Overview
Annapurna I is 8,091 metres and was the first eight-thousander ever climbed — Herzog and Lachenal, 1950, before anyone had stood on Everest. It is also, measured by deaths against summits, the most dangerous of the fourteen.
Why the numbers are what they are
Everest's danger is concentrated: the Icefall is lethal and it is crossed in a couple of hours. Annapurna's is diffuse. The north face route runs beneath hanging glaciers for long stretches that cannot be avoided, only moved through quickly, and the summit slopes avalanche readily.
Fixed lines and better forecasting have improved the ratio. It remains the worst in the group.
The route
The north face, reached the long way round from the Kali Gandaki rather than through the Sanctuary — increasingly by helicopter. Base camp at 4,200 m, four camps above, and a summit day of steep snow to a corniced ridge with Dhaulagiri filling the view across the valley.
The south face is Bonington's 1970 line, one of the great hard routes in mountaineering, and not a commercial objective.
Who it is for
Climbers who have already been to 8,000 metres and who understand what they are accepting. No reputable operator sells this as a first eight-thousander.
What it costs
USD 20,000 to 45,000, spring only in practice. The royalty is USD 1,800 — the cost is the fixed rope, the oxygen, the Sherpa team and the helicopter logistics on a remote approach.
Day by day
The 45 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu — briefing and load-out
Ministry briefing, permits, packing
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,400 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Day 2
Kathmandu to Pokhara
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Pokhara (820 m)
- Walking
- 30 minutes by air
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 820 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Day 3
Pokhara to the north side approach
Pokhara (820 m) → Tatopani → Lete → Humde or Miristi Khola
- Walking
- 4–5 days by jeep and on foot
- Altitude
- 820 m → 3,500 m
- Elevation
- +2700 m
- Sleep
- Lodges and camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The north side is reached the long way round, from the Kali Gandaki rather than the Sanctuary. Many teams now shortcut the approach by helicopter.
- Day 4
Approach to Annapurna north base camp
→ Annapurna north base camp (4,200 m)
- Walking
- 2 days
- Altitude
- 3,500 m → 4,200 m
- Elevation
- +700 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 5
Base camp — puja, skills, rest
Base camp (4,200 m)
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 4,200 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 6
First rotation — camp one
Base camp (4,200 m) → camp one (5,100 m) → base camp
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 4,200 m
- Elevation
- +900 m / −900 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 7
Second rotation — camp two
Base camp → camp one → camp two (5,700 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 4,200 m
- Elevation
- +1500 m / −1500 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The ground between camps one and two runs beneath hanging seracs. It is crossed fast, in the cold, and it is the single most dangerous stretch of the route.
- Day 8
Third rotation — camp three
Base camp → camp two → camp three (6,500 m) → base camp
- Walking
- 5 days
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 4,200 m
- Elevation
- +2300 m / −2300 m
- Sleep
- Tented camps
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 9
Base camp — rest and weather window
Base camp (4,200 m)
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 4,200 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 10
Summit push to camp four
Base camp (4,200 m) → camp three → camp four (7,200 m)
- Walking
- 4 days
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 7,200 m
- Elevation
- +3000 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp four
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Summit day
Camp four (7,200 m) → Annapurna I (8,091 m) → camp three
- Walking
- 14–18 hours
- Altitude
- 7,200 m → 6,500 m
- Elevation
- +891 m / −1591 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp three
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Steep snow and ice to a corniced summit ridge. The whole day is spent on slopes that avalanche readily, and the descent is where most of the accidents on this mountain have happened.
- The summit ridge
- Dhaulagiri across the Kali Gandaki
- Day 12
Descent and clear-up
Camp three (6,500 m) → base camp (4,200 m)
- Walking
- 2 days
- Altitude
- 6,500 m → 4,200 m
- Elevation
- −2300 m
- Sleep
- Tented base camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 13
Base camp to Pokhara, and reserve days
Base camp (4,200 m) → Pokhara (820 m), usually by helicopter
- Altitude
- 4,200 m → 820 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
Route map
Where the trail goes
Route line, start and end points, and every overnight stop. Locations are shared entities — the same record powers the destination and itinerary pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is Annapurna really the most dangerous eight-thousander?
Why is it so dangerous?
Which side is climbed?
Who should attempt it?
When should you go?
About the author
Tom Eriksen
Gear editor & photographer
Tom tests trekking equipment the only way that produces honest answers: by carrying it for weeks at a time above 4,000 metres. He shoots most of the photography on this site and writes the gear reviews, comparison tables and packing lists.
Writes about: Trekking gear · Photography · Packing and weight
