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.

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.

• 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.