Finding a trekking partner for the Annapurna Circuit in October and November

The Annapurna Circuit works well with a partner in October and November: operator guides checked in October 2026 call October the more settled month and the busiest, and November quieter at the start with Thorong La open for most of the month but needing close watching in late November, when the first seasonal snow arrives. Sources disagree on how crowded November is, and none gives 2026 visitor counts. Find a partner by posting your dates, pace and acclimatisation plan on FindTrekkingPartner, by asking in Pokhara or Kathmandu, by joining an operator departure, or by walking a day or two with people you meet at Manang. Match above all on the rest day at Manang and on the rule that anyone with altitude symptoms descends. Allow a spare day for the pass and for Jomsom flights. We are a free matching site, not an agency, and we do not book guides, jeeps or beds.

What are October and November like on the circuit?

October is the settled month. Himalayan Hero, in a guide published 31 March 2026, gives Manang (about 3,519 m) October days of 8 to 14 degrees Celsius and nights of minus 5 to minus 8, and calls Thorong La "stable and well-travelled" with reliable early-morning crossings. For November it gives Manang days of 2 to 10 degrees and nights of minus 8 to minus 12, says the pass is open for most of the month but needs close monitoring in late November, and notes the first seasonal snow on the high passes at the end of the month. The same page also lists October nights at minus 5 to minus 10, so treat its figures as rough, and neither of them as a forecast.

Himalayan Recreation, last updated 21 July 2026, says light snow is not unusual in late November in the high ranges, that high passes can see sub-zero temperatures after sunset, and that early starts help you beat the wind at the top of Thorong La. Our own Thorong La conditions guide puts October as the best month and late November as colder and snowier, and records that a snowstorm in October 2014 killed dozens of people on the Thorong La side (see the 2014 snowstorm entry on Wikipedia). A cold week in late October can close the pass as readily as one in November.

Practical consequences:

• A sleeping bag rated well below the coldest night and a down jacket are not optional; see our Annapurna Circuit packing list for autumn.
• Plan a spare day at Thorong Phedi or High Camp for snow or wind. Our high pass guide lists the questions to ask the evening before.
• Daylight is short, so the pass day starts in the dark; see the daylight guide.
• Tihar falls early in November 2026, with Bhai Tika on 11 November according to our Tihar guide. Expect busy buses and flights around those dates.

The best time for the Annapurna Circuit post covers the other months, and the Annapurna region guide and route page have the 14-day plan.

How crowded is it?

The sources do not agree, and we say so rather than choose. Himalayan Hero rates October crowds as very high, with teahouses filling fast, and November as moderate with noticeably fewer trekkers. Himalayan Recreation says November is popular and very crowded on most trails, that Everest and Annapurna teahouses are fully booked quickly, and advises booking a day or two ahead. Both are commercial guides, and neither gives 2026 trekker numbers.

For you, a busy circuit shows up in three places:

1. Teahouse beds. The high stops, Manang, Yak Kharka and Thorong Phedi, are where beds are tight. See what to do when teahouses are full.
2. The pass day. Many trekkers leave Thorong Phedi or High Camp around the same hour, so the trail up is a queue in good weather.
3. Partners. More people on the same schedule means more to match with, which helps in October. In late November it also means fewer, so decide earlier.

Where do you find a partner?

There are five realistic places, and we mention our own first because we run it.

• FindTrekkingPartner. Post a trip for the Annapurna Circuit with your start window, pace, budget style and guide plan, or browse open trips. Contact details stay hidden until both trekkers agree, and the service is free. The Annapurna Circuit partner page shows how a trip is set out.
• Pokhara and Kathmandu. Hostels, guesthouses and cafes; see our Pokhara partner page and meeting partners in Kathmandu. You judge a person in minutes, but only from who happens to be in town.
• Online groups and forums. Free and busy, but public, so keep your phone number out of posts.
• Operator departures. If you would rather join a set date, our departures page lists October starts and the November list the later ones, as operators published them. We do not claim any departure will run; confirm with the operator.
• On the trail. The circuit is one of the easier routes on which to meet people, because the lodges at Manang and Yak Kharka fill with trekkers on the same schedule. Treat anyone you meet this way as a candidate, not a commitment: walk a day or two together first.

None of these is a vetting service. Apply our vetting checklist and red flags guide wherever you meet someone.

What should you match on?

Match on altitude behaviour, not on speed. The plan has one rest day at Manang, with a short acclimatisation hike and a Himalayan Rescue Association talk; a partner who wants to skip it is a poor match (see rest days on EBC and the Annapurna Circuit and the clinics guide). Agree these before you commit:

1. Sleeping plan above Manang. Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi, or on to High Camp. Agree which, and that anyone with symptoms descends; read altitude sickness basics together.
2. Turnaround rule. What time you turn back on pass day, and who decides. Our partner agreement checklist covers it.
3. Spare days. How many you each have, since a snow day or a Jomsom flight delay uses them.
4. Guide and porter. Whether you share a licensed guide and one porter, and how guide days are split if one of you stops; see what if your partner cannot continue.

Our pace and fitness matching post helps you describe how you walk.

How do the road and the flights work?

The circuit starts with a long road day. Our Besisahar road guide gives Besisahar as about 7 to 9 hours from Kathmandu and the plan's first day, on to Dharapani at 1,860 m, as 9 to 10 hours, by bus (NPR 1,300 to 2,700 per person in our dated data) or by private jeep (NPR 20,000 to 29,500 per vehicle, so cheaper per head with partners). The Besisahar to Dharapani jeep has no published fare in our sources. You can also start walking at Besisahar or Bulbule for an easier first day.

At the other end, many trekkers finish at Jomsom. Our Pokhara to Jomsom guide says the flight takes 20 to 25 minutes but runs only in the morning, before the wind builds, and is often delayed or cancelled; the jeep takes a full day. Keep a spare day either way, and agree with your partner who pays for a changed booking. Walking on to Tatopani, Ghorepani and Poon Hill, as the plan does, avoids the flight altogether.

What does a partner save?

The guide is the biggest cost a partner divides. Our cost data puts a guide at NPR 2,700 to 4,000 a day for 14 days, midpoint NPR 46,900, so two share about NPR 23,450 each and four about NPR 11,725 (about USD 175 and USD 88 at NPR 134). Rooms, food and permits (ACAP NPR 3,000 per the NTNC e-permit page, plus TIMS) are yours alone. The full tables for one to four sharers, with and without a porter, are in Annapurna Circuit cost per person when two, three or four share a guide, and the line-by-line budget is in the cost breakdown.

Do you need a guide?

That is your decision, but know the rule. Our guide rule page records that the written Nepal Tourism Board rule of April 2023 asks for a licensed guide through a registered agency in national parks and conservation areas, and that 2026 operator reports say the Annapurna checkpoint enforces it (checked 19 October 2026). The circuit is not a restricted area, so no restricted-area permit applies. For the wider picture see what is true about the 2026 solo trekking rules and solo trekking in Nepal.

Where sources conflict or are silent

• Crowds in November. One guide says moderate, with fewer trekkers than October; another says very crowded. Neither gives counts.
• Temperatures. Himalayan Hero gives two different October night ranges at Manang, and neither guide is a forecast for 2026.
• Pass conditions. No source here gives pass closure dates for 2026. Check with your guide and the lodges at Thorong Phedi on the day.
• Jeep fares. The Besisahar to Dharapani and Tatopani to Pokhara jeeps have no published fare in our sources.
• Partners. No source counts how many trekkers are looking for partners, and we do not publish such a number.

Post your circuit trip

If you already have dates, post your trip, browse open trips or read how finding a partner works. For general advice, our Annapurna Circuit partner guide and the safe partner guide are the next reads. We are a matching platform, not an agency: you book your own licensed guide, jeeps and beds.