Arrival in Kathmandu (1,300m/4,264ft)

Drive to Pokhara (827m/2,700ft): 6-7 hours

We can enjoy the beautifully terraced farms, little shops by the side of the road and the raging Trishuli River on our drive to Pokhara also referred to as the ‘City of Lakes.’ From the city, we get great views of the Himalayas including Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapuchhre, the five peaks of Annapurna. Pokhara is also a tourist destination, so we take some time out in the evening and enjoy!

Overnight in Pokhara.

Drive to Phedi and trek to Deurali (2100m/6,720ft): 30 minutes drive, 4-5 hours trek

After an early morning breakfast, we start our adventure with a drive to Phedi and start trekking from there. We walk on stone steps, terraced fields and through villages and forests before reaching Dhampus where we have lunch. We continue our walk to Deurali which is a small village beautifully located on a ridge with good views of the Annapurna South, Mardi Himal and Macchhapuchhare.

Overnight in Deurali.

Deurali to forest camp (2,520m/8064ft): 6-7 hours

Our trail passes through lush forest dotted with the red rhododendrons. The flowers are a common sight in Nepalese hills and it is no surprise that its Nepal’s national flower. Our trail is very quiet until we reach a clearing of the forest camp. We can take rest and explore the area which is also known locally as Kokar.

Overnight in Forest Camp.

Forest Camp to low camp (2970m/9504ft): 5-6 hours

We continue to walk through dense forests admiring Nepal’s rich biodiversity and reach the low camp. From here, the fantastic view of Mt. Machapuchhre (Mt. Fishtail) up the valley is mesmerizing. We can spend some time in the evening observing the local lifestyle.

Overnight in low camp.

Low camp to high camp (3540m/11,328ft): 3-4 hours

We trek uphill alongside a ridge towards Mardi Himal and Macchhapuchhre. The tree lines start getting thinner and the area mostly consists of shrubs with isolated rhododendron bushes along the trail. If lucky, we might even come across the Daphne pheasant (national bird of Nepal) on our way to high camp. We ascend up to the high camp, which the final destination of the day. From here the mountain views are stunning.

Overnight in high camp.

High camp to upper viewpoint (4250m/13600ft), return back to high camp: 2-3 hours

On our trek to the upper viewpoint we ascend and descend, and sometimes on a steep and narrow trail. Our trail passes through pastures and we hike along a narrow ridge before reaching the Upper Viewpoint. The view of the Himalayan vista from here is astonishing. We see Mardi Himal (5587m), Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna south (7219m), Hiunchuli (6441m), Baraha Shikhar (Mt. Fang) (7647m), Tent Peak (5695m), Singhachuli (6501m), Machapuchhre (6993m) and others.

We trek back to the high camp for an overnight stay.

High camp to Sidhing Village (1700m/5440ft): 6-7 hours

We take a different route in high camp that takes us to Sidhing instead of going back down to Mardi Himal. The different route lets us experience something different and makes our trek exciting. Siddhing offers a quiet stay for trekkers as it is tucked away from the busier trails.

Overnight in Siddhing.

Trek to Lumre, drive to Pokhara and fly to Kathmandu: 2-3 hours trek, 2 hours drive and 25 minutes flight

After an early breakfast, we walk towards Lumre finally reaching the road from where we begin our drive to Pokhara. After reaching the city, we continue our drive to its domestic airport and fly back to Kathmandu.

Final departure