Annapurna Conservation Area
Nepal's most visited trekking region — from the legendary Annapurna Circuit to short sunrise treks, all beneath an 8,000m wall of ice and rock.
Trails
5
Best Season
October-November, March-May
Best visited in autumn and spring.autumn: best, -10°C to 12°C. Premier trekking season. All routes at their best. Book tea houses and permits well in advance. Dashain festival adds culture. monsoon: avoid, 2°C to 18°C. Heavy rain on south slopes. Upper Mustang side stays dry. Leeches prolific below treeline. Most routes inadvisable. spring: best, -8°C to 15°C. Nepal's most popular trekking area in bloom. All major routes (Circuit, ABC, Poon Hill, Mardi, Khopra) accessible. winter: possible, -18°C to 5°C. High passes may close. Lower routes (Ghorepani, Ghandruk loop) still accessible. Very cold but crystal clear.
Best Time to Visit
Heavy rain on south slopes. Upper Mustang side stays dry. Leeches prolific below treeline. Most routes inadvisable.
How to Get There
Primary gateway is Pokhara. Trailheads at Nayapul/Birethanti (Poon Hill, ABC, Khopra), Kande (Mardi Himal, Australian Camp), Besisahar (Annapurna Circuit), and Jomsom (Upper Mustang, Kali Gandaki).
Permit Information
ACAP permit (NPR 3,000 for foreigners) and TIMS card (NPR 2,000) required for all treks within the conservation area.
The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) is Nepal's largest protected area at 7,629 square kilometers and the most visited trekking region in the country, welcoming over 100,000 trekkers annually. Established in 1986 and managed by NTNC, the area encompasses the entire Annapurna massif and its surrounding valleys.
The region offers an extraordinary range of trekking options: the Annapurna Circuit (one of the world's greatest long-distance treks), the Annapurna Base Camp trek (into a spectacular mountain amphitheater), the Poon Hill trek (Nepal's quintessential short trek), the Mardi Himal trek (a dramatic ridgeline approach to Machhapuchhre), and the community-managed Khopra Ridge trek.
The ACA spans climate zones from subtropical to arctic, and cultural zones from Hindu lowlands through Gurung and Magar villages to Tibetan-influenced settlements near the Tibetan border. The diversity of landscape, culture, and trekking difficulty within a single conservation area is unmatched anywhere in the Himalayas.
The three to know
★ 01Annapurna Circuit
A 160 km, 15-day circumnavigation of the Annapurna massif, crossing the 5,416 m Thorong La from Gurung river valleys into the Kali Gandaki gorge.
★ 02Annapurna Base Camp Trek
A trek into one of the most spectacular mountain amphitheaters on Earth — a 360-degree ring of giant peaks above 7,000m.
★ 03Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek
Nepal's quintessential short trek — one of the world's most famous sunrise viewpoints with an unobstructed panorama of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna massif.
Full index
- ★Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek50 km4 days→
- ★Annapurna Base Camp Trek75 km10 days→
- ★Mardi Himal Trek50 km6 days→
- 03Khopra Danda Trek60 km7 days→
- ★Annapurna Circuit160 km15 days→
Location
Elsewhere in this region
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