There are two ways to circumambulate these mighty rocks: clockwise or anti-clockwise. The most common way to go is anti-clockwise, supposedly because this is an easier trail to climb. That was the main reason my friends and I went for the anti-clockwise option. The trek slowly ascends for something like 150 kilometers until it culminates at the Thorung-La pass at 5500 meters altitude, from where it is downhill the rest of the way. People planning to do this trek should read extensively on trekking in mountains, making themselves familiar with symptoms of altitude sickness, which has caused the death of at least one westerner (on the very top of Thorung-La). Our Bible for this challenge was a book by Bryn Thomas, who also writes for Lonely Planet, "Trekking the Annapurna Circuit". This book is widely available in the many bookstores of Kathmandu, as are many other informative titles.

We took approximately one month to complete the circuit, although it can be done in about 20 days. Actually I heard of people who have done it in 11 days, but I would advise people to take their time, partly because there is no reason to hurry, the mountains are going nowhere, but most importantly because at certain points it is necessary to spend one or two rest-days in order to acclimatize for the heights (refer to books on this).

During the circuit trek we experienced most types of climates and weathers that I can imagine; at first we walked normal forest-areas, in exhausting heat because of the low altitude. Thereafter we went through jungle-areas, desolate wastelands, pine-forests, western-movie-style desert stretches, and on our way over the Thorung-La pass we were even treated to snow. During all of this the temperature ranged from extreme heat to extreme cold, which makes it necessary to prepare extensively for the trek, regarding clothes. In order to keep the weight down one must also make sure not to bring anything unnecessary, at least if you aim to carry your backpack yourself. It is very normal to hire a porter, who can also act as a guide (some can, if they speak English) at least in the sense that they usually know the right way around the mountains. We chose to carry our own stuff, which I think is a very rewarding experience (it is a nice feeling to be a �walking house�, with all you need to survive for days attached to your back). At first I had brought way too many things, like an extra pair of pants and an extra sweater and lots of little things that I really didn�t need. Due to this I almost gave up on the first day of the trek because I thought I would never make it (I was also sick, but didn�t know it at the time). Then I started going through my backpack every day, and along the way giving away or discarding things I didn�t strictly need. Before long my backpack reached a tolerable weight and from then on the trek just got better and more enjoyable. You also have the option of hiring a Nepalese guide, who will walk the trek with you and supposedly tell you about all the cultural landmarks you pass. My experience by talking to guides and people who have been guided is that these guides most of the time just show you the way to go, and then stay either 100 meters in front of you or behind you. Therefore it is a more sensible option to hire a porter, since these also know the way and cost many times less than a regular guide (who costs many dollars each day). Another important thing (in my humble opinion) to bring is a walking stick, which can be bought in Pokhara (where most trekkers spend time before the trek starts). This is especially good for balance and for pushing yourself along the way. And do remember to study the route you choose in guidebooks, to make sure that you have the right set of clothes and trekking-shoes with you, and things like iodine or water purification tablets, this is very important, believe me.

All the way along the trail there are little mountain-villages, where guest houses are abundant and ready to serve you. Although you might be told differently (we were), you never have to spend a night outside, as new guest houses are being built all the time all over the place. The prices of accommodation and food vary considerably from the beginning of the trek to the middle of the trek (around the pass). This is due to the distance from the �real world� to the little mountain villages. Remember that each time you buy a Coca-Cola or mars-bar 150 km into the trek, it has been carried all that way by a little Nepalese sherpa, who gets paid so little that you wouldn�t believe it if I told you how much. It is awe-inspiring to watch these (seemingly) frail little men carry packs on their backs 5-10 times their own size, and who knows how heavy. In the beginning of the trek you will be able to get a double room for about 20-30 Nepalese rupees (about 0.50 $). The prices rise gently along with the altitude, until you reach Thorung-Phedi (last stop before crossing the pass) where a bed in a dormitory costs 100 NR. Although most all of the new guest houses being built have both solar heated shower and toilets that are not too off-putting, you must prepare yourself for a primitive experience and (if you haven�t done this sort of thing before) expect your limits when it comes to toilet and hygiene habits to be pushed over the edge - which isn�t necessarily bad for us westerners.

The food is generally expensive, but this has to be taken with a grain of salt for westerners, since everything is cheap for most of us anyway. Bear in mind that the food you will experience on the trek can range from okay and delicious to downright horrible and uneatable. You would do yourself a favor if you learned to appreciate the Nepalese national dish: Dhal Bhat, which is rice served with lentil-soup. This dish comes in all shapes and colors and with all manner of supplementals like meat and vegetables (very much depending on where you get it), and usually it is Nepalese custom that you can get as many refills as you like for no extra charge. I won�t list prices for food and the likes, since the prices change all the time (and they are not going down), so be sure to check with other travelers who have done the trek recently so that you can bring enough cash with you (surprise, there are no credit card facilities in the mountains� yet). Two of my traveling companions had done part of the trek two years before, and based on their experiences we each brought between 12.000 and 15.000 NR, but with the unexpected new prices that was definitely not enough for the whole trek, which resulted in many days of noodle-soup diet and some sleepless nights. But generally you can live extremely cheap if you have simple needs regarding food and drink, although you can also choose to be a big-spender and eat western candy and drink soft-drinks and eat Italian food each day. It is up to you. But people shouldn�t save too much money on food, since it is important to keep feeding energy to your body, if you want maximum enjoyment from your time in the mountains.