Annapurna Circuit vs Everest Base Camp

The Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp treks have variable routes and itineraries you can follow.

This is because the Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek route has more than one path leading there and back. And you can also add on some exciting detours.

On the Annapurna Circuit (AC), you can now drive some of the initial trek route, meaning you can decide to skip some or all of the early section if you want. And you can also end the trek in different places. And you can add an exciting loop into the Nar and Phu Valleys to make this trek longer.

So as you can see ... variations for both treks are possible!

y the way, if you don't feel like reading any further, but do want to know the differences between the Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp trek, here's a video to watch instead!

At Follow Alice, we offer four Everest Base Camp trek routes:

We also offer two Annapurna Circuit trek routes:

Rhododendrons bloom in the Himalayas in spring

The attractions and pluses of each trek route are many, and it’s mostly your personal preferences which can help you decide if the Annapurna Circuit or Everest Base Camp trek is the better trip for you right now.

The topics we discuss to help you decide include:

Both the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp treks take you deep into the Himalayas

The Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp trek are two very different treks.

Yes, they both take place in the Himalayas in Nepal, and they both involve lots of trekking at high altitude. But they’re incredibly different in many other respects, including the ease with which you can get to them and back again. 

The Annapurna Mountains are part of the famous Himalayan range

For both treks, you need to fly into Kathmandu, as already mentioned, as the capital has the country’s only international airport.

Once in Kathmandu, however, those headed to the EBC trek need only take a short 25-minute flight east to the town of Lukla, which is the trek’s starting point.

We fly in and out of Lukla Airport on our way to the Everest Base Camp trek

You could feasibly start the EBC trek the same day you arrive in Nepal! We don’t do this, as such a rush is unnecessary and risky. Instead, we spend a night in Kathmandu, resting up. Also, a night’s stopover allows some important wiggle room should anyone’s flight into Nepal be delayed.

Important note

As of 2022, you cannot fly directly to Lukla from Kathmandu as there is major airport construction underway, and some local flights are consequently not operating. This means you need to drive south to Ramechhap and then fly to Lukla from there. This adds an extra day of travelling on both sides of the EBC trek.

Lukla is a small town 2,060 m (6,759 ft) above sea level. Its airport has a notoriously short runway. Poor weather conditions also can and do delay flights more than is the norm. For this reason, our first day of trekking along the Everest Base Camp route is only 5.5 hours, so a delay at Lukla Airport of a few hours doesn’t derail our itinerary. 

Everyone coming to do the Everest Base Camp trek flies into Lukla Airport

The accessibility of the Annapurna Circuit is a very different matter. After a night in Kathmandu, we have two days of driving in front of us to reach the trek’s starting point. We’ll be driven in a private, air-conditioned vehicle, so it’s nice to know that we’ll be getting there comfortably. 

The reason we drive is that you cannot fly to the start of the AC, as with the EBC trek. While you could fly to Pokhara, a city actually known as the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, you would still then need to hire transport to drive you a long way to the start of the trail.

Follow Alice, trekkers are driven all the way to Pisang before they start trekking.

You don't need to travel this far to start trekking the classic Annapurna Circuit route, but because there are now roads connecting many of the villages lower down on the AC, we prefer to skip this section. We're not super fond of walking on jeep tracks and sharing the way with vehicles. The village of Pisang is where the road ends, and from there everyone must proceed on foot. So this is where Follow Alice likes to start the trek.

The famous prayer wheel wall in Upper Pisang

Pisang is divided into Lower and Upper Pisang. Lower Pisang is on the south side of the Marsyangdi River, and you must cross a footbridge and climb up a little way to reach Upper Pisang, which is where we overnight before starting to trek the following day.

For Follow Alice trekkers (and many other trekkers), the Annapurna Circuit ends in the town of Ranipauwa in the Mustang District. From here, you need to drive south to the airport town of Jomsom. In Jomsom, you catch a small airplane through the staggeringly enormous Kali Gandaki Gorge to the lakeside city of Pokhara.

It's only in Pokhara that you can catch a flight back to Kathmandu.

And so the return journey at the end of the AC trek involves a day of driving and then two short flights. The flights are on separate days, so there's a stopover night in Pokhara. But trust us, you'll be glad for the chance to explore this beautiful and adventure-filled destination!

Both the Everest Base Camp trek and the Annapurna Circuit route have pretty good mobile phone reception and 3G connectivity. Naturally, mobile reception can be spotty in certain of the more remote places. But one of the boons of trekking with a local guide, as our clients do, is that guides can advise you on the best spots for connectivity. 

There are Ncell towers throughout the EBC route that even provide connectivity to those climbing Mt Everest. Many people choose to buy a SIM card in Nepal as the cost of the card and data is so cheap. If you decide to do this, we then recommend going with an Ncell card. Along the AC, you should be fine with an Ncell or Nepal Telecom SIM. And you might like to look into buying an eSIM instead of a physical SIM card.

You don't need special skill to trek to EBC or do the AC, but you do need to be fit

Both the Annapurna Circuit and the EBC trek are difficult, but still totally doable if you have reasonable levels of fitness and perseverance. We chat in detail in Is the Annapurna Circuit hard? and How hard is Everest Base Camp? about the challenges of each trek. Below, however, we discuss the relative difficulty of each.

Let's talk about the number of days you'll actually be walking on each trek ...

If you opt for the Everest Base Camp trek with a helicopter return, you're on the trail for seven days. This includes six days of trekking plus one acclimatisation day in the middle (although you could do an exciting round-trip hike on this day if you choose). Note that the day you catch the helicopter, you also do a taxing morning hike up Kala Patthar for an unobstructed view of Mt Everest. A great moment.

On the Classic Everest Base Camp trek as offered by Follow Alice, you're on the trail for 11 days, which includes one acclimatisation day in Dingboche on Day 5. There are some exciting day hikes you can do on this day if you feel up to it.

For the Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes trek, you're on the trail for 13 days. This involves 12 days of trekking, plus one acclimatisation day in the middle (on which you could opt to do a great day hike). So if you do the hike, you have 13 consecutive days of walking.

If you tackle the Everest Base Camp and Three Passes trek, you're on the trail for 16 days. Three of these days could be acclimatisation and rest days if you want, although each also has an epic round-trip hike that you could add to do. On Day 14, for instance, you can rest or climb up Gokyo Peak for an incredible panoramic view of the Himalayas!

Our client Hala is on the long descent from Thorung La to Ranipauwa

With the Annapurna Circuit, you only spend six days on the trek route. Two are acclimatisation days, but there are beautiful round-trip hikes you can do on those days that allow you to explore more of the area. So that's six days of hiking.

If you opt for the Nar–Phu and Annapurna Circuit trek, you're on the trail for 11 days. One of these days could be a rest day in the village of Phu, or you can do a five-hour round-trip hike to Himlung Himal Base Camp that day.

Depending on the itinerary you choose, you can trek for seven, 13 or 16 days in the Everest region. For the Annapurna Circuit, you can trek for just six days or opt to be on the trail for 11 days.

Let's now discuss the distances you hike on each trek:

On the Everest Base Camp trek with a helicopter return, we follow the classic route to base camp. This is the most direct route and totals 66 km (41 miles). However, when you include the optional day hike on your acclimatisation day, as well as the short hike from base camp to Gorakshep (where you sleep that night), and the round-trip hike to Kala Patthar the morning before your helicopter flight, you actually hike roughly 65 km (40 miles). If you choose to omit the acclimatisation day hike, you cover 59 km (37 km) overall.

On the Classic EBC trek with our special return route, you trek roughly 115 km (71 miles) in total. This includes the trek to Gorakshep after reaching base camp as well as your hike up Kala Patthar the next day, but it doesn't include any hiking you might opt to do on your acclimatisation day.

For the EBC and Gokyo Lakes trek, you cover 135 km (84 miles) in total. This includes the Kala Patthar hike but not the two optional day hikes (which we recommend that you do). With those included, you cover 121 km (75 miles). We love this route because you see some different scenery on the return trip. After all, we do a loop instead of heading back the same way we came in. You also see a remote and quieter part of the region.

For the EBC and Three Passes trek, you cover a whopping 182 km (113 miles). This includes the Kala Patthar hike. It also includes the Gokyo Peak round-trip day hike, but not the optional day hikes on the other two rest days. This trek should only be tackled by the very fit.

The Annapurna Circuit is a large loop that takes you through the mountains of the Annapurna Massif. It ranges from 160 to 230 km (99 to 143 miles). The longer route is the path that was popularised in the 1970s. Such a trek takes over a fortnight to complete, and nowadays many opt to trek just the middle portion of it.

We at Follow Alice have also organised an abbreviated version of the original Annapurna Circuit trek, which takes in just the best-preserved, highest, most remote and prettiest portion of the route. This route is 50 km (31 miles), not counting the optional day hikes on our acclimatisation days.

On the Nar–Phu and Annapurna Circuit trek, you traverse 119 km (74 miles), not counting the optional day hike from Phu. This is, as you can see, the far more arduous Annapurna Circuit option.

Depending on the trek route you choose, you can trek for about 65 km (44 miles) on the EBC trek or 121 km (75 miles) on the Gokyo Lakes variation or 124 km (77 miles) on the Three Passes variation.

For the Annapurna Circuit, you can trek for just 50 km (31 miles), or opt to tackle 119 km (74 miles) on the Nar–Phu variation.

The paths along the Annapurna trail are generally in good condition. In some places, you actually trek along a jeep track, as in recent years the Nepalese Government has been enhancing infrastructure in the area to make it more accessible.

Overall, however, the paths are a bit gentler on the AC than they are on the EBC trek.

We always have a local guide to lead our trek groups, the number one reason being safety. Along the Annapurna Circuit, your lead guide is often Sonam Sherpa, and along the Everest Base Camp trek, it's usually Oangdi Gurung.

Both the AC and EBC trails include footbridges of various sizes and designs

Both the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna treks lead you very high into the mountains.

The EBC trek starts at 2,860 m in Lukla. Everest Base Camp itself stands 5,364 m above sea level. But base camp isn’t actually the highest point on the trek; we also hike up Kala Patthar (‘Black Rock’), which is 5,643 m above sea level.

That means we ascend a total of 2,836 m during the trek, which is almost three vertical kilometres!

The Annapurna Circuit requires us to trek to a slightly lower altitude than the Everest Base Camp trek, as shown in the graph below.

The AC trek begins in Upper Pisang, which is a village 3,300 m (10,827 ft) above sea level. Over the next few days, we climb to the circuit’s highest point – the mountain pass called Thorung La – at 5,416 m (17,769 ft) above sea level. That’s a climb of 2,216 m (7,270 ft).

After Thorung La, we drop down by 1,161 m (3,809 ft) to the village of Ranipauwa in just one day! So this day can be a bit taxing on the knees.

The Everest Base Camp trek route requires you to climb just a little further in elevation than the Annapurna Circuit. If you enjoy figures, you might like to know that you achieve an elevation gain that's 227 m (745 ft) more on the EBC trek than that of the AC. 

A glorious morning view from atop Kala Patthar

By comparing the above two elevation graphs, we can also see that the Everest Base Camp trek involves spending much more time above 5,000 m than does the Annapurna Circuit trek route. This means more time in rarified air, where exerting yourself is far more exhausting. The mental and bodily strain of the EBC trek is therefore more than that of the AC.

It’s important to note that the higher you climb, the more chances you have of developing altitude symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness. These aren’t too problematic and can be medicated to a degree. The only problem is if you develop severe mountain sickness.

When you engage in high-altitude trekking, especially for the first time, it’s important to understand and accept that if you develop severe symptoms, you’ll have to abort your trip and descend quickly to a lower altitude. 

On the Annapurna Circuit, you climb well above 5,000 m

It's very rare for trekkers to develop severe altitude sickness, but it does occasionally happen.

The risk of a ruined trip due to severe altitude sickness is slightly higher on the Everest Base Camp trek than on the Annapurna Circuit, as with the former, you climb higher and also spend more time at high altitude. Further, the Everest Base Camp trek allows only one acclimatisation day, while the Annapurna trek has two worked in. 

Firstly, given that you don’t have to climb quite so high on the Annapurna Circuit, the toll on your body from the thin air will be a little less. This trek could serve as a testing ground for your ability to cope with altitude. (Note that altitude sickness strikes randomly, and even the fittest of people can suffer from it.)

High up on the Annapurna Circuit

Secondly, the Annapurna Circuit is a shorter trek, so if you develop severe symptoms and have to turn back, you’d be missing out on fewer trekking days.

And thirdly, the Annapurna trip as organised by Follow Alice includes quite a few days of travel and sightseeing at low altitude, so even if it turns out that you can’t complete your trek owing to severe altitude sickness, there would still be a lot else to look forward to and enjoy with your travel companions.

The weather is a major deciding factor when it comes to planning any high-altitude trek. It simply has to be.

The weather in the Himalayas is both highly variable and, at times, extremely dangerous. The Everest Base Camp trek is in Nepal’s eastern Himalayas, and the Annapurna Circuit is in the central Himalayas. While the weather patterns are similar in both regions, the timing and intensity of the various weather systems affecting them do differ a little.

Learn more about the Best time to hike the Annapurna Circuit and the Best time for the Everest Base Camp trek.

In summer, Nepal is affected by the Indian monsoon, the world’s most prominent monsoon system. The monsoon brings lots of rain, high temperatures and humidity to the Himalayas from June to September. Nepal receives 80% of its rainfall during summer. 

Very few embark on the Annapurna or Everest Base Camp treks in summer, as the rains make the trails slippery and dangerous, never mind the obvious unpleasantness of hiking in downpours. While parts of both treks take you into the rain shadow of the high Himalayas, the lower parts of the trek routes are very much affected by the monsoon rains, and so make summer a bad time for trekking.

Our client Hala braving the elements on an autumn Annapurna Circuit trek

The winter monsoon brings cold temperatures, wind and snow from northern Asia to Nepal between December and February. Some intrepid souls choose to hike the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp trails in winter, but they are by far the minority.

The trails are certainly much quieter in winter, and the views often crisp, but the temperatures are icy, and night-time temperatures can drop to around –20° C. Also, the wind chill can drop the temperature by a further 10 degrees. Further, the chances of high passes being closed as a result of snowfall mean you can become stranded. Finally, certain passes (like the one to Gokyo Lakes) are routinely closed in winter, leaving only certain routes open to winter trekkers.

For most of us, travelling to Nepal is a major expense and time commitment, and so it’s important to choose a window of time that can best guarantee the sort of weather to make the trek both feasible and enjoyable.

Both the AC and EBC trek routes have sections in a temperate zone

It’s arguably wiser to only take on Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit route in winter if you’re a very experienced trekker and know that you know you have all the necessary equipment and clothing. 

Peak seasons for both the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna treks are spring and autumn. Seasonal changes reach both regions at roughly the same time.

Many enjoy trekking in spring because this is when Everest Base Camp is an active site, full of yellow and orange tents, mountaineering equipment and excited summiters. Given that the destination of this trek is Everest Base Camp, it’s incredibly special to arrive at the sight of such activity and endeavour.

Everest Base Camp in the climbing season

At other times of the year, one’s experience of reaching Everest Base Camp is of approaching an empty expanse that you only know to be your destination because of a sign surrounded by wind-battered prayer flags.

The other peak season – autumn – is the more popular trekking time with many because of the temperate weather and clear views. Many of the flowers will, however, be gone by this time of the year.

Our client Ross Anker took this pic along the EBC trek in autumn

Each peak season has different perks and drawbacks. Spring, for instance, offers beautiful flowers, but there can be a bit of a haze at times. Autumn, on the other hand, offers steadier, warmer weather and better visibility, but you don’t have the spring flowers and fresh greenery along the lower half of the trek route. 

Our client took this snap along the Annapurna Circuit in autumn

Both the Annapurna Circuit and EBC treks have grown in popularity in recent decades.

There are pros and cons to this, such as better services and crowded trails, respectively. If you choose to go in a peak season, which many do for the better weather, you have to accept that you’ll be sharing the route with many other trekkers.

Lunch stop at a restaurant along the EBC trek

Mt Everest, Everest Base Camp itself, and most of the EBC trek route lie within this park, and there are no roads, so we can take this number as a good indication of combined trekker and mountaineer numbers.

The bulk of EBC trekkers hike the route in one of the two peak seasons. A few hundred trekkers can join the route each day in peak season. Consequently, lodges and teahouses along the route can and do fill up over peak season, and sometimes there are overflow trekkers who have to pitch tents for the night. At Follow Alice, we book our accommodation ahead of time to ensure we have enough beds for bodies.

Namche Bazaar is a bustling town along the EBC trek

According to UNESCO, Annapurna receives about 60% of Nepal’s international trekking visitors, making it the most popular trekking area in terms of numbers.

However, there are no specific trekker numbers for the Annapurna Circuit, as there are other trekking routes in the Annapurna Massif, such as the Annapurna Base Camp trek.

While we can’t put a finger on exact numbers, agai,n we do know that lodges and teahouses along the Annapurna Circuit fill up during peak seasons, so we know that a few hundred trekkers can join the route each day in peak season. 

Trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit

As you can see, both EBC and Annapurna have similar peak trekking seasons, as the weather is much of a muchness along both trek routes at any given time of the year. If you choose to embark on one of the trips with Follow Alice – and we hope you do – then you can either check out our scheduled departures, or suggest a date of your own. We're very flexible with dates.

Some of the 'crowds' on the Annapurna Circuit are local people going about their daily business. It's a privilege to see how life is lived in such a different part of the world.

Every holiday requires you to crunch some numbers, including those important money numbers. That said, if you travel with Follow Alice, the maths becomes far simpler, because you only have two main outlays: your flights and your Follow Alice fee.

If you have limited or no previous experience of trekking, then you may also need to invest in some equipment, which would be another important expense to consider.

The price of flights will be the same, as you can only fly into Kathmandu, as previously discussed, because Nepal only has one international airport.

There are many good reasons to travel with a tour operator when embarking on an adventure holiday like trekking to EBC or along the Annapurna Circuit. An obvious reason is safety, another is that most of the admin and busy work is taken care of for you. 

With Follow Alice, you pay a once-off package fee that covers almost every single cost you might incur within Nepal.

Oangdi is one of our fabulous Nepal trek guides

For instance, the Follow Alice Annapurna Circuit cost covers all transport within Nepal, all accommodation, nearly all meals, all park and other permits, and the tour guide and porter fees. The Everest Base Camp cost similarly covers all transport within Nepal, all accommodation, nearly all meals, all park and other permits, and the tour guide and porter fees.

Trekkers taking a load off for a moment along the Everest Base Camp trek

For first-time trekkers, or those who haven’t trekked before at high altitude, there will be a necessary financial outlay in obtaining the gear needed for the cold and harsh climates hiked in the higher parts of both treks. Your Annapurna Circuit packing list and Everest Base Camp packing list are, however, the same, as both require sturdy, warm and waterproof equipment, clothes and accessories.

You need sturdy trekking equipment to hike in the Annapurna Mountains

Many trekkers hire some of the more expensive equipment upon arrival in Nepal. Kathmandu is awash with stores hiring (and selling) everything a trekker might need, like sub-zero sleeping bags and trekking poles.

One of the primary reasons any of us heads to Nepal is to witness the majesty of the Himalayan peaks.

The EBC trek has the obvious – and understandable – allure of bringing you into close quarters with the King of the Mountains: Mount Everest. The mythos surrounding this giant makes this trek something of a pilgrimage.

As you likely know, Mt Everest was first summited by the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and the Englishman Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. It’s an incredibly dangerous mountain to climb and has claimed many intrepid lives.

You trek among spectacular mountains throughout the EBC trek

The Everest Base Camp trek isn’t only about Mt Everest, though. You are also rewarded with views of other significant and beautiful mountains, which include:

Ama Dablam (to the right) is a favourite mountain with many EBC trekkers

There are, of course, many other peaks crowded into the Khumbu region where we do the EBC trek, but we can’t name them all here. It’s best you just do the trek to see them all for yourself!

Nuptse, view from Chukhung River

The Annapurna Circuit also offers up-close-and-personal views of some extremely high and awesome mountains. Because the mountains here are part of the Annapurna Massif, they don’t always rise from such depths, but they still reach amazing heights.

The view from atop Thorung La

Annapurna I (8,091 m), the alpha male of the Annapurna region, is the world’s tenth-highest mountain. Other noteworthy peaks on display during the Annapurna Circuit trek include:

Machhapuchhare viewed from Tadapani

The Everest Base Camp trek takes place in Nepal’s eastern Himalayas, while the Annapurna Circuit is in the country’s central Himalayan region. There are many similarities between the people of the two regions, but also significant differences.

If you’re someone who likes to immerse yourself in just one area and culture rather than contiki-ing your way through a holiday, then the EBC trek is for you. This part of the Himalayas is home to the Sherpa people. The Sherpa are famous worldwide for their mountaineering feats, which are made possible by how well they cope with high altitude. 

A beautiful Sherpa girl with her goat

The Sherpa people are mostly Tibetan Buddhists. Buddhism was brought to the area in the late 1600s and largely replaced the animism that had previously held sway. The EBC trek exposes you to many colourfully decorated Buddhist buildings and monuments. There are the well-known stupas, for instance, which are hemispherical monuments that mark a significant spot or house relics. These can be found throughout the Khumbu region.

Everest Base Camp trekkers looking pretty pleased with their lot

The Annapurna Circuit exposes you to many more cultures and communities than does the EBC trek. It actually gives you a better perspective of the people groups of Nepal. This is because the majority of Nepalese people are of Indian heritage and Hindu faith.

The first half of the Annapurna Circuit (the eastern half) takes you through the Manang District of Nepal. In the subtropical, lowland part of Manang, you’ll meet the Chhetri people, who migrated to the Himalayas hundreds of years ago from India. The Chhetri constitute over 15% of the Nepalese population. This region is also home to the Brahmins, which is a name many westerners know because priests in the Hindu religion come from the Brahmin caste.

Our client, Hala Macknight connecting with a local monk on the circuit

Hinduism is a prominent religion in the Annapurna region. Annapurna is the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment. The mountains are named after her as she’s believed to reside there. The fact of the Hindu-origin name is another indicator that the cultural tradition of this central region of the Himalayas is very different from that of the Khumbu, where Tibetan Buddhism dominates.

The Annapurna region is home to many different people groups with differing histories, languages and religions

When you climb higher into the Annapurna mountains, you start to encounter communities where the inhabitants have stronger ethnic, cultural and religious ties to Tibet than they do to their fellow citizens of Indian descent. The people look different, dress differently, build differently designed buildings, speak different languages, and on it goes. Stupas and other Buddhist structures start to crop up.

During the second half of the Annapurna trek, one descends from Thorung La into the Mustang District. This region is home to people like the Manangi, Magar and Thakali. Again, they have their own distinct identities linked to the Mustang region and its history.

Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism aren’t the only religions followed by the people of the Annapurna region. There are also adherents of Bon, shamanism and animism.

View of Annapurna II from the north, as we see it on the Annapurna Circuit trek. Does anyone else see the face in the mountain? Could it be Annapurna herself?

We can’t mention every village, gompa, monastery and prayer wall that is noteworthy, beautiful and deserving of a mention, so we’ll just mention a few that represent that spectrum. They’ll whet your appetite while keeping some things a surprise. And also perhaps help you in your Annapurna versus Everest Base Camp ponderings.

One of many stupas on the EBC trek route

Almost everyone trekking to Everest Base Camp stops over in Namche Bazaar for at least one day to acclimatise. We do the same. Fortunately, there’s plenty of sightseeing to do within Namche Bazaar, not to mention a few great day hikes. We recommend visiting the Sherwi Khangba Centre. It has a wonderful Sherpa Culture Museum as well as a Sherpa Culture Photo Gallery.

Walking up to the Everest View Hotel

If you decide to do a hike from Namche Bazaar, you should stop for a drink at Everest View Hotel. You can enjoy a 360-degree view of the mountains around you at this uniquely placed hotel.

Further along the trail, we stop over for a night in the village of Tengboche. Here we have the chance to visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest monastery in Khumbu. The colourful monastery, also known as Dawa Choling Gompa, is home to about 60 Tibetan Buddhist monks. The monks wear the traditional and distinctive maroon robes.

Close-up of some of the prayer wheels that make up the Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Wheel Wall of Upper Pisang, a village along the Annapurna Circuit trek

Tibetan Buddhism is a type of Buddhism that developed in the eighth century in Tibet. It involved mixing Buddhism with the indigenous Tibetan religion of Bon. The present-day leader of Tibetan Buddhism, as you likely know, is the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India.  

In Upper Pisang, which we visit on Day 4 of the trek, there is the long Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Wheel Wall. This is an oft-photographed site along the trek. It consists of a line of hand-carved cylindrical copper wheels that you roll with your hand.

On our second day of acclimatisation in the town of Manang, we recommend a visit to the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic. Established in 1981, the clinic seeks to protect trekkers in the Annapurna region through both education and emergency assistance. You can also learn about the 2014 snowstorm disaster and what was done to assist trekkers during that fateful time.

A suspension bridge near Kagbeni

After the trek, we visit the medieval riverside village of Kagbeni. Here one finds the Kag Chode Thupten Samphel Ling Gompa, which means Monastery of the Place to Stop and Develop Concentration on the Teachings of Lord Buddha. The monastery was founded in the fifteenth century and is still in use today. It's painted a striking orange and has a desolate mountain dropping scree at its feet as a neighbour.

Wonderfully, the colourful Tibetan prayer flags we’ve all come to associate with the Himalayas are to be found in abundance along both the EBC trek and the Annapurna Circuit.

On both treks, we see prayer flags strung from religious buildings as well as from homes, businesses and bridges. They’re placed where they are to bless the area and promote peace, compassion and wisdom. For many of us, a trek without prayer flags wouldn’t feel like a Himalayan trek at all. That's how synonymous they've become with the region.

Prayer flags are iconic of the Himalayas

When it comes to sheer variety, the Annapurna Circuit route beats out the Everest Base Camp route. Not only is the Annapurna region more culturally diverse, as already touched upon, but the landscape, wildlife and trek route offer many more shifts and surprises.

For starters, the Annapurna trail is a roughly circular route. This means you never have to retrace your steps, which for some is important.

Trekkers en route to Thorung Phedi on the Annapurna Circuit

On the EBC trek, the only way into Sagarmatha National Park is through the Khumbu Valley. The start and end days of the trek must therefore necessarily be the same. Unless you fly back to the start point via helicopter, there'll be no retracing of steps if that's the case.

You can expect dirt footpaths for large parts of both treks. You can also expect foot bridges, uneven steps, rocky paths, and loose rocks and gravel. In places, you’ll be walking along narrow contour paths with steep drops.

Another view of the magnificent mountain Machhapuchhre

Even if you trek in a typically warmer month, the weather in the Himalayas can be capricious, and you can get a dump of snowfall at any time of the year. You should therefore anticipate the possibility of walking in snow.

Chances are, the real reason you want to trek in the Himalayas is to feel a little humbled by the sheer scale and beauty of it all. Both the EBC and Annapurna treks have so much to share in terms of mighty glaciers, icy lakes, rushing rivers and deep gorges. For the nature lover, these treks are an immersion into Mother Nature’s power and creativity.

Most of the EBC trek takes place within Sagarmatha National Park, one of the largest of Nepal’s dozen national parks. It’s a Natural World Heritage Site. Sagarmatha is also part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape, a transnational protected space that’s home to some very important landscapes and wildlife.

Within Sagarmatha National Park, you’ll encounter two distinct climatic zones:

We overnight in the temperate village of Phakding on the first night of the EBC trek

In the temperate zone, you can expect steep, tree-clad valleys, flowers and flowering bushes, gorges and cliff faces, and rushing rivers and waterfalls. When you venture into the higher, arid zone, you’re above the tree line and in the company of boulders, ice patches, barefaced rock and snow-covered mountains.

The Khumbu Glacier has a large icefall known as the Khumbu Icefall on its west end. EBC is situated at the foot of the Khumbu Glacier, and so is a very real goal post to work towards on the trek.

Six main lakes make up the Gokyo Lakes, with Thonak Lake being the largest. The lakes are the world’s largest freshwater lake system. They're an otherworldly sight: pale blue water surrounded by barren slopes and snow-capped peaks. Or, in winter, pale water surrounded by a world of white.

One of the beautiful Gokyo Lakes, where we spend two nights during the Everest Base Camp trek

The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) is by far the largest protected area in Nepal, and is seven times larger than Sagarmatha National Park!

Like Sagarmatha National Park, the ACA also has a temperate zone and a cold mountain zone, but it has the bonus of offering a subtropical zone as well.

Terraced farms are a common sight along the lower section of the Annapurna Circuit

The forests of the subtropical region receive much more rain and offer dense forests with creepers and lots of undergrowth. The forests of the temperate zone are made up of trees like pine, oak and juniper.

During our first acclimatisation day in Manang, there’s the option of a day’s hike to Kicho Tal (Ice Lake). This is a gorgeous hike to a gorgeous location, so even though the going is steep and tough, we encourage trekkers to try to do it. The ice lake is surrounded by some of the world’s highest peaks, and also offers one of the quieter spots along the Annapurna, as not all make the effort to climb up to it.

The Kali Gandaki Gorge (or Andha Galchi) is the world’s deepest gorge. During our short flight from Jomsom to Pokhara on Day 11 of the Annapurna trip, we wind our way through this gorge in a small aircraft, enjoying a plane ride like no other.

The Annapurna Circuit offers the most varied scenery of any classic Nepal trek

Finally, when we’re happily resting our tired feet in Pokhara, we’ll be able to look out over the lovely Phewa Lake. Pokhara sits on the banks of the lake and is a popular tourist destination in its own right. You might choose to hire a canoe and row about, destination or no destination in mind!

One of the highlights of the Annapurna and Everest Base Camp treks is the animal and birdlife, many species of which are unique to that part of the world. Many of the animals to be on the lookout for can be found in both Sagarmatha National Park and the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), given their similar and connected ecosystems.

It’s only the lowest portion of the Annapurna route that offers subtropical wildlife like monkeys, which you won’t find along the Everest Base Camp trek.

Yellow-throated martens can be found on both the AC and the EBC trek

Both the ACA and Sagarmatha are home to a variety of very special animals. Probably at the top of most people’s lists would be the endangered snow leopard. You might like to watch this short video on snow leopards by National Geographic to learn about this elusive creature. Did you know that the snow leopard is also called an ounce?

Sagarmatha and the ACA are also home to the endangered red panda. The red panda is not closely related to the giant panda, even though its name suggests otherwise. Legend has it that if you see a red panda, you go straight to heaven. Okay, we made that up, but to see a red panda in the wild would surely feel rather heavenly.

A red panda

A Himalayan wolf

On both the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna treks, we have local guides to lead us along the entire trek route and help us enjoy the time by doing things just like pointing out hard-to-spot animals.

Oangdi is one of our highly qualified and awesome Nepal trek leaders

To learn more about the EBC trek animals and see some pics, please look at What animals will I see on the Everest Base Camp trek?

The wild animals aren’t the only animals you’ll encounter on either of the two trek routes. There’ll also be yaks, cattle, yattle (yak-cow hybrids), donkeys and horses to step aside for on the path, or photograph as they graze in pastures.

Yaks and yattle are seen everywhere in the Nepali Himalayas

Sagarmatha National Park has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. It has over a hundred bird species.

The ACA, being seven times larger in area, has even more birdlife to offer: it boasts hundreds of different bird species. If you’re a birdwatcher, look out for beautiful flycatchers, greenfinches, dainty bush chats, griffons, and, of course, eagles. The list really could go on and on. 

Male and female Himalayan monals

One of the joys of travel is seeing beautiful new plants and trees. Many people choose a destination just to see exotic spring flowers or towering trees. We feel them. So, in the tradition of rating Annapurna versus EBC, which stacks up better in terms of the flora on offer?

Rhododendrons on the EBC trek

If you’re particularly keen to see flowers and other plants, then you’ll likely enjoy the Annapurna Circuit that much more. This is because you’ll pass through a subtropical climate in addition to the temperate and mountain climates that you encounter on the Everest Base Camp trek.

Flowers soften the upper reaches of the circuit

The subtropical zone receives far more rain, which is why farmers can grow rice, buckwheat, beans and other crops reliant on plenty of water. You can also anticipate plenty of beautiful flowers and trees, such as irises, orchids, magnolias and fig trees. The sacred fig, which can be found on the trek route, grows heart-shaped leaves and has significance in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

In the temperate zone of Annapurna, you can expect oak, maple, fir and pine forests. You can also look forward to cherry trees and the region’s signature rhododendrons.

An Annapurna farmer dries his crop of corn

During the first portion of the EBC trek, one sees bamboo, hemlock, juniper, birch, blue pines, silver firs and rhododendrons.

By the time we reach Everest Base Camp, however, we’re above the tree line in the tundra zone. In this zone, we're down to mostly lichens, mosses and hardy grass tufts. That’s not to suggest the EBC trail has a paucity of vegetation, however. The lower portion of the trek is lush and beautiful, and you’ll be ooh-ing and aah-ing plenty.

Surke village along the EBC trek route

Are you still struggling to decide between Annapurna and Everest Base Camp? If so, maybe it'll help us to say this: this is one of those situations where there is no wrong decision!

And if you choose to fly back from Everest Base Camp via helicopter, then you get to enjoy the most scenic flight of your life! So you also win! There isn't a bad option!

But most likely, you feel confident by now that you know which trek is for you at this time. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss either of the treks. We’d love to share our knowledge and experiences of these two beautiful, world-class treks with you and help you plan a trip you’ll never forget.

There are many gompas and prayer flags along the trek routes of the Nepal Himalayas