Nepal trek itineraries, day by day: the full index
Day-by-day itineraries for Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Manaslu and Upper Mustang treks, with a comparison table and a guide to reading an itinerary for altitude, buffer days and transport.
This page indexes the day-by-day itineraries for Nepal's main treks: 13 routes in five regions, from the four-day Poon Hill walk to the 18-day Everest Three Passes loop. For each route you will find the days, the sleeping altitudes and the transport legs, and for the most popular ones a full written walkthrough. Use the table to compare, then follow the link to the plan you want.
All itineraries describe a realistic pace for a fit walker with acclimatisation built in. They are starting points, not rules: the right plan for you will usually be one or two days longer.
Open trips on Everest (Khumbu)
Real trips posted by trekkers looking for partners.
All 13 itineraries at a glance
| Trek | Region | Days | Highest point | Difficulty | Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poon Hill | Annapurna | 4 | 3,210 m | Easy | Pokhara |
| Mardi Himal | Annapurna | 5 | about 4,500 m | Moderate | Pokhara |
| Gosaikunda | Langtang | 6 | 4,380 m | Moderate | Kathmandu |
| Annapurna Base Camp | Annapurna | 7 | 4,130 m | Moderate | Pokhara |
| Tamang Heritage Trail | Langtang | 7 | 3,200 m | Moderate | Syabrubesi |
| Langtang Valley | Langtang | 8 | 4,773 m | Moderate | Kathmandu |
| Khopra Ridge | Annapurna | 8 | 3,600 m | Moderate to hard | Pokhara |
| Everest Base Camp | Everest | 12 | 5,545 m | Moderate to hard | Lukla |
| Gokyo Lakes | Everest | 12 | 5,357 m | Moderate to hard | Lukla |
| Upper Mustang | Upper Mustang | 12 | 4,280 m | Moderate | Pokhara |
| Annapurna Circuit | Annapurna | 14 | 5,416 m | Hard | Kathmandu |
| Manaslu Circuit | Manaslu | 14 | 5,106 m | Hard | Kathmandu |
| Everest Three Passes | Everest | 18 | 5,545 m | Hard | Lukla |
Full written walkthroughs
- Annapurna: Poon Hill (4 days), Mardi Himal (5 days), Annapurna Base Camp (7 days), Annapurna Circuit (14 days).
- Everest: Everest Base Camp (12 days), Three Passes (18 days).
- Langtang: Langtang Valley (8 days).
- Manaslu: Manaslu Circuit (14 days).
- Upper Mustang: Upper Mustang (12 days).
How to read an itinerary
An itinerary is more than a list of villages. Look at four things.
Sleeping altitude, not walking altitude. The CDC Yellow Book, citing Wilderness Medical Society guidance, suggests no more than about 500 m of sleeping altitude gain per night above 3,000 m, plus an extra night for every 1,000 m gained. Compare each night's altitude with the previous one. Our altitude sickness basics shows the calculation for two real routes.
Rest days. Where they fall matters as much as how many there are. A rest day at 3,500 to 4,500 m does the most good.
Buffer days. Add one at each end for flights or roads, and one on a high route for weather. An itinerary with zero spare days is brittle.
Transport legs. Drives of eight hours or more, and flights that depend on morning weather, are the real fixed points of a plan. They determine your start day and your last day.
Choosing by time available
| Days you have (door to door) | Good options |
|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | Poon Hill, Mardi Himal |
| 6 to 8 | Gosaikunda, Annapurna Base Camp, Tamang Heritage Trail, Langtang Valley |
| 10 to 12 | Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Lakes, Upper Mustang |
| 14 or more | Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu Circuit, Everest Three Passes |
If you are between two lengths, take the longer: the extra day is usually a rest or buffer day that makes the trek safer and more enjoyable.
Three examples of reading the profile
Everest Base Camp. After the first night at Phakding (2,610 m) the plan climbs to Namche (3,440 m) and stays two nights. The next big rise, to Dingboche (4,410 m), is also followed by a rest day. After that the sleeping gains drop to about 530 m and then about 224 m. That rhythm, a big gain followed by a rest, is how a safe high-altitude itinerary looks.
Annapurna Circuit. The nights at Yak Kharka (4,050 m) and Thorong Phedi (4,540 m) are each about 500 m higher than the one before, and the crossing day ends 740 m lower than Thorong Phedi at Muktinath. The key is the rest day at Manang (3,540 m), which cannot be skipped.
Poon Hill. The highest bed is at Ghorepani (2,860 m), well under the 3,000 m mark where the guideline starts. The challenge is the length of the staircases, not the height, which is why altitude advice is lighter on this trek.
Red flags when you compare agency itineraries
- No rest days above 3,500 m. If the plan climbs every day, ask why.
- A sleeping gain of 1,000 m or more in one night above 3,000 m. That is more than double the guideline.
- No spare day. Flights and roads are the most common reason for missed connections.
- Crossing a pass without a weather decision point. Ask who decides whether to go and what happens if the weather is bad.
- Very low price. Ask what is missing: guide insurance, permits, transport or acclimatisation days.
Buffer days: where to put them
The best place for a spare day depends on the route. On Everest, add one at each end for the Lukla flight and one at Dingboche or Lobuche, where it can double as a rest day. On the Annapurna Circuit, put one before Thorong La, at Yak Kharka or Thorong Phedi. On Manaslu, keep the two built-in rest days and add one at the end for the long drive. On Upper Mustang, add a day at each end for Jomsom's morning-only flights. On short routes such as Poon Hill and Mardi Himal, a spare morning for the sunrise is more valuable than a spare day at the end.
Using these plans with partners
An itinerary is easier to agree when the group has read the same plan. Share the route page and the walkthrough with prospective partners before the first call, agree on the length, the buffer days and the rest days, and write down what happens if someone has to turn back. How to find a trekking partner safely has a first-call checklist, and the route pages let you open the same plan in the itinerary builder so everyone is working from the same days.
Permits and transport at a glance
Open-area treks need a park or conservation permit, and Manaslu and Upper Mustang add a Restricted Area Permit and a licensed guide. Everest and Upper Mustang usually involve a flight, Annapurna, Langtang and Manaslu start by road. See the permits explainer and the transport guide.
Choosing a route
If you are still deciding, which Nepal trek is right for you compares the routes by difficulty, cost and crowds. For the regions, read the trekking regions guide, and for a first trek start with first-time trekking in Nepal. To use any of these plans in the itinerary builder, open the route page and choose the builder option.
