There is a moment, somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 metres, when the air stops feeling like air. It becomes something you carry, something you count. You take a step and pause. You take two and breathe like you just ran a sprint. The Himalayas don’t reveal themselves — they test whether you’re still paying attention.
This is the Annapurna Circuit. A 230-kilometre loop around one of the tallest massifs on Earth, across seventeen of the world’s most punishing days. I did it in 2022 with one camera, one lens, and the slow understanding that everything I’d packed was 30% too much.
The route in numbers
- Length: 230 km
- Highest point: Thorong La Pass at 5,416 m
- Lowest point: Jomsom at 2,720 m
- Duration: 14–21 days depending on acclimatisation
- Daily walking: 6–10 hours, 12–18 km
- Cost: €25–40/day in teahouses, full board
The classic 17-day breakdown
Days 1–3: Besisahar to Chame. Subtropical forest, terraced rice fields, the world below 3,000 m.
Days 4–6: Chame to Manang. Pine forest, apple orchards, the air thinning. Manang sits at 3,540 m and is where you stop for an acclimatisation day.
Day 7 — rest day in Manang. Climb to Ice Lake (4,600 m) and come back down to sleep low. The cardinal rule: climb high, sleep low.
Days 8–10: Manang to Thorong Phedi. The high desert begins. Yaks, blue sheep, prayer flags strung across alpine valleys.
Day 11 — Thorong La Pass. Start at 4 a.m. Reach the pass at 5,416 m by 9. Descend 1,600 m to Muktinath the same day. The hardest day of the trek.
Days 12–15: Muktinath to Tatopani. Mustang region, completely different ecosystem. Mediterranean almost. Apple trees. Hot springs at Tatopani.
Days 16–17: Tatopani to Ghorepani to Poon Hill (3,210 m) for the classic sunrise over the Annapurnas, then descent to Nayapul and bus back to Pokhara.
The photography
This trek punishes heavy gear. I went with a single mirrorless body and a 24–105 f/4. That’s it. No tripod, no second lens, no drone (drones are technically not allowed in ACAP zones anyway). The light is so good at altitude — clean air, low sun angle for most of the day — that you don’t need fast glass.
Best moments:
- Sunrise at Poon Hill. The classic. Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre, all in one frame.
- Thorong La summit. Prayer flags against the snow. Backlit. Crystalline.
- Apple orchards in Manang. Autumn red against grey rock. The unexpected colour palette.
- Teahouse interiors at night. Yak-dung stoves, headlamp portraits, the warmest light in the coldest place.
What I’d do differently
- Slower. 17 days is the minimum. 21 is better. Altitude sickness is not negotiable.
- Less gear. Every gram weighs more above 4,000 m. Cut everything by 30%.
- Go solo without a porter. A guide is mandatory as of April 2023. A porter is optional. I’d carry my own pack again — it changes the relationship to the route.
- Diamox. Start on day 6. Doctor’s call, but it works.
Practical notes
- Permits: TIMS card + ACAP entry permit. €40 total. Buy in Kathmandu or Pokhara.
- Best season: October–November (clear) or April–May (rhododendron bloom).
- Insurance: mandatory, with helicopter evacuation cover above 4,000 m.
- Equipment: trekking poles, −10°C sleeping bag, layered clothing for −15°C nights and +20°C afternoons.
Original in Spanish: Annapurna trek. For more trek photography see @vidaiatzen.
