Packing List for Annapurna Circuit Trek

The Annapurna Circuit Trek's temperature is cold year-round, so you must pack warm winter clothing for this. However, autumn and winter seasons are more frigid than spring and summer. We suggest wearing super warm clothes for October to February.

Quality and enough trekking gear are essential for the Annapurna Circuit to stay safe in the mountains and for a successful trip. The weather changes quickly and is often unpredictable, so we suggest a full packing list for Annapurna Circuit Trek according to seasons and temperatures in this post below:

Rucksack or Duffel Bag

A rucksack or duffel bag is the most important thing to bring because you need it to pack all your trekking gear in this. If you do not have one, we provide you with our company bag for the trek.

Daypack

Porters carry the main equipment bag and walk behind or ahead. You will only sometimes see and meet them from one camp to another. You must take one pair of changing clothes, rain gear, water, day snacks, and valuables. So, a daypack is the most important thing to bring for the Annapurna Circuit.

Sun Hat

The Sun Hat is essential to wear while walking on the trek. It protects your face from sunburn, making it one of the most essential trekking gear for Annapurna Adventure and all-mountain trips.

Winter Hat

Remember to pack a winter hat for the Annapurna Circuit. Although temperatures may be hot in the cities and lower altitudes, they are still cold in the higher altitudes, so do not compare the temperatures with where you start walking. I highly recommend the winter hat. Cold air can cause headaches, so you can cover your ears to avoid this problem in higher elevations.

Thermal Layers

The Annapurna Circuit Trek's packing list recommends Merino Wool Thermal Layers. They keep you warm inside the mountains. You do not have to wear them in the lower regions, but they are compulsory at higher altitudes, especially for Thorong La Pass.

Buff

A Buff is good for warming your neck in cold and blocking dust while walking. It can also cover your ears and block wind to avoid headaches from cold wind.

Trekking Shirts

Packing trekking shirts depends on the seasons. If you visit the Annapurna Circuit trail in spring and summer, you need more short-sleeved shirts, and for Autumn and winter, you need longer sleeves. However, it is essential to have both long-sleeved and short-sleeved t-shirts for each season of this trip. Hiking shirts must be quickly dry and lightweight.

Fleece High-Neck or Jacket

A Fleece high-neck t-shirt or jacket is suitable to wear between a thermal shirt and a thick coat in high altitudes.

Wind Stopper

Walking in high elevations with a thick jacket will be hot, and just wearing a trekking shirt will be cold. Also, it will be windy, so you can pack a windstopper to wear in this condition while you trek in the Annapurna Circuit.

Down/Feather Jacket

A down jacket or feather jacket is essential in cold temperatures, especially in the morning and evening. Although you do not have to wear it while walking on the other days of the Annapurna Circuit Trekking, you must wear it for Thorong La.

Thin Inner Gloves Gloves

You must wear thin inner gloves while walking at high altitudes and big gloves early in the morning and evening in the mountain region. So, we suggest packing merino wool light gloves for the Annapurna Adventure.

Winter Gloves

The temperatures drop to minus degrees in the higher areas of the Annapurna Circuit Region, so winter gloves are essential equipment to pack for around Annapurna Trek. While crossing Thorong La in the morning, it is compulsory to wear.

Trekking Pants

You can pack shorts and long trekking pants for the Annapurna Circuit trekking according to the seasons. Shorts are for lower altitudes before and after Thorong Pass. Spring and summer are warmer than winter and Autumn, so wear longer trekking trousers for fall and winter and more shorts for spring and summer. You can either carry zip-on or off-hiking trousers for this tour.

Windproof Trouser

Windproof trousers are essential for evening and morning while you are inside the lodge. They are compulsory for the high pass if you trek in early spring, Autumn, and winter. If the weather is perfect, you might not have to wear them from April to August. Still, they accommodate cloudy and windy mornings, even in summer.

Trekking Boots

For the Annapurna Circuit Hike, wear well-gripped waterproof trekking boots. These boots keep your feet warm while walking in the snow.

Trekking Socks

Pack a few pairs of trekking socks for the Annapurna Circuit. You need thick socks for higher elevations and Thorong Pass. Be sure to wear a fresh pair for the high pass. Please wear fresh socks while you sleep and use the same in the morning.

Sneakers or Sport Shoes

Trekking boots might be sweaty and heavy to wear while you are in the lodges in the mountains, so pack sneakers or sport-light shoes to wear after you reach the guesthouse.

Water Sandals

Water Sandals are helpful for bathroom use and showers on the Annapurna Circuit journey, so remember to pack them for this trip.

Gaiters

Suppose there is deep snow on the trekking trail. The snow may permeate inside the boots. Gaiters are very useful for controlling this and keeping your feet warm. Sometimes, it may rain, and there might be muddy trails. The gaiters protect the lower part of trekking trousers from mud.

Crampons or Spikes

Crampons or spikes are compulsory for the Annapurna Circuit hike. If the snow is old, it will be very slippery and difficult to descend the trail after the pass. So, we recommend packing crampons for this adventure trip.

Sleeping Bag

You will get one quilt or blanket on your bed in each guesthouse, but it might not be enough for the cold, so take a sleeping bag for the trek. If you do not have one, we provide one if you book the Annapurna Circuit tour with us.

Quick Drier Towel

You will not get a towel for a shower in the guesthouses during the trek, so you must pack one before you head on the trip.

Rain Gear

It may rain and snowfall sometimes, so we also recommend packing raincoats, ponchos, or plastic covers for the Annapurna Circuit Trek. 

Headtorch

A Headtourch is compulsory to pack for the Annapurna Circuit. It is beneficial for the night to go to washrooms and mandatory for Thorong La pass because you start walking early before daylight.

Water Bottle or Camelback

You must drink plenty of water while trekking to the Annapurna Circuit. Remember to pack two water bottles or a camelback (if you use water purification). We suggest bringing an eco-bottle, which filters everything.

Sunglasses and Sun lotion

While walking in the mountains, you may encounter intense UV light from the sun, so wear sunglasses and sunscreen on the Annapurna Circuit trail.

Lip Balm and Moisturizing Cream

Due to dry air in the mountains, lips and skin crack easily, so we highly recommend bringing lip balm and moisturizing cream for the Annapurna Circuit.

Multi-Plug Power Socket

The power sockets in the mountain guesthouses might differ from those back home. We suggest bringing a multi-plug one to charge your stuff.

Power Bank for Battery Charging

There is electricity access in each place where you stay during the trek. You can charge your phone and camera directly. Still, the power might be interrupted sometimes, and you might need to charge your gadgets, so we recommend packing a power bank for the Annapurna Circuit.

Extra Camera Battery

The Camera Battery might die quickly in the cold, especially while crossing Thorong La in the morning. If you do not have a spare battery, you might miss capturing some memories with your camera, so we suggest bringing an extra camera battery for the trek.

Swimming Costume

During the Annapurna Circuit journey, you visit natural hot springs. We suggest packing a swimming costume for the hot springs. Also, you will encounter some streams along the way, where you might like to swim in some of them.

First-Ait Kit

Some people get traveler's diarrhea in the Himalayas because of the climate and unusual bacteria sometimes, so do not forget to pack essential medication for this kind of condition and other basic medicines with plasters, altitude tablets (Diamox or Acetazolamide) in your first-aid kit for the Annapurna Circuit.

Toiletries

Toilet rolls and other materials are not provided in the bathrooms of the guesthouses where you stay and stop during your journey in the Annapurna Circuit. So, you must bring them from Kathmandu with the other trekking gear for this trip.

Wet Napkins

There are no hot showers, and you must buy hot water to wash your body and face at high altitudes for a few days during the trek. So, we recommend bringing wet napkins to wash out sweets and sunscreen when you reach the guesthouse. It keeps you fresh and warm and cleans you with cold water in the mountains.

Use the Same Packing Lists for Other High Passes Treks in Nepal

Main Bag to pack trekking equipment

The packing mentioned above for the Annapurna Circuit Trek is also suitable for Nepal's other high-pass mountain treks. The Everest Three High Passes, Cho La Pass, and Renjo La Pass treks in the Everest Region, Manaslu Circuit, Kanchenjunga Circuit, and Langtang Gosaikunda Tours are other adventure destinations where you can use the same gear as the Annapurna Circuit.

You Can Buy and Rent Trekking Gear in Kathmandu

Although you can not rent most of the trekking gear, you can hire a down jacket and sleeping bag in Kathmandu. There are many shops in Kathmandu where you can buy your hiking equipment before you depart for adventure to Annapurna and other mountain destinations in Nepal. There are numerous branded and copies of mountain equipment shops in Thamel, where you can buy according to your budget and interests.

At the End

Trekkers planning to trek in the Nepalese Himalayas must need clarification about the packing list for any adventure mountain journey and the Annapurna Circuit. The above-mentioned gear is mandatory for the adventure Annapurna trip. If you have heard from friends and other articles to add or suggest not to pack the things you have seen in this blog, you can ask anything anytime. We help and make precise suggestions according to the Annapurna Circuit packing list.