The Annapurna Circuit is without a doubt one of the world’s most iconic—and best—hikes. Depending on where you start your journey, you could be walking through stunning Himalayan valleys for up to 240km, so you should be prepared, right? Check out this list for 10 really useful Annapurna Circuit tips. P.S. I guarantee you need to read tip number 7.
My 10 must-see Annapurna Circuit tips
1. Pack like a pro (but light)
When trekking at extreme altitudes, it’s obvious that you need a lot of gear, but you should bear in mind that while you might feel comfortable walking with a 15-kg backpack at sea level, at 5500 m, it will feel like you’re carrying a 747 jet on your shoulders. Always prioritise the weight of each item, but don’t skimp on quality; there’s a balance that you need to strike.
2. Train beforehand
When you’re completing this journey of a lifetime and this bucket list item, you’re going to be putting your body through a lot of strain. Your cardio and muscle strength will be tested every step of the way, so in the same way you’d prepare for a marathon, you should prepare for this.
Train at altitude if possible.
Now I understand most of us don’t have a large mountain lying around near our house. If you do, congratulations! You’re one of the lucky few, and you should take advantage of this as much as possible.
If, like me, you live in a flat country in a city, you can simulate the strain of altitude (kinda). Personally, I spent a lot of time on a stair trainer in my gym with a 20-kg weighted vest on, just to simulate the strain of walking at altitude as much as possible. Depending on your budget, there are altitude training facilities in most large cities, but they’re not cheap; you have been warned!
Cardio, cardio, and more cardio
I’m going to be very vulnerable here. I hate all forms of cardio, and I purely lift weights in the gym normally. So this was very difficult for me, but you need to prioritise your cardiovascular fitness as much as possible. On the high point of Thorung La Pass, you’ll be sitting in the extreme altitude category and will only have 10% effective oxygen in the air, meaning you’ll be gasping for air most of the time.
The easiest way I can describe the feeling of breathing at that altitude is like trying to suck air through a slightly blocked straw while doing hard exercise. So you need to get your fitness up, make a training plan starting a few months out from your trip, and stick to it religiously.
Hike with a heavy pack
While not many of us have access to a high-altitude mountain near home, almost everyone will be able to hike somewhere. Why not enhance the benefits of this hike by carrying a heavy backpack? You could get a regular 65-litre backpack and fill it with books (I actually did this) or just wear a weighted vest if you have one. This will get you used to working hard and will do wonders for your cardiovascular system.
3. Bring spare cash for tipping or emergencies.
We live in an increasingly cashless world; in fact, back home, I never even carry a wallet. But when you’re up in the mountains, you can’t rely on something as simple as the internet being available. Also, if you’re in a restaurant and the waiter gives you incredible service, you’re not going to whip out your American Express and ask them to run your card, are you? Make sure you carry enough cash for your entire journey; the mountain towns are very safe (please still be careful).
Furthermore, there might come a time when you’re struggling and you need to get a porter. They won’t accept anything other than local money—no dollars, no pounds, no MasterCards, only rupees.
4. Know your altitude aids.
Altitude aids fall into one of two categories: natural and pharmaceutical. There are benefits to both, with pharmaceuticals obviously being the most effective. You should, however, hold off on the pharma option for as long as possible. The reason being that it will mask your symptoms of altitude sickness a lot more, which is great; it is what it is intended for after all. But it will make it harder for your guide to monitor your health.
Pharmaceutical
The most common medication you can take is Diamox; it’s easily available anywhere on earth that’s at a high altitude. You’ll likely be staying in Thamel before the trek; there’s a pharmacy on almost every street corner there; just nip into one and say you’re going trekking and you need medication for altitude.
The staff likely won’t speak good English, but they will know what you want and won’t overcharge you.
Believe it or not, you can also take Ibuprofen, which has been proven in this study by Grant Lipman at Stanford, to significantly reduce your chances of severe altitude sickness.
Natural
Ok, before I say this and you start rolling your eyes and sighing, keep in mind that this is what all of the Sherpas recommend and, through my personal experience, works.
Are you ready? Ok, it’s garlic soup. This is a meal that’s readily available in every Himalayan teahouse, and for good reason, it works. I don’t know the science behind it, and surprisingly, there’s a lack of credible research into the efficacy of garlic soup at extreme altitude, but trust me on this.
5. Pay extra for the tourist bus.
I’ve made many mistakes in my life, but only one has ever nearly cost me my life. When I was in Kathmandu and the day came to travel to Besisahar, I chose to cheap out and get the local bus. Knowing how mountainous the road ahead of me was, I should have seen how badly this would go when it rolled back on every hill start and failed to start every time the engine turned off.
But about an hour outside of Kathmandu, when we were meandering through what I can only describe as a mountainous Garden of Eden, disaster struck. The brakes on the bus failed; we rapidly gained speed and went off the road, slamming into a lamppost that thankfully halted us dead in our tracks and stopped the bus from rolling off a cliff.
I’m not saying accidents don’t happen with tourist buses, but they are newer, better maintained, and more comfortable. To this day, I still get scared when on a coach. I could have saved a lot of stress if I’d just paid an extra £5.
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6. You won’t want to but eat as much as possible.
One of the most annoying effects of mild altitude sickness is a complete loss of appetite. In fact, I would be willing to bet a lot of people who fail high-altitude treks do so because they fail to eat and drink enough. To be clear, I get it; whenever I’m above 4000 m, I can’t imagine anything worse than eating a big meal. In fact, in Yak Kharka, I was given a lovely meal of fresh Tibetan bread and soup for my lunch and literally heaved when I swallowed my first bite of it.
If I hadn’t spoken to my guide about this, listened to his recommendations for meals, and continued eating, I am 100% certain I wouldn’t have completed the pass. When you’re hiking at altitude, there are a few key stressors that will cause you to burn more calories.
Increased effort: At high altitudes, the air contains less oxygen, which makes it harder for your body to perform physical exercise, leading to an increased heart rate and breathing rate.
Altitude-related stress: you will also encounter greater physical stressors such as more wind, colder temperatures, blazing sunshine, and very dry air. All of these will make it harder for your body to regulate its core temperature as it adapts to the changes.
Longer duration: Even with a potentially shorter distance, the above factors will likely mean you’ll be hiking longer because of your slower pace. Longer durations of exercise inevitably lead to more calories burned.
The long story short is that you’ll be burning a lot more calories than usual; if you don’t eat enough, you will get very weak very fast. This can potentially be dangerous, as you could develop more severe altitude sickness as a result.
Pro tip: If you are struggling with eating solid foods, eat porridge! It’s high in calories and fairly low in volume if you add honey and some other extras. Crucially, though, it’s easy to swallow.
7. Above 2000m, you’re now a vegetarian.
Perhaps the most crucial of all my Annapurna Circuit tips. Food hygiene in Nepal is pretty terrible, even in the big cities, but unless you have a bulletproof stomach, you really shouldn’t eat any meat or dairy in the teahouses.
This isn’t a statement born out of ignorance either; most of the teahouses won’t have a freezer; they might have a fridge, but even that’s a big ask. So meat and dairy aren’t kept to the standards that we have in Europe; obviously, it’s fine for Nepalis, but for those like me with first-world stomachs, this is not a mistake you want to make. Besides, Nepali food is incredible, and no trip to the Himalayas would be complete without feasting on Daal Bhat every day.
8. Communicate with your guides
Guides aren’t just there to show you which trail to go on; they’re so much more than that. Think of your guide as a long-lost best friend; tell them everything. Im being serious, tell them about how you feel all the time, any changes in your sleep, headaches, appetite, hell even if you get diarrhoea (Diarrhoea isn’t even a joke, it’s a textbook sign of bad altitude sickness).
At the end of the day, your guide has a duty to ensure you complete the trip safely; they should look out for you at all times. My guide, Saughat, from Alpine Ramble Treks, was amazing at doing this without my even realizing it. One example of this is when we were at Thorung high camp, 5000 metres up, and he called me over to play a Nepali card game with all the guides. I didn’t even realise this at the time, but he was checking my reasoning skills and if I could still process information well.
9. Acclimatise as much as possible.
Generally, when climbing at high altitudes, you should have an acclimatisation day for every 1000m of altitude that you gain. For most people that I met on the circuit, they took an acclimatisation day at Chame and Manang. Because of the limited time I had, I actually didn’t have a chance to take one, and I regret it for a few reasons.
Principally because it probably made me feel worse as a result, I started my trek in Chame and didn’t take a rest day at all until I’d crossed the Thorung La pass. So by the time I got to Mukhtinyah, I was a dishevelled mess.
Also, though, I missed the chance to do some of the fantastic acclimatisation treks. In particular, in Manang, you can trek to Tilicho Lake, which is considered to be the world’s highest lake. Despite the record attached to it and its stunning beauty, it actually sits at 4920m. Meaning you can hike up to it during the day, then hike back down to Manang to sleep. This is a tried-and-tested method of acclimatisation known as “hike high, sleep low.
10. Don’t skimp on your footwear!
Finally, and perhaps most crucially, buy high-quality footwear tailored to your needs. You’ll regret it with every step you take if you buy cheap or unsuitable shoes. When it comes to what to buy, you only really have one choice: hiking boots.
I know bad memories of your poorly fitted walking boots in childhood are probably triggering some dormant PTSD right now. But if you go for a fitting and invest in a quality brand, they’ll be just as comfortable as your running shoes. They will, however, offer much-needed ankle support, be fully waterproof, and be compatible with crampons, which you’ll need above Yak Kharka.
Now you’re ready
Should you follow all of these Annapurna Circuit tips, you’ll stand a fantastic chance of successfully navigating the deep valleys, snowy peaks and high passes. Going into this unprepared was the toughest thing I’ve ever done, and I would hate for you to make the same mistakes. If you need another fix on high-altitude adventure why not read my Huayna Potosi experience here.
