Besisahar is the district headquarters of Lamjung and the traditional starting point of the Annapurna Circuit, one of the most celebrated long-distance treks anywhere in the Himalaya. Reached by a five to six hour drive from Kathmandu or a shorter journey from Pokhara, Besisahar sits at the mouth of the Marshyangdi valley, the deep river gorge that the Annapurna Circuit follows northward for its first several days before climbing toward the high Manang valley and eventually Thorong La.

As a district headquarters, Besisahar has a level of infrastructure well beyond the villages further up the trail: proper shops, banks, government offices, and a genuine small-town bustle that contrasts with the quieter mountain settlements trekkers will pass through in the days ahead. This makes it a sensible place for final preparations, arranging permits, checking equipment, and organising porters or guides before the trek begins in earnest.

In recent years, road construction has extended significantly further up the Marshyangdi valley than in the past, and many trekkers now choose to jeep past the lowest, most road-affected sections of the classic route, rejoining the trail on foot further north around Syange, Jagat, or Chamje where the valley narrows and the walking becomes more genuinely trail-like. This has changed the character of the trek's early stages considerably compared to a generation ago, though Besisahar itself remains the fixed starting point from which every itinerary, whether walked in full or partly bypassed by vehicle, begins its journey toward the high Himalaya.

Regardless of how much of the lower valley is covered by vehicle, every Annapurna Circuit itinerary treats Besisahar as the symbolic starting line, and most trekkers mark their first night here as the true beginning of the journey toward Manang and Thorong La.

Many trekkers also use the extra time here to double-check trekking permits and TIMS cards before heading further up the valley, since checkpoints become more frequent beyond this point.