Trip notes
If you are going yourself
Everything practical for Annapurna, Nepal in one place — where it actually is, where to sleep, how to move, what to eat, what the weather does, and what to put in the bag. The story itself follows.
Travelled
Solo — Nobody crosses Thorong La alone anyway — you leave at four in a slow constellation of head-torches.
The route
8 stops · 6 slept in · 7 nights
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Besisahar
Passed through · 760 m
Reached 20 Oct, 14:20Good with kidsDogs welcome
Road head. Bus from Kathmandu, then start walking the same afternoon.
Good signal — 4G in town, and the last reliable data until you come down the far side.
Chame
1 night · 2,710 m
Reached 22 Oct, 16:10Not one for kidsNo dogs
Pine forest and the first apple orchards. Hot spring by the river.
Patchy signal — Nepal Telecom 4G around the village centre; nothing on the trail between.
On foot
Upper Pisang
1 night · 3,300 m
Reached 25 Oct, 15:30Not one for kidsNo dogs
Worth the extra climb above the village for the Annapurna II wall at dawn.
Patchy signal — A bar or two on the ridge. Teahouse wifi is sold by the hour and seldom earns it.
On foot
Manang
2 nights · 3,540 m
Reached 27 Oct, 12:40Not one for kidsNo dogs
Two nights, not one. Bakeries, a clinic, and the daily altitude talk.
Patchy signal — The best connection on the circuit — 4G plus paid bakery wifi. Slow, but real.
On foot
Thorong Phedi
1 night · 4,540 m
Reached 30 Oct, 13:50Not one for kidsNo dogs
Cold, crowded, and the only sensible base for the pass. Leave at 04:00.
No signal — Nothing at all, not even paid wifi. Tell someone in Manang when to expect you over.
On foot
Thorong La
Passed through · 5,416 m
Reached 1 Nov, 09:20Not one for kidsNo dogs
The pass. Wind, prayer flags, and the reason for the previous fifteen days.
No signal — Nothing at the pass. Some walkers catch a flicker on the descent.
On foot
Muktinath
1 night · 3,800 m
Reached 1 Nov, 14:40Not one for kidsNo dogs
Down into Mustang — ochre, dry, Tibetan. A completely different country.
Good signal — Back in coverage. 4G is decent and the lodges have working wifi.
On foot
Jomsom
1 night · 2,720 m
Reached 2 Nov, 11:30Not one for kidsNo dogs
End of the walk. Flight to Pokhara if the wind allows, jeep if it does not.
Good signal — Reliable 4G, an ATM, and enough bandwidth to rebook the flight out.
On foot
Manang — the acclimatisation stop before Thorong La28.6667° N, 84.0167° E
Open route in Google MapsOpen in OpenStreetMapDay by day
18 days, start to finish · 20 October – 6 November 2025
Days 1–220–21 Oct
BesisaharSaw: ThamelSaw: Rice terraces above BesisaharStaying Bahundanda
- Mainly clear, 26°/11°
- Clear sky, 26°/12°
Days 3–522–24 Oct
Starting from BahundandaOn foot toChameSaw: Marsyangdi valleySaw: Suspension bridgesSaw: WaterfallsStaying Chame
- Drizzle, 18°/0°
- Snow, 14°/0° · 11 mm
- Snow, 13°/0° · 5 mm
Days 6–725–26 Oct
Starting from ChameOn foot toUpper PisangSaw: The high route through GhyaruSaw: The Annapurna II wallStaying Upper Pisang
- Overcast, 6°/-5°
- Mainly clear, 7°/-5°
Days 8–1027–29 Oct
Starting from Upper PisangOn foot toManangSaw: Ice LakeSaw: GangapurnaSaw: Manang bakerySaw: The altitude talkStaying Manang
- Snow, 12°/1° · 2.8 mm
- Snow, 6°/4° · 47.1 mm
- Snow, 9°/5° · 4.4 mm
Days 11–1230–31 Oct
Starting from ManangOn foot toThorong PhediSaw: Yak KharkaStaying Thorong Phedi
- Snow, -4°/-8° · 42.2 mm
- Snow, -3°/-5° · 22.6 mm
Day 131 Nov
Starting from Thorong PhediOn foot toThorong LaSaw: Thorong La at 5,416 mOn foot toMuktinathSaw: The 1,600 m descent into MuktinathStaying Muktinath
- Overcast, 14°/2°
Days 14–152–3 Nov
Starting from MuktinathOn foot toJomsomSaw: MustangStaying Jomsom
- Partly cloudy, 21°/6°
- Clear sky, 24°/8°
Days 16–184–6 Nov
Staying Pokhara
- Drizzle, 18°/7° · 2.2 mm
- Overcast, 16°/1°
- Mainly clear, 16°/0°
What to pack
Layers for 800 m to 5,416 m in the same trip
- Clothing
- Layers
- Shoes
- Broken-in boots
- Money
- Cash only
- Medicine
- Diamox, ibuprofen
Where to stay
Teahouses along the trail
Family-run lodgeNot one for kidsDogs welcomeVegan options
The default. A twin room and two meals runs roughly £12–20 a night; you rarely need to book more than a day ahead outside peak October.
Manang (3,540 m)
Larger lodgesNot one for kidsDogs welcomeVegan options
Where you spend two nights acclimatising whether you planned to or not. Bakeries, a clinic, and altitude talks each afternoon.
Thorong Phedi (4,540 m)
Basic dormitoryNot one for kidsNo dogsVegan options
Cold, crowded, and the only sensible base for the pass. Sleeping bag rated to −15 °C.
Getting around
Getting thereGood with kidsNo dogs
Fly to Kathmandu, then a tourist bus or shared jeep to Besisahar (6–7 hrs). Jeeps continue up the rough road to Chame if you want to skip the first days.
On the trailNot one for kidsNo dogs
On foot. The road now reaches Manang, so jeeps can cut sections — most walkers use them only if ill or short on time.
Coming downGood with kidsNo dogs
Jomsom to Pokhara by 20-minute flight (weather permitting) or a long jeep day. Book the flight flexibly.
Permits
ACAP permit and TIMS card, bought in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you start. Carry cash for both.
Food stops
Dal bhat
Every teahouseGood with kidsNo dogsVegan options
Lentils, rice, vegetable curry, and unlimited refills. The only item on the menu cooked in volume, so the only one that arrives hot and fast.
Manang bakeries
CaféGood with kidsNo dogsLittle for vegans
Apple pie, cinnamon rolls and real coffee at 3,540 m. An acclimatisation day well spent.
Thukpa and momos
TeahouseGood with kidsNo dogsVegan options
Noodle soup and dumplings — better than they sound at altitude, and easier to eat than rice when appetite drops.
Water
Refill points
Safe-drinking-water stations in most villages charge a little and save a lot of plastic. Bring a filter or tablets as backup.
Main attractions
15 in 18 days
Thamel
Days 1–2
Rice terraces above Besisahar
Days 1–2
Marsyangdi valley
Days 3–5
Suspension bridges
Days 3–5
Waterfalls
Days 3–5
The high route through Ghyaru
Days 6–7
The Annapurna II wall
Days 6–7
Ice Lake
Days 8–10
Gangapurna
Days 8–10
Manang bakery
Days 8–10
The altitude talk
Days 8–10
Yak Kharka
Days 11–12
Thorong La at 5,416 m
Day 13
The 1,600 m descent into Muktinath
Day 13
Mustang
Days 14–15
The story
Eighteen days, 800 m to 5,416 m. Everyone says twelve. Twelve is too few.
On the trail
- Wake with the light, walk till hungry, dal bhat, walk till tired, stop.
- Week one is the negotiation — knees, pack weight, opinions about yourself.
- Above Chame the pine gives out. Rock and prayer flags after that.
- Pass day starts at 04:00, head-torches strung up the slope.
- The descent into Mustang is ochre, dry and Tibetan. Nobody photographs it.
The mountain does not care about your itinerary. It only asks whether you can walk again tomorrow.
— A guide in Manang, unimpressed by my schedule
Carry again
- Merino base layer, worn eighteen days without shame.
- Down jacket rated colder than you think, for Thorong Phedi.
- Electrolyte tablets — altitude dehydrates faster than the effort.
- A paperback. Teahouse evenings are long and the wifi is a rumour.
Eighteen days, one pair of boots, and the growing suspicion that the point was never the pass at all.
- #hiking
- #himalaya
- #slow travel
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