Trekking · 9 min

Crossing Thorong La — Annapurna Circuit

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By Tom Eriksen30 July 2025Updated 20 January 2026

The whole pass day, in sequence and roughly in real proportion: two hours in the dark, three hours of steady climbing in the cold, twenty minutes at the top, and then the descent, which takes longer than everything before it.

If you watch one section, make it the last three minutes. The drop into Muktinath is where the Annapurna Circuit hurts.

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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

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