What is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek and how long is it?

The Annapurna Base Camp Trek — locally the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek — walks up the Modi Khola valley from the Pokhara side into a natural glacial cirque at 4,130 m ringed by Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Machapuchare (6,993 m) and Gangapurna (7,455 m). The classic itinerary is 11 days out of Pokhara — 7 to 8 trail days plus travel and buffer — and reaches roughly 65 km of walking with about 5,400 m of cumulative ascent. Shorter 7-day versions now use the Ghandruk-to-Sinuwa jeep road to skip the lower rhododendron forest section; the 4-day Poon Hill extension bolts on the front. Maximum altitude is 4,130 m at ABC itself, with Machapuchare Base Camp (MBC) at 3,700 m the last overnight before the pre-dawn walk into the sanctuary.

How much does the Annapurna Base Camp Trek cost in 2026?

Plan USD 950 to USD 1,800 per person for a fully guided 11-day ABC trek on a two-person basis, all-in from Kathmandu including the Pokhara nights, transfers, ACAP permit, licensed guide, porter, teahouse lodging and standard meals. Groups of four drop to USD 850 to USD 1,500 per head. Solo trekkers add 15 to 20 percent because the guide cost carries single. The 7-day jeep-road-shortened version runs USD 780 to USD 1,350 per person. The 15-day ABC + Ghorepani-Poon Hill combo runs USD 1,250 to USD 2,100. Where the money goes: ACAP permit NPR 3,000 (USD 22), guide USD 25 to USD 30 per day, porter USD 20 to USD 22 per day, teahouse lodging free-with-meals to NPR 500 per room, dal bhat NPR 500 to NPR 850 depending on altitude, Pokhara hotel USD 25 to USD 60 per night. Insurance with helicopter evacuation to 5,000 m adds USD 100 to USD 150 for a 12-day trip. Anyone quoting a guided ABC package under USD 750 is either skipping the licensed guide, running it in 5 days without proper acclimatisation, or cutting the porter.

Do I need a permit for Annapurna Base Camp in 2026?

One permit only. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) is NPR 3,000 (about USD 22) for foreign nationals, NPR 1,500 for SAARC citizens, and NPR 100 for Nepali nationals. Issued at the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) counter in Kathmandu (Bhrikuti Mandap) or Pokhara (Damside), or at the ACAP office at Besisahar for the northern approach — but every Pokhara-side ABC trek uses the NTB counter. Bring two passport photos and your passport. The Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card was retired for every Nepal trek in early 2026 — if a 2026 quote from any Kathmandu agency still lists a TIMS line for ABC, they're pocketing the USD 20. Unlike Upper Mustang or Manaslu, ABC is not a restricted-area trek, so no restricted-area permit stack applies. What does apply since April 2023 is the mandatory licensed guide rule — you cannot walk into ACAP without one hired through a registered trekking agency.

Is a guide mandatory for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?

Yes. Nepal's April 2023 rule requiring a government-licensed guide inside every national park and conservation area applies to ABC, and it survived every court challenge through 2025 and was reaffirmed in the 2026 permit revisions. The Nepal Tourism Board no longer issues ACAP permits to independent trekkers — the permit application must be submitted by a government-registered trekking agency, with the guide's licence number attached. Enforcement at the ACAP checkposts at Birethanti (Poon Hill side) and Kimche or Ghandruk (Sanctuary side) is strict. A licensed guide runs USD 25 to USD 30 per day on ABC in 2026, less than the USD 30 to USD 35 rate on Upper Mustang because Annapurna region guides are more plentiful. What the guide adds beyond paperwork: route decisions on the Deurali-to-MBC avalanche section (which closes for 3 to 8 days most winters and shoulder seasons), altitude call at MBC if anyone in the group is showing AMS symptoms, and lodge booking during the peak October and April weeks when the Sanctuary lodges genuinely fill.

When is the best time to trek Annapurna Base Camp in 2026?

Two windows work well and one that most guides discourage. The primary window is mid-September through the second week of November — clear skies, daytime temperatures at ABC of 6 to 12 C, pre-dawn around -6 to -10 C, minimal avalanche risk on the Deurali-to-MBC section. The secondary window is mid-March through the third week of May — rhododendrons flower peak in the first two weeks of April between 2,200 and 3,200 m, which is the visual reason to book a spring ABC over an autumn one. Monsoon (June through mid-September) is discouraged: the trail is walkable and lodges stay open, but the mountain views close under cloud for 60 to 80 percent of days, the Modi Khola section leeches heavily, and helicopter evacuation is unreliable. Winter (mid-December through February) has clear skies but the Deurali avalanche gully closes for extended periods and the ABC lodges get 30 to 80 cm of snow that reduces access to the two viewpoints above the base camp. Peak week for 2026: the third and fourth weeks of October when Pokhara-to-Ghandruk jeeps run at capacity and MBC lodges book out 2 to 3 weeks ahead.

How difficult is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?

Nepal Mountaineering Association rates ABC Grade 2 — moderate. Considerably easier than the Everest Base Camp trek, which is Grade 3. Maximum altitude 4,130 m at ABC versus 5,364 m at EBC. No pass crossing above 4,200 m. Trail days run 5 to 7 hours with 400 to 900 m of vertical gain on the four big ascent days (Nayapul to Ghorepani if you take Poon Hill, Chhomrong to Sinuwa, Bamboo to Deurali, and MBC to ABC). What ABC does have that EBC doesn't: 3,200 stone steps on the Ulleri climb (Day 2 if you include Poon Hill), a wet-forest section between Bamboo and Deurali that stays slippery well into the dry season, and the narrow avalanche gully above Deurali that closes for 3 to 8 days most seasons. The final walk from MBC to ABC is 2 to 3 hours of gentle rising trail at 3,700 to 4,130 m, done pre-dawn to catch first light on the sanctuary walls. Fitness benchmark: if you can walk 6 hours a day with a light daypack for four days in a row, you'll walk ABC. No prior high-altitude experience is required, though it helps.

What is the new Ghandruk-to-Sinuwa jeep road and how does it change the trek?

A rough 4WD jeep road was extended from Ghandruk to Kimrung Khola (near Sinuwa) in late 2024 and is now the standard way to shorten the ABC trek in 2026. It replaces roughly 2 days of walking on the lower rhododendron section — Nayapul to Tirkhedhunga, Tirkhedhunga to Ghorepani (if not taking Poon Hill), Ghorepani to Tadapani, and Tadapani to Chhomrong or Sinuwa — with a 4 to 5 hour jeep ride from Pokhara direct to the Kimrung Khola trailhead at about 1,800 m. The trek then starts uphill from there to Chhomrong. Jeep cost: NPR 3,500 to NPR 5,500 per person shared, or NPR 25,000 to NPR 35,000 per vehicle chartered. The tradeoff is real. You skip the classic Ghorepani-Poon Hill sunrise viewpoint (which most operators now sell as a separate add-on), you miss the rhododendron forests between Ulleri and Ghorepani (peak visual reason to be there in April), and you dust-hop 4 hours on a jeep road that got carved unglamorously into the hillside. What you gain: 2 trail days back, USD 80 to USD 150 off the total budget, and a viable option for travellers who only have 7 or 8 total days including the Pokhara buffer. Our 2026 booking split: 45 percent classic 11-day trek, 30 percent 7-day jeep-shortened version, 15 percent 15-day ABC + Poon Hill combo, 10 percent bespoke.

Should I add Poon Hill to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?

If you have 15 total days including Pokhara and Kathmandu buffer, yes. Poon Hill (3,210 m) is a 4-day pre-loop through Nayapul, Tirkhedhunga, Ghorepani and Tadapani that adds one of Nepal's best sunrise viewpoints — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchare and Fishtail lined up across the horizon on a clear morning — plus the two most photographed rhododendron forests in Nepal on the Ulleri-to-Ghorepani climb (peak second and third weeks of April 2026). The combined ABC + Poon Hill trek is 12 to 14 trail days, USD 1,250 to USD 2,100 per person on a two-person basis, and rejoins the Sanctuary route at Chhomrong. Two practical notes. The Ulleri climb is the hardest first day of any standard Annapurna trek — 3,200 stone steps in 3 to 4 hours, brutal on the knees on descent — and the Ghorepani-to-Poon Hill sunrise start is pre-dawn cold in October and November (dress in layers, bring headtorch batteries). Skip Poon Hill only if you're on the 7 or 8-day time cap, if you've done the sunrise viewpoint before, or if you're booking outside the two rhododendron windows and want the trail days back.

How does Annapurna Base Camp compare to Everest Base Camp?

The two most-booked Nepal treks and the comparison every inquiring traveller wants. ABC is shorter (7 to 11 days versus 12 to 14 for EBC), lower (4,130 m maximum versus 5,364 m at EBC), cheaper (USD 950 to USD 1,800 versus USD 1,600 to USD 2,800 for EBC), and closer to a major city (starts from Pokhara, 25 minutes by flight from Kathmandu, versus EBC's Lukla flight that cancels routinely on weather). ABC has no altitude sickness risk in normal itineraries; EBC has genuine altitude risk at Lobuche and Gorak Shep. What EBC has that ABC doesn't: Everest itself (though the view from Kala Patthar at 5,545 m is the reward, not from base camp itself), the Sherpa cultural corridor of Namche Bazaar and Tengboche monastery, and the classic Himalayan altitude achievement of a trek above 5,000 m. What ABC has that EBC doesn't: the closed-in amphitheatre effect of the sanctuary (you're standing inside a 360-degree wall of 7,000-metre peaks in a way that no EBC viewpoint replicates), the rhododendron forests, and a shorter overall time commitment for travellers with 2 weeks. Our short honest ranking: if it's your first Nepal trek and you have 3 weeks, go EBC. If it's your first Nepal trek and you have 2 weeks, go ABC. If you've done EBC and want something different, go Upper Mustang or Manaslu, not ABC — the vibe of a two-Base-Camp Nepal trip is too similar.

Can I take a helicopter back from Annapurna Base Camp?

Yes, and roughly 15 to 20 percent of ABC trekkers now book the helicopter-out option in 2026 — up from 5 percent pre-pandemic. Simrik Air, Kailash Helicopter Services and Fishtail Air fly the Sanctuary from Pokhara for USD 400 to USD 600 per person on a shared 4-passenger flight, or USD 2,800 to USD 3,500 per charter helicopter carrying up to 5. The flight from ABC to Pokhara is 25 to 30 minutes and saves 3 to 4 walking days on the return leg (MBC to Bamboo, Bamboo to Chhomrong, Chhomrong to Ghandruk or Sinuwa jeep, jeep to Pokhara). Booking is done in Pokhara 24 to 48 hours before the flight — most operators call the office from Chhomrong on the way up to confirm. Weather cancellation: shared flights cancel on about 10 percent of scheduled slots in autumn, closer to 25 percent in shoulder seasons. Charters go on more marginal weather because the operator recovers the full charter fee. Emergency helicopter evacuation from ABC or MBC on insurance runs USD 3,500 to USD 5,000 per lift and is the standard evacuation route for AMS or injury cases from the Sanctuary — a proper travel insurance policy with helicopter evacuation cover to 5,000 m handles this without the trekker paying out of pocket.

What are the ABC lodges actually like and how much are meals?

Teahouse lodges on ABC range from basic wooden dormitories at Bamboo and Dovan (2,500 to 2,600 m) to relatively comfortable heated common rooms at Chhomrong, MBC and ABC. Rooms are twin-share with shared bathrooms almost everywhere; a handful of Chhomrong lodges have en-suite rooms at NPR 1,500 to NPR 2,500 per night. Above Chhomrong, rooms are free with all meals taken in-house — the lodge economy is meals-not-rooms. Meal prices scale with altitude: dal bhat runs NPR 500 in Ghandruk, NPR 650 at Chhomrong, NPR 750 at Bamboo, NPR 850 at Deurali and NPR 900 to NPR 1,000 at MBC and ABC. Bring cash. Hot showers are gas-heated bucket showers up to Chhomrong (NPR 200 to NPR 400) and gas-heated shower at Deurali (NPR 500). No showers at MBC or ABC in cold weather (frozen pipes November through March). Wifi runs NPR 300 to NPR 500 per device per night up to Chhomrong, unreliable at MBC and ABC. Battery charging is NPR 200 to NPR 400 per device per hour above Bamboo. Toilets are pit toilets above Chhomrong, mostly reasonable, ice-cold in November through March. Sleeping bag rating: -10 C comfort at minimum for ABC in October, -20 C comfort for December through February.

What should I pack for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?

Layer for 4,130 m with pre-dawn temperatures at -6 to -10 C in October. Boots: broken-in waterproof mid-height (Salomon X Ultra, La Sportiva Nucleo, Scarpa Zodiac Plus — 4-season rating not required). Down jacket rated 650-fill or higher — sub-zero pre-dawn at ABC. Waterproof shell jacket and pants. Fleece midlayer. Merino base layers x 2. Trekking pants x 2 (convertible zip-off works). Buff, warm hat, sun hat, sunglasses (Cat 4 for the Sanctuary snow reflection), gloves (liner + insulated pair). SPF 50 sunscreen and lip balm — the altitude burns faster than you'd expect. Water: 2-litre capacity minimum, chlorine tablets or SteriPen for teahouse boiled water. Headtorch with spare batteries — the MBC-to-ABC pre-dawn walk needs one. Trekking poles — essential for the descent from ABC through the stone-step sections. Sleeping bag: -10 C comfort October-November, -20 C comfort winter (rentable in Pokhara USD 3 to USD 5 per day). Blister care, ibuprofen, Diamox for AMS if prescribed, standard travel first aid. Duffel bag for the porter (25 kg limit shared between two trekkers). Daypack 20 to 30 L for water, camera, snacks, layers. Cash: NPR 40,000 to NPR 60,000 in small notes per person for extras above what your package covers. Skip: cotton anything, jeans, hair dryer, high-heeled anything.

Annapurna Base Camp Trek 2026: 7-11 Day Sanctuary Itinerary, USD 950-1,800 Cost, and the New Jeep-Road Shortcut

Nepal's most walkable amphitheatre of 7,000-metre peaks sits at 4,130 m in a natural cirque called the Sanctuary. Here is the 2026 cost line, the 7-day short and 11-day full itineraries, and how the new jeep road changed the walk.

16 AUGUST 202614 MIN READNEPAL NEXUS

The Annapurna Base Camp cirque at first light — Annapurna South on the left, Machapuchare on the right, and the glacial floor at 4,130 m where the lodges cluster. Shot from the ridge above the lodges on a clear late-October morning.

The Annapurna Base Camp trek is the Nepal walk most travellers actually finish. About 32,000 foreign trekkers walked into the Sanctuary in 2024 (Nepal Tourism Board conservation area data), which is roughly the same volume that reached Everest Base Camp. What separates the two isn't view quality or Himalayan scale. It's the completion rate. Around 88 percent of ABC starters reach the base camp; the EBC completion rate hovers around 74 percent, thanks to Lukla weather cancellations and the altitude wall at Lobuche.

If you're comparing routes for a first Nepal trek with two weeks and moderate fitness, ABC is the one we book most often. The 4,130 m sanctuary sits low enough that altitude is a manageable factor rather than a real risk, the trail starts a 25-minute flight from Kathmandu instead of a Lukla runway coin-flip, and the walk itself is genuinely walkable — 5 to 7 hours a day on stone-step and forest trail, not the 8 to 10 hour high-desert days that Everest or Manaslu ask.

What follows is the ABC trek as we book it from Kathmandu in 2026: the classic 11-day version, the 7-day jeep-road-shortened version that most operators now push, the 15-day Poon Hill combo, the cost line broken open, and the season and pack calls that separate a good ABC trip from a wet-cloud one.

What changed for ABC in 2026

Mandatory licensed guide, still. Nepal's April 2023 rule requiring a government-licensed guide inside every conservation area applies to ABC, and it survived through 2025 and was confirmed in the 2026 permit revisions. Enforcement at the ACAP checkposts at Birethanti and Kimche is strict — the guide's licence number goes on the permit and is checked at the gate. Any operator quoting an ABC trek without a licensed guide in 2026 is setting you up to be turned back. The rule adds USD 250 to USD 350 to an 11-day trek at 2026 rates.

TIMS is gone. The Trekkers' Information Management System card was retired for every Nepal trek in early 2026 as part of the wider permit consolidation. For ABC this cuts USD 20 off the permit stack and shortens the wait at the NTB counter in Pokhara. Any 2026 quote from a Kathmandu agency still listing a TIMS line is a red flag — walk away.

ACAP fee steady. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit stays at NPR 3,000 (about USD 22) for foreign nationals in 2026. No fee increase was tabled in the annual tourism budget review. The ACAP office at Ghandruk still stamps second-half permits for trekkers who booked the shorter jeep-road version.

The Ghandruk-to-Kimrung Khola jeep road is now the standard shortcut. Extended in late 2024, the road runs from Pokhara through Nayapul and Ghandruk to a rough turnaround near Kimrung Khola at about 1,800 m, roughly 4 hours from Pokhara. It replaces the classic 2-day walk-in from Nayapul with a jeep ride, saving 2 days on the total trek. Around 30 percent of our 2026 ABC bookings now use this shortcut — up from under 10 percent in 2023. What the road does to the trek is real: quicker access, missed rhododendron forest, dusty hillside carving that's less visually pleasant than the old walk-in. The classic 11-day trek is still available and still what we recommend when the traveller has the time.

Pokhara flight capacity added. Buddha Air and Yeti Air added a fourth daily Kathmandu-Pokhara slot in the morning window for autumn 2026 to handle the trekker volume. Fares moved to USD 110 to USD 130 one-way for the 25-minute flight — up from USD 100 to USD 120 in 2025. The road option remains: 6 to 7 hours by tourist bus for NPR 800 to NPR 1,200, or 5 to 6 hours by shared jeep for NPR 1,500 to NPR 2,000. About 65 percent of our 2026 ABC bookings still fly the Kathmandu-Pokhara leg; the road is the fallback when the morning weather cancels the flight.

Deurali avalanche gully has been reengineered. The Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation completed a Nepali-Government-funded rockfall and avalanche protection project between Deurali and MBC in spring 2025 — anchored steel netting and a rerouted trail through the safer eastern side of the gully. Closure days on this section dropped from 12 to 20 per year historically to 3 to 8 days in 2025-2026. Still not zero — a heavy overnight snowfall in November or a late-March storm still closes the section for the day — but the reliability is genuinely improved.

The 2026 cost, broken open

A fully guided 11-day classic ABC trek booked through a Kathmandu agency on a two-person basis lands at USD 950 to USD 1,800 per person, all-inclusive of the arrival and departure Kathmandu nights, Pokhara buffer nights on either end, round-trip Kathmandu-Pokhara flight or road, ACAP permit, licensed guide, porter, teahouse lodging and standard meals. The 7-day jeep-road version runs USD 780 to USD 1,350. The 15-day ABC + Ghorepani-Poon Hill combo runs USD 1,250 to USD 2,100. Solo trekkers add 15 to 20 percent. Groups of four drop to USD 850 to USD 1,500 per head on the classic itinerary.

Where the money actually goes, for an 11-day October trip costed in August 2026:

ACAP permit — NPR 3,000 (USD 22) per foreign trekker. The only mandatory permit for ABC in 2026. Issued at NTB Kathmandu or Pokhara.
Round-trip Kathmandu-Pokhara transfer — USD 220 to USD 260 per person by flight (USD 110 to USD 130 one-way x 2), or USD 30 to USD 50 by tourist bus round-trip, or USD 60 to USD 100 by shared jeep round-trip.
Pokhara transfers to trailhead — NPR 3,000 to NPR 5,000 per person shared jeep to Nayapul (or to Kimrung Khola for the shortened version).
Licensed guide — USD 25 to USD 30 per day x 8 to 10 trek days = USD 220 to USD 300. Annapurna region guides are the most plentiful and price-competitive in Nepal.
Porter — USD 20 to USD 22 per day x 8 to 10 trek days = USD 180 to USD 220. One porter carries up to 25 kg for two trekkers.
Teahouse lodging on trail — Free at most lodges when you take all meals in-house. Add NPR 500 to NPR 1,000 per room per night at Chhomrong for en-suite. Budget USD 30 to USD 60 across the trek.
Meals on trail — NPR 500 (Ghandruk) to NPR 1,000 (ABC) per dish. A dal bhat at ABC in 2026 runs NPR 900 to NPR 1,000. Budget USD 180 to USD 240 per trekker across the trek.
Pokhara and Kathmandu hotels — USD 25 to USD 60 per night twin-share for the four total city nights.
Insurance with helicopter evacuation to 5,000 m — USD 100 to USD 150 for a 12-day trip. World Nomads, Global Rescue, IMG and True Traveller all underwrite this at 5,000 m; ABC's ceiling at 4,130 m sits well inside.

The budget pad — USD 100 to USD 180 for lines that don't make it into any package quote:

Hot showers above Chhomrong — NPR 200 to NPR 500 (USD 1.50 to USD 4), gas-heated bucket or gas shower. No showers at MBC or ABC in cold months.
Wifi — NPR 300 to NPR 500 per device per night up to Chhomrong; unreliable above.
Battery charging — NPR 200 to NPR 400 per hour above Bamboo. A 10,000 mAh power bank fully charged in Pokhara covers most trips.
Bottled water and snacks — NPR 100 to NPR 400 per litre of bottled water depending on altitude. A Mars bar at ABC runs NPR 350. Bring chlorine tablets and refill from boiled teahouse water (NPR 50 to NPR 120 per litre) to cut the cost in half.
Tip pool — USD 10 to USD 12 per day per guide, USD 7 to USD 9 per day per porter, paid in a sealed envelope on the last Pokhara night.

Anyone quoting the guided 11-day ABC trek under USD 750 is skipping the licensed guide, running the trek in 5 days without proper acclimatisation, or cutting the porter. Walk away.

The 11-day classic itinerary

The standard out-and-back we quote for autumn 2026:

Day 1. Arrive Kathmandu (1,400 m). Briefing at the office, gear check, permit prep. Overnight Thamel.
Day 2. Kathmandu to Pokhara (820 m) by flight (25 minutes) or tourist bus (6 to 7 hours). Afternoon in Pokhara — Fewa lake side, final gear check with the guide, dinner at Or2K or Godfather's, early night.
Day 3. Pokhara to Nayapul (1,010 m) by shared jeep, 90 minutes. Trek Nayapul to Tirkhedhunga (1,540 m), 4 to 5 hours, 9 km. Gentle valley trail along the Modi Khola for the first section, then the first climb.
Day 4. Tirkhedhunga to Ghorepani (2,850 m) via the Ulleri climb, 6 to 7 hours, 12 km. The Ulleri stone-step climb — 3,200 steps in 3 to 4 hours — is the hardest single ascent of the whole trek. Rhododendron forest from Banthanti to Ghorepani in April and May. Overnight Ghorepani.
Day 5. Pre-dawn Poon Hill (3,210 m) sunrise viewpoint, 1 hour up. Descend to Ghorepani for breakfast, then trek to Tadapani (2,660 m), 5 to 6 hours, 10 km. First proper Annapurna South and Machapuchare views on the ridge.
Day 6. Tadapani to Chhomrong (2,170 m), 5 to 6 hours, 11 km. Descend to the Kimrung Khola bridge, then climb into Chhomrong. Chhomrong is the last village with reliable wifi and hot showers. Restock chocolate and cash here — prices climb hard above this point.
Day 7. Chhomrong to Bamboo (2,340 m), 5 to 6 hours, 10 km. Steep descent to the Chhomrong Khola, then a long climb up to Sinuwa, then rolling trail through the bamboo forest to Bamboo lodge. Modi Khola on the right, Machapuchare above.
Day 8. Bamboo to Deurali (3,230 m), 4 to 5 hours, 8 km. The wet-forest section — moss, bamboo, waterfalls, damp lodge nights at Dovan and Himalaya. This section stays slippery well into the dry season; trekking poles help.
Day 9. Deurali to Machapuchare Base Camp (3,700 m) to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m), 5 to 6 hours, 8 km. The avalanche gully section is the first hour above Deurali. Lunch at MBC. Final 2-hour walk to ABC in the afternoon. Overnight at one of the ABC lodges. Sunset on Annapurna I from behind the lodges.
Day 10. Pre-dawn sunrise at ABC (up at 05:15, walk to the ridge behind the lodges by 06:00, first light on Annapurna South at 06:20 to 06:40 depending on the season). Descend to Bamboo, 6 to 7 hours, 16 km. Long descent day.
Day 11. Bamboo to Chhomrong to Jhinu Danda (1,780 m), 5 to 6 hours, 10 km. Optional hot spring visit at Jhinu — natural riverside pools at NPR 200 entry, worth it after 8 days on trail.
Day 12. Jhinu to Siwai jeep road (1,300 m), 2 hours. Jeep to Pokhara, 3 hours. Afternoon in Pokhara, hot shower, dinner at Or2K.
Day 13. Pokhara to Kathmandu by flight (morning). International departure or extend for cultural time in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudha, Pashupatinath.

A one-day buffer in Pokhara after the scheduled return is worth booking. The Pokhara-Kathmandu flight cancels less often than Lukla but the morning slots still get pushed by valley cloud in October and November — one in ten flights delayed by 3 to 6 hours, one in fifty cancelled outright.

The 7-day jeep-road shortcut

For travellers with only 10 to 12 total days including international flights, the 2026 jeep-road-shortened version works:

Day 1. Arrive Kathmandu, fly to Pokhara same day (or next-day flight for arrivals after 16:00 into KTM).
Day 2. Pokhara to Kimrung Khola trailhead (1,800 m) by shared jeep, 4 to 5 hours. Trek Kimrung Khola to Chhomrong (2,170 m), 2 to 3 hours, 5 km. Late lunch at Chhomrong.
Day 3. Chhomrong to Bamboo. Same as Day 7 above.
Day 4. Bamboo to Deurali. Same as Day 8.
Day 5. Deurali to MBC to ABC. Same as Day 9.
Day 6. ABC sunrise, descend to Bamboo.
Day 7. Bamboo to Chhomrong to Jhinu Danda (jeep road pickup) to Pokhara, 5 to 6 hours walking plus 3 hours jeep.
Day 8. Pokhara to Kathmandu.

The tradeoff: no Ghorepani, no Poon Hill sunrise, no Tadapani ridge views, no lower rhododendron forest. The jeep road section is dusty, bumpy and less visually pleasant than the walk-in. What you get back: 2 to 3 trail days and USD 80 to USD 150 off the package price. If your holiday cap is 10 days total, this is the version that works.

The 15-day ABC + Poon Hill combo

For travellers with the time, the combined trek is the version we recommend most often to first-time Nepal trekkers who want to see everything the Annapurna region offers in one trip. The route follows the classic 11-day itinerary in full plus the Poon Hill pre-loop:

Days 1-2. Kathmandu, Pokhara.
Day 3. Pokhara to Nayapul, Nayapul to Tirkhedhunga.
Day 4. Tirkhedhunga to Ghorepani via Ulleri.
Day 5. Poon Hill sunrise, Ghorepani to Tadapani.
Days 6-12. Tadapani, Chhomrong, Bamboo, Deurali, MBC, ABC, back down.
Days 13-15. Jhinu, Pokhara, Kathmandu.

Cost: USD 1,250 to USD 2,100 per person on a two-person basis. This is the ABC trek that also includes Ghorepani and Poon Hill, and it's what we book about 15 percent of the time in 2026. Best combined with a spring departure between the third week of March and the second week of May when the rhododendrons flower.

What the Sanctuary actually feels like

Everyone asks about the walk. ABC itself is what makes the walk worth it.

You come up the last two hours from MBC across a flat, rocky glacial floor. The valley narrows and rises, then opens into a natural cirque roughly 800 metres across, ringed on three sides by the walls of Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Gangapurna and Hiunchuli. Machapuchare closes the eastern side, though you can't see the classic fishtail summit from ABC — that view is from Pokhara or from MBC. The base camp lodges (six of them, arranged in a rough loop) sit on a slight rise at the northern edge of the floor. The old memorial plaques — for the climbers who died on Annapurna I including the 2014 avalanche victims — are on the ridge behind the lodges.

The pre-dawn walk from the lodges to the ridge is 200 metres flat. Up at 05:15. Layers on — down jacket, gloves, hat, headtorch. Out the door by 05:45. Standing on the ridge by 06:00. First light on Annapurna South arrives at 06:20 in mid-October, closer to 06:40 in November. The whole sanctuary catches within 10 minutes. The temperature at 06:00 in mid-October runs -6 to -10 C; the wind is minimal in the sanctuary because the peaks block it, which is a genuine relief after the exposed sections lower down.

The amphitheatre effect is the reason to be there. You are standing inside a 360-degree wall of 7,000-metre peaks in a way that no Everest region viewpoint replicates. From EBC, Everest itself isn't visible — you see Nuptse and the Khumbu Icefall. From Kala Patthar, you see Everest as one peak in a wider Himalayan panorama. From ABC, you're inside the mountains. Photograph doesn't reproduce it. The scale takes about 20 minutes of standing to actually register.

Three practical points we drill into every ABC briefing:

Water at ABC. No treatment for the town water. Boiled water at NPR 60 to NPR 120 per litre from the lodges. Bring chlorine tablets. SteriPen batteries die in the cold pre-dawn.
Cold pre-dawn. Down jacket rated 650-fill or higher, gloves, warm hat, buff. The pre-dawn temperature is the coldest part of the trip and catches unprepared trekkers off-guard.
Descent day is long. ABC to Bamboo is 16 km, 6 to 7 hours, almost entirely descent through stone-step sections. Knees suffer. Trekking poles are not optional. Take ibuprofen with breakfast if you're prone to knee issues.

The Poon Hill sunrise, if you take it

The pre-dawn Poon Hill (3,210 m) sunrise viewpoint is one of Nepal's most-photographed frames — Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) on the far left, then Tukuche, Nilgiri, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machapuchare, Annapurna III, Annapurna II lined up across the horizon. The viewing tower sits above Ghorepani and reaches it in 45 to 60 minutes of steep hillside stairs.

Up at 04:30, tea in the lodge kitchen by 04:45, walking by 05:00, at the summit by 06:00. First light on Dhaulagiri at 06:15 in mid-October. Some 300 to 500 trekkers on the summit on a peak October morning; it's not the meditative wilderness moment of ABC pre-dawn, but the mountain panorama itself is worth the crowd. Back down to Ghorepani by 08:00 for breakfast, then the trek onward to Tadapani.

The rhododendron windows are 20 March to 10 May (peak second and third weeks of April 2026) for the lower forests below Ghorepani, and 15 May to 5 June for the higher forests above Deurali. If the visual reason to be in the Annapurna region is the flowers, book those windows.

The Deurali avalanche gully

Worth its own note. The trail section between Deurali (3,230 m) and MBC (3,700 m) passes through a narrow gully with steep hillsides on both sides, where snow accumulation and rockfall have historically closed the trail for 12 to 20 days per year. The Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation completed the safety upgrade in spring 2025 — anchored steel netting on the western side and a rerouted trail through the safer eastern gully — and the 2025-2026 closure count dropped to 3 to 8 days.

What this means in practice for a 2026 trek: the section is meaningfully safer than in 2022. Still not zero risk. A heavy overnight snowfall in November or a late-March storm can close the gully for the day. When it closes, trekkers wait at Deurali (there are three lodges) until the guides and porters clear the trail. Insurance evacuation from Deurali is a helicopter lift to Pokhara.

If your date is in the November-to-March window, ask the operator about their contingency plan for a closed gully day. A good operator will have one written down. Our answer is: wait one day at Deurali, then either continue up (if the trail clears) or turn back and reroute via Chhomrong. Refund of the ABC portion runs 40 to 60 percent of the trek cost depending on where the turnaround happens.

Who should book ABC in 2026

We book Annapurna Base Camp for travellers who have:

12 to 15 days of clear holiday including buffers for the classic itinerary, or 10 to 12 days for the jeep-road-shortened version
Moderate fitness — 4 to 6 weeks of hill training before arrival
Any prior multi-day walking experience (not required but helps)
Interest in a Himalayan sanctuary experience over a specific summit view
Comfort with basic teahouse lodging (shared bathrooms, cold rooms above 3,000 m)
First Nepal trek and 2-week time cap

We steer travellers away from ABC when:

The trip constraint is 'I want to see Everest' — ABC's scenery is Annapurna-region and doesn't include Everest or the Khumbu
Total trip time is under 10 days including international flights
The traveller has already done EBC and wants something notably different (Upper Mustang or Manaslu is the better second-trip call)
Booking dates fall in monsoon (June through mid-September) — the trail works but the mountain views close under cloud
Traveller cannot commit to the licensed guide requirement

Send us your prior trekking history when you write in. We'll tell you honestly whether ABC is the right call for the timeline and interests you have.

Booking workflow from Kathmandu

The process we run for a 2026 ABC trek:

1. Inquiry to costed proposal in 24 hours. Include preferred dates, group size, prior trekking history, and whether Poon Hill is a priority. We send a written proposal with itinerary, budget line-by-line and the named guide profile.
2. 20% deposit confirms. The ACAP permit is issued 24 to 48 hours before the trek starts, with the deposit committed so we can lodge the paperwork.
3. Permit documents. Passport scan (valid at least 6 months past return date), Nepal visa scan (issued on arrival or in advance), two passport photos, and proof of insurance with helicopter evacuation to 5,000 m in writing.
4. Pokhara briefing day before the trek. Final gear check with the guide, weather briefing for the Sanctuary window, plan-B walkthrough if the Deurali gully or Poon Hill weather calls for a schedule change.
5. Trek runs. Daily check-in to the office via the guide's mobile or lodge wifi. Weather calls on the Deurali gully section handled by the guide.
6. Return day. Tip envelope handed at the final Pokhara or Jhinu dinner. Hot shower and dinner at Or2K in Pokhara the same evening you exit the trail.

If you're reading this in August 2026 with October dates in mind, write to us this week — the Pokhara flight slots for the peak October window book out 3 to 4 weeks ahead of departure, and the MBC and ABC lodges we hold rooms with are booking out for the last week of October and first week of November right now. Spring 2027 rhododendron-window departures open for booking in September 2026.

ABC is the trek we recommend most often to first-time Nepal trekkers with two weeks and moderate fitness. The 2026 setup — safer Deurali section, cleared TIMS paperwork, the option of the jeep-road shortcut for shorter time-windows — makes the trek genuinely easier to book than it was three years ago. Book the middle three weeks of October or the second and third weeks of April, budget for the buffer day in Pokhara, take the licensed guide seriously. The Sanctuary looks after itself.

NEPAL NEXUS · KATHMANDU

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Quick answers

What travellers ask about this.

What is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek and how long is it?: The Annapurna Base Camp Trek — locally the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek — walks up the Modi Khola valley from the Pokhara side into a natural glacial cirque at 4,130 m ringed by Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli (6,441 m), Machapuchare (6,993 m) and Gangapurna (7,455 m). The classic itinerary is 11 days out of Pokhara — 7 to 8 trail days plus travel and buffer — and reaches roughly 65 km of walking with about 5,400 m of cumulative ascent. Shorter 7-day versions now use the Ghandruk-to-Sinuwa jeep road to skip the lower rhododendron forest section; the 4-day Poon Hill extension bolts on the front. Maximum altitude is 4,130 m at ABC itself, with Machapuchare Base Camp (MBC) at 3,700 m the last overnight before the pre-dawn walk into the sanctuary.
How much does the Annapurna Base Camp Trek cost in 2026?: Plan USD 950 to USD 1,800 per person for a fully guided 11-day ABC trek on a two-person basis, all-in from Kathmandu including the Pokhara nights, transfers, ACAP permit, licensed guide, porter, teahouse lodging and standard meals. Groups of four drop to USD 850 to USD 1,500 per head. Solo trekkers add 15 to 20 percent because the guide cost carries single. The 7-day jeep-road-shortened version runs USD 780 to USD 1,350 per person. The 15-day ABC + Ghorepani-Poon Hill combo runs USD 1,250 to USD 2,100. Where the money goes: ACAP permit NPR 3,000 (USD 22), guide USD 25 to USD 30 per day, porter USD 20 to USD 22 per day, teahouse lodging free-with-meals to NPR 500 per room, dal bhat NPR 500 to NPR 850 depending on altitude, Pokhara hotel USD 25 to USD 60 per night. Insurance with helicopter evacuation to 5,000 m adds USD 100 to USD 150 for a 12-day trip. Anyone quoting a guided ABC package under USD 750 is either skipping the licensed guide, running it in 5 days without proper acclimatisation, or cutting the porter.
Do I need a permit for Annapurna Base Camp in 2026?: One permit only. The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) is NPR 3,000 (about USD 22) for foreign nationals, NPR 1,500 for SAARC citizens, and NPR 100 for Nepali nationals. Issued at the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) counter in Kathmandu (Bhrikuti Mandap) or Pokhara (Damside), or at the ACAP office at Besisahar for the northern approach — but every Pokhara-side ABC trek uses the NTB counter. Bring two passport photos and your passport. The Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card was retired for every Nepal trek in early 2026 — if a 2026 quote from any Kathmandu agency still lists a TIMS line for ABC, they're pocketing the USD 20. Unlike Upper Mustang or Manaslu, ABC is not a restricted-area trek, so no restricted-area permit stack applies. What does apply since April 2023 is the mandatory licensed guide rule — you cannot walk into ACAP without one hired through a registered trekking agency.
Is a guide mandatory for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?: Yes. Nepal's April 2023 rule requiring a government-licensed guide inside every national park and conservation area applies to ABC, and it survived every court challenge through 2025 and was reaffirmed in the 2026 permit revisions. The Nepal Tourism Board no longer issues ACAP permits to independent trekkers — the permit application must be submitted by a government-registered trekking agency, with the guide's licence number attached. Enforcement at the ACAP checkposts at Birethanti (Poon Hill side) and Kimche or Ghandruk (Sanctuary side) is strict. A licensed guide runs USD 25 to USD 30 per day on ABC in 2026, less than the USD 30 to USD 35 rate on Upper Mustang because Annapurna region guides are more plentiful. What the guide adds beyond paperwork: route decisions on the Deurali-to-MBC avalanche section (which closes for 3 to 8 days most winters and shoulder seasons), altitude call at MBC if anyone in the group is showing AMS symptoms, and lodge booking during the peak October and April weeks when the Sanctuary lodges genuinely fill.
When is the best time to trek Annapurna Base Camp in 2026?: Two windows work well and one that most guides discourage. The primary window is mid-September through the second week of November — clear skies, daytime temperatures at ABC of 6 to 12 C, pre-dawn around -6 to -10 C, minimal avalanche risk on the Deurali-to-MBC section. The secondary window is mid-March through the third week of May — rhododendrons flower peak in the first two weeks of April between 2,200 and 3,200 m, which is the visual reason to book a spring ABC over an autumn one. Monsoon (June through mid-September) is discouraged: the trail is walkable and lodges stay open, but the mountain views close under cloud for 60 to 80 percent of days, the Modi Khola section leeches heavily, and helicopter evacuation is unreliable. Winter (mid-December through February) has clear skies but the Deurali avalanche gully closes for extended periods and the ABC lodges get 30 to 80 cm of snow that reduces access to the two viewpoints above the base camp. Peak week for 2026: the third and fourth weeks of October when Pokhara-to-Ghandruk jeeps run at capacity and MBC lodges book out 2 to 3 weeks ahead.
How difficult is the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?: Nepal Mountaineering Association rates ABC Grade 2 — moderate. Considerably easier than the Everest Base Camp trek, which is Grade 3. Maximum altitude 4,130 m at ABC versus 5,364 m at EBC. No pass crossing above 4,200 m. Trail days run 5 to 7 hours with 400 to 900 m of vertical gain on the four big ascent days (Nayapul to Ghorepani if you take Poon Hill, Chhomrong to Sinuwa, Bamboo to Deurali, and MBC to ABC). What ABC does have that EBC doesn't: 3,200 stone steps on the Ulleri climb (Day 2 if you include Poon Hill), a wet-forest section between Bamboo and Deurali that stays slippery well into the dry season, and the narrow avalanche gully above Deurali that closes for 3 to 8 days most seasons. The final walk from MBC to ABC is 2 to 3 hours of gentle rising trail at 3,700 to 4,130 m, done pre-dawn to catch first light on the sanctuary walls. Fitness benchmark: if you can walk 6 hours a day with a light daypack for four days in a row, you'll walk ABC. No prior high-altitude experience is required, though it helps.
What is the new Ghandruk-to-Sinuwa jeep road and how does it change the trek?: A rough 4WD jeep road was extended from Ghandruk to Kimrung Khola (near Sinuwa) in late 2024 and is now the standard way to shorten the ABC trek in 2026. It replaces roughly 2 days of walking on the lower rhododendron section — Nayapul to Tirkhedhunga, Tirkhedhunga to Ghorepani (if not taking Poon Hill), Ghorepani to Tadapani, and Tadapani to Chhomrong or Sinuwa — with a 4 to 5 hour jeep ride from Pokhara direct to the Kimrung Khola trailhead at about 1,800 m. The trek then starts uphill from there to Chhomrong. Jeep cost: NPR 3,500 to NPR 5,500 per person shared, or NPR 25,000 to NPR 35,000 per vehicle chartered. The tradeoff is real. You skip the classic Ghorepani-Poon Hill sunrise viewpoint (which most operators now sell as a separate add-on), you miss the rhododendron forests between Ulleri and Ghorepani (peak visual reason to be there in April), and you dust-hop 4 hours on a jeep road that got carved unglamorously into the hillside. What you gain: 2 trail days back, USD 80 to USD 150 off the total budget, and a viable option for travellers who only have 7 or 8 total days including the Pokhara buffer. Our 2026 booking split: 45 percent classic 11-day trek, 30 percent 7-day jeep-shortened version, 15 percent 15-day ABC + Poon Hill combo, 10 percent bespoke.
Should I add Poon Hill to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?: If you have 15 total days including Pokhara and Kathmandu buffer, yes. Poon Hill (3,210 m) is a 4-day pre-loop through Nayapul, Tirkhedhunga, Ghorepani and Tadapani that adds one of Nepal's best sunrise viewpoints — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchare and Fishtail lined up across the horizon on a clear morning — plus the two most photographed rhododendron forests in Nepal on the Ulleri-to-Ghorepani climb (peak second and third weeks of April 2026). The combined ABC + Poon Hill trek is 12 to 14 trail days, USD 1,250 to USD 2,100 per person on a two-person basis, and rejoins the Sanctuary route at Chhomrong. Two practical notes. The Ulleri climb is the hardest first day of any standard Annapurna trek — 3,200 stone steps in 3 to 4 hours, brutal on the knees on descent — and the Ghorepani-to-Poon Hill sunrise start is pre-dawn cold in October and November (dress in layers, bring headtorch batteries). Skip Poon Hill only if you're on the 7 or 8-day time cap, if you've done the sunrise viewpoint before, or if you're booking outside the two rhododendron windows and want the trail days back.
How does Annapurna Base Camp compare to Everest Base Camp?: The two most-booked Nepal treks and the comparison every inquiring traveller wants. ABC is shorter (7 to 11 days versus 12 to 14 for EBC), lower (4,130 m maximum versus 5,364 m at EBC), cheaper (USD 950 to USD 1,800 versus USD 1,600 to USD 2,800 for EBC), and closer to a major city (starts from Pokhara, 25 minutes by flight from Kathmandu, versus EBC's Lukla flight that cancels routinely on weather). ABC has no altitude sickness risk in normal itineraries; EBC has genuine altitude risk at Lobuche and Gorak Shep. What EBC has that ABC doesn't: Everest itself (though the view from Kala Patthar at 5,545 m is the reward, not from base camp itself), the Sherpa cultural corridor of Namche Bazaar and Tengboche monastery, and the classic Himalayan altitude achievement of a trek above 5,000 m. What ABC has that EBC doesn't: the closed-in amphitheatre effect of the sanctuary (you're standing inside a 360-degree wall of 7,000-metre peaks in a way that no EBC viewpoint replicates), the rhododendron forests, and a shorter overall time commitment for travellers with 2 weeks. Our short honest ranking: if it's your first Nepal trek and you have 3 weeks, go EBC. If it's your first Nepal trek and you have 2 weeks, go ABC. If you've done EBC and want something different, go Upper Mustang or Manaslu, not ABC — the vibe of a two-Base-Camp Nepal trip is too similar.
Can I take a helicopter back from Annapurna Base Camp?: Yes, and roughly 15 to 20 percent of ABC trekkers now book the helicopter-out option in 2026 — up from 5 percent pre-pandemic. Simrik Air, Kailash Helicopter Services and Fishtail Air fly the Sanctuary from Pokhara for USD 400 to USD 600 per person on a shared 4-passenger flight, or USD 2,800 to USD 3,500 per charter helicopter carrying up to 5. The flight from ABC to Pokhara is 25 to 30 minutes and saves 3 to 4 walking days on the return leg (MBC to Bamboo, Bamboo to Chhomrong, Chhomrong to Ghandruk or Sinuwa jeep, jeep to Pokhara). Booking is done in Pokhara 24 to 48 hours before the flight — most operators call the office from Chhomrong on the way up to confirm. Weather cancellation: shared flights cancel on about 10 percent of scheduled slots in autumn, closer to 25 percent in shoulder seasons. Charters go on more marginal weather because the operator recovers the full charter fee. Emergency helicopter evacuation from ABC or MBC on insurance runs USD 3,500 to USD 5,000 per lift and is the standard evacuation route for AMS or injury cases from the Sanctuary — a proper travel insurance policy with helicopter evacuation cover to 5,000 m handles this without the trekker paying out of pocket.
What are the ABC lodges actually like and how much are meals?: Teahouse lodges on ABC range from basic wooden dormitories at Bamboo and Dovan (2,500 to 2,600 m) to relatively comfortable heated common rooms at Chhomrong, MBC and ABC. Rooms are twin-share with shared bathrooms almost everywhere; a handful of Chhomrong lodges have en-suite rooms at NPR 1,500 to NPR 2,500 per night. Above Chhomrong, rooms are free with all meals taken in-house — the lodge economy is meals-not-rooms. Meal prices scale with altitude: dal bhat runs NPR 500 in Ghandruk, NPR 650 at Chhomrong, NPR 750 at Bamboo, NPR 850 at Deurali and NPR 900 to NPR 1,000 at MBC and ABC. Bring cash. Hot showers are gas-heated bucket showers up to Chhomrong (NPR 200 to NPR 400) and gas-heated shower at Deurali (NPR 500). No showers at MBC or ABC in cold weather (frozen pipes November through March). Wifi runs NPR 300 to NPR 500 per device per night up to Chhomrong, unreliable at MBC and ABC. Battery charging is NPR 200 to NPR 400 per device per hour above Bamboo. Toilets are pit toilets above Chhomrong, mostly reasonable, ice-cold in November through March. Sleeping bag rating: -10 C comfort at minimum for ABC in October, -20 C comfort for December through February.
What should I pack for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek?: Layer for 4,130 m with pre-dawn temperatures at -6 to -10 C in October. Boots: broken-in waterproof mid-height (Salomon X Ultra, La Sportiva Nucleo, Scarpa Zodiac Plus — 4-season rating not required). Down jacket rated 650-fill or higher — sub-zero pre-dawn at ABC. Waterproof shell jacket and pants. Fleece midlayer. Merino base layers x 2. Trekking pants x 2 (convertible zip-off works). Buff, warm hat, sun hat, sunglasses (Cat 4 for the Sanctuary snow reflection), gloves (liner + insulated pair). SPF 50 sunscreen and lip balm — the altitude burns faster than you'd expect. Water: 2-litre capacity minimum, chlorine tablets or SteriPen for teahouse boiled water. Headtorch with spare batteries — the MBC-to-ABC pre-dawn walk needs one. Trekking poles — essential for the descent from ABC through the stone-step sections. Sleeping bag: -10 C comfort October-November, -20 C comfort winter (rentable in Pokhara USD 3 to USD 5 per day). Blister care, ibuprofen, Diamox for AMS if prescribed, standard travel first aid. Duffel bag for the porter (25 kg limit shared between two trekkers). Daypack 20 to 30 L for water, camera, snacks, layers. Cash: NPR 40,000 to NPR 60,000 in small notes per person for extras above what your package covers. Skip: cotton anything, jeans, hair dryer, high-heeled anything.