Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu (1337m)

You are welcomed to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal renowned for historical monuments, Hindu Temples, and Buddhist Stupas/Monasteries. We meet our guests at the Tribhuvan International Airport. A representative will be waiting with a Himalayan Vacation Treks and Expedition placard with our guests’ names displayed. After dropping luggage at the hotel, guests are taken for a short sightseeing tour. In the evening, guests are invited to a Welcome Dinner at a Nepali restaurant.

Day 02: Kathmandu – Syange (1100 m) 6-7hours drive

A special tourist bus that runs in the Prithvi Highway carries you from Kathmandu to Pokhara but for you, we hire private vehicles since it is a camp trek. The distance is just 200km but the road has several bends, ups, and downs. Hence it takes generally 6 hours including rest to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu. On the way, you can enjoy the beautiful view of Ganesh Himal, Lamjung Himal, and Annapurna. After Kathmandu, the road goes downhill and runs along the Trishuli River.  Sometimes we can see people rafting in Trisuli.  We may stop on the way for breakfast and lunch.

After about four hours of driving, we stop for lunch and then the journey continues to Dumre. There we leave the main road to Pokhara and turn to turn up the mountains to Khudi Bhulbhule through the town of Besi Sahar, the headquarter of Lamjung District.

We drive ahead through terraced cultivated lands that looks splendidly beautiful. Also, the waterfalls add more beauty to nature. We view the mountain slopes and Marsyandi River rougher. At Syange we witness a large waterfall. We spend the night here. From today onwards, after the dinner or before we go to bed, the Himalayan Vacation Treks and Expedition trekking guide will take a report and give a briefing in every evening about the trek that we are going to make next day.

Day 03: Syange -Tal (1700 m) 4-5 hours

This is the day on which our real trekking begins. Trekking routes go through motorable roads in various places. So many waterfalls view on the way. At Tal, we witness a great waterfall that directly touches the ground from a hill.

Day 04: Tal – Bagarchhap (2160m)4-5 hours

The view in this trek is extremely beautiful. Steep cliffs, waterfalls, vast green forests and several suspension bridges are the special views for today. In Bagarchhap, there is a beautiful monastery that we can visit. Also, there is a health post, telephone, and internet facility. In the autumn of 1995 Bagarchhap was hit by a landslide in which 24 houses were destroyed and 20 people had been killed. About one and half an hour before we reach the camp, we can see a trail at Dharapani that leads to Manaslu, the special permit area. We spend the night at Bagarchhap.

Day 05: Bagarchhap – Chame (2670 m) 4-5 hours

Today we trek through a beautiful high hill forest we to Chame, the headquarter of Manang, the chief town of the area. This town has many facilities like internet telephone. From the balcony of the lodge, we can see Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. Chame is famous for Hot Spring where many visitors go for a shower after booking lodge. We don’t take shower at a lodge on that day. We have a belief that the person who bath in Hot Spring, they are healthy all over their life.

Day 06: Chame – Low Pisang (3200 m)5-6 hours

The route climbs through a beautiful forest to the wide Manang valley in the northeast. The first village is Pisang. We can see the houses built differently in this area, the houses with mud roof since very little rain falls and snow falls in great quantity in this region through the year. The Marsyandi River narrows and bridges built over the river are of the cantilever type, made of locally available long trunks supported by other tribes anchored again by neatly stacked stones.

Day 07: Low Pisang – Manang (3540m) 4-5 hours

We can witness the dry and barren Tibetan world behind the Annapurna range. We climb Deurali Danda, a small pass then the path goes downhill to Humde. This is the place with an airport where the flight from Pokhara takes twice a week. Barley fields are seen everywhere here since it the staple food of the people living in this region. We walk through the quiet valley of Braga to reach Manang. We stop at Braga for our lunch and can visit a Gompa there. The valley is scarce of vegetation and red autumn shaded color can be seen in the hillsides (autumn). Almost the entire range of Annapurna is seen from here: 7900 meters high Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, Annapurna III Gangapurna and Roc Noir.

Day 08: Manang: Acclimatization(3540m) 

In Manang, we have a rest for one day especially to acclimatize. We meet the local people in a village and witness their lifestyle. The nights are very cold, the days when out of the wind are pleasant to sit in the sun. Beware of sunburn. We need to carry sunscreen with us.  Mind that we are in the Yak Land. So in every now and then we can see the fields full of long-haired yaks grazing.  Yaks in this region are used not only as beasts of burden but also as a supplier of butter, meat, wool, and cheese. There you can wander through the town, later still go and see the blue/gray glacial lake (good for acclimatization!), Go to the movies, or attend a lecture on altitude sickness. Also, you can visit the lovely old gompa or go for surfing. Himalayan Vacation Treks and Expedition guide will arrange for our visit to the various places today.

Day 09: Manang -Ledar (4200 m)4-5 hours

We walk uphill to Yak Kharka crossing Gunsang, an old and beautiful village of Buddhist people. We hardly see the shrubs as vegetation other the land is almost barren. After crossing Ghyanchang Khola through a suspension bridge we walk along the Thorung Khola. We view Stupas and Mani walls on the way. Then we reach Yak Khark, the green pastures for the Yaks. The route has a slight rise and fall, we walk crossing the rivers in several places and also along the rivers. The Yak Kharka add more beauty in nature. After Yak Kharka we walk through the path hit by landslides from time to time. After crossing a bridge we reach Ledar. We spend the night in a lodge here. Annapurna Conservation Area Project check lies here.

Day 10: Ledar- Thorung Phedi (4450 m) to Thorung High Camp (4833 m) 5- 6 hours

We are going to leave behind the Manang valley today before our lunch. The path today is slightly uphill and in some places, there is a risk of landslide. After crossing Kone Khola we walk to Thorung Phedi where we may take our lunch. And after some hour’s rest, we climb to Thorang high camp. We don’t see any human settlements except a few tea shops in some points. We spend the night at Thorang High Camp.

Day 11: Thorung High Camp – Muktinath (3800m) 6-7 hours

Today is the big day because we are going to cross the highest pass of our Journey, the Thorang La Pass (5416m). We wake up early; because we have started our journey before the sun rises so that everyone will have sufficient time to reach the pass before the afternoon. From the noon the wind usually begins to blow so hard that it is hard to rest long in the Pass.  Slowly but surely, we go beyond the world and whenever we think we have jumped over the last hurdle, it follows another one and another one. Sometimes there is snow on the route, sometimes not. On top is the Lhato the pass, a symbol of the gods who control the pass. It is common for the locals to call (Ke Ke, So, So, Larke Lo) as a prayer and add a stone to the pile already located there. Prayer flags are placed over the card. After the pass, the route slowly descends and we have to walk slowly and carefully through the steep path. The view to the northwest is of the fantastic barren landscape of Mustang. In the southwest, we see the huge Dhaulagiri summit.

We gradually head to Muktinath. Muktinath is a miraculous place. It is a place of pilgrimage with both Hindus and Buddhist temple and stupa. Their everlasting burning flames are on top of a mountain stream. Around it is a temple and Hindus see it as the materialization of Shiva. From far and wide come here to pilgrims to go all the way into the divine. A bath under the 108 cold jets of water is a must for the pilgrims

Day 12: Muktinath – Kagbeni (2850 m) – Jomosom (2850 m) 4 -5 hours

We can visit the Buddhist / Hindu shrine of Muktinath early morning before we leave Muktinath. Then slowly we descend to the Kali Gandaki valley through a village that is considered the entrance of Upper Mustang: Kagbeni. Kagbeni is beautifully situated between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range in a place where a tributary of the Kali Gandaki River flows.  We are walking on the north side of the Himalayas and heading to Jomosom the headquarter of Mustang with the access to air service. From here we can choose to fly Pokhara or drive on a bus or jeep. But drive will take 2 days to reach Pokhara because we stop at Tatopani (hot spring) for a night to have a great relax and hot medicinal bath that, we trust, gives the treatment to various illnesses.

Day 13: Jomosom – Pokhara (827 m) flight 18-20 minutes

From here we can either fly or travel by jeep/bus. Honestly saying the road is not so good. If we choose the road transportation, we stop at Tatopani for a night to have hot spring bath which gives us complete relax to our body which is almost fully exhausted due to the long and hard trek. So, it takes 2 days to reach Pokhara from Jomsom. But if we choose the air transportation then we reach Pokhara within 18 -22minutes.

Day 114: Pokhara – Kathmandu(1337m)  6-7 hours drive

Today we travel to Kathmandu by bus that takes about 7 hours in generally reach Kathmandu in the afternoon, so we still will have some time to look around, go shopping and to prepare ourselves for the flight back to home country.

Day 15: Rest/Shopping in Kathmandu (1337m )  Bhaktapur Sightseeing 3-4 hours

This day is free too. If you wish, a sightseeing trip to the ancient temple/king’s seat of the world heritage site of incredible Bhaktapur can be arranged.  The tour lasts 4 hours and will cost an additional upcharge. In the evening, a Farewell Dinner is given by Himalayan Vacation Treks and Expedition.

Day 16: Departure from Kathmandu(1337m )

A Himalayan Vacation Treks and Expedition staff representative will take our valuable guests to the airport (3 hours prior to your flight) and bid goodbye.