When we planned our first trip to Nepal we tried searching for the question we will be answering in this post, “Which Nepal trek is best?” The three iconic Nepal treks we were debating were the Everest Basecamp, Annapurna Circuit, and the Three Passes Trek. We ended up doing the Annapurna Circuit for our first trip, but came back to do the Everest Basecamp and Three High Passes Trek. Now having completed all three treks, we will attempt to answer which Nepal trek is best. However, keep in mind that what’s best for us might be different than what is best for you. So we have listed out some factors to consider to help you determine which Nepal trek is best for you.
We went unguided and unsupported, but there are lots of options for all of these treks if you want to go with a guide and porter.
Please note that since creating this post the Nepal Tourism Board announced that people can no longer trek in Nepal independently. If this is the case that is very sad. Check out this article for more details.
We also have a YouTube Video summarizing this list if you prefer:
Annapurna Circuit
Culture and Budget
-Feels more authentic because it goes through actual villages not just built for tourism
-The cheapest lodging and food
-Con: roads have been built over much of the way causing some dust clouds on the roads
14-18 Days
Everest Base Camp
Iconic Bucket List Item
-Feels accomplishing checking off this major bucket list item!
-Beautiful mountain scenery
-Shortest of these treks
-Con: VERY crowded, villages built mostly for tourism, most expensive accommodation and food
12-14 Days
Three
Passes
Insane Mountain Views
-Feels accomplishing checking off this major bucket list item!
-Beautiful mountain scenery
-Shortest of these treks
-Con: VERY crowded, villages built mostly for tourism, most expensive accommodation and food
16-22 Days
Annapurna Circuit
The Annapurna Circuit is an amazing adventure, winding through villages dotted with tea/guest houses and lots of pray wheels. You get to experience aspects of both Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism. The apex of the trek is Throng La Pass which sits at about 17,769 feet (5,416 meters). Over much of the trek you experience the beautiful mountains in the Annapurna range and also witness people in the villages going about their life and herding cattle and sheep. Choose this trek if…
- You want to experience culture while trekking in the mountains. Both the EBC and the Three Passes trek mostly just consist of villages that are built for tourism.
- You don’t want to be at very high altitude for a long time. The three high passes trek takes you to really high altitudes for a really long time. Although the Annapurna circuit does take you over 17,000 feet, it is only for a relatively short time. However, it will still be very challenging if you are sensitive to the altitude.
- You are fairly new to high altitude trekking and plan to go independently. There are many people who trek this independently and we found it easy to connect with lots of fellow independent trekkers. We did not find this to be the case with the EBC and Three High Passes treks.
- It is possible to shorten this route by taking transportation on the roads. This does mean you will miss some quaint villages and will be trekking with more crowds, but you could really make this trek short if you’re short on time.
- You can take a bus from Kathmandu to the trail making it much cheaper to get to
Some negatives to be aware of…
- A large portion of the trail now has a gravel road that people take cars on. There are alternative routes to avoid part of this, but some of the roads are unavoidable which means occasionally cars zipping by blowing dust in your face (another reason why a buff is on our packing list)
- You do not get to see Mount Everest (highest mountain on earth)
Pro Tip: Add on Poon Hill on the way out for a spectacular sunrise over many peaks.
INSERT POON HILL PHOTO
Everest Basecamp
The Everest Basecamp is an iconic bucket list destination. I can’t tell you how many people we met on the trail who said they had this on their list for many years. We even met a man in his 60’s who told us he’d been planning on doing this for 20+ years and was finally doing it! You typically fly into Lukla to begin this trek and most of the trek is inaccessible by cars. We added this onto the three high passes trek as the trek follows the EBC for the first week or so.
Choose this trek if….
- You want to check off the EBC from your bucket list!
- You are short on time and don’t mind the crowds
- You want to see Mount Everest
Some negatives to be aware of….
- The crowds can be intense if you go during the busy season like we did in October
- The villages are built for tourism so you don’t get to experience the culture as much as you do on the Annapurna circuit
- The cost for guest houses and food are the highest of the three treks
- You have to fly to the trek start through Lukla which can be expensive
Pro Tip: Add on a Cho La pass and Gokyo lake to the end. It only adds a few days to the trek and you get to see insanely beautiful turquoise lakes and mountains on the way out. Purchase traction devices in Namche Bazaar as you will likely need them on this pass.
Three Passes Trek
Three Passes Trek is an epic trek in the Everest region and takes you over three high passes Kongma La (18,209 ft / 5,550 m), Cho La (17,782 ft / 5,420 m), and Renjo La (17,560 ft / 5,360 m). This is the trek to choose if you want a big physical challenge and the most insane mountain views! There is an option to add on Everest Basecamp which is great because you can fit two amazing treks in one big trek.
Choose this trek if….
- You want to see the most incredible mountain scenery. This trek has the best mountain scenery we have ever seen and beautiful turquoise lakes.
- You want to really challenge yourself physically. This one is by far the hardest and longest.
- You want to see Mount Everest, but also don’t want to be around crowds the whole time.
Some negatives to be aware of….
- This is at very high altitudes for a long time. So if you are sensitive to the altitude I would not recommend.
- This is extremely challenging so depending on whether you want to really challenge yourself this could be a good thing or not 🙂
- Most of the villages you stay in are built for tourists so you don’t get to experience as much culture as you do on the Annapurna circuit.
- The longest of the three treks. It took us about 18 days, but we would have preferred at least 21 days to fit in some side treks and allow more recovery time (we got sick for a few days which added to the challenge)
- You have to fly to the trek start through Lukla which can be expensive
Pro Tip: purchase micro spikes or traction devices in Namche Bazaar for the Cho La Pass crossing
We have a full 3 Passes Trek + Everest Basecamp video series on our YouTube channel
Conclusion
We enjoyed all three of these treks! As we mentioned they each have their own sets of pros and cons so choose the trek based on what you value most. For us personally, we enjoyed the Annapurna Circuit and Three High Passes trek best because we do not enjoy hiking with crowds, but others might not mind that. We hope this helps you choose which Nepal trek is best for you.
What trek sounds best to you? We’d love to know in the comments below!
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank You and Happy Trekking!
Liz (Pursuing Mountains)