After your arrival at the airport in Kathmandu, you will see The Great Adventure Treks’ representatives. After you meet them at the airport, you will check in your hotel. You will also meet your guide of the trek. If there are any relevant information you want about the trek, you can ask your guide.
You will head out for a half day sightseeing tour of Kathmandu after having breakfast. Kathmandu, despite being moderm, has a prolific display of its ancient culture. The architecture of the various temples and houses dates back hundreds of years.
Pashupatinath Temple is the most popular Hindu temple in the world. Millions of Hindu devotees from Nepal and outside the country come to visit this temple each year. Pashupatinath temple is on the banks of Bagmati river. Maha Shivaratri is the most popular time to visit this temple as Hindu aspirants fill this temple this day. It is a two-storied temple that has various other temples surrounding it.
Boudhanath is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Kathmandu. Its construction dates back to the 5th century C.E. In 1979 A.D, UN declared it to be a World Heritage site. Hindus, Christians, and Buddhism alike come to the experience the wonderful vibe of Boudhanath stupa. Rotating the prayer wheels in the temple is one of the most popular activities here. Encircling this monastery on foot is another wonderful activity here.
King of Kathmandu and Patan resided in Kathmandu Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square respectively in the past. These palaces reflect sumptuous architecte of Newari (an ethnic people of Nepal) artists and craftsmen.
Patan Durbar Square’s most popular temple is the Krishna Mandir while that of the Kathmandu Durbar Square is Hanuman Dhoka complex. The two Durbar Squares are also home to some of the most wonderful museums in the country
We advise resting and preparing for your journey for a half-day. We will meet at our office and help you with the final preparations for the trek.
Today, you will go to Pokhara (820 meters) on a 6-7 hours from Kathmandu. The bus ride takes you along the hills that surround the beautiful valleys like Pokhara and Kathmandu. Along the way, you will also encounter many small towns like Thankot amongst others. These towns are set alongside beautiful rivers like Trishuli and Marsyangdi.
No sooner you arrive in Pokhara, you will see a different vibe. This is due to the wonderful facilities for any traveler in Pokhara. Besides, this town buzzes with local and international tourists. Boating facilities here are also fantastic in lakes set in a wonderful backdrop of hills.
This morning we get up even earlier to check-in to catch the short flight from Pokhara to Jomsom. Sightseeing by plane! This amazing short flight takes through the mountains to the interesting market town for the Mustang area.
Set off through the town, over a small bridge then hit the trail proper to take an easy yet interesting hike to Kagbeni.
This afternoon there is time to explore the small and very unique village of Kagbeni with its walled passages and strange clay effigies decorating the walls.
You will need to hike slowly to Muktinath, which lies at an altitude of 3,750 meters. Muktinath is also highest spot on this trek. Initially, the route leads us along the busy road from Kagbeni. The road widens as you walk further before reaching Jharkot. This is an old village that looks almost ancient as it remains quite isolated from modern civilization. From Jharkot, the trail climbs gradually for another hour and a half to the holy place of Muktinath (3800 meters). The total length of today’s trek is 5-6 hours long.
Muktinath lies between the popular trek to Manang via the high pass of Thorong la and the trail to upper Mustang region. During Hindu or Buddhist festivals, the temple sees a large number of devout followers of these faiths. The temple’s location is quite sumptuous with superb views of Mt.Dhaulagiri, Tukuche peak, Tilicho, and Nilgiri. You can also view these peaks from your campsite.
After breakfast, there is a beautiful drive to Tatopani. The path travels through lush tropical rainforests and grassy pastures. Compared to the desert-like scenery of the previous several days, we will have a wonderful change. The humidity and temperature difference are there as we go lower in the air. Before reaching Tatopani, our destination for the night, we will pass through the checkpoint through Ghasa. Tatopani, which in Nepali means “hot water,” is well for the hot springs. We can see travelers coming from around the world to take a dip in the hot springs’ healing water.
The route to Ghorepani is marked and stone-paved. We can see the signs pointing towards the direction of Ghorepani. It is a difficult hike through rhododendron and oak trees till you reach Ghorepani taking the uphill and downhill paths. The town was known as Ghorepani since it was a well-liked resting place for traders riding horses to Tibet.
We will hike to Poon Hill’s hilltop observation point before sunrise. Poon Hill, which gives a breathtaking panoramic view of the Annapurna Massif, Gangapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Hiunchuli, is the most well-known Himalayan sunrise viewpoint inside the Annapurna Region. A sight to recall is the beautiful sunrise over the snow-capped mountains. After admiring the scenery and snapping photos, we will trek down to Ghorepani to gather our belongings before continuing to Tadapani. Through a dense rhododendron forest, taking a track that goes up and down, we can find one of the largest rhododendron woods in the world along this path. The trail is lined with blooming trees in the spring. After passing through Deurali and Birethanti, we will eventually reach Tadapani.
Tadapani is where we start our journey to Chomrong. We can see Mt. Macchapucchre and the magnificent Annapurna South from the route. Chomrong is a little town surrounded by green hills, yet it is stunningly beautiful. It is the starting place and a well-liked rest break for the hikes to Annapurna Base Camp. Chomrong is bustling with stores, inns, and eateries.
This morning, we set out early to complete a lengthy walk distance. As we hike, we will take in the vistas of Chomrong Khola. We will soon arrive at Sinuwa, a little settlement standing on a hill. As we ascend higher to Bamboo village, the scenarios enhance even more. We will hike to Dovan from Bamboo. Oak, bamboo, and rhododendron woods are everywhere along the trail. To get to Dovan, we need to traverse several wooden bridges. From Dovan, we will climb for a few more hours until we get to the Himalaya Hotel.
We will leave early in the morning for our major trekking destination, Annapurna Base Camp. We pass via the Machhapuchhre Base Camp. We will not experience the pain associated with hiking at such a higher elevation since our body is acclimated to the high altitude. From the Annapurna Base Camp, we will take in close-up perspectives of the Annapurna Massif.
We will get up early and head out to continue our trek. The trek is in a glacier basin surrounded by the peaks of Gangapurna, Hiunchuli, Annapurna South, and Annapurna I, the tenth-highest mountain in the world. We will take in the view of 8000 and 7000 meters high peaks. After taking photographs, descend to your teahouse.
To get to Matque, we will descend to Bamboo. Along the way, you’ll pass through the villages of Chhomrong, Sinuwa, and Jhinu Danda. Your last hike route passes through typical Nepalese scenery, with farms, terraced fields, and traditional mud huts. When we get to Matque, we will proceed to the roadway and take a vehicle headed for Pokhara.
We will return to Kathmandu city via the Prithvi Highway after a lengthy and memorable trip. We will take in the sights of hills, lush fields, and rivers as we travel. We will have lunch and refreshments at a nearby restaurant off the highway. We will have a farewell dinner at Thamel in a fine restaurant.
Note: If you are tired of the trek and drive to Pokhara on the previous day. You can stroll around Pokhara in the morning and take the flight to Kathmandu in the afternoon
We will transfer you to the international airport for your flight back home. Our representatives from The Friendship World Treks will drop you off at the airport approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight. Make sure that you have your confirmed air ticket with you along with other necessary travel documents. We could also arrange another tour for you in Nepal if you want to.