Best Season for Annapurna Circuit Trek
The Spring from March to June and Autumn from October to December are two seasons for Annapurna circuit trek. The July to mid of September, the monsoon season is not a good time but still possible to do Annapurna Circuit Trek. The January to February are winter season has a low temperature and a lot of snow falls. The guest houses may close in winter season.
Autumn Tour in Annapurna Circuit
September, October and November are the most popular months for trekking in Annapurna Circuit. Autumn brings clear blue skies and mild temperatures before the cold sets in in December. Autumn is also a festive season with the celebration of Dashain and Tihar. Nepal’s biggest festivals. The weather is generally dry and clear, with warm sunny days and excellent visibility. Regardless of the seasons, the weather conditions at Thorong La can change rapidly and there is always a chance of unstable weather, cold and snow storms. It is important to check the weather forecast before crossing Thorung La. A freak storm in October 2014 killed several trekkers as they got stuck in bad weather and snow.
Spring Trekking in Annapurna Circuit
The spring season from March to May is considered to be the next best seasons. The weather is generally clear although a little colder, particularly at higher altitudes. Morning is sunny and flowers are in bloom. There is however a higher chance of rain and snow, melting ice increases the chances of landslides and avalanches.
Summer Trek in Annapurna Circuit
June, July and August are the monsoon months. The Marsyangdi valley up to Manang sees lots of rainfalls. The trails will be muddy with lots of leeches, but the landscapes will be lush and green. The Kali Gandaki valley is in the rain shadow and sees much less rain. The monsoon is responsible for warm and wet weather, with cloud and mist making visibility extremely poor. You can hardly see a mountain. Leeches are a big problem at this time of year, as is the risk of landslides. As the Manaslu Region was one of the worst affected by the 2015 earthquake, there are many landslide areas – these can be more dangerous in wet weather.
Winter Hike in Annapurna Circuit
January and February are too cold with lots of snow on the trail. The Thorung La Pass will be closed due to heavy snowstorms and a risk of avalanches. By March/April the pass reopens again, but you can still expect snow at the higher altitudes.
Annapurna Circuit Trek Package
We offer budget, standard and the complete trek package to Annapurna Circuit. The trip cost that includes guide, permit, accommodation and meals. We make sure a good value for money. The price ranges from USD 750 to USD 950.
Accommodation on Annapurna Circuit Trek
The nice tea houses are available on the trail. Every guesthouses offer electricity, hot shower and wi-fi. The teahouses at higher altitudes like in Thorong Phedi and Thorong High Camp are more basic. No power outlets in the room, no wi-fi(poor wi-fi), and no hot shower. The rooms are very basic with two single beds. There are blankets, a table and a chair. Trekkers most of the time sit in the dining area because it’s usually nice, warm and social. Trekkers drink tea, play cards and talk about their trip. You go to room only for sleeping.
Annapurna Circuit Trek Meals
Meals on the trek is quite diverse. You usually get Nepalese, Chinese, Indian and western dishes. They are Spaghetti, pasta, noodles and rice with vegetable/chicken/cheese and tomato sauce, omlette, fried, boiled or scrambled eggs with potato/Cheese/vegetable, Dal Bhat includes rice, vegetable and lentil soup. In addition, Momos-local dumplings, pizzas and pancakes, different breads such as Chapati, Tibetan bread, toast, porridge and muesli like oats, cornflakes, muesli with honey, jam, apple or banana and all sort of soups like chicken, vegetable, garlic, tomato, noodle are available.
Annapurna Circuit Trek difficulty
The paths are mostly in good condition. No technical skills are required for Annapurna Circuit Trek. The physical effort, it clearly helps to be as fit as possible. Saying that, you don’t need to be an athlete. People of all ages and levels of fitness can do the Annapurna Circuit Trek. The key point to remember that, hike at your own pace. Over the course of the trek, you ascend in altitude from 700 m to 5106 m. Much of the route, particularly involves plenty of up and down – descending to cross the river, ascending again, then repeating the process further along the trail.
Annapurna Circuit Trek Permit
The two permits-TIMS card, the Trekkers information management card and the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) permit are necessary. It costs around USD 50 for two Annapurna circuit trek permit. We will take care of your trek permit once you book Annapurna Circuit Trek. For this, we need your scanned passport copy and two passport size photos.
Internet, Wifi, Sim cards and staying Charged
If you’re looking to stay connected while trekking the Annapurna Circuit, the options are fairly limited.
Wifi-
Wifi is available in the tea houses along the trail. There is however normally a charge for using the internet, Wifi and with slow speeds, you may end up wishing you hadn’t bothered. If there’s nothing urgent, our advice would be to wait until you get back from the mountains. Costs anywhere from $4 to $6 to use WIFI at the guesthouses.
Sim Cards-
4G sim cards and packages can be bought at the airport, or from numerous vendors in the Thamel area of Kathmandu. They’re great in the city but as soon as you leave the coverage is patchy. We recommend Nepal Telecom and Ncell for 3G/4G coverage. It’s safe to say that in the mountains, neither are really any good.
Electricity-
There are electricity available along the trail to charge your power banks, cameras, and phones. The key is to get a fat power bank. Pay to charge that then charge everything from your power bank. Your power bank lets you charge your phone and camera batteries. Most of the places you stay let you charge your gear for an extra cost.
Last-Minute Booking
You can make last minute booking a day before this trek gets started. Moreover, the payment should be made full before departure the trek.
Passport and Visa
You need to carry passport valid for at least 6 months. You will get on arrival visa at Kathmandu-TIA airport. The multiple entry-Nepal visa costs USD 40 for 15 days and USD 50 for 30 days.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is necessary for this trek. We will not sell travel insurance but happily recommends the insurance company. Please, make sure that your travel insurance policy will cover emergency helicopter rescue and evacuation and medical expenses in the hospital. Hence, purchase a higher tier of travel insurance which covers a high altitude sickness up to 6,000 meters.
Beware with the Annapurna Circuit Trek: Equipment
Please travel lighter and carry only a necessary trekking equipment. We recommends the below trekking gear list for Annapurna Circuit Trek.
General
All season sleeping bag and down Jacket.
Duffle bag or rucksack.
A wind and waterproof thin layered jacket.
Daypack
Head
A warmer hat that covers the ears
Sunglasses
Neck-warmer
Sunscreen (35 to 60 SPF)
Headlamp and an extra set of batteries
Hands
A pair of warm gloves for walking poles(if you prefer)
Warmer shell gloves and liner
Upper Body
Long sleeve t-shirts
Thermal tops
wool jacket or pullover
Sports bras for women and girls
Water and windproof shell jacket
Lower Body
Thermal underwear (especially trousers)
windproof and waterproof trousers
warmer trousers
Comfortable trekking pants
Extra casual sport pants
Footwear
A pair of good waterproof trekking boots
Pair of sandals
4-5 pairs of woolen socks
Sock liners
Light shoes and sneakers
First Aid Kits and Medicines
Assorted adhesive bandages (fabric preferred)
Blister treatment cream or similar
Insect / anti-itch ointment
Ibuprofen or other pain-relief medication
Diamox (125mg to 250mg tablets for altitude sickness)
Warps, splints, and wound coverings butterfly bandage
Water purifying pills
Miscellaneous
4 passport size photos with original passport
Water bottle and filter
Flight Ticket(please make a copy and leave at our office in KTM because in case you want to change your flight date)
Bathroom kit such as toilet paper, plastic bags, hand wipes, towel, and soap, etc.)
Extra things
Comfortable trekking poles
Quality energy dry foods
Power bank and music players
Camera (memory card, chargers, and extra batteries)
