The Annapurna Circuit carries real risk
This is not a formality. The Annapurna Circuit crosses Thorong La at 5,416 m, higher than anything in western Europe, in a country where mountain rescue means a helicopter and a credit card rather than a phone call. People are injured on this trek every season and people have died on it.
The risks we cannot remove, only manage:
- Altitude sickness. AMS, and in its severe forms HACE and HAPE, can affect fit and unfit trekkers alike, is not predictable from your training, and can be fatal. See our altitude sickness guide.
- Weather. Thorong La closes in snow. An unseasonal storm in October 2014 killed more than 40 people in the Annapurna region, many on or near the pass.
- Terrain. Landslide ground, exposed traverses, loose scree and long descents, walked for hours a day.
- Remoteness. Above Manang there is no road, no hospital and, in places, no phone signal.
You take these risks on when you book. Your guide may order you to descend, turn back or abandon the pass, and that decision is final. It is the single most important safety control we have and it is not negotiable in the moment.
Nothing on this site is medical advice
We are trekking guides. We are not doctors, and the guidance on this site, including everything we write about acclimatisation, Diamox and the symptoms of altitude sickness, is general information written from years on the trail. It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified medical professional who knows your history.
If you take regular medication, have a heart, lung or blood condition, are pregnant, or have had altitude sickness before, talk to your GP or a travel clinic before you book, and tell us as well. Your guide can only help with what they know about.
Accuracy of the information here
We write this site ourselves, from the route we actually guide, and we correct it when we find it wrong. Our editorial policy explains how.
Even so, the Circuit changes. Roads are extended, trails are rerouted after landslides, lodges open and close, and permit rules are set by the Nepali authorities and can change without notice. Walking times, altitudes and distances on this site are honest figures for a typical group in good conditions, not guarantees, and your day will differ with weather, pace and fitness.
We give no warranty that every figure here is current at the moment you read it. Where a decision matters, ask us and we will confirm it in writing.
Prices and availability
Prices shown on this site are indicative starting prices in GBP for two trekkers sharing, and they move with group size, season and which itinerary you choose. A price becomes binding only when we send you a written confirmation naming your dates, your itinerary and the total.
What is included and excluded is set out in full on the cost page. Deposits, refunds and cancellation are on the terms page, which is the binding version.
Links to other websites
We link to outside sources where they are better than anything we could write, including the FCDO, the Himalayan Rescue Association and the Nepali permit authorities. We do not control those sites and we are not responsible for their content or their accuracy.
We also link to our own sister sites and to 6knepaltreks.com, our brand hub. Those are ours and the same standards apply.
Photography on this site
The photographs here are our own, taken on the Annapurna Circuit by our guides and guests. They show real conditions on the route, and they are not stock images of a different mountain range.
We do not publish photographs of identifiable trekkers without their permission. If you appear in an image here and would rather not, email info@annapurnacircuittrek.co.uk and we will take it down, without argument and without asking why.
See also our terms and conditions, our privacy notice and our contact page.
Last updated: August 2026.
