Trekking, Culture and Wildlife in Nepal

Welcome to Nepal! Please arrive in Kathmandu by early afternoon. After arrival at Kathmandu airport, you will be transferred by private shuttle to our hotel, our base for the first two nights. The afternoon is yours for free time to relax. There are so many things to do right from the hotel, like shopping in the colorful streets, exploring ancient alley ways, or just people-watching from the park benches. You will meet your group at 5PM for a group orientation and a welcome dinner. Our first meal this evening will be a mix of Nepal and Western dishes while enjoying the night views below of Kathmandu city. (D) Overnight: Hotel Marshyangdi

After breakfast, we head to Pashupatinath, which is more than just a religious destination. It is a combination of religion, art, and culture, and offers peace and devotion. The temple, spread across 246 hectares of land, abounds in temples and monuments. Hundreds of rituals are performed here every day. This temple is an important destination for art historians since it displays a variety of temple designs, some of which are Dome style, Pagoda style, Shikhara style and so on. We will weave our way through statues and sculptures, and learn about the religious and cultural significance of this site. After our exploration of Pashupatinath, we set out to explore the giant Boudhanath Stupa. One of Asia's largest Buddhist shrines, this magnificent stupa stands 328 ft. in diameter and 130 ft. high, and can be spotted from many viewpoints in Kathmandu. In this area of Nepal, the majority of the Buddhist monasteries are Tibetan in character, and you may be reminded of the famous city of Lhasa, Tiber while here! After a lunch break in Boudhanath, we will head to Bhaktapur, one of the three medieval villages of Kathmandu valley, and definitely the best preserved one. Bhaktapur, with its Durbar Square and beautiful temples, intricate wood carving in the balconies, windows, and fabulous stone sculptures and clean, brick paved streets give the impression of being in an open-air museum. After a nice dinner out, we will have our Annapurna Trek orientation at the Hotel. (B, D) Overnight: Hotel Marshyangdi

This morning, we will drive down to Kathmandu's Durbar Square where the city's kings were once crowned and where they ruled (durbar means palace in Nepali). Because of this, the square remains the traditional heart of the old town and Kathmandu's most spectacular legacy of traditional architecture. Even though a lot of the buildings in this square collapsed during the devastating 2015 earthquake, the reconstruction and the strength of the Nepali people can be seen throughout the complex and the city. We will use the time before lunch to get ready for our flight to Pokhara. This 23 minute flight into Pokhara gives us a magnificent first glance at the majestic Himalayas. Pokhara is considered Nepal's laidback lakeside resort town, and you can use the evening to explore the town on your own. We go to bed early tonight to prepare for our 6-day, 5-night trek. (B, D) Overnight: Hotel Barahi

After a hearty breakfast, we have an early 7AM start for the 3 hour drive to our trailhead. We follow the drive through the River Seti, passing lowland rice fields, local villages and a beautiful waterfall. Once we arrive in Hile at 4,900ft above sea level, we will hike 10 minutes further for our lunch at Tirkhedhunga. This quaint village will be our first taste of the towns we will experience on our Annapurna Trek. There will be shops and tea houses you can visit and maybe even buy some treats for the road!
From here the trail climbs steadily up, a tough but rewarding portion of the day to reach our destination of Ulleri. At the end of this climb, we will be able to say we conquered a stone staircase with more than 3200 steps! After climbing the hill, we reach Ulleri (6,400 ft), a small Gurung village, where we will have our first of many magnificent views of Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Hiunchuli. (B, L, D)
Hiking: 4 - 4.5 hours, 5-6 miles
Overnight: Local Tea House & Lodge

After our first night on the trail, we wake up refreshed and ready for adventure! We set out on a gradual uphill to Banthati, walking through villages and rice fields, stopping for lunch at Banthati, the halfway point for today, where we enjoy lunch at a local tea house. After lunch, our trail goes through a native pine forest. This is a unique part of the trail since most of the time, we will be trekking through jungle. In March, we will experience the beautiful spring rhododendron flowers in bloom! Throughout our trek, we can spot wild birds and animals, like the Great Parrotbills and Himalayan yaks. We end the day in Ghorepani village (9,400ft), which offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains including Annapurna South and Nilgiri mountains. Since Ghorepani lies quite high, make sure you pack warm clothes as the weather is a bit chiller! (B, L, D)
Hiking: 5 -6 hours, 7.2 miles
Overnight: Local Tea House & Lodge

This is the most important day of our trek- the summit of Poon Hill (10,500ft)! We will need to wake up very early in the morning to start our journey to guarantee we see the iconic view of the sunrise over the Himalayas. This is the reason we traveled all the way to Nepal! After only an hour, we reach our summit. So many beautiful snow-capped mountains can be seen from Poon Hill including Dhaulagiri (26,800ft), Annapurna South (23,400ft) Machhapuchhre (23,000ft), Nilgiri South, Singa Chuli, and Annapurna (26,500ft)!
We return to Ghorepani for a well-deserved large breakfast and start our hike towards Tadapani. During our trek, we never lose sight of the Annapurna Massif as we walk along the ridgeline, covered in blooming rhododendrons. We only gain 750 ft of altitude all day, so we can use this time to relax and enjoy the beautiful sights around us. The trail winds through rhododendron and oak forests, and finishes with a hike next to the river, just a short ascent towards the town of Tadapani. We will celebrate our big day with dinner at a local tea house! (B, L, D)
Hiking: 6 - 7 hours, 8.5 miles
Overnight: Local Tea House & Lodge

This is a refreshingly short day on the trail, after an early start yesterday! We begin our trek hiking through the jungle towards Baisi Kharka. If it is a clear morning we will see Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Machhapuchhre ("Fishtail") and Annapurna III in the first few hours of the hike. Passing through more remote villages and terraced gardens, we make our way towards the town of Ghandruk, where we have lunch. Ghandruk is a very special town, as it is one of the biggest villages of local Gurung people. We spend the afternoon learning about the Gurung people, their traditions and culture, and spend time in the Gurung Culture Museum. This museum is filled with recreations on how the Gurung people used to live, models of their homes, and how they survived the harsh winters in this area. You have the afternoon free to explore the town at your leisure before meeting up with the group for dinner. (B, L, D)
Hiking: 4 hours, 4-5 miles
Overnight: Local Tea House & Lodge

We are sad to finish our Annapurna Trek, but we are looking forward to the next part of our adventure in Nepal! Today we start with an early morning hike down to Kimche, where we will all hop in jeeps to reach Pokhara. After a few hours, we reach our destination of Pokhara. Welcome back to the lush and relaxed lakeside vacation town! After a well-deserved shower, the afternoon is yours. Tonight, dinner is on your own, so you have the opportunity to try any of the gourmet restaurants in town, from Nepalase to Italian. (B, L)
Hiking: 2 hours
Driving: 3 - 3.5 hours
Overnight: Hotel Barahi

Our final morning in the mountains! After breakfast, we begin our drive down to Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal. This drive is sure to be a safari on its own. We will make our way from the high Himalayas, following the curve of the river, with views for miles. We descend through dense jungles and into the rainforest and flat lands of Chitwan. Once we arrive, we will eat a delicious home made lunch and check into the Jungle Lodge. The afternoon is yours to relax or explore the grounds of the lodge. Other activities include: Riverside sunset, a local village tour, or a lesson on the importance of the Chitwan National Park. (B, L, D)
Overnight: Chitwan Jungle Lodge

Today is the day we explore the Nepalese jungle! On a typical day in Chitwan, we will learn about the elephant population in Nepal, get to watch a feeding or an elephant bath in the river, and then head to lunch. In the afternoon, we will take a relaxing canoe on the Rapti River. This river is a very culturally and ecologically important river as it is a tributary of the Sarayu River, one of the holy Buddhist rivers. The river is known for its connection to the local Janajati tribes and has been a source of food and water for these peoples for centuries. We will drift lazily in the calm river, taking in the sights and sounds of this relaxing journey. In the afternoon, depending on the activities, we can learn about the National Park's crocodile conservation program or do a guided jungle walk with a naturalist. We will enjoy dinner at the jungle lodge tonight and marvel over our new surroundings, so different from the mountain ranges of the previous week. (B, L, D)
Overnight: Chitwan Jungle Lodge

This morning is our last day in the jungle, and we will make the most of it! Just like yesterday, our activities are dependent upon the ones offered that day but could involve a morning bird watch or jungle walk, followed by a hearty breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, we head to the Chitwan airport for our internal flight back to Kathmandu.
After arriving in Kathmandu, the afternoon is yours! You can roam around Kathmandu, relax at the hotel, or both! Either way, lunch will be on your own today so you can visit a fun restaurant you spotted earlier, or try out the array of street food in the city. We will rejoin for dinner together. (B, D)
Overnight: Hotel Marshyangdi

This morning after breakfast we will drive to Bhaktapur for our final day of the trip. In Bhaktapur, we will find a beautiful palace, the giant Taleju Bell, with its gorgeous and handmade golden gilded gates. Walking through the quaint town, we stop at a local potter's studio where we learn the traditional methods of pottery making and sneak a peek into the wood carver's workshop near Dattatraya. After spending a good amount of time and lunch in Bhaktapur, we will drive to Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the three palace squares (durbar) located in Kathmandu valley. All Durbar squares are UNESCO World Heritage sites, which make them very significant for the Nepali people and tourists alike. Kathmandu Durbar square, also known as Hanuman Dhoka Durbar, used to be the residence of the Nepali royal family. This ancient palace lies in the heart of the city, and is a hub of cultural and community activity.
On our walk back to our hotel, we stop at Ason Chowk, an old, but still very active market square surrounded by temples and shrines. Our afternoon activity will hit close to your heart, as we are learning how to make the traditional Nepalese momo dumplings. You have been eating them all week, and now you will learn how to make them! Save some room for dinner though, as sadly, it is our final dinner together. We will enjoy a celebratory meal at a local restaurant and share memories from the past 2 weeks together. (B, D)
Overnight: Hotel Marshyangdi

You are free to fly out any time today. Our airport representative will drop you at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight home. (B)