Morning: hotel pickup
Your guide picks you up at your Pokhara hotel between 7am and 8am, depending on the trek. They check your duffel and day pack, do a final gear inspection (warm layers, rain jacket, headlamp, water bottle, hiking poles), and load everything into the jeep.
If you don't have something essential, this is when you find out - and there's still time to grab it from one of the gear shops in Lakeside before you leave.
Drive to the trailhead
Most Annapurna treks involve a 1–3 hour jeep ride from Pokhara to the trailhead (Nayapul, Phedi, or Kande, depending on the route). The road is sealed for most of the way. Your guide handles all the logistics - buying snacks, paying the driver, dealing with the entry checkpoints.
First few hours of walking
Day one is intentionally easy - usually 4–6 hours of walking with a gradual ascent. Your guide sets the pace based on what you've told them about your fitness. There's no race; if you need to stop, you stop.
You'll learn the rhythm: water break every 30–40 minutes, lunch around midday at a teahouse, photo stops whenever the view opens up.
Arriving at the first teahouse
By mid-afternoon, you're at the first overnight stop. Your guide has either pre-booked the rooms or knows the owner well enough to get you the best one available. You drop your bags, get hot tea, and watch the sun drop behind the ridge. Dinner is around 6–7pm. By 9pm most teahouses are quiet.