Overview
The Chulus are a pair of summits on the north side of the Annapurna Circuit above Manang — East at 6,584 m and West at 6,419 m. Eighteen days, three camps above the last lodge, and a crevassed glacier between you and either top.
This is the step up from Island Peak: not much harder technically, but a proper small expedition in logistics and commitment.
The climb
Base camp at 4,400 m above Ngawal, high camp at 5,300 m, and a summit camp at 5,900 m on the glacier. That third camp is what separates the Chulus from the trekking peaks people do as a long day out.
Summit day crosses crevassed ground to a steep snow and ice slope, fixed on the upper section, then follows a corniced ridge. North is the brown trans-Himalaya; south is the entire Annapurna wall with Gangapurna and Tilicho.
East or West
East is higher, more often climbed and the better first objective. West is approached separately from Ngawal, is longer, and carries more objective danger on its glacier. The NMA treats them as separate peaks, so climbing both means two permits — which almost nobody does.
What it costs
USD 2,600 to 4,500. The permit is the same NMA Group B band as Island Peak, and the Annapurna Conservation Area fee is only NPR 3,000 — the money goes on the crew, the tents and the food for three camps above the road.
Day by day
The 18 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu to Chame
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Besisahar (760 m) → Chame (2,710 m)
- Walking
- 9–10 hours by jeep
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 2,710 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Chame
- Meals
- Dinner
- Day 2
Chame to Upper Pisang
Chame (2,710 m) → Upper Pisang (3,300 m)
- Distance
- 15 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 2,710 m → 3,300 m
- Elevation
- +590 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Upper Pisang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 3
Upper Pisang to Ngawal
Upper Pisang (3,300 m) → Ghyaru (3,730 m) → Ngawal (3,660 m)
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 3,300 m → 3,660 m
- Elevation
- +500 m / −140 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Ngawal
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- The high route via Ghyaru
- Annapurna II head-on
- Day 4
Ngawal to Chulu base camp
Ngawal (3,660 m) → base camp (4,400 m)
- Distance
- 8 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 3,660 m → 4,400 m
- Elevation
- +740 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 5
Base camp — acclimatisation
Base camp (4,400 m) and the moraine above
- Distance
- 5 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 4,400 m → 4,400 m
- Elevation
- +400 m / −400 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Rope
- crampon and crevasse-rescue practice
- Day 6
Base camp to high camp
Base camp (4,400 m) → high camp (5,300 m)
- Distance
- 5 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 4,400 m → 5,300 m
- Elevation
- +900 m
- Sleep
- Tented high camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 7
High camp to summit camp
High camp (5,300 m) → summit camp (5,900 m)
- Distance
- 4 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 5,300 m → 5,900 m
- Elevation
- +600 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp on the glacier
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Onto the glacier and roped from here. A camp at 5,900 m is what makes Chulu East a genuine expedition rather than a long day out.
- Day 8
Summit day
Summit camp (5,900 m) → Chulu East (6,584 m) → high camp (5,300 m)
- Distance
- 9 km
- Walking
- 10–12 hours
- Altitude
- 5,900 m → 5,300 m
- Elevation
- +684 m / −1284 m
- Sleep
- Tented high camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Crevassed glacier to a steep snow and ice slope, fixed on the upper section, then a corniced ridge to the top. The view north into the trans-Himalaya and south to the whole Annapurna wall is the reason to come.
- The summit ridge
- Annapurna
- Gangapurna
- Tilicho and Manaslu
- Day 9
Contingency day
Reserved
- Altitude
- 5,300 m → 5,300 m
- Sleep
- Tented high camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 10
High camp to Manang
High camp (5,300 m) → base camp → Manang (3,540 m)
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 7 hours
- Altitude
- 5,300 m → 3,540 m
- Elevation
- −1760 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Manang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Manang — rest day
Manang (3,540 m)
- Distance
- 4 km
- Walking
- 2 hours
- Altitude
- 3,540 m → 3,540 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Manang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 12
Manang to Yak Kharka
Manang (3,540 m) → Yak Kharka (4,050 m)
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 3,540 m → 4,050 m
- Elevation
- +510 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Yak Kharka
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 13
Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi
Yak Kharka (4,050 m) → Thorong Phedi (4,450 m)
- Distance
- 7 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 4,050 m → 4,450 m
- Elevation
- +400 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Thorong Phedi
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 14
Over the Thorong La to Muktinath
Thorong Phedi (4,450 m) → Thorong La (5,416 m) → Muktinath (3,760 m)
- Distance
- 16 km
- Walking
- 8 hours
- Altitude
- 4,450 m → 3,760 m
- Elevation
- +966 m / −1656 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Muktinath
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 15
Muktinath to Jomsom
Muktinath (3,760 m) → Jomsom (2,720 m)
- Distance
- 21 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 3,760 m → 2,720 m
- Elevation
- −1040 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Jomsom
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 16
Jomsom to Pokhara
Jomsom (2,720 m) → Pokhara (820 m)
- Walking
- 25 minutes by air
- Altitude
- 2,720 m → 820 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 17
Pokhara to Kathmandu
Pokhara (820 m) → Kathmandu (1,400 m)
- Walking
- 30 minutes by air
- Altitude
- 820 m → 1,400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 18
Contingency day
Reserved for weather
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 1,400 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
East or West — which should you climb?
Is one permit enough for both?
How does it compare with Island Peak?
Why is it so much less climbed?
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
