short annapurna circuit trekkers at thorong la pass, buddhist prayer flags on the top, and the blue sky on a clear day.
  • placeholder
    Nepal
  • mountain
    Strenuous
  • trekking
    Lodge to Lodge Trek
  • car
    Public Transport
  • cutlery
    Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
  • tent-handmade-outlined-symbol
    Lodge To Lodge
  • group
    Group Size: 1-16 Pax
  • altitude
    5416m (17769 feet)

Highlights of Short Annapurna Circuit Trek

  • Exceptional landscapes that you may not see in other places
  • Different natural views every day
  • Magnificent mountain views from a close distance
  • Glacial lakes
  • Traditional villages with clay-roofed buildings in a rainshadow area
  • Crossing the most significant pass, Throng La
  • Waterfalls, rivers, and wildlife
  • Tibetan Buddhist Monuments and Monasteries

About Short Annapurna Circuit Trek

The Short Annapurna Circuit Trek is one of the best adventure mountain trips for those who lack time and love to cross Throng La in a limited time. It is a perfect adventure mountain journey in the Annapurna Himalayas, with superb views of the tall Annapurna and Manaslu mountains daily along the way. Then, the trip ends with an overlook of the massive Dhaulagiri range after Thorong La. Trekking to the Annapurna Circuit Trail briefly covers most of the natural and cultural attractions that trekkers explore in regular and long trip packages.

The classic Trip of Annapurna Circuit Thorong La Pass begins at lower altitudes. It goes through Poon Hill in the end. Still, the short 9-day journey reaches higher altitudes and ends without going to Ghorepani.

Visitors can see the best Nepalese landscapes while trekking to Annapurna Circuit for nine days daily. Towering mountains like Annapurna II (7,937m), Annapurna III (7,555m), Annapurna IV (7,525m), Gangapurna (7,455m), and more are very close on this Himalayan excursion in Nepal.

The quickest Annapurna Circuit Trek starts in Kathmandu with a long drive to Dharapani, crosses Thorong La in eight days, and ends with another long drive to Pokhara. You will pass some typical mountain villages like Chame, Pisang, Humde, Braka, Manang, Tenki Manang, and more, along with numerous Buddhist monasteries, stupas, and other monuments along the way of the 9-day Short Annapurna Circuit trek.

The Best Time for Short Annapurna Circuit Trekking

A day-wise, short Annapurna Circuit trek is not a lengthy trip. Still, it is an adventure mountain journey in Nepal, so choosing the right season makes a big difference in a successful tour. Crossing Throng La Pass is a challenging course for everyone, so we suggest the best time for this excursion.

September to November in autumn is the ace season for the 9-day Annapurna Circuit short trek. However, the first two weeks of this month will have some rainy days, and the second session will start clearing the weather and visibility. October and November are the most prominent tourist months to go to the Nepalese Himalayas, so if you have time in October and November, we suggest trekking in these two months.

Winter starts in December, and the temperature falls to minus degrees. Still, it has the most transparent weather, and you can see bright mountains from morning to evening in the mountains while trekking the Annapurna Circuit for nine days.

January and February are Nepal's coldest months, making the trek in higher elevations difficult. Although you can go on the quickest Annapurna Circuit trek by taking nice and warm trekking gear,

Spring is the second-biggest hiking season in Nepal. You can choose this time if you love to trek in warmer temperatures. The forests look magnificent and colorful at this time, with blooming rhododendrons along the way of the short 9-day Annapurna Circuit Trek. The spring is from March to May. Late May starts the monsoon season in Nepal, but this trekking route has less rain than the other trekking destinations in Nepal.

Likewise, it rains a lot in summer, from June to August, and the clouds mainly cover the mountains. Still, it will be easier to cross Thorong La at this time because of the lack of snow and warm temperatures. You can see a lot of big waterfalls on the Annapurna Circuit Trekking Route in the summer months, with dark green vegetation everywhere.

Who Can Go on the Short Annapurna Circuit Hike?

With strong determination, everyone who loves walking in the Himalayas can go on the short Annapurna Circuit Hike. Still, the beginners will suffer more than the regular hikers on this adventurous mountain trip. Walking on this 9-day Himalayan journey could be a moderate-level tour. Still, the elevation, cold temperature, and Thorong La Pass make it strenuous.

Children above ten and elderlies can also hike on the Annapurna Circuit. But we recommend some walking, running, and cardio training before you go on this adventure trip.

Annapurna Circuit Short Trek Preparation

A prime preparation for the Annapurna Circuit Short Trek is solid mental determination. Taking positive action by being ready to face each difficulty that you might face in the mountains helps a lot for your successful trip. Read more trip-related blog posts about the trip before you go there and make mental preparations.

Physical preparation or training comes after mental things. We suggest hiking practices a few months earlier from this short Adventure, Annapurna Circuit Trekking. You can hike 5–10 km daily on an up-and-down hill trail if possible. If not, you can walk at least once a week for a long-day walking trip. You can also go on a one-day nature hike around Kathmandu before you start our 9-day Annapurna Circuit Trek. We suggest carrying around a 5–6 kg daypack while hiking for the trekking practice because you will carry day snacks, a warm jacket, valuables, rain gear, and drinking water for the day during the Annapurna Circuit Short Trek.

Besides walking training, you can exercise in the gym for at least one to two hours daily. While you do gym fitness, focus on leg muscles and starching. You can also do cardio exercises during your fitness training in the gym.

After mental and physical preparation, having enough quality equipment for an adventurous mountain trip is essential. What must you pack for the short Annapurna Circuit 9-day trek? Check them below:

  • Sun hat
  • Winter hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Thermal layer
  • Fleece high-neck shirt
  • Windproof jacket
  • Trekking shirts (half and full sleeves)
  • Down jacket
  • Trekking trousers (half and full)
  • Windproof trouser
  • Trekking boots
  • Crampons or Spikes
  • Trekking socks
  • Water sandals
  • Sports shoes
  • Thin gloves
  • Winter gloves
  • Headtorch
  • Charging power bank
  • Multi-plucked power socket
  • Rain gear
  • Rucksack or duffel bag
  • Daypack
  • Sleeping bag
  • Towel
  • Sunscreen
  • Lipbalm
  • Moisturizer cream
  • Choco and energy bars
  • Water bottles or camelback
  • Water purifier
  • First-Aid kit
  • Toiletries

Short Annapurna Circuit: 9 Days of Trek Difficulties

The Short Annapurna Circuit, a 9-day trek, is an adventure mountain tour in Nepal. Trekkers will face several difficulties on this trip. What challenges may the visitors have during the rapid Annapurna Circuit journey? Check them below:

High Altitude Effect

The highest altitude you reach on the 9-day Annapurna Circuit Trek is Throng La (5416m). However, you will be above three thousand meters for a few days, where you might feel altitudes and suffer to breathe. Some trekkers even suffer from altitude sickness at high altitudes because of the lack of oxygen in the air.

You must drink plenty of fluid and clean water during the trek, sleep well, keep warm, eat well, and be able to prevent acute mountain sickness. There are some earlier symptoms of the illness. If you have some of them, you better descend as soon as possible or stay one more day at the same place according to the conditions.

Cold Temperatures

Temperatures in the mountains are cold most of the time. Still, summer and spring are warmer compared to autumn and winter. It would help to have winter clothes to trek the Annapurna Circuit each season. You might need more space to sit around the fire in the high camp due to the many trekkers and the cold. We recommend wearing super-warm clothes to keep yourself warm in this place.

Crossing Thorong La Pass

Crossing Thorong La Pass is the most challenging day of the short 9-day Annapurna Circuit Trek. You must wake up early, around 4 a.m., have a quick breakfast, and start walking with a flashlight in the dark. Walking in cold temperatures on an ascending trail with less oxygen is difficult for everyone. It takes around 3–4 hours to reach the top of Thorung La, and a steep descending trail begins to Muktinath for another 3–4 hours.

Get the Best Cost Offer for the Rapid Annapurna Circuit Trek

Frolic Adventure is offering the best cost for the rapid Annapurna Circuit Trek. We are operating this trip and all mountain journeys with heritage tours for a single or multi-day daily from Kathmandu. We provide experienced and friendly government-licensed holder guides and helpful assistance for your Adventure, the Annapurna Circuit 9-day Trek. We offer special discounts for group bookings and families for this rapid trek to Annapurna Circuit.

Itinerary

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Today, you drive early in the morning from Kathmandu to Besisahar in a public sharing van, which takes approximately 6-7 hours. After leaving the car, you will have lunch in Besisahar, then take another shared Jeep to Dharapani. The road to Dharapani for the final 4–5 hours is bumpy and rough. You stay in a guesthouse overnight in Dharapani.

  • Meals: Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Dharapani
  • Altitude: 1860 m/6102.3 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Public van and jeep
  • Departure Time: 5:30 am

After breakfast in the guesthouse, you start walking toward Chame. You reach Dharapani after walking around half an hour from Dharapani, where you see a pristine view of Annapurna II. Then Danaque arrives in another hour's walk from Bagarchhap. After Danaque, the trail ascends to Timang through the forests for an hour. You will see a magnificent view of Manaslu and Himalchuli from Danaque and then walk on a flat road to Thanchok for lunch. After lunch in Thanchok, you will walk another hour and a half to Chame through Koto Village. Overnight in Chame.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Chame
  • Altitude: 2650 m/8694.2 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 8:00 am

After breakfast in the guesthouse, you walk to Pisang through Brathang and Dhukurpokhari. You see Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal walking from Chame to Upper Pisang. Also, there are beautiful waterfalls along the way. After walking around 2 hours from Chame, you reach Brathang, where you can see a big apple farm and have some apple dishes and drinks. You go to Dhukurpokhari for lunch today and then trek another hour to Upper Pisang after lunch. Overnight in Upper Pisang.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Upper Pisang
  • Altitude: 3300 m/10826.7 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 8:00 am

Today, you will be walking in open areas with mountain views all the time. You will also see exceptional landscapes with high alpine mountain trees while walking from Upper Pisang to Manang. You will walk through Green Lake to Humde, where you will see a mountain airport. After crossing Humde village, you see giant Annapurna III and IV very close and trek to Munji. In Munji, you stop for lunch and then hike to Manang through Braka. Overnight in Manang.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Manang
  • Altitude: 3519 m/11545.2 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 8:00 am

It is an important day of the rapid Annapurna Circuit Trek. Acclimatization is essential at high Himalayan altitudes. You hike a few hours to the summit from Manang in the morning after breakfast. You may ramble to Hundred Lama (Parken Gompa) or Gangapurna Glacier (Chhongkar Viewpoint). After the altitude practice walk, you return to the guesthouse, have lunch, and stay overnight in Manang.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Manang
  • Altitude: 3519 m/11545.2 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 9:00 am

Seeing Annapurna II, III, IV, Gangapurna, Khangsar Khang, and more high mountains, you walk to Ledar from Manang after breakfast. It is about five hours of walking a day on a gradual, ascending trail. You reach Yak Kharka after four hours of trekking, stopping for lunch and hiking another 45 minutes to Ledar and overnight in a guesthouse.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Ledar
  • Altitude: 4230 m/13877.9 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 8:00 am

You start walking earlier today because getting a room in the high camp will be easier if you arrive on time. The guesthouse provides room for first-arrival tourists. We book rooms in advance, but they might think tourists cannot come due to altitude problems if you do not arrive early and give accommodation to the others. You reach Thorong Phedi by walking around three hours from Phedi on a gradually ascending trail and then another hour to the high camp on a steep trail. Overnight in high camp.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Thorong High Camp
  • Altitude: 4800 m/15748 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 7:30 am

You start walking early, around 4:30–5:00, with a flashlight from high camp. You will have breakfast before you leave the guesthouse and walk for around 3–4 hours on a gradual, ascending trail to Thorong La Pass. One tea shop is on the way to the pass, and one at the top. If you feel freezing, you may have hot drinks in those tea shops and descend towards Muktinath after taking photos on the top of Thorong La. It takes 7-9 hours to get from the high camp to Muktinath and stay overnight in a guest house.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch+Dinner
  • Accommodation: Guesthouse
  • Place: Muktinath
  • Altitude: 3762 m/12342.5 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Walk
  • Departure Time: 5:00 am

You drive by public bus from Muktinath to Pokhara after breakfast. The bus goes through Jomsom, Marpha, Kalopani, Ghasa, Tatopani, and Beni. It takes around eight hours to arrive at Pokhara through hillside roads. You will drive on a bumpy, rough road for a few hours before you get to Beni. Once you arrive in Pokhara, you check in at the hotel, go outside near Fewa Lake, have dinner, and celebrate the successful adventure trip.

  • Meals: Breakfast+Lunch
  • Accommodation: Hotel
  • Place: Pokhara
  • Altitude: 820m/2690 feet
  • Mode of Transportation: Public Bus
  • Departure Time: 8:00 am

Cost Details

  • Public van to Besisahar from Kathmandu and Sharing Jeep to Dharapani from Besisahar
  • Public Bus transportation from Muktinath to Pokhara
  • Friendly and experienced government license holder English-speaking guide
  • Friendly and helpful Porter (one between two trekkers)
  • Salary, food, accommodation, and insurance for the guide and porter
  • Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the mountain with a cup of tea or coffee with the breakfast
  • Fresh fruit after every dinner in the mountain
  • Annapurna Conservation entry permit and TIMS Card
  • Sleeping bag and down jacket (if you do not have)
  • Farewell dinner in Kathmandu on the last evening
  • Arrangement of emergency helicopter rescue (paid by your travel insurance company)
  • One-night hotel in Pokhara with breakfast
  • Tourist Bus ticket from Pokhara to Kathmandu
  • All Government TAX

 

  • Your Nepal entry visa (you can get it on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu)
  • Your Travel Insurance (compulsory)
  • Food and drink in the city (Kathmandu and Pokhara)
  • Sweet things like dessert on the trek
  • Day snacks
  • Hot shower, battery charging, WiFi, and heater charges
  • Other entry fees for monastery, hill stations, and hot spring
  • All alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and hot drinks on the trek
  • Tips for guide, porter, and driver
  • Your shopping
  • Things that are not in the included section

PRICES & DATES

Trip DatesAvailabilityNotesPrice  
05 Dec, 2024 - 13 Dec, 2024AvailableUS$720
08 Dec, 2024 - 16 Dec, 2024AvailableUS$720
15 Dec, 2024 - 23 Dec, 2024AvailableUS$720
25 Dec, 2024 - 02 Jan, 2025AvailableUS$720

Useful Info

Be Ready for Long Drives

The nine-day Annapurna Circuit short trek begins and ends with long drives on bumpy and rough roads. Driving on these roads can make you tired and scared, seeing cliffs in some places. So, prepare to face these situations mentally before you go on this adventure trip.

Prepare for Cold Temperature

You are visiting the high Himalayan Altitudes of the Annapurna Region, where you will face cold temperatures. There are fire-heating dining halls for every guesthouse, but you might not get space to sit closer to them all the time for a long time due to many trekkers. So, pack enough warm clothes to be protected from cold.

Stay Safe from Altitude Sickness

Some trekkers might suffer from high-altitude sickness in the mountains after Manang. The high atmospheric pressure and less oxygen in the air can cause the problem. We suggest drinking plenty of fluid, ambling, and keeping warm yourself. There are early symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Suppose you notice some of them, like severe headache, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, shortness of breath while resting, and other strange feelings. In that case, it is better to stay at the same place for one more night or go down as soon as possible according to the conditions.

Stay Alert While Walking

In some places, stone falls along the way of the Annapurna Circuit Trekking (especially before reaching Thorong Phedi). Also, the wild animals and yaks will move upwards from the walking trail, and stones may fall. You must be alert and watch upwards while walking.

The path will be slippery if there is ice, making walking difficult. Take a pair of spike of crampons for your boot, making walking on frozen snow or ice a lot easier.

Try to be Vegetarian in the Mountain

Meat in the mountains might not always be fresh, and everyone’s stomach may not digest that unfresh meat. It is better to be like a vegetarian before you reach Muktinath. There are many different food options like cheese, tuna, eggs, and more to avoid taking meat in your trek.

You Have a Flight Option to Avoid a Long Drive from Muktinath to Pokhara

If you do not want to drive from Muktinath to Pokhara for many hours, you may go to Jomsom on the same day as Thorong La pass or the next day to Jomsom and fly to Pokhara. There are several flights every morning, which you can benefit from to avoid rough road drives.

rajesh-thapaliya
Talk to Leader
Rajesh Thapaliya

+977 9851043624 (Call/WhatsApp/Viber)