Annapurna Circuit Trek Elevation: The Complete 2026 Guide

Annapurna Circuit Trek elevation is the single biggest factor that separates this route from almost every other trek in Nepal. In under two weeks you move from warm subtropical valleys at under 800m to a windswept pass above 5,400m, then drop back down thousands of meters before the trail is done. That kind of swing does not just make for dramatic scenery, it shapes every decision you will make on the trail, from your daily pace to your sleeping altitude to the time you wake up on pass day. This guide breaks the elevation profile down into the checkpoints that actually matter, so you know what your body will be dealing with at each stage and how to prepare for it.

The Numbers That Define the Trek

Before the day by day detail, here is the elevation picture at a glance:

• Trek starts near Besisahar at roughly 760m (2,493ft)
• Lowest point after the pass is Tatopani at 1,190m (3,904ft)
• Highest point is Thorong La Pass at 5,416m (17,769ft)
• Manang, the main rest and acclimatization stop, sits at 3,540m (11,614ft)
• Net elevation gain from Besisahar to the pass is around 4,656m
• Oxygen availability at Thorong La is roughly half of what you get at sea level

No other classic circuit trek in Nepal asks your body to handle this much elevation change in one continuous journey.

The Route in Meters, Day by Day

This table follows the standard 13 to 16 day itinerary, which is the pacing built for safe acclimatization rather than speed.

Three Altitude Gates You Have to Clear

Rather than thinking about this trek as fourteen separate days, it helps to think of it as three gates. Each one marks a point where your body's relationship with oxygen changes, and each one demands something different from you.

Gate One: 3,000m, where risk begins

Up to Chame, the trail moves through forested valleys along the Marsyangdi River and altitude is barely a factor. Most trekkers feel no effects at all through this stretch, and the priority here is building leg strength for what comes later, ideally covering 16 to 22km a day to condition your body. That changes once you climb past Chame toward Pisang. Somewhere around Upper Pisang, at 3,300m, this is the first gate. Mild breathlessness on climbs, a bit of trouble sleeping, or a headache that fades with rest are all common signals that your body has entered the zone where altitude starts to count.