Why You Should NOT Hike the Annapurna Circuit
Reading Time: 6 minutes The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal is one of the country’s most well-known treks. Perhaps second only to Everest Base Camp, every year, trekkers from across the world flock to the country with hopes of walking in a circle around the world’s tenth-highest mountain.
That said, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and if you’re planning a trip to Nepal, you should look elsewhere for your hiking fix—particularly if you’re only going to do one trek during your time in the country.
If you’re considering the Annapurna Circuit or trying to decide between Annapurna and something else, I hope this article helps you decide.
Trekking in Nepal with World Alpine Treks
Book your guided Annapurna Circuit Trek and Annapurna Base Camp Trek with the best local company. World Alpine Treks offers the best trekking packages including major expenses such as Accommodation, meals, guide and porter, flight, ground transportation by private tourist vehicle, required permit, etc.
The Road
If you’ve been researching the Annapurna Circuit, chances are that you’ve heard about “the road.”
The road is exactly what it sounds like—an unpaved road allowing vehicle traffic up and down the valley. Buses from Kathmandu will take you as far as Besi Shahar, at the southeast corner of the trek. However, from here, many trekkers now take jeeps as far north as Dharapani—nearly 26 mi / 42 km north on the trek.
But the road continues. It stretches up to Manang – just under 14 mi / 23 km shy of Thorung La, the 17,769 ft / 5,416 m pass and the pinnacle of many Annapurna Circuit treks. Once you cross the pass (assuming the typical westward crossing), the road begins again just 5.5 mi / 9 km down the trail at Muktinath. The road on the western side of the Annapurna Circuit runs the entire length of the western half of the trek from Muktinath south and is even busier than the road on the eastern side.
Many people fly back to Pokhara or Kathmandu from Jomsom – 17.5 mi / 28 km after crossing the pass. The western half of the trek doesn’t feel much like you’re trekking through the mountains.
The Horns
If you’ve researched more, you may yell, “But the trail and the road are different! You aren’t just walking on the road the entire time!” Yes, this is true; you are not simply walking on the road the entire time – although many times you are.
Sometimes, you’re on a trail next to the road, sometimes, you’re on a trail cutting switchbacks in the road, and sometimes, you’re even on the other side of the river than the road. All these are good things, but not being physically on the road doesn’t save you from one of the road’s most horrible features – the insufferable and incessant honking of what can only be described as crazy circus vehicle horns.
I haven’t looked into the reasoning behind this, but for some reason, it seems that all the buses and trucks in Nepal have been outfitted with absurdly loud horns. And we’re not talking “honk honk” or “meep meep” horns. Apparently, Woody Woodpecker wrote the noises these horns make, and the drivers simply hold them down, continuing to blast their songs throughout the valleys.
Sometimes, even being on the other side of the river won’t save you from the horns. They may be novel, funny, or even entertaining initially, but I promise you, they get old quickly.
Annapurna Circuit Teahouses
Like all the popular treks in Nepal, the Annapurna Circuit is a teahouse trek. This is to say it requires no camping and trekkers will not only be able to sleep indoors each night, but they’ll also cook your meals and sell you snacks.
Teahouse trekking is great, but my gripe here isn’t with the teahouses. Instead, it’s with how the teahouses operate. I’ve trekked all over Nepal, and the Annapurna Region is the only place I’ve ever been hounded by people to come and stay in their teahouses. I could only come up with the much-antiquated term “barker” to describe these people and what they do, but if you’ve ever been to a tourist-heavy city, you probably know what I’m talking about.
The villages are great, but I don’t want to have to be yelled at by shop owners to come and buy food or stay in their guesthouses; this is one of the things I like to imagine I left behind in Kathmandu.
I’m not saying this is the only place in Nepal where you’ll find people doing this, nor am I saying this is guaranteed to happen to you. I am saying it happened to me – only in the Annapurna Region – and for that reason, the Annapurna Circuit has fallen further down on my list of recommended hikes in Nepal.
Annapurna Circuit Crowds
Because the Annapurna Circuit is so popular, it’s also where you’ll also find some of the biggest crowds – particularly during the fall trekking season.
There’s nothing inherently bad about crowds, but it can mean longer waits for meals, more searching for lodging (maybe someone yelling at you will actually help here), a less intimate experience with the locals, and a feeling that you’re just on a conveyor belt of trekkers instead of being out on an adventure of your own.
If crowds are your thing, go for it. But if you’re looking for a more unique adventure in Nepal, I would advise looking elsewhere.
A Final Note
The point of this post is not to say that the Annapurna Circuit is terrible and that it shouldn’t be hiked by anyone ever. People will continue to hike and love the Annapurna Circuit. That said, if I was advising a friend who wanted to go to Nepal to hike and they were only going to hike one thing, I would strongly advise against the Annapurna Circuit.
It feels like it’s going more the way of the Camino de Santiago. A great adventure? Sure. A wilderness experience? Kinda, sorta.
Did I hike the Annapurna Circuit? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was I also in Nepal for four months and simply looking for things to check off the “Treks in Nepal” list? Yes.
I’m sure you can find people who disagree with everything I’ve said here. Sure, these people are wrong, but feel free to listen to them, if you must. Just be sure to come back here and let me know what you think of the Annapurna Circuit once you’ve hiked it.
it’s been a year since I hiked The AC. I enjoyed it and if asked would not deter people from doing it. But by and large I agree with your comments and would say my takeaways from my near 3 weeks in Nepal are :
1) Compulsory guides on AC are unnecessary but everyone is meant to have them. I fully understand that the importance to the local economy but i would say 50% of other hikers we met were still hiking independently and seemingly unchallenged. The paths are marked, there are abundant numbers of teahouses and the large no. of people hiking effectively eliminate navigational jeopardy. The Guides try to stick to set day schedules some of which are very short and may entail no more than 3-4 hours hiking a day meaning any reasonably fit people could have their daily activity over by early afternoon. I understand the need to aclimitize gradually but on a number of days I felt we hadn’t really got going before we’d stopped.
2) The East side boasts unbelievable scenery especially around Pisang and Manang. The views just around these villages are incredible and merit the hike for a first time Himalayan hiker like me. My advice is to stay as long on the East side as possible. Start Jagat or before to build up the apprehension and aclimitize slowly. When up high around Manang – definitely do the Ice Lake. My biggest regret is not doing Tilicho Lake which would have kept me up high on the East side for 2 or 3 days longer.
3) The ‘Road’ is something you are aware of on the East Side but it did not bother me unduely past Dharapani. On the West side it dominates everything. it’s ugly and dangerous and there is a lot of traffic including buses and lorries. There are footpaths which run concurrent to it and should be used where possible. We escaped it at Tatopani to hike up to Ghoedepani and Poon Hill. It seems like a lot of people stop at Jomson to bus or fly back to Pokhara. If you’re start at Jagat to finish at Jomson you could do the Trek in about 8 days I reckon.- maybe bolt on another 2 or 3 to do the Lakes on the East side.
4) Peak season is April/May and October November. We did May. You will meet a lot of people from all around the World and everyone is friendly. You can usually see people walking ahead of, and behind, you. Lonely Planet it is not.
5) Kathmandu is crowded, noisy and a bit dirty. it’s a lot of fun and you can feel the Trekking bug as the majority of trekkers fly in there and start their trip from there. Pokhara is a lot more relaxed. the lake is serene. there’s a lot of outdoor stuff to get involved in if you want to. Views are immense. Worth spending a bit of time here after the Trek. Flying between the two cities costs max $100 and saves a very bumpy 10 hour bus ride
6) Subsequent to the AC i’m less inclined to do Everest Base Camp hike now which I think is a lot more crowded. My AC Guide suggests Manaslu Circuits as a highly scenic much less crowded alternative to Annpaurna Circuit.
Annapurna’s scenic variety is spectacular and, given good weather, provides a wonderful introduction to hiking in Nepal. The road to Dharapani impacts the early days of the trek, as does the hydro plant construction. It also means the trek can be undertaken with a shorter itinerary. Your comments on the section from Muktinath to Jomsom are very fair. The Mustang valley scenery is raw and the path coincides with the road often. Views from the Annapurna circuit are wonderful and will etch themselves in your memory, the villages are welcoming and accommodation good compared to more remote treks. IMHO for those with 8-9 days Annapurna is a great option. Take transport to Dharapani, trek to Muktinath and then drive to Pokhara. The other treks mentioned above are more remote, harder or take longer.
Very interesting read. I hiked the circuit forty years ago and it was an amazing experience. Sounds as though it’s changed a lot now, I guess the donkey trains are a thing of the past! But we met so many people carrying back- breaking loads , so I’m sure for them the road is a godsend.
I wonder how much has changed since I first wrote this. I’m interested in checking it out again on my next visit to Nepal for the Great Himalaya Trail.
I dunno… did the Annapurna Circuit 2 years ago. Yes, there are roads but also many beautiful side trails. So in reality it`s not too bad and the diversity of the landscape is still marvellous.
Also, you won´t find wilderness hiking in Nepal anyway, at least not on the popular treks that have a name. There are people living all over these mountains. For them the roads are a godsend. You can`t expect them to live stuck in the middle-ages for all eternity just because it looks pretty for the tourists.
You most certainly can find wilderness hiking in Nepal.
And I’m not saying the roads shouldn’t be there; I’m just letting people know that if they want the historical Annapurna Circuit experience, they’re not going to find it any longer.
Hi,
Can you recommend an alternative hike in Nepal, for example if you had the opportunity to do just 1 trek?
Thanks
Honestly, hard to say without knowing someone’s fitness level and what kind of hike they’re looking for.
I have long resisted the urge to go back to Annapurna for all the reasons you’ve shared in this article. I did it solo by mountain bike in 1990 and had the most amazing experience. I know some people regard the road as ‘progress’ and am sure it helps the villages up the valley on both sides of the mountain in many ways…
The observation I make is there are parts of the world that would ‘protect’ this environment as a national park and do everything to retain the natural beauty of the region. There are parts of the world with protected areas where you can only get in by foot with limited or no vehicle access.
I find it incredibly sad to think of all the road noise spoiling what was once one of the worlds greatest treks.
Is that really progress?
I think doing it on a bike would be a lot more awesome than hiking it at this point. Excellent suggestion.
How about the Annapurna Sanctuary trek, would you recommend that instead?
Unfortunately, I haven’t been up there so I can’t speak on it.
Gawd. What twenty years of development can do. I did the trek in 2001 and loved it. Walked all the way in and all the way out. The roads were just starting to be built. Sounds as though it’s a circus now.
Is a circus a bad thing? Do you think your visit helped fuel what it has become? Are we upset the people living there now have roads leading to their homes?
Ik liep het Annapurna Circuit in april 2019. Wij kwamen heel weinig mensen tegen. Wij liepen vanaf Tal tot Jomsom, 11 dagen. Het was een fantastische ervaring. Ik weet niet wat er veranderd is sinds 2019. Ik zal iedereen aanraden het Annapurna Circuit te lopen! De uitzichten zijn echt bizar mooi. De gastvrijheid is prima. Een aanrader dus, zonder enige twijfel.
I also hiked the Annapurna before it became a tourist attraction and it was life changing. It is intensely sad to read your article and that Annapurna now has gone the way of so many gorgeous hikes including Mt. Everest, Kilimanjaro, etc
It’s a bit different from some other places in the world as people actually live all along the Annapurna Circuit. I would wager that there’s some contention within the local communities regarding the road—which could be a good and a bad thing, I suppose.
I appreciate your sharing your honest opinion ! Very helpful blog post
Hope you have fun out there! (Assuming you’re going to Nepal)
I think you should do a bit more reading on this website about Nepal before you start getting upset at people for having opinions.
Fortunately for me before ‘the road’ was built I was very lucky to trek APC. It was one of the highlights of my amazing life experiences, perhaps the greatest adventure. I feel sure ‘the road’ has taken away a lot of the solitude I remember on the trek.
A good Informative post. Thanks.
What a treat!
I am also grateful that I did it before the road, back in April 1994. We were 3 women friends, hiking in long skirts to be respectful, as Nepali women did not wear pants/western clothes then. We carried our packs but hired a Nepali guide to hike with, which enabled us to meet and hike with other Nepalis along the way. Our tea house food was simple as it was pretty much grown locally. Many fond memories of that great adventure.
Dear Mac, Thanks for this article (we are flying form Brazil) and it would be our first trek (we are beginners around 60 years old). What circuit would you recommend since this would be our silver bullet trekking trip.
The Manaslu Circuit is a great alternative to Annapurna. You’re required to have a guide for Manaslu. Everest Base Camp is also an achievable trek if you aren’t committed to doing something that’s a circuit. Boa sorte!
When did you write this? Wondering if it got much worse after Covid or if tourists actually decreased making it a more pleasant experience…
I hiked the Annapurna Circuit before COVID.
Walking the Annapurna Circuit was one of the great experiences of my life. I made a Nepalese friend who translated for me and negotiated at tea houses. For this he didn’t charge me–he judged that getting a lot of experience speaking English made his time and effort worthwhile.
Happy to hear you had a great time!
Wow! I had no idea any of this had happened. I hike the circuit in 97 and it was without a doubt one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Passing barely any other hikers and having the opportunity to experience its serenity. It definitely wouldn’t feel the same anymore. Where else in Nepal would you suggest to trek that is a circuit and that doesn’t have a road going around the whole thing?
Thanks :)
This was an interesting article- always good to get some info about the potential downsides of a given trip. Do you have other Nepal treks you’d recommend based on your experience, if say someone was to plan 2-3 weeks in Nepal?
The Three Passes Trek or the Manaslu Circuit + Tsum Valley (guide required) are both good alternatives to Annapurna.