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24-684: The mountain scenery, seen at close quarters includes the Annapurna Massif (Annapurna I-IV), Dhaulagiri , Machhapuchhre , Manaslu , Gangapurna , Tilicho Peak , Pisang Peak , and Paungda Danda . Numerous other peaks of 6000-8000m in elevation rise from the Annapurna range. The trek begins at Besisahar or Bhulbhule in the Marshyangdi river valley and concludes in the Kali Gandaki Gorge . Besisahar can be reached after

48-565: A seven-hour drive from Kathmandu . The trail passes along paddy fields and into subtropical forests, past several waterfalls and gigantic cliffs, and through various villages. Annapurna Circuit has been voted the best long-distance trek in the world, as it combined, in its old full form, a wide variety of climate zones from the tropics at 600 m asl to the Arctic at 5416 m asl at the Thorong La pass and cultural variety from Hindu villages at

72-552: A stopover in Pokhara before returning to the capital. The trail is moderate to fairly challenging and makes numerous river crossings over steel and wooden suspension bridges . It is also possible to continue from Ghorepani to Tadapani, Ghandruk , Landruk, and then to Phedi, which follows the old Annapurna Circuit from the time when the road was not yet extended to Beni. The circuit can also be extended to visit Annapurna Base Camp (also called Annapurna Sanctuary ). This trail turns to

96-460: Is K2 , over 1,031 km (640 mi) away. The south face of Gurja Himal in the titular massif is also notably immense. The rock layers found at the summit of Dhaulagiri, as well as Everest, is made up of limestone and dolomite formed at the bottom of the ocean. The summits of the other eight-thousanders of the Himalayas are made up of granite that were formed deep underground. Dhaulagiri

120-1867: Is also available at some locations. Dhaulagiri Legend： 1： Mount Everest ,  2： Kangchenjunga ,  3： Lhotse ,  4： Yalung Kang, Kanchenjunga West ,  5： Makalu ,  6： Kangchenjunga South ,  7： Kangchenjunga Central ,  8： Cho Oyu ,  9： Dhaulagiri ,  10： Manaslu (Kutang) ,  11： Nanga Parbat (Diamer) ,  12： Annapurna ,  13： Shishapangma (Shishasbangma, Xixiabangma) ,  14： Manaslu East ,  15： Annapurna East Peak ,  16： Gyachung Kang ,  17： Annapurna II ,  18： Tenzing Peak (Ngojumba Kang, Ngozumpa Kang, Ngojumba Ri) ,  19： Kangbachen ,  20： Himalchuli (Himal Chuli) ,  21： Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, Dakura, Dakum, Dunapurna) ,  22： Nuptse (Nubtse) ,  23： Nanda Devi ,  24： Chomo Lonzo (Chomolonzo, Chomolönzo, Chomo Lönzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho) ,  25： Namcha Barwa (Namchabarwa) ,  26： Zemu Kang (Zemu Gap Peak) ,  27： Kamet ,  28： Dhaulagiri II ,  29： Ngojumba Kang II ,  30： Dhaulagiri III ,  31： Kumbhakarna Mountain (Mount Kumbhakarna, Jannu) ,  32： Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, Namu Nan) ,  33： Hillary Peak (Ngojumba Kang III) ,  34： Molamenqing (Phola Gangchen) ,  35： Dhaulagiri IV ,  36： Annapurna Fang ,  37： Silver Crag ,  38： Kangbachen Southwest ,  39： Gangkhar Puensum (Gangkar Punsum) ,  40： Annapurna III ,  41： Himalchuli West ,  42： Annapurna IV ,  43： Kula Kangri ,  44： Liankang Kangri (Gangkhar Puensum North, Liangkang Kangri) ,  45： Ngadi Chuli South Dhaulagiri , located in Nepal ,

144-600: Is also the highest point of the Gandaki river basin. Looking north from the plains of India, most 8,000-metre peaks are obscured by nearer mountains, but in clear weather, Dhaulagiri is conspicuous from northern Bihar and as far south as Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh . In 1808, survey computations showed it to be the highest mountain yet surveyed . This lasted until 1838 when Kangchenjunga took its place, followed by Mount Everest in 1858. Dhaulagiri I stands to

168-399: Is often blocked with snow and may be closed for days on end. Clouds prevail more frequently, but clear days are still common. Towards March the rhododendrons start flowering. This period is also when avalanches are most common. Because of the warming weather, April to May is the second most popular trekking season on the circuit. Most of the snow has melted. As the monsoon period builds toward

192-482: Is the seventh highest mountain in the world at 8,167 metres (26,795 ft) above sea level, and the highest mountain within the borders of a single country. It was first climbed on 13 May 1960 by a Swiss-Austrian-Nepali expedition. Annapurna I (8,091 m (26,545 ft)) is 34 km (21 mi) east of Dhaulagiri. The Kali Gandaki River flows between the two in the Kaligandaki Gorge , said to be

216-467: Is the most popular hiking season in Nepal. Though the weather is generally warm, nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. This is the busiest period on the circuit and tea houses book up very quickly. This is the coldest period on the circuit. Depending on the altitude, daytime temperatures will be cold and nighttime temperatures drop well below freezing. Thorung La Pass, which stands at over 5,400 meters,

240-523: The Marsyangdi river valley and Muktinath on the Kali Gandaki side. Of the trek's original 23 days, only 2 sections of 2-3 walking days in the length of the trek are now without a motor road, namely Thorong La pass and the section over Ghorepani/Poon Hill. In some places, new trails and routes have been marked so that the road can be partly avoided. The existence of the road has nevertheless changed

264-519: The area into Tibet, the local populace and the Nepal army were settled. The original trek started from the market town of Dhumre situated at the Kathmandu - Pokhara highway and ended in Pokhara, and took about 23 days to complete. Road construction started in the early 1980s both from Dhumre to the north and from Pokhara to the west and then up the Kali Gandaki valley. The road has now reached Manang on

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288-506: The area, appearance, and atmosphere of the villages. The road facilitates transport, increasing the popularity of mountain biking in the area. Since 2011, companies in Muktinath and Jomsom rent out mountain bikes to tourists. As the road sees very little traffic, one can ride downhill (dirt road and/or single track) from Muktinath to Tatopani and descend almost 3000 meters in 2–3 days. New areas near Annapurna have been opened for trekkers in

312-605: The classic route of the Circuit, from Besisahar to Nayapul, in 68 hours and 22 minutes. In October 2014, a sudden blizzard killed over 43 people, half of whom were Nepalese. It was caused by the tail end of a dying cyclone that had ravaged the eastern coast of India; there were about 350 hikers caught in the blizzard. Multiple locations of the trek circuit now have a mobile network connection. This multi-district circuit's trekkers can use wireless internet across different districts like Kaski, Myagdi, Lamjung, and Mustang. Cellular 3G

336-563: The death rate was 1.63%, ranging from 0.65% on Cho Oyu to 4.04% on Annapurna I and 3.05% on Manaslu . Tsum Valley The Tsum Valley is a valley situated in Gorkha district of western Nepal at an altitude of 2,000 to 3,500 m (6,600 to 11,500 ft). The valley lies inside the jurisdiction of the Manaslu Conservation Area which was established in 1998. The valley has 33 villages with 529 households and

360-617: The east of the range which bears its name. Its sudden rise from lower terrain is almost unequaled—it rises 7,000 m (22,970 ft) from the Kali Gandaki River 30 km to the southeast, while the South and West faces rise precipitously over 4,000 m (13,120 ft). Such is its vertical relief that despite being closer to Cho Oyu and Mount Everest , it is the only one of the Nepali eight-thousanders whose prominence parent

384-471: The end of May, the days become hotter and more humid. This is the monsoon period. Whilst the south section of the Annapurna Circuit near Pokhara gets a lot of rain, the northern parts often receive less than 10% of the precipitation due to their location within a rain shadow . The Annapurna area was opened to foreign trekkers in 1977 after the disputes between Khampa guerrillas operating from

408-482: The low foothills to the Tibetan culture of Manang Valley and lower Mustang. Continuing construction of a road has shortened the trail and changed the villages. The Beisahar-Manag road has been built which passes through the trekking trail much of the time. With the construction of roads, mountain biking is becoming popular, with Mustang, in particular. The trek usually takes about 15–20 days, leaving from Kathmandu with

432-439: The new roads. The NATT trails are way-marked blue and red, as opposed to the red and white of the original trail. While trekking in the Himalayas in the wet season is generally not possible, much of the Annapurna circuit sits within a rain shadow , so it is possible to trek most parts of the circuit year-round, including during the monsoon period. However, the days are often damp and many of the views are obscured by clouds. This

456-491: The north from Tadapani and rejoins the old circuit at either Ghandruk or Landruk. In recent years, up to 75% of the original Annapurna Circuit route has been impacted by the construction of new roads linking the region's villages. In response, Nepalese trekking guide Prem Rai has led the creation of the Natural Annapurna Trekking Trails (NATT), consisting of various side routes that avoid much of

480-765: The past years, such as Upper Mustang, Nar-Pho Valley, Manaslu, and Tsum Valley . Currently, trekking in these areas is restricted and subject to extra permits, costs, and other limitations. In October 2014, Seth Wolpin achieved the fastest known time in 72 hours and 4 minutes. He started in Besisahar and finished in Nayapull, following all the New Annapurna Trekking Trails. It is reported that time has been recently surpassed by Greek athlete and philanthropist Lefteris Paraskevas, who, in May 2017 completed

504-638: The population is 1,810. The lower part of the valley is steep and has less settlement. The Tsumba are the indigenous people of the valley. They practice both Bon and Buddhism . The government of Nepal lists TSUM valley as a restricted region for foreigners to present the local traditions of Bon and the Buddhist people of these villages. People in Tsum Valley Residents of Tsum Valley are called Tsumbas and are of Tibetan origin. Tsumbas have their unique dialect called Tsumke or Tsumba, which

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528-462: The so-called "Pear" buttress) and the South Face. The latter is often regarded as one of the greatest remaining challenges in alpinism. As of 2007, there had been 358 successful ascents and 58 fatalities , which is a summit to a fatality rate of 16.2%. Between 1950 and 2006, 2.88% of 2,016 expedition members and staff going above base camp on Dhaulagiri I died. On all 8,000 metre peaks in Nepal

552-518: The world's deepest. The town of Pokhara is south of the Annapurnas, an important regional center and the gateway for climbers and trekkers visiting both ranges as well as a tourist destination in its own right. Dhaulagiri (धौलागिरी) is the Nepali name for the mountain which comes from Sanskrit where धवल (dhawala) means dazzling, white, beautiful and गिरि (giri) means mountain. Dhaulagiri I

576-538: Was the penultimate eight-thousander to be summitted, and the final in Nepal. As its other routes are disproportionately dangerous, most ascents have followed the Northeast Ridge route of the first ascent, but climbs have been made from most directions. As of 2024, the two aspects which have repelled all attempts along their full length are the Northwest Ridge (though it has been climbed to the summit via

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