Overview
Tharpu Chuli — Tent Peak on most maps — is 5,663 metres, standing in the middle of the Annapurna Sanctuary. It is not high by Nepali standards, and that is beside the point: the summit is ringed by Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Gangapurna, Glacier Dome and Machapuchare.
There is no other summit in Nepal that puts you inside the mountains like this rather than looking at them from outside.
The climb
The approach is the Annapurna Base Camp trek — lodges the whole way, up the Modi Khola gorge and into the Sanctuary. From ABC it is one day to base camp at 4,500 m and another to high camp at 5,100 m.
Summit day is glacier followed by a snow slope of around 40 to 45 degrees, fixed on the steepest section, onto a small top.
A note on the gorge
The stretch between Deurali and Machapuchare Base Camp crosses avalanche ground and has killed trekkers. It is crossed early in the morning and closed outright after heavy snow. If a guide says wait, wait.
What it costs
USD 1,900 to 3,300 — the cheapest of the popular climbing peaks, because the approach runs on lodges, there are no flights, and only two nights are camped. The NMA permit is USD 250 in spring and USD 125 in autumn.
Day by day
The 15 days itinerary
Distances, walking times, altitudes and accommodation for every stage — stored as structured data, not written into the prose.
- Day 1
Kathmandu to Pokhara
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Pokhara (820 m)
- Walking
- 30 minutes by air, or 7 hours by road
- Altitude
- 1,400 m → 820 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Dinner
- Day 2
Pokhara to Chhomrong
Pokhara (820 m) → Kimche → Chhomrong (2,170 m)
- Distance
- 8 km
- Walking
- 4 hours after the drive
- Altitude
- 820 m → 2,170 m
- Elevation
- +700 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Chhomrong
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 3
Chhomrong to Dovan
Chhomrong (2,170 m) → Bamboo → Dovan (2,600 m)
- Distance
- 13 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 2,170 m → 2,600 m
- Elevation
- +800 m / −370 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Dovan
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- The Modi Khola gorge
- Bamboo and rhododendron
- Day 4
Dovan to Deurali
Dovan (2,600 m) → Himalaya → Deurali (3,230 m)
- Distance
- 9 km
- Walking
- 5 hours
- Altitude
- 2,600 m → 3,230 m
- Elevation
- +630 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Deurali
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The gorge narrows to the Hinku Cave and the avalanche ground beyond it — the one genuinely hazardous stretch of the approach, crossed early.
- Day 5
Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp
Deurali (3,230 m) → Machapuchare BC → Annapurna Base Camp (4,130 m)
- Distance
- 11 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 3,230 m → 4,130 m
- Elevation
- +900 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Annapurna Base Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Entering the Sanctuary
- Annapurna I's south face
- Day 6
Annapurna Base Camp — acclimatisation
ABC (4,130 m) and the moraine
- Distance
- 5 km
- Walking
- 3 hours
- Altitude
- 4,130 m → 4,130 m
- Elevation
- +300 m / −300 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Annapurna Base Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 7
ABC to Tharpu Chuli base camp
ABC (4,130 m) → base camp (4,500 m)
- Distance
- 5 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 4,130 m → 4,500 m
- Elevation
- +370 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Rope and crampon practice on the glacier
- Day 8
Base camp to high camp
Base camp (4,500 m) → high camp (5,100 m)
- Distance
- 4 km
- Walking
- 4 hours
- Altitude
- 4,500 m → 5,100 m
- Elevation
- +600 m
- Sleep
- Tented high camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 9
Summit day, and down to base camp
High camp (5,100 m) → Tharpu Chuli (5,663 m) → base camp (4,500 m)
- Distance
- 8 km
- Walking
- 9–11 hours
- Altitude
- 5,100 m → 4,500 m
- Elevation
- +563 m / −1163 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Glacier, then a snow slope of around 40 to 45 degrees with fixed rope on the steepest section, to a small summit. You are standing in the middle of the Sanctuary with the wall of Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Gangapurna, Glacier Dome and Machapuchare in a complete ring around you.
- The 360-degree Sanctuary panorama
- Annapurna I
- Machapuchare
- Gangapurna
- Day 10
Contingency day
Reserved at base camp
- Altitude
- 4,500 m → 4,500 m
- Sleep
- Tented camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 11
Base camp to Bamboo
Base camp (4,500 m) → ABC → Bamboo (2,310 m)
- Distance
- 20 km
- Walking
- 7 hours
- Altitude
- 4,500 m → 2,310 m
- Elevation
- −2190 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Bamboo
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Day 12
Bamboo to Jhinu Danda
Bamboo (2,310 m) → Chhomrong → Jhinu Danda (1,780 m)
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 6 hours
- Altitude
- 2,310 m → 1,780 m
- Elevation
- +500 m / −1030 m
- Sleep
- Lodge, Jhinu Danda
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- The hot springs by the Modi Khola
- Day 13
Jhinu Danda to Pokhara
Jhinu Danda (1,780 m) → Pokhara (820 m)
- Distance
- 5 km
- Walking
- 2 hours, then the drive
- Altitude
- 1,780 m → 820 m
- Elevation
- −960 m
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- Day 14
Pokhara to Kathmandu
Pokhara (820 m) → Kathmandu (1,400 m)
- Walking
- 30 minutes by air
- Altitude
- 820 m → 1,400 m
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Day 15
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
Why climb a peak this low?
Is it a good first 5,000-metre climb?
What about Singu Chuli?
How dangerous is the approach?
When should you go?
About the author
Maya Thapa
Senior trekking writer
Maya has walked more than 4,000 kilometres of Nepal's trail network, from the teahouse highways of the Khumbu to the restricted valleys along the Tibetan border. She writes the route guides and day-by-day itineraries, and returns to most trails every second season to re-check lodge availability, water points and trail reroutes after monsoon damage.
Writes about: Nepal trekking · High-altitude routes · Teahouse logistics
