure that every day was an adventure filled with everything from small spontaneous hikes to visits to local Tibetan houses and restaurants to close-up meetings with nomads and yaks. Our wishes and needs were always heard and the program was altered and customzed during the trip itself to accommodate for preferences and weather. This flexibility together with both Jamin and Phurphu’s knowledge and passion for Tibet and its people shared through stories on the road or over a cup of butter tea made the trip a very memorable and special experience. And for a mountain lover like me all the impressive peaks we got to see! I will definitely travel with Himalaya Journey again and would highly recommend them to everyone who really wants to not only see but truly experience the Himalaya region.
Camilla—Sweden—June 2018
I did a trip of a lifetime this year with Jamin and his team. A trip of a lifetime that I hold dear to my heart for many reasons. So glad I chose Jamin and Himalaya Journey to make it all come true. The Himalayas are breath taking, the tibetans are warm and cultured, and the journey is one for the spirit, body and mind. Jamin and his team really looked after us as a group and on a journey like this, it is so important to trust your guides and feel secure. Jamin took us on an amazing trip through the wilds and wonders of central and western Tibet, with some key highlights being Mt Everest Base Camp and Mt Kailash. The knowledge him and his team have is incredible. I hope to be able to revisit Tibet with Jamin and the team in the future.
Hiten—UK—June 2018
Our trip to Tibet & Nepal was possibly the most amazing trip of our lives. These are parts of the world you need to be introduced to, you don’t end up visiting as a casual tourist and you’ll certainly need a guide. When we researched our trip it seemed that “all the roads lead to Jamin” and to Himalaya Journey – and rightly so.
Jamin is incredibly experienced and charismatic. He leads from the heart and speaks from his own, very unique, personal experience. It was important for us to know that our visit was going to benefit the people of Tibet and we were delighted to find out that Jamin cares about that very much. Jamin’s guides, Nyima Dolma and Jamyung in Tibet and Ashok in Kathmandu were also so knowledgable and simply amazing with their kindness and attentiveness. We feel so happy and honoured to have met them.
There were many highlights on this trip, from experiencing the holy city of Lhasa to finally seeing Everest (I’m obsessed with all things Everest) but mostly we loved experiencing people’s kindness and hospitality. I truly can’t wait to travel with Himalaya Journey once again and would recommend travelling with them in a heartbeat.
We miss you Jamin & everyone at Himalaya Journey!
Lucia and Tom—Italy and UK—April 2018
Thanks to Jamin, Nyima Dolma, Ashok and everyone at Himalaya Journey, I realized a lifelong dream of seeing the Himalaya mountains, much closer than I’d ever hoped. The overland trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu is carefully planned for the safest acclimatization. I loved that we visited original, not rebuilt, monasteries. The guest house near Everest Base Camp in Tibet was wonderful and welcoming. Jamin’s personal experience of living in Tibet, and willingness to speak frankly about its past and present cultural and political situation made the trip even more special. I can’t recommend this trip and the company too highly. I hope to be able to do another trip with Himalaya Journey in the not too distant future.
Diane—USA—April 2018
We really couldn’t have wished for a better trip to Tibet. We were lucky with health and with the weather. But the contributions of so many people went well beyond luck, and into the realm of professionalism and really great service. The pre-trip information was fantastically comprehensive and useful; the office organization impeccable; the guide awesome (a really amazing person to travel with); and the driver safe and steady over many hundreds of kilometres. In all, it was a wonderful experience, and we’re already looking forward to travelling with you again one day!
Linda and Nigel—New Zealand—April 2018
We had a superb trip with Himalaya Journey! We are a family of 5, and booked the trip through Himalaya Journey because we love the values of the company. Jamin was full of information in preparation of the trip – nothing seemed to be too much to asked and everything was responded to promptly with all the information you could possibly want. The trip in Tibet was amazing, organisation was perfect, and when we asked for it flexibility was easily arranged (we actually made some changes on the fly and that worked fine!). Nyima Drolma was great as our guide, entirely knowledgeable when needed and in the background when we are simply enjoying stunning scenery or walking the Shigatze Kora. Subsequently Ashok in Kathmandu was equally accommodating and assisting – even when we asked him to book flights with less than 24 hours notice he managed to turn that around! We had one of our best trips ever and will use Himalaya Journey again.
Skip—Netherlands—December 2017
Had an awesome trip with Himalalya Journey to Nepal and Bhutan in Oct-Nov, 2017 for about 2.5 weeks. Email correspondence was very prompt and efficient and full of information. Originally we planned to go to Tibet first, and everything was booked – air tickets, hotels, guides, etc, but China decided to close Tibet to foreigners exactly when we were supposed to be there due to “government meetings”, and with just a month before the trip Ashok offered to rearrange our itinerary and many emails later, we decided to just do Tibet another time. Ashok was with us the entire time in Nepal – Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan. Took very good care of us, offered very good advice and we had a really good time together.
Have to say, with the many many guides we had over the years with all our many trips all over the world, he is one of the best, if not the best guide. He’s very easy to be with, very friendly, quite funny, and we really enjoyed his company. He put up with our many changes in our itinerary (up to the day we were to land in Kathmandu due to flight problem) and offered suggestions and always let us make the final decisions and he made all the changes we asked for. We had a local Bhutan guide in Bhutan who was also very nice and took good care of us. Ashok made sure we made it to Bhutan and was well taken care of. Tibet is still on my list, and of course I will travel with Himalaya Journey again. Totally recommend them without hesitation. Five stars all the way.
Christine—USA—November 2017
We love our Himalayan trip from Bhutan to Kathmandu to Tibet! Initially, we were supposed to start the trip October 2017, but Tibet became close for tourists the same week we previously planned ours. We are really thankful to Ashok Shahi as he planned our trip really well and come November 2017, we were glad to have started with Bhutan and Nepal and ended with Tibet. Ashok was really helpful in planning our trip with all the details including the routes to take. Though we weren’t accustomed to high altitude, we were able to cope up by the time we were in Tibet as we were already used to the altitude in Bhutan. We had so many wonderful memories with our trip from trekking Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan, to seeing the squares and stupas in Kathmandu and reaching EBC in Tibet! We are glad to have done our most memorable trip with Himalayan Journey!
Tiffany—Philippines—October 2017
A trip like no other, is what first comes to mind when I describe my experience in Tibet with Himalaya Journey and Jamin, along with Nyima Drolma and Phuntsuk.
I had initially planned to visit Tibet back in 2012 and due to restrictions at the time, was unable to do so. It was definitely a blessing in disguise and am so glad I stumbled upon Jamin’s blog, the Land of Snows and his tour company, Himalaya Journey. Not only do you get to witness Tibet’s beautiful mountains, culture and people – you actually experience Tibet with the Tibetans. That’s the only way I can describe how I felt during the journey. Jamin’s ability to captivate you through his stories and lectures is astounding…. wow, so much knowledge! But not more so than his passion and determination to help the Tibetan people, which really comes through in everything he says and does. I highly Highly HIGHLY recommend going with Himalaya Journey. You will be so well looked after; and fed so well that all your hopes of losing any sort of weight is shattered on day 1… haha
Thank you Jamin – This was such a special journey for me and am so glad to have done it with you, Nyima Drolma, Phuntsuk the crew! I’ve learnt so much from you and my time in Tibet truly rejuvenated my spirits. I reckon I’ll be back in a few years 
so until then… bless up and big love!
Ruby—Australia—October 2017
I booked a private tour in Bhutan through Himalaya Journey in October and it was such a perfect, amazing trip— I highly recommend Himalaya Journey and will definitely book with them again! All the details of the Bhutan trip ran so smoothly from the second I was met at the airport, and I was sad to leave at the end as I had become friends with my amazing guide and driver. Such personal attention to detail to ensure I got to see and do all the types of things I cared about, and was just such a wonderful experience in that beautiful, peaceful country. Cannot wait to go back!
