Annapurna Base Camp Trek 7 Days — Self-Launched

Sort your permits first thing: ACAP entry permit (about NPR 3,000 / £17) and TIMS card (about NPR 2,000 / £11) from the Nepal Tourism Board office on Lakeside Road in Pokhara — bring passport photos and cash. Then take a local bus or shared jeep from Pokhara's Baglung bus park towards Nayapul, and on to Kimche (roughly 2.5–3 hours, £4–6). Walk the stone steps from Kimche past Sauli Bazaar and Chane, crossing the Khumnu Khola on a suspension bridge, up to Ghandruk (about 2 hours). Dusk views of Machapuchare, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli from the village are the reward. Ghandruk has a Gurung museum and homestays if you want a non-teahouse night.

🚌Local bus/shared jeep Pokhara–Kimche, ~£5

🛏Teahouse in Ghandruk (twin room, shared bathroom) — £6–8

• →Buy ACAP permit + TIMS card in Pokhara
• →Trek Kimche – Sauli Bazaar – Chane – Ghandruk (~2 hrs)
• →Sunset views of Machapuchare, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli
• →Optional: Gurung Museum in Ghandruk

Descend steep stone staircases from Ghandruk to the Kyuri Khola river, then climb through terraced farmland and scattered Magar and Gurung villages (Kimrong Khola, Taulung, Chomrong) — about 5–6 hours of up-and-down walking. Buy a hot lemon at the tiny teahouses en route; Chomrong is the last big village before the sanctuary and the last place with proper shops and wifi. Register your permits at the ACAP checkpoint on the way in.

🚌On foot (no transport)

🛏Teahouse in Chomrong — £6–8

• →Descend to Kyuri Khola
• →Trek through terraced farmlands and Gurung/Magar villages
• →ACAP checkpoint registration at Chomrong

The trail plunges down to the Chomrong Khola on a huge staircase, then climbs the other side to Khuldighar and Sinuwa before entering the bamboo and rhododendron forest of the sanctuary. This is the day the landscape changes — cool, mossy and misty. Around 6–7 hours. Note: with the 7-day itinerary's tight schedule you'll be walking long days; if you have a spare day it's worth splitting this section. Sleep at Bamboo or push one hour further to Dovan.

🚌On foot (no transport)

🛏Teahouse in Bamboo — £5–7

• →Descend to Chomrong Khola
• →Climb to Khuldighar and Sinuwa
• →Walk bamboo and rhododendron forest

The big day: climb past Dovan, Himalaya, Deurali and Machapuchare Base Camp to ABC at 4,130m — around 7–8 hours, with altitude to respect. Go steadily, drink water, and watch for headaches. Arriving at ABC you're ringed by Annapurna I, Khangsar Kang, Gangapurna, Annapurna III and Machapuchare. Pay for a dorm or twin bed at one of the ABC lodges (expect higher prices here, £12–18 with a shared squat toilet) and eat an early dinner before the cold. Sunrise on Annapurna I from the moraine the next morning is the moment the whole trek is for.

🚌On foot (7–8 hrs)

🛏Teahouse dorm/twin at Annapurna Base Camp — £12–18

• →Trek Dovan – Himalaya – Deurali – MBC – ABC
• →Panorama of Annapurna I, Khangsar Kang, Gangapurna, Annapurna III, Machapuchare
• →Sunrise viewpoint on the ABC moraine

Climb the moraine for sunrise photos, then descend the whole way back through Machapuchare Base Camp and Deurali, following the Modi Khola gorge to Bamboo (about 5–6 hours downhill, tough on the knees — poles help). Easier day, good for acclimatising backwards. Alternatively stop earlier at Dovan if you're tired.

🚌On foot (5–6 hrs descent)

🛏Teahouse in Bamboo or Dovan — £5–7

• →Sunrise at ABC
• →Descend via MBC and Deurali along the Modi Khola
• →Hot shower and dal bhat at Bamboo/Dovan

Retrace the trail up to Sinuwa, then down the long staircase to Chomrong Khola and across to Jhinu Danda (about 5–6 hours). Drop your bag at a guesthouse and walk 20 minutes downhill to the riverside hot springs — three natural concrete pools above the Modi River, roughly NPR 150 entry — the single best muscle recovery in Nepal. Eat well, this is the last night on trail.

🚌On foot (5–6 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse in Jhinu Danda — £6–8

• →Trek Bamboo – Sinuwa – Chomrong Khola – Jhinu Danda
• →Soak in the Jhinu Danda hot springs above the Modi River (~£1 entry)

Short morning walk along the Modi Khola past New Bridge to Birethanti, then on to Nayapul (about 3–4 hours). Local jeep or bus from Nayapul back to Pokhara (1.5–2 hours, £2–4). In Pokhara: a Lakeside guesthouse, a cold Everest beer, and a long shower. If you booked a flight from Kathmandu at the end, the tourist bus Pokhara–Kathmandu takes 7–9 hours (£8–12) or a domestic flight is ~£60–90.

🚌On foot to Nayapul, then local bus/jeep to Pokhara ~£3; optional Pokhara–Kathmandu bus ~£10

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel dorm on Pokhara Lakeside — £7–10

• →Trek Jhinu Danda – New Bridge – Birethanti – Nayapul
• →Return transport to Pokhara
• →Lakeside sunset and celebratory dinner