Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost

Quick answer: A guided Annapurna Circuit Trek with Places Nepal costs $820 per person for our group-joining departures (up to 7 trekkers per group). For private trips, the price ranges from $720–$990 per person, depending on your group size.

On top of any package price, plan separately for your Nepal visa ($30–$125), travel insurance with high-altitude evacuation cover ($50–$150), and roughly $200–300 in personal spending money for the trail. Government permits (ACAP, plus a TIMS card we still arrange as a precaution — see below) run about $34 total and are already built into our price.b  

This guide breaks down our own pricing, what it includes, what a porter actually costs, how the full classic circuit compares to the shorter version most people book, current fixed departure dates, and a simple way to estimate your own total trip budget.

Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost at a Glance

Trek the Annapurna Circuit Trek

A legendary high-altitude trek in Nepal that encircles the Annapurna Massif, offering dramatic scenery, diverse cultures, and the iconic crossing of Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters.

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What Determines How Much the Annapurna Circuit Trek Costs

Before the numbers, it helps to know what's actually moving the price around, because "the Annapurna Circuit costs $X" is close to meaningless without context. Five things decide your final figure:

Which version of the circuit you walk. This is the single biggest lever. Our 10-day itinerary uses jeep transfers on both ends to skip roughly five days of lower-valley walking, which is why it costs less in absolute terms than the classic 14–18 day version quoted elsewhere. Fewer trekking days means fewer nights of guide wages, porter wages, and teahouse rooms to pay for — not a lower-quality trek, a shorter one.

Group size. Guide wages, jeep transfers, and permit processing are largely fixed costs whether one person or fifteen people are on the trip, so per-person price drops as the group grows.

Guide arrangement. Since April 2023, a licensed guide has been legally mandatory in the Annapurna Conservation Area — there is no legal "no guide" version of this trek anymore. Whether that guide's wage is bundled into a package price or paid separately to a freelance guide you hire yourself changes how your total cost is structured, but it doesn't disappear as a line item.

Season. Package prices themselves generally hold steady across seasons, but personal spending on the trail — teahouse rooms, Wi-Fi, hot showers — can tick up during the October–November rush when the busiest lodges fill fast.

How much support you want. A porter, a side trip to Tilicho Lake, a private room instead of twin-share, a domestic flight instead of a jeep transfer — every one of these is optional, and every one has a real price attached.

Places Nepal's Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost

We run our 10-day Annapurna Circuit Trek two ways: as a private group on dates you choose, or as a fixed group departure on our published calendar. Both include the same guide, permits, teahouse accommodation, meals, and transport — the only difference is whose schedule you're working around.

Private Group Departure — you choose the dates

Trek the Annapurna Circuit Trek

A legendary high-altitude trek in Nepal that encircles the Annapurna Massif, offering dramatic scenery, diverse cultures, and the iconic crossing of Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters.

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Fixed Group Departure — our best solo and small-group rate

$820 per person, flat, on our published departure dates, regardless of exactly how many trekkers end up on that date. A private solo booking runs $990; joining a fixed departure instead costs $820 — a $170 saving — with a set calendar date as the only real trade-off.

Annapurna Circuit cost for two people

Booking as a pair puts you in the 2–5 person private tier: $820 per person, $1,640 total for the package. Add a shared porter ($125 each instead of $250 solo) and shared personal-spending logic — two people don't need two power banks or two sets of trekking poles — and travelling as a pair is consistently one of the most cost-efficient ways to do this trek.

Annapurna Circuit cost for a family or private group

Private groups of 6–10 pay $790 per person; 11 or more drops to $720 per person. A family of four, for example, falls in the 2–5 tier at $820 each ($3,280 total for the package). Larger multi-generational or friend groups booking 6+ together should ask about custom itinerary adjustments — slower pacing days, extra rest days, or altered accommodation arrangements — since private group bookings can be tailored in ways fixed departures can't.

Porter service — optional, $250 for the whole trek

Not included by default. One porter carries up to 20 kg, shared between two trekkers — 10 kg each. Split the cost with a trekking partner and it works out to roughly $125 per person for ten days of not carrying your own pack over Thorong La.

What's Actually Included in That Price

• An experienced, licensed Annapurna-region trekking guide
• Twin-sharing teahouse accommodation for every night on the trek
• One night in a 3-star hotel in Pokhara (twin-sharing, with breakfast)
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on every trekking day, plus one cup of tea or coffee with breakfast
• ACAP permit and a TIMS card (both arranged before you arrive at the trailhead — see Permit Costs)
• Airport pickup and hotel transfer in Kathmandu
• Tourist bus from Kathmandu to Besisahar, shared jeep to Dharapani
• Shared jeep from Jomsom to Pokhara, deluxe tourist bus back to Kathmandu
• A farewell dinner, government taxes and service charges
• A trekking cap and duffel bag, a trip completion certificate
• A first-aid kit and pulse oximeter, carried by your guide
• Rescue and evacuation coordination — the cost of the rescue itself is covered by your own travel insurance, not the package

What's Not Included — Budget for These Separately

• International flights to and from Kathmandu
• Nepal entry visa fee ($30–$125 depending on duration)
• Porter service (optional, $250)
• Extra hotel nights outside the fixed itinerary
• Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara (breakfast is covered on trek days; city meals are on you)
• Personal expenses: laundry, phone calls, Wi-Fi, souvenirs, bottled or boiled drinking water
• Tips for your guide and porter
• Travel and high-altitude insurance with emergency evacuation coverage
• Hot showers, Wi-Fi, and device charging during the trek
• Anything not explicitly listed under "What's Included"

Permit Costs: ACAP and TIMS Explained

Every trekker on the Annapurna Circuit needs government paperwork in order. We arrange it before you leave Kathmandu, but it's worth understanding what you're actually paying for — and this is an area where a lot of information online, including some of our own older content, hasn't kept pace with how enforcement actually works in 2026.

ACAP: the permit every checkpoint checks

The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit is non-negotiable and actively enforced at every checkpoint from Besisahar through to Jomsom. It costs NPR 3,000 (about $25) for foreign nationals, NPR 1,000 (about $7–8) for SAARC nationals, and is free for Nepali citizens — children under 10 are exempt from the fee. Issued by the National Trust for Nature Conservation, it's a single-entry permit valid for the length of your trek, with no daily renewal to track.

TIMS: not enforced, not formally scrapped either

Here's the most accurate picture we can give you as of mid-2026, cross-checked against current trekking-industry sources rather than any single claim: TIMS is not checked at Annapurna Circuit trail checkpoints in practice. Since the April 2023 mandatory-guide rule came into force, checkpoints along this route verify ACAP and your guide's credentials — not a separate TIMS card.

What TIMS is not, despite what some sites claim, is formally and permanently abolished. The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) has continued to lobby the government to reinstate TIMS as compulsory nationwide, and that push hasn't been implemented as of 2026 — but it also hasn't been ruled out. This is genuinely a live, unsettled policy question, not a closed one.

Our approach: we still arrange and carry a TIMS card for every trekker, regardless of current enforcement. It costs roughly NPR 1,000 (about $9), it's useful for rescue coordination if something goes wrong, and it means you're never caught out if enforcement tightens again — which, given TAAN's ongoing push, is a real possibility rather than a hypothetical one. Think of it as cheap insurance against a policy that could change with little notice, not as a fee you're paying for something currently required.

Trek the Annapurna Circuit Trek

A legendary high-altitude trek in Nepal that encircles the Annapurna Massif, offering dramatic scenery, diverse cultures, and the iconic crossing of Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters.

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The guide requirement that reshaped the whole cost conversation

Since April 2023, trekking the Annapurna Circuit without a licensed guide has not been legal. This is the single biggest change to Annapurna Circuit trekking economics in over a decade — every legitimate quote you get, ours included, has a guide's wages built in somewhere, either bundled into a package price or paid as a day rate to a freelance guide you hire directly. Checkpoints check for it, on-the-spot fines for an unlicensed arrangement run into the hundreds of dollars, and travel insurers can deny high-altitude rescue claims if you were trekking outside the legally required setup.

Total government permit cost: roughly $34 per person, included in every Places Nepal package.

How to Trek the Annapurna Circuit: Every Route Option and What It Costs

"The Annapurna Circuit" isn't one fixed itinerary — it's a family of routes around the same massif, and which version you choose is the biggest single factor in your final cost.

The modern 10-day circuit (what most trekkers now book)

A shared jeep covers Kathmandu to Besisahar to Dharapani on Day 1, trading roughly five days of lower Marsyangdi valley walking for a single long transport day. What's left is the circuit's essential arc: Dharapani through Chame, Pisang, and Manang, then Yak Kharka, Thorong Phedi or High Camp, the Thorong La crossing at 5,416 m, Muktinath, and a jeep out through Jomsom to Pokhara. Total trekking distance: roughly 100 km over 7 trekking days. This is the itinerary priced above.

The classic full circuit (14 days with Places Nepal; 12–18 days industry-wide)

Walking the entire loop from Besisahar adds roughly five days of forest and terraced-farmland walking before joining the route above. Total distance for the full loop runs 160–230 km depending on the exact extension. We run this as a 14-day full-walking itinerary on request — same guide standards, teahouse network, and permit handling as the 10-day version, just without the Day 1 jeep transfer. The cost increase comes down to simple math: more guide days, more porter days, more teahouse nights.

Popular extensions

Tilicho Lake branches off from Manang to Tilicho Base Camp (3,734 m) and the lake itself at 4,919 m. Adds roughly 2–3 days. See our standalone Tilicho Lake Trek if considering it separately.

Poon Hill via Ghorepani and Tatopani is the classic finish for trekkers doing the full circuit. Adds roughly 3–4 days. See our Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek if considering it as its own trip.

Daily Trail Costs Beyond the Package

Realistic total for personal extras across a 10-day trek: $200–300.

If you're arranging teahouses and food yourself

Many teahouses discount the room heavily, or waive it entirely, if you eat all three meals there — a "$5 room" often assumes a $25–35 food spend at the same lodge.

Guide and Porter Costs, Independently

• Licensed guide: roughly $25–35 per day — $250–350 for a 10-day circuit, before your own room, food, and permits, plus the guide's food and lodging, which is customary to cover.
• Porter: roughly $20–30 per day, broadly in line with the $25/day rate built into our $250 flat porter fee.

Once you add a self-arranged guide's day rate to your own room, food, permits, and the guide's food and lodging, the gap between "independent" and an all-inclusive package narrows considerably — often to the point where the package is the better value once your own planning time is factored in.

Jeep vs. Bus: How Transportation Choice Affects Cost

Our package uses tourist bus and shared jeep transfers on both ends — the standard, cost-efficient combination most operators use. Upgrading to a fully private jeep for the Besisahar–Dharapani or Jomsom–Pokhara legs is possible on request for private group bookings, at an added cost quoted per vehicle rather than per person — ask us directly if door-to-door privacy matters more to you than the standard shared arrangement.

Gear Cost: Own, Rent, or Buy

Thamel has everything on this list, and rental is generally cheaper than buying for one-off items like a down jacket or sleeping bag you won't use again soon. Budget $50–150 if you're buying rather than renting or bringing gear from home — a wide range because it depends entirely on how much you already own.

How Season Affects Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost

Package prices with Places Nepal stay the same year-round — what changes seasonally is availability and personal spending.

• Autumn (late September–November) is peak season — clearest skies, most stable Thorong La conditions, busiest trail. Thorong Phedi and High Camp lodges fill fast. Personal costs can run slightly higher due to demand.
• Spring (March–May) is the strong second choice — rhododendron blooms, warmer days, slightly fewer crowds than autumn. Costs are broadly similar.
• Winter (December–February) isn't something we recommend or run as a standard departure — Thorong La is frequently snowbound and many high-altitude lodges close entirely.
• Monsoon (June–mid September) isn't recommended — the Besisahar–Dharapani jeep road is landslide-prone.

Annapurna Circuit Trek Cost: Budget vs Mid-Range vs Premium Operators

Our 10-day itinerary sits at $720–$990 largely because it's a shorter, jeep-assisted route rather than the full 12–18 day classic circuit most of the mid-range bracket represents — on a per-day basis, it's genuinely competitive with operators charging considerably more for a longer trip covering the same core landmarks.

A word on red flags

If a quote for a fully guided, fully inclusive Annapurna Circuit comes in dramatically below $700, ask specifically what's excluded before booking. Common corners cut at the very bottom of the market: an unlicensed or unofficial "guide" (a real legal and insurance risk), meals listed but not actually included, teahouses booked last-minute rather than reserved in advance, or a porter carrying loads well beyond the standard 20–25 kg safety limit.

Trek the Annapurna Circuit Trek

A legendary high-altitude trek in Nepal that encircles the Annapurna Massif, offering dramatic scenery, diverse cultures, and the iconic crossing of Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters.

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Annapurna Circuit vs. Everest Base Camp Cost

Annapurna is generally the more accessible option cost-wise, largely because it avoids Lukla flight costs and a more remote high-altitude supply chain — not because it's an easier trek. Duration and personal preference (classic Himalayan pass-crossing vs. the world's most famous base camp) matter more than price alone when choosing between them.

Annapurna Circuit vs. Manaslu Circuit Cost

Manaslu is the more permit-intensive and generally pricier route — it requires a Restricted Area Permit on top of MCAP and ACAP, and remoteness pushes up guide and porter logistics. Places Nepal's Manaslu Circuit Trek starts at $980 per person against Annapurna Circuit's $720 starting price, reflecting that additional permit layer and a longer standard itinerary. For a full breakdown, see our Manaslu Circuit Trek Cost guide and our Manaslu vs. Annapurna Circuit comparison.

Trek the Manaslu and Annapurna Circuit Trek

Two Legendary Trails. One Epic Himalayan Journey. Nepal's Most Complete High-Altitude Trekking Experience

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Places Nepal Group Joining Treks

One of the easiest ways to reduce your Annapurna Circuit Trek cost is to join an existing group departure rather than book a private solo trip. Fixed departures share a guide, share transportation, and share the fixed logistics costs of running the trek — bringing your solo rate down from $990 to $820 without you needing to find four other travelers yourself. You also get the social experience of trekking alongside other Places Nepal clients, which most solo travelers on a ten-day trip end up genuinely enjoying rather than tolerating.

Annapurna Circuit Group departures (26/27)

This is our current confirmed calendar, not the full list — several additional September and October 2026 dates are also open. View live departure dates and book →.

Estimate Your Annapurna Circuit Trek Budget

A simple planning framework — not a fixed quotation:

Three Real Total-Cost Scenarios

These map roughly onto three trekker profiles:

• Budget trekker — already owns gear, shares transport and porter costs, controls personal spending tightly. Closest to the solo/fixed-departure column above, minus a few of the extras.
• Comfortable trekker — uses the organized package as-is, adds a porter, spends moderately on drinks and extras. Closest to the pair/group columns above.
• Premium/private trekker — books a private group, adds private jeep transfers where available, upgrades accommodation where the route allows it. Expect a meaningful step above the group-of-6 figure, priced individually since private upgrades vary by request.

Notice what actually moves and what doesn't: the package price drops as the group grows, but visa, insurance, personal spending, and tips stay roughly flat per person regardless of group size.

How to Reduce Your Cost Without Cutting Corners That Matter

• Join a fixed departure instead of booking solo-private — $820 instead of $990.
• Split a porter with a trekking partner — $125 per person instead of $250 solo.
• Travel in a bigger private group if you already have the people — down to $720 at 11+.
• Skip optional side trips you're not genuinely drawn to.
• Bring gear from home instead of buying everything in Thamel.
• Withdraw all your cash in Kathmandu — ATMs are unreliable past Besisahar and non-existent above Chame.
• Don't try to save money by skipping insurance or a licensed guide — these are the two corners that turn a manageable cost into a genuinely catastrophic one if something goes wrong at altitude.

Trek the Annapurna Circuit Trek

A legendary high-altitude trek in Nepal that encircles the Annapurna Massif, offering dramatic scenery, diverse cultures, and the iconic crossing of Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Annapurna Circuit Trek cost in total? With Places Nepal, our 10-day guided package runs $720–$990 per person depending on group size, or $820 flat on a fixed departure. Add visa, insurance, and personal spending, and most trekkers land between $1,270 and $1,415 all-in before optional extras.

How much will the Annapurna Circuit cost in 2027? Our published 2027 fixed departures (March through May so far) are priced the same as 2026 at $820 per person — private group tiers are unchanged too, though prices are always subject to review, so confirm current rates at booking.

Is the Annapurna Circuit expensive? Not compared to most other major Nepal treks — it avoids Lukla flight costs and restricted-area permit layers, which keeps the starting price below both Everest Base Camp and Manaslu Circuit.

What is included in the Annapurna Circuit Trek price? Guide, teahouse accommodation, all meals on trek days, permits, all listed transportation, Pokhara hotel night, airport transfers, and a few extras like a trekking cap and completion certificate. See the full list above.

What is not included? International flights, visa fee, travel insurance, porter (optional), personal expenses, tips, and city meals in Kathmandu/Pokhara outside the itinerary.

How much are Annapurna permits? Roughly $34 total per person — ACAP (~$25) plus a TIMS card we still arrange as a precaution (~$9), both included in our package.

How much does a guide cost? Included in every Places Nepal package. Independently, a freelance licensed guide runs $25–35 per day.

How much does a porter cost? Optional, $250 for the whole 10-day trek, or about $125 per person if shared between two trekkers.

How much does accommodation cost? Included in the package (twin-sharing teahouses). Independently, budget teahouses run $5–15/night, standard ones $20–40/night.

How much does food cost? Included on trek days. À la carte, dal bhat runs roughly $3–5 with unlimited refills.

How much does transportation cost? Included — tourist bus and shared jeep transfers on both ends of the trek.

Is a jeep included in the trek package? Yes, shared jeep segments (Besisahar–Dharapani and Jomsom–Pokhara) are included. Private jeep upgrades are available on request for private group bookings.

How much cash should I carry? Roughly $200–250 in Nepali rupees for personal expenses across the 10 days, withdrawn in Kathmandu — ATMs become unreliable past Besisahar and don't exist above Chame.

Can I trek the Annapurna Circuit independently? Not without a guide — that hasn't been legal since April 2023. You can self-arrange accommodation and meals while still hiring a guide, but the cost savings versus a package are often smaller than expected once you add up guide fees, your own room and food, and lost planning time.

Is it cheaper to trek independently? Sometimes marginally, rarely significantly — once a mandatory guide's day rate, your own accommodation, food, and permits are added up, an all-inclusive package is frequently comparable or better value.

How much does it cost for two people? $820 per person, $1,640 total for the package, in the 2–5 person private tier.

How much does it cost for a solo trekker? $990 for a private solo booking, or $820 on a fixed group departure.

What are the hidden costs? Travel insurance, tips, visa fees, extra hotel nights, gear you don't already own, hot showers/Wi-Fi/charging on the trail, and a possible single-room supplement.

How much does travel insurance cost? $50–150 for two to three weeks, provided it covers trekking to at least 5,500 m with helicopter evacuation.

How much does trekking gear cost? $50–150 if buying rather than renting or bringing your own from home.

Is Thorong La included in the package? Yes — it's Day 8 of the standard 10-day itinerary, included in every package price.

Does the package include meals? Yes, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on every trek day.

Does the package include accommodation? Yes, twin-sharing teahouses throughout, plus one Pokhara hotel night.

Does the package include permits? Yes, ACAP and a TIMS card (see Permit Costs for the current TIMS nuance).

Does the package include transportation? Yes, all listed ground transfers between Kathmandu, the trailhead, and back.

How much should I budget per day? $20–30 for personal extras beyond the package, rising toward the higher end above Manang.

Is Annapurna cheaper than Everest Base Camp? Yes — our Annapurna Circuit starts at $720 against $1,260 for Everest Base Camp, largely due to EBC's Lukla flight costs and longer itinerary.

Is Annapurna cheaper than Manaslu? Yes — Annapurna starts at $720 against Manaslu's $980, reflecting Manaslu's additional restricted-area permit layer.

How can I reduce the cost? Join a fixed departure, share a porter, travel in a larger private group if possible, and skip side trips you're not genuinely drawn to.

Are group joining treks cheaper? Yes, for solo travelers and small groups specifically — $820 on a fixed departure versus $990 for a private solo booking.

What is the cheapest safe way to trek Annapurna? A fixed group departure with a shared porter, sensible personal spending, and no unnecessary side trips — without cutting the two things that actually matter for safety: a licensed guide and proper insurance.

Is a private trek more expensive? Only at small group sizes. A private group of 11+ actually beats the fixed-departure rate at $720 per person.

Can I customize the Annapurna Circuit itinerary? Yes, for private group bookings — including the 14-day classic full-walking version, Tilicho Lake or Poon Hill extensions, or a Nar Phu Valley combination.

What happens if I need extra accommodation? Extra hotel nights in Kathmandu or Pokhara outside the fixed itinerary aren't included and are billed separately or arranged directly with the hotel.

How much should I budget for emergencies? Beyond insurance (which should cover helicopter evacuation), a modest buffer of $100–200 covers an unplanned extra night or transport delay — not a formal package line item, just sensible planning.

Is the Annapurna Circuit worth the cost? For the landscape and cultural range covered in ten days — subtropical valleys, Tibetan Buddhist highland culture, a 5,416 m pass crossing, and Mustang's high desert — most trekkers who complete it consider it strong value relative to treks covering a narrower slice of the Himalaya for a similar price.