Annapurna And Everest

Arrive Kathmandu. Check into hotel

Overnight Standard Hotel

We start the day with a walking tour, with visits to the lively bazaars and temples of old Kathmandu, accompanied by a Nepali guide. Later, we include a pre-trek briefing when your tour leader will check that everybody is properly equipped for the trek and give you an idea of what to expect on a day-to-day basis. There will be time to visit trekking shops to hire or buy any kit that you need.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we leave Kathmandu following the Prithvi highway to Pokhara. Set on the banks of the Phewa Tal lake Pokhara is a relaxed town situated beneath the great bulk of the Annapurna range. Machhapuchhre offers a stunning backdrop and makes Pokhara the perfect start and end point for our trek through the foothills.  The afternoon is free with the option to take a boat out on to the lake, walk up to the peace pagoda or simply relax at the lakeside with a treat from one of the many bakeries in the town.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we leave Pokhara and have a short drive west to Nayapul, the start point for our trek. We walk, following the Modi Khola river upstream to Biretanti, a small village where we stop to rest before continuing on to Ghandruk. This small Gurung village has views of Machhapuchhre, the fishtail mountain, and Annapurna South.  There is a local museum showing items from the local culture. The trails throughout the foothills are wide and well worn but with many large steps, we take our time as we wind our way along the route and can stop at teahouses along the route to take drinks and enjoy the views. Approximately 5 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leaving Ghandruk behind we climb through dense forest, crossing small bridges and climbing stone stairways until we reach Tadapani.  During the spring the forest is a burst of colour as the rhododendrons come in to flower. As we walk we are rewarded with views of the Annapurna range including the mighty Annapurna South. Approximately 5 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We begin today with a descent down to the river before a steep ascent to the village of Banthanti where we take lunch.  After lunch there is another steep climb, through dense pine forests until we reach Deorali. A short descent through rhododendron forest brings us to Ghorepani, which on a clear day offers stunning views along the Kali Gandaki valley and across to the Dhaulagiri Range.  Approximately 6 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

An early start this morning as we ascend out of Ghorepani to climb Poon Hill (3193m), aiming to reach the top for sunrise. The climb up takes approximately one hour and we hope to be rewarded with views of Annapurna South, Dhaulagiri, Hinchuili and Tukche amoungst others. We return to Ghorepani for a well earned breakfast. Todays walk is a fairly steep and constant descent to Tirkhedunga where we spend the night. Approximately 5.5 hours walking (including Poon HIll ascent).

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following the Burungdi River we gently descend to Biretanti and then on to meet our vehicles at Nayapul.  We return to Pohkara and the rest of the day is free to relax.  There is the option to visit a small Tibetan village just outside of Pohkara. Alternatively you can make a trip to the Mountain Museum which houses artifacts  from many expeditions to Nepalese peaks. Approximately 4 hours walking.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

We drive from Pokhara to Mugling then follow the Naryani river to Naryanghat into the flat Terai region of Nepal very close to the Indian border. Our lodge is situated outside the park, near the village of Jagatpur, just across the Rapti River from Chitwan National Park. Once a private hunting ground, Chitwan is now a National Park, with thick tree cover and tall elephant grass sheltering a wealth of animals. In January, the local people are permitted to enter the park to cut the long grass for roof thatching. Total driving time is approximately 5 to 6 hours.

Overnight Simple Jungle Lodge Included meals: Breakfast

Throughout your stay you will be kept busy during the day (except for a couple of hours around lunch time ). Activities available in the Park include elephant back safaris searching out the one-horned rhino, birdwatching, jungle walks and drives and dugout canoe trips along the Rapti River:

Chitwan National Park is famous for the Asian one-horned rhino. In our safari we mostly focus on spotting rhinos.

Vegetation: Vegetation in Chitwan National Park is different than what you expect in Africa. It has three different sets of vegetation - grasslands, riverine and sal forest. Spotting wild animals is quite difficult - if you see one you will be lucky!

Overnight Simple Jungle Lodge Included meals: Breakfast

We drive back to Kathmandu Alternatively, if you don’t fancy the drive, you may wish to take an optional 30min flight from Bharatpur to Kathmandu in a small, 17 seater aircraft. (Please note that if you take the optional flight and it does not operate due to unforeseen circumstances, you will then be responsible for the transport costs back to Kathmandu.)

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

An early morning departure from Kathmandu to Lukla. (Adverse weather conditions and other local factors can cause delays and cancellations. Although seats are booked and confirmed well in advance, it may be necessary to adjust the itinerary to ensure the best use of your time). There are spectacular mountain views all the way taking in Gauri Shankar (7145m), Melungtse (7181m) and Numbur (6955m). We arrive in Lukla and meet our Sherpa crew. Depending on flight arrival time there may be an opportunity to visit the newly completed Lukla Gompa (monastery) and its attached tanka painting school. We’ll take lunch in Lukla, then descend northwest to the village of Choblung (2700m) in the Dudh Kosi valley. Following the river’s course, we pass through the villages of Ghat and reach the small village of Phakding (2610m). Approximately 3 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We continue along beside the Dudh Kosi through fragrant pine and fir forest catching good views of Kusum Kangru (6369m) and Thamserku (6608m) as we walk. We then walk through the village of Monzo and pass through the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park and descend to cross the Dudh Kosi to the village of Jorsale (2773m). The walk continues along the banks of the river, until we climb to cross the river by a high suspension bridge and begin our first sustained ascent en route to Namche Bazaar. The trail makes a series of wide switchbacks to reach a point from where we get our first magnificent views of Everest through the Dudh Kosi valley to the northeast. Climbing again, the path takes us through pine trees to reach the distinctive horseshoe-shaped bowl containing the village of Namche Bazaar (3440m). Approximately 6 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ascending to Khunde this morning (3840m) we pass the Hillary Hospital, built by the Himalayan Trust, a charity established by Sir Edmund Hillary to assist the Sherpa people, before continuing to Khumjung (3780m) a traditional Sherpa community that lies below the sacred face of Khumbi-La. This remarkable village is home to the world’s highest bakery and also the school established by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1965, which has become an important centre of learning for children from the outlying villages over the years and can today hold up to 500 students. After visiting the monastery and the school (if open), perhaps even taking an opportunity to try some high altitude sticky buns we can relax and enjoy the scenery. Approximately 5 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ll take a different route from Khumjung to Namche. We may make an excursion to the Everest View hotel for great mountain views from the terrace or continue to Khunde, perhaps making a short visit to see the Khunde Hospital, built by the Himalayan Trust – a charity established by Sir Edmund Hillary to assist the Sherpa people. From Khunde we climb for a short while to a small pass, enjoying fine views of Thamserku, Kangtega and Ama Dablam. On our descent we will pass the Government yak breeding farm and continue to the now unused small airstrip at Shyangboche at 3720m. From the airport we then make a steep descent south into Namche for lunch. We continue back down to the valley of the Dudh Kosi and on to our night stop at Monzo. Approximately 5 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We leave the Sagarmatha National Park and continue our descent along the banks of the Dudh Kosi, before making a final ascent to reach the Lukla plateau by mid afternoon. En route we may make an optional excursion to a small monastery above the river near the ghat. Approximately 5 hours walking.

Overnight Simple Teahouse Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We say goodbye to our Sherpa crew and take the morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu (weather permitting). The afternoon is free in Kathmandu.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

The last day is spent in Kathmandu allowing time to explore the fascinating temples and villages within easy reach of the capital and also a day’s leeway should there be a delay with flights from Lukla due to bad weather conditions. You may wish to take an optional visits to the Temple of Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River – the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal and Bodnath Stupa – the largest in the country and destination of Buddhist pilgrims from all over Nepal. It is possible to make an optional visit to the medieval town of Bhaktapur at the far eastern end of the Kathmandu Valley, a city retaining much medieval character and some notable craft work.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast.