Itinerary
Day One – Fly to Kathmandu
We will meet you in Kathmandu International Airport upon your arrival to Nepal and accompany you to your hotel. If you arrive early enough there will be some time for you to explore the city, relax in a cafe or restaurant, or see one or more of the seven World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. In the evening, once all group members have arrived, we'll have a trip briefing in the hotel. It will give everyone a chance to meet each other as well.
Day Two – Kathmandu to Pokhara, trek to Ghandruk
We’ll start the day with an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. From Pokhara airport we will take a 1 hour private minibus ride to the trailhead for our trek – Naya Pul. From here your trek begins! You will descend into the village of Birethanti where you can stop for lunch, before moving on to Ghandruk (2012m) to spend the night
Day Three – Trek to Chhomrong (2,170m): 6 hours
You’ll wake up in Ghandruk to a beautiful sunrise over Machhepuchhare Mountain (6997m) and Annapurna South summit and wow, what a view! After eating and getting ready we will trek through the rolling hills of the Himalaya before descending steeply to the Kimron Khola for lunch. After a rest we’ll head up the other side on another steep ascent to reach Chhomrong by the end of the day. Here we’ll see spectacular views of Annapurna South (7,229m).
Day Four – Chhomrong to Doban (2,580m): 6 hours
From Chhomrong we’ll start with a steep descent before climbing up to Sinuwa Danda for lunch. The hard work is now over and we’ll trek through beautiful Rhododendron forests to Doban where we’ll spend the night.
Day Five – Doban to Deurali (3,100m): 5 hours
A pleasant day starts with a gentle climb through bamboo forests, passing by the “Himalayan Hotel” village and through pristine, quiet foothills. We really are in nature now. We’ll continue our way along the trail until we get to Deurali, which sits at the mouth of the Annapurna Santuary; our final goal!
Day Six – Deurali to Macchapuchare Base Camp (3,700m): 4 hours
We’re going to punch through the altitude barrier by trekking to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (these days it is forbidden to climb this sacred mountain though). The valley widens and flattens before we'll trek through avalanche prone areas (we consult the local lodge owners to ensure it's safe) until we reach the lodges at Machhapuchhare Base Camp. The views here are almost unbelievable, and we will probably spend a few moments in silence trying to take it all in.
Day Seven – MBC to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m): 2 hours
A short day today, but a steep one, that takes you up to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m) in about 2 hours. It’s cold and windy here and often with plenty of snow. We’ll spend the day taking things in and exploring the base camp area. This is the start point for climbing one of the World’s most dangerous mountains, and the nearby memorial to Anatoli Boukreev (famous Russian/Kazakh mountaineer) is testament to that.
Day Eight – ABC to Bamboo: 6 hours
We’ll head back down to the Himalayan Hotel. A relatively easy day compared to the previous ones on the trek so far. We’ll stay here for the night
Day Nine – Bamboo to Jhinu Dada (1,760m): 6 hours
From the Bamboo we'll trek down to Chhomrong, which actually ends with a steep climb up to the village. We’ll take an extended rest before heading steeply down to Jhinu Dada. This is an awesome village to spend the night. If you have the energy, we can even take you to the nearby hot springs.
Day Ten – Trek to Naya Pul and onwards to Pokhara
Today we'll trek back to Naya Pul and then drive onto Pokhara, where we'll sleep and celebrate our trek to Annapurna Base Camp. We'll check into our hotel and get a well-deserved shower and freshen-up, before wandering the relaxing streets of the lakeside area.
Day Eleven – Fly to Kathmandu and on to your home country
A civilised wake-up time allows you to relax, do any last minute shopping, or treat yourself to a morning exhilarating paragliding journey above Pokhara (optional extra). A late morning flight will take you from Pokhara to Kathmandu, where, depending on your international flight time, you might have some time to explore the Capital. We will accompany you to the international airport for your flight home. It's been a pleasure hosting you
