The Annapurna Circuit has one question in winter, and it sits at 5,416 m. Thorong La, the pass that turns the trek from a valley walk into a loop, closes after every real snowfall between December and February and reopens only when enough boots have broken the trail. Everything else about the winter circuit is good news: empty lodges, frozen-clear air, prices at their lowest, and a valley that looks like the Himalaya in a child's drawing. The rest is about the pass, what stays open around it, and how to plan a winter trip that does not depend on a crossing you cannot promise yourself.
Winter at a glance
| December | January | February | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manang (3,540 m), day / night | 5-10°C / -8 to -12°C | 3-8°C / -10 to -15°C | 5-10°C / -8 to -12°C |
| Thorong Phedi (4,540 m), day / night | -2 to 4°C / -12 to -18°C | -4 to 2°C / -15 to -22°C | -2 to 4°C / -12 to -18°C |
| Thorong La at dawn | -15 to -22°C, wind | -20 to -25°C, wind | -15 to -22°C, wind |
| Pass status | Open between storms | Closed more often than not | Reopening late month |
| Lodges above Manang | Thinning; High Camp often shut | One lodge at Phedi, if that | Reopening |
| Jeep road Besisahar to Manang | Open to Chame, usually to Manang | Open to Chame; above it snow-dependent | Open to Manang most years |
| Crowds | Low after the holiday week | Lowest of the year | Low, rising late month |
Figures are typical ranges for planning, not forecasts. Wind on the pass makes every number feel ten degrees colder.
The pass in winter
Thorong La has no gate and no gatekeeper. The checkpost in Manang records permits, the Himalayan Rescue Association post runs only in the spring and autumn seasons, and the lodges at Thorong Phedi and High Camp decide for themselves whether to stay open. What closes the pass is snow: a storm drops half a metre on the approach from High Camp, nobody can find the trail, and the crossing stops until a guided group or the lodge staff break it. In December that usually takes a day or two. In January, with fewer people and more snow, it can take a week.
The approach after a storm: a single broken trail is the difference between a crossing and a wait
The memory that hangs over every winter decision is October 2014, when a cyclone's tail dropped a metre of snow on the pass in a day and dozens died between High Camp and Muktinath. The lesson is procedural rather than frightening: check the forecast for the three days around your crossing, never start up from Phedi in falling snow, carry the gear to survive a night out, and go with someone who has crossed the pass in winter before. A guide is not legally required on the circuit, but on a winter crossing they are the difference between judgement and guesswork.
The crossing itself, in good conditions, is the same as in October with the clock moved: a 4 am start from Phedi or High Camp, four to six hours to the prayer flags, then the long, icy descent to Muktinath. Microspikes go on at High Camp and stay on until the trail turns to dust above Muktinath. Our Annapurna Circuit guide has the day-by-day and the altitude logic that does not change with the season.
The circuit off-season, with the pass under snow (Jonathan Lundmark)What stays open
The valley is the reassuring part. The jeep road from Besisahar reaches Chame all winter and usually Manang, with snow above Chame the only thing that stops it. Pisang, Chame, and Manang keep lodges open, fewer than in autumn and with the stove lit all day, and the villages feel like themselves rather than like a trail. Manang's side trips are winter-proof: Ice Lake at 4,600 m on a clear day, the Gangapurna glacier viewpoint, Milarepa Cave, and the bakery. Above Manang, Yak Kharka and Letdar keep a lodge or two, Thorong Phedi usually one, and High Camp often none.
Tilicho Lake frozen: the side trip is for experienced winter parties only, since its base camp lodges shut for the season
On the other side, Muktinath and Jomsom run all year in dry, windy sunshine, served by the Jomsom flight from Pokhara and the Beni road. Muktinath by road covers that approach. Tilicho Lake freezes solid and its base camp lodges close, so treat it as off the menu unless you are equipped for a winter camp.
Three winter plans
| Plan | Days | Pass? | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full circuit, Chame to Muktinath | 10-12 plus 2 buffer | Yes | Experienced parties in December or late February, with a winter-tested guide |
| Manang valley out-and-back | 7-8 | No | Anyone; the best winter value in the region |
| Jomsom and Muktinath side | 4-6 | No | Short trips, the pilgrimage, and anyone who wants Mustang light in clear air |
The honest ranking is the order above reversed. The Manang out-and-back gives most of what people come for, the big peaks across the valley and the Tibetan-Buddhist villages, with no gamble on the pass. The full circuit is a winter mountaineering-lite objective and should be sold to you as one.
Gear and safety, beyond the standard list
Add to the packing list: a sleeping bag rated to minus 20°C, a real down jacket, microspikes, gaiters, a balaclava, insulated gloves with liners, glacier sunglasses, a headtorch for the 4 am start, chemical warmers, and a thermos. Keep electronics inside the bag at night. Read the altitude guide with the winter twist in mind: cold hides the symptoms, and the Manang aid post is closed, so the nearest doctor is a day down the road.
The avalanche hazard on the circuit sits on one slope, the traverse between Thorong Phedi and High Camp and the gully above it, and it is a problem only after heavy fresh snow. If a storm has just passed, wait for a day of sun and for someone else's tracks before you go up.
Costs and the season
Lodges and agencies discount winter by 15-25%, and the jeep road makes the approach cheap. Permits are the usual ACAP and TIMS (permits guide), and the Manang checkpost is staffed all winter. December gives the best odds on the pass and the clearest skies; January is the coldest and quietest; late February is the thaw, when the first spring groups arrive and the pass starts reopening for the season. Nepal in winter covers the rest of the country in those months, and the Everest side of the same question is in EBC in winter.
If you want a winter trek with no pass at all and a guaranteed sunrise, Poon Hill is the Annapurna region's answer, and it works every week of the year.
