Chulu West Peak Climbing, 15 Days is a 15-day trek and climb for very fit trekkers who have been to altitude and want a higher summit on the Annapurna side. It reaches 6,419 m (Chulu West summit) and is graded Technically Challenging: the first half of the Annapurna Circuit, then a long summit day higher than Island Peak. It costs from USD 3,890 per person (Budget, couple). The price per person is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size, and it falls as the group grows.
Chulu West climbing at a glance
| Duration | 15 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu, with a reserve day at base camp |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 6,419 m / 21,060 ft (Chulu West summit). Ledar 4,250 m, Manang 3,540 m |
| Grade | Technically Challenging. Excellent fitness needed. Higher and longer than Island Peak or Pisang Peak |
| Best months | April and May, October and November |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private |
| Starts and ends | Kathmandu. Drive to Jagat, jeep and drive back from Manang |
| Walking | 4 to 7 hours a day on the trail. Summit day is much longer |
| Permits | NMA climbing royalty, Annapurna Conservation Area, TIMS. All included |
| Climbing team | A climbing Sherpa for every climber, all technical gear, oxygen, base camp food, USD 500 garbage fee |
| From price | USD 3,890 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 4,515, Luxury USD 6,110 |
Why I built it this way
Chulu West is the highest peak we sell on the Annapurna side. It is 6,419 m, a good deal higher than Island Peak, and it rises above the Manang valley on the Annapurna Circuit. You walk the first half of the Circuit, spend a rest day in Manang, sleep at Ledar at 4,250 m and then go to base camp. A rest and skills day at base camp gives your body one more night to adjust before high camp.
It is a harder and longer day than Pisang Peak, and it is meant for people who are already fit, who have trekked at altitude and who ideally have climbed a 6,000 m peak. If you have not, read Peak Climbing for Beginners in Nepal: Your First Mountain Above Six Thousand Metres and Easy Trekking Peaks in Nepal: Five Summits for Trekkers Who Want More Than a Trail, then tell me honestly what you have done. I may suggest Pisang Peak first.
I should be plain about two things. This version walks back down to Manang and drives out, so it does not cross Thorong La. Many operators sell Chulu West with the pass, in 18 to 22 days, and I can add it if you want. Second, the Besisahar to Chame road is under repair after the 27 September flood, so this is a trip for dates when the valley is open again. We check 48 hours before you leave, and if the road is not open we move your dates free.
The royalty, the permits, all the technical gear, the base camp food and the USD 500 garbage fee are in the price. Hotel nights in Kathmandu are not. Every booking helps pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum. The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Best time to go, month by month
These are 1991 to 2020 averages from the national weather stations at Manang (3,401 m) and Pokhara, as set out in our Annapurna Circuit month-by-month guide. They are not forecasts, and there is no station on the mountain itself.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Coldest month. Manang averages 7 C by day and -9 C at night, with 6 mm of rain. Cold and wind high on Chulu West. | Only with winter climbing experience |
| February | Manang 9 C by day, -7 C at night, 15.1 mm of rain. Still deep winter on the mountain. | Only with winter climbing experience |
| March | Spring starts. Manang 11 C by day, -3 C at night, 21.6 mm of rain. Rhododendrons on the lower trail, more cloud on the south side. | Good, with a warm sleeping bag |
| April | Manang 14 C by day, -1 C at night, 38.5 mm of rain. Warmer, stable and busier. Pokhara gets 141.7 mm, so the south side is wetter. | Best, with May |
| May | Manang 16 C by day, 3 C at night, 40.4 mm. Warm, but the south side is much wetter (354.7 mm at Pokhara), so the lower days are more likely to be wet. | Good, early May |
| June | Monsoon. Manang gets 54.7 mm, but the lower trail is on the wet side and cloud hides the peaks. | No |
| July | Monsoon, the wettest month. Manang gets 85 mm, Pokhara 941 mm. | No |
| August | Monsoon. Manang gets 67 mm, Pokhara 839.4 mm. | No |
| September | The monsoon is clearing. Manang gets 59.7 mm and Pokhara 635 mm. Landslides on the road are still likely. | Late September only, with spare days |
| October | Dry and clear. Manang gets 38.9 mm, days of 15 C and nights of about 1 C. The main autumn climbing season and the busiest. | Best, with November |
| November | The driest month: Manang gets 1.1 mm. Days of 12 C, nights of -4 C. Clear but cold. | Best, with October |
| December | Dry and cold. Manang gets 3.8 mm, with nights of -8 C. Few climbers, and snow can come at any time. | Only with care |
One price applies all year. The Nepal Mountaineering Association charges USD 350 in spring and USD 175 in autumn, winter and summer, and we cost the spring figure. (Chulu East has its own higher fee: USD 500 in spring and USD 250 in autumn. We do not sell it here.) The road, not the royalty, is what decides your month: see Is the Annapurna Circuit Open? Road Closures Versus Trail Closures.
Permits and costs
We apply for every permit and pay for all of them. You send us your passport details early, because climbing permits need 48 hours, counted in government working days. Chulu West is on the Nepal Mountaineering Association list of trekking peaks, so no restricted-area permit is needed.
| Permit or fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NMA climbing royalty, Chulu West | USD 350 spring, USD 175 autumn, winter and summer | Nepal Mountaineering Association page, read 9 Oct 2026. Chulu West is a standard-rate peak (Chulu East is not). Included, whatever the season |
| Annapurna Conservation Area permit | NPR 3,000 | Included |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (NPR 1,000 SAARC) | Included, we issue it through our agency |
| Garbage fee for the climb | USD 500 | Included on every tier |
The price per person falls as the group grows, and a child pays the same as an adult. Private or group, the price per person is the same. Here is the full table.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 5,405 | USD 5,950 | USD 9,150 |
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 3,890 | USD 4,515 | USD 6,110 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 3,050 | USD 3,720 | USD 5,610 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 3,015 | USD 3,660 | USD 5,515 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 2,900 | USD 3,605 | USD 5,445 |
Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival), Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending and any extra porter (USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge). Our family homestay in Kathmandu is USD 15 per person per night. You pay a 10% deposit to book and the balance in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros, in cash or by card, and card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge.
Getting there and getting back
You start with a drive from Kathmandu to Jagat, about ten hours along the Prithvi Highway and up the Marsyangdi valley. You come back by jeep from Manang to Besisahar and then drive to Kathmandu, about six to seven hours. There are no flights on this trip. The Besisahar to Chame road is under repair after the 27 September flood (position as at 7 October), and Chame itself was hit. We check the road and the trail 48 hours before departure. If it is not open, we move your dates free of charge.
Read The Annapurna Circuit After the Roads: What Changed, What Remains, and Why It Still Matters and Besisahar: The Start of the Annapurna Circuit and the Way Out of Manaslu and Nar Phu for the road in detail. Visa on arrival is USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months.
Safety and altitude
This is a higher summit, so the climb up matters. You go from 1,300 m at Jagat to Manang at 3,540 m, rest there for a day, then sleep at Ledar (4,250 m) and base camp, and you have a rest day at base camp before high camp. Your guide checks your oxygen level and how you feel every day. If you are not acclimatising, we do not go higher. The Himalayan Rescue Association post at Manang gives a free talk on altitude sickness, and I suggest you go. Read Altitude Sickness on Nepal Treks: Complete Prevention and Safety Guide 2026/2027.
On the mountain your climbing Sherpa decides, and his word is final. We turn back for weather, snow conditions or how you feel. Emergency oxygen stays with the climbing team. If you need rescue, it is paid from your travel insurance, so buy a policy at home that covers climbing to 6,500 m and helicopter evacuation.
What to pack
- Broken-in trekking boots for the trail (double mountaineering boots, crampons, harness, ice axe and helmet are provided)
- A warm sleeping bag rated to about -15 C, or ask us to lend one
- A down jacket, a fleece, thermal base layers and a windproof shell
- Warm gloves plus a thin pair, a warm hat, a buff and sunglasses with side shields
- Sun cream SPF 50 and lip balm
- A head torch and spare batteries (cold drains them)
- Two one-litre water bottles and purification tablets
- A daypack of about 30 litres. Your duffel goes with the porter
- Personal medicines, blister care, and rehydration salts
- Our full list is in What to Pack for the Annapurna Circuit: The Trek That Crosses Two Climates in Twelve Days
Budget, Standard or Luxury
All three tiers climb the same mountain with the same Sherpa, gear and permits. What changes is how you live on the trail and the comfort of the vehicle.
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | Shared rooms in simple teahouses | Private twin rooms, attached bathroom where the lodge has one | Private deluxe rooms, ensuite where the lodge has one |
| Porter | None. You carry your own pack. An extra porter is USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge | One porter for every two trekkers, 20 kg each in total. A solo guest has no porter: the guide carries up to 10 kg | One dedicated porter for every trekker |
| Meals | Not included on the trail. All food at base camp and above is included | Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, tea or coffee and seasonal fruit once a day | All meals, fruit and nuts, tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice and water whenever you want |
| Road transport | Private vehicle | Private vehicle | Private, more comfortable vehicle |
| Guide | 1 guide, an assistant at 8 or more | 1 guide per 6, an assistant at 7 or more | 1 guide for every 2 trekkers |
| Climbing Sherpa | 1 for each climber | 1 for each climber | 1 for each climber |
| Gear, royalty, garbage fee, oxygen | Included | Included | Included |
Read before you book
- Manang Village Guide: Acclimatisation Stop on the Annapurna Circuit
- Ledar (Letdar): The Last Herders' Stop Before Thorong La
- Annapurna Circuit Best Time: Month by Month, With Rain, Night Lows and Thorong La
- Easy Trekking Peaks in Nepal: Five Summits for Trekkers Who Want More Than a Trail
- Nepal Peak Climbing Permit Fees 2026/2027: NMA Rates, Royalties, and What You Actually Pay
- Is the Annapurna Circuit Open? Road Closures Versus Trail Closures
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
