On arrival at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be greeted by our staff, who will escort you to the hotel, where our Sherpa guide or the office staff will give you a brief orientation about the hotel, Kathmandu itself, trekking, and the do's and don’ts of the area. They will also review any additional information that you might require while in Nepal, including an overview of the next day's sightseeing tour. In the evening, you will enjoy a complimentary welcome dinner at one of the finest traditional Nepalese restaurants in Kathmandu, with the necessary transfer to and from the hotel by taxi, bus. Overnight in Hotel
After your breakfast, you will precede to Kathmandu Durbar Square, where you will tour the ancient palace, the temple of the Kumari, the living goddess of Nepal, Hanuman Dhoka, and Kasthamandav Temple with a guide knowledgeable about Nepalese history, architecture, and religion. From there, you will proceed by taxi, bus to the Buddhist site, Swoyambhunath Stupa, also known as the "Monkey Temple" because of its lively troops of resident monkeys. You will then visit Pashupatinath Temple, the holiest shrine for Hindus, situated on the banks of the holy Bagmati River, a popular cremation site. Before returning to the hotel, you will visit Boudhnath Stupa, a Buddhist pilgrimage center and home to many colorful gompas, or monasteries. Once back at the hotel, you will receive a briefing about the trek and have a chance to meet your guides and ask any last minute questions before tomorrow morning's departure. Overnight in Hotel
After an early breakfast, we will travel by tourist bus towards the scenic Pokhara highway. This is an interesting drive through the foothills of the Himalayas, made more comfortable in recent years by road repair. The drive continues with several stops on route before Pokhara. Upon reaching Pokhara, we will transfer to the hotel with enough time in the afternoon for a stroll around beautiful Phewa Lake. Overnight in Hotel
You begin your journey with a morning drive of 52 kilometers with gorgeous scenery, passing through the scenic villages of Naudanda, Kanre, and Lumle, all the way to Nayapul. In the past days, trekker’s used to start their trek from Nayapul, but after road construction up to remote villages, only few people walk from Nayapul. From Nayapool the road is bumpy following east bank of Bhurungdi River all the way to Tikhedhunga with scenery of rushing waterfuall and tall, green forests. Lunch will be served at Tikhedhunga. From Tikhedhunga your adventure begins with the trail steeply ascending the long, stone steps to Ulleri village, with the surrounding scenery of rice terraces and the Annapurna Himalaya. You will spend your first night in. Overnight at Lodge/Teahouse
Max Altitude: 2050m
Today, the ascent is gentle, and you are rewarded with a walk through the cool shade of the forest. The walk continues with few short ups and down, but walking in the midst of the giant rhododendron forest, you won’t notice the exertion! You will reach Ghorepani after a good 4 hours of trekking. It is an average walking duration for tourists. On the basis of your walking speed, you may complete the journey sooner or later than the mentioned time. Ghorepani Deurali is a busy spot on a ridge in the midst of the beautiful rhododendron forest, offering grand views of the Dhaulagiri range to the West and the Annapurna to the north. The day begins with the trail steeply ascending the long, stone steps to Ulleri village, with the surrounding scenery of rice terraces and the Annapurna Himalaya. We will take refreshing breaks during the few hours of difficult climbing it takes to reach Ulleri village. From here, the ascent is gentle, and you are rewarded with a walk through the cool shade of the forest. The walk continues with few short ups and down, but walking in the midst of the giant rhododendron forest, you won’t notice the exertion! You will reach Ghorepani after a good 5-6 hours of trekking. Ghorepani. Deurali is a busy spot on a ridge in the midst of the beautiful rhododendron forest, offering grand views of the Dhaulagiri range to the west and the Annapurna to the north. Overnight at Lodge/Teahouse
Max Altitude: 2860m
Your guide will wake you early in the morning for the 45 minute to one hour hike up to Poonhill, during which you will be helped by flashlight or moonlight, and glimpse the stars while walking through the rhododendron forest. Poonhill is named after the hill tribe Pun, the inhabitants of Ghorepani and the surrounding area. This is a vantage spot with an incredible panoramic view of the mountains, from the far western Himalaya of Dolpo, Mt. Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Mt. Machhapuchhre, and Manaslu, all the way to the Ganesh Himalaya range. A nearly 600 km range of mountains can be viewed from this magnificent spot. Our early start will be well worth it as you watch the impressive sunrise on the mid-western Himalaya range. After an enlightening time taking in the spectacular views, you return to Ghorepani for breakfast before continuing the trek to Tadapani. The trail passes through rhododendron, pine, fur, and bamboo forests, with few short up and downs until you finally reach Tadapani, an intoxicating place with close views of the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre, situated in the midst of rainforest and alpine mixed forest. This takes around five hours, not including the lunch break at Banthanti. Overnight at Teahouse
Max Altitude: 3210m
The trek from Tadapani offers good views of upper Modi Valley. The route begins with a long ascent, high above the West Bank of Modi Khola. The trail from Tadapani runs gradually downhill most of the way, through a pristine forest of oak and rhododendron, with occasional views of the Annapurna’s. The walk is very pleasant all the way to Kimrong Khola, where you will be stopping for lunch. The trail from here leads uphill for 1-2 hours; once at the top of the ridge, the walk is fairly easy all the way to village of Chomrong, which, situated at the base of Hiunchuli (6441m), is the last village and the gateway to the Annapurna Sanctuary. Overnight at Teahouse
Max Altitude: 2170m
From Chhomrong, the trail leads through rice terraces as you descend to the river. After the bridge, its uphill most of the way for 2-3 hours until you reach the small village of Khuldi-ghar. Here, your trekking permit and conservation ticket is checked and registered. (There IS a reason to keep all that paperwork safe!) After Khuldi, the trail leads downhill for 1-2 hours through bamboo bushes, until you reach Bamboo. This is a village in the midst of a bamboo, rhododendron, and oak forest and has couple of teahouses. After a brief stop here, an hour walk on the gentle uphill path brings you to Dovan, an isolated spot with 2-3 teahouses, amidst the forest near the raging Modi River. The trail continues for about 2 hours. From here, the route winds steeply up a bank of rock and then levels out, running through thickets of bamboo at the bottom of the gorge. You walk on the west side of the river until you reach a small shrine at Panchen Barah; from here, the trail climbs to the Himalaya Hotel, where you will enjoy a comfortable overnight stay. Overnight at Teahouse
Max Altitude: 2600 / 2920m
From the Himalaya Hotel it’s about an hour walk to Hinko, situated at 2,960 m., first on a rocky trail through forests, then up a steep ravine. The trail crosses a ravine and a major avalanche track just beyond Hinko, and then climbs over and winds through large boulders. About half an hour beyond Hinko, is Deurali, situated at 3000m. As the trail continues into the Sanctuary, it crosses two wide avalanche tracks on a narrow trail that closely hugs the cliffs. The trail then descends to meet the Modi Khola and follows the river to Bagar. From Bagar, we climb across more avalanche paths and cross a moraine and a stream. The climb then continues towards an area known as Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC), at the elevation of 3480m. There are panoramic views of Hiunchuli, Annapurna I, Annapurna III, Gangapurna, and Machhapuchhre (6997m). Overnight at Teahouse
Max Altitude: 3700m
Today's walk leads you into the heart of the Sanctuary at the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). The trail continues uphill for few hours before leading you to a grassy path. Depending upon the season and weather conditions, the trek is very pleasant as you reach the higher altitude. Magnificent views abound as you are confronted with an array of snowy peaks, including Annapurna I, which resembles a great wall from this northwest face. ABC has 2-3 teahouses, all with superb panoramic views. The afternoon is free for your leisure, which you can spend either taking a short walk or immersing yourself in the stunning surrounding scenery that has no comparison. Overnight at Teahouse
Max Altitude: 4130m
After a great time at ABC, you retrace the journey back to Bamboo via Machhapuchare Base Camp and Dovan. The route passes a few roofless shepherds’ huts alongside a moraine. The area is cold and windy, and is often snowbound. When you reach Himalaya Hotel, lunch will be served before you continue the trek back to Bamboo. Overnight at Lodge/Teahouse
From Bamboo, the morning walk consists of a short climb to Khuldighar, and then 30 minutes straight to Sinuwa, from where the trail descends all the way to the bridge. From the bridge, the trek continues uphill to Chhomrong. After a break here at Chomrong, the walk leads to a short uphill ascend towards Jhinu—if you go straight on the gradual winding trail, it leads you to the same path from which you entered Chomrong via Kimrong Khola, so stick with your Sherpa guide! The new trail branches off from last teahouse of upper Chomrong. The trail is quite steep downhill for about an hour, until you reach the village on the ridge. Enjoy lunch at Jinu Danda and walk half an hour before you catch a private jeep which will drive you all the way to Pokhara. Overnight in Hotel
Max Altitude: 1780m
After a wonderful time in the mountains, Pokhara is certainly great spot to relax after the trek and swap stories with fellow trekkers. After breakfast, we will board the bus for the 5- 6 hour scenic journey back to Kathmandu. Overnight in Hotel
Keep the departure time of international flight in mind, and make sure to keep your confirmed air ticket and passport handy! Our staff will take you to the airport for your final departure from beautiful Nepal.
