Annapurna Base Camp Trek: 10 Days, Nepal

Highlights

• Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m)
• 360° peak amphitheatre
• Jhinu hot springs
• Gurung village culture
• Pokhara bookend

Is it right for you?

Seniors

Not advised for seniors: The trek climbs past 3,700 metres to a high point of 4,130 metres over consecutive days, a serious altitude gain for anyone unacclimatised

Getting around

A lot of walking; Not wheelchair accessible

Children

The trek climbs past 4,000 metres, a significant altitude for young children

From our own trip notes. Tell your captain about anyone's mobility, age or food needs and we confirm the details for your dates.

The story

Your journey outline

Each stage can cover one or more days. Tell us what you would change; your final itinerary is agreed before booking.

1. Stage 01 Pokhara

   Arrive in Pokhara, at 822 metres beside Phewa lake, with the Annapurna range standing directly behind the town and Machapuchare, the fishtail peak, unmistakable among them. The afternoon is lakeside, the gear check, and a briefing on the route and the daily rhythm.

2. Stage 02 Trek In

   Drive to the trailhead in the morning and start walking. The first day is terraced hillside, buffalo, and stone staircases built into the slope, climbing to Chhomrong at around 2,170 metres, a Gurung village strung down a ridge with the sanctuary entrance visible ahead of it.

3. Stage 03 Bamboo

   Down several hundred stone steps to the river and back up the other side, then into deep moss-hung forest along the Modi Khola. Bamboo, at about 2,310 metres, is exactly what the name says. This is the green, closed-in, waterfall-noise part of the trek and quite different from Everest country.

4. Stage 04 MBC

   Out of the forest and into the sanctuary proper, climbing to Machapuchare Base Camp at 3,700 metres. The valley narrows to a gate between two walls and then opens, and the temperature drops noticeably. Machapuchare is sacred and has never been officially climbed, which you will hear about.

5. Stage 05 ABC

   The last short climb to Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 metres, arriving in time to acclimatise before dark. You are standing in a natural amphitheatre with peaks of 7,000 and 8,000 metres ringing you through the full 360 degrees. Sunrise on Annapurna I from here is the reason the trek exists.

6. Stage 06 Descend

   The descent, which covers days 6–8, back down through the forest and the villages and ending at Jhinu Danda, where natural hot springs sit twenty minutes below the village beside the river. Getting into them after five days of walking is a specific and memorable pleasure.

7. Stage 07 Pokhara

   Back to Pokhara and the lake, a hot shower, and clothes that are not the ones you have been wearing all week. The celebration dinner is lakeside, and the range you have just walked into is visible from the table on a clear evening.

8. Stage 08 The Return

   Fly home, usually via Kathmandu. Ten days, a high point of 4,130 metres, and a trek that is shorter and greener than Everest and gives you a closer, more enclosed view of very big mountains.

Know before you go

• No visa stress for Indian nationals — carry a valid photo ID/passport
• Trek routes need basic-to-good fitness; we grade each package clearly
• Mountain weather owns the schedule — buffer days are built in
• AMS is real on high treks: captains carry oximeters and a descent plan

Policies

Why book with Travelers Clan

• Your own itinerary. This is a starting point — we agree your route and pace before booking.
• Paperwork guidance. Visa requirements and applicable taxes confirmed in your quote.
• Clear payment terms. Deposit and cancellation conditions set out before payment.
• Know your support. Your final plan confirms local contacts and any guide or trip-captain services.