View of Annapurna mountain range including Annapurna I

What's the elevation gain on the Annapurna Circuit?

Feb 15, 2024
Reading time: 3 minutes

On the Annapurna Circuit you ascend over two vertical kilometres from the starting village of Upper Pisang to Thorung La, the highest point at a heady 5,416 m (17,769 ft) above sea level. Here are the daily altitude gains to help you better prepare.

Annapurna Circuit trek
What's the elevation gain on Annapurna Circuit?

The Annapurna Circuit takes you deep into the Annapurna mountains, a spectacular portion of the Himalayas with some of the world's highest mountains, including Annapurna I in spot #10.

Mt Annapurna I at 8,091 m from Machapuchare base camp, Nepal

The ever-snow-clad Mt Annapurna I is 8,091 m above sea level

It's therefore important that you tackle the ascent slowly (over a few days) in order to avoid developing the altitude sickness. (If you're unfamiliar with altitude sickness, please read How to acclimatise for a trek in Nepal.)

You also need to be fit and have decent endurance to manage the long and at times steep ascents and descents.

Daily elevation gains on the Annapurna Circuit

The tables below show the altitude gain of each day on the Annapurna Circuit route as offered by Follow Alice – first in metres, then in feet. (Note that some operators start lower or higher along the traditional Annapurna Circuit route; we prefer to skip most of the way that you can now travel by car, offering only the remotest and most scenic section of the famed trail.)

Daily elevation gains in metres

 

StartHighest pointEnd

Day 1

Upper Pisang (3,300 m)

Ngawal (3,650 m)

Manang (3,540 m)

Day 2

Manang (3,540 m)

Kicho Tal (4,620 m) *

Manang (3,540 m)

Day 3

Manang (3,540 m)

NA

Manang (3,540 m)

Day 4

Manang (3,540 m)

NA

Yak Kharka (4,018 m)

Day 5

Yak Kharka (4,018 m)

NA

Thorung Phedi (4,450 m)

Day 6

Thorung Phedi (4,450 m)

Thorung La (5,416 m)

Ranipauwa (3,965 m)

 

* This is a roundtrip day hike to a very pretty high-altitude lake.

A couple standing between prayer flags at the top of Thorung La Pass, Annapurna Circuit Trek, Nepal

Celebratory shot at Thorung La!

 

Daily elevation gains in feet

 

StartHighest pointEnd

Day 1

Upper Pisang (10,827 ft)

Ngawal (11,975 ft)

Manang (11,614 ft)

Day 2

Manang (11,614 ft)

Kicho Tal (15,157 ft)

Manang (11,614 ft)

Day 3

Manang (11,614 ft)

NA

Manang (11,614 ft)

Day 4

Manang (11,614 ft)

NA

Yak Kharka (13,182 ft)

Day 5

Yak Kharka (13,182 ft)

NA

Thorung Phedi (14,600 ft)

Day 6

Thorung Phedi (14,600 ft)

Thorung La (17,769 ft)

Ranipauwa (13,008 ft)

 

Why we hang out in Manang for 3 nights

As you saw in the tables above, you spend three nights in the town of Manang early on in the trek to allow you to acclimatise properly.

Manang village, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Think you can handle spending a few nights here?

There are great day hikes you can do from Manang to higher elevations, which we encourage you to do as they help you to acclimatise (acclimate) even better before pushing on. The day hike to Kicho Tal is included as part of your itinerary, though it's up to you if you want to join or not.

Kicho Tal, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

The beautiful Kicho Tal is a great day's hike from Manang

For a full breakdown of the Annapurna Circuit route and how long you trek each day, please read What does the Annapurna Circuit route look like?