Day 1 Drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (914m.) takes about six hours.
You depart for the six hours drive to Pokhara (915m,),
200 kilometers west of Kathmandu. Pokhara is tourist's
paradise with full of natural as well as cultural heritage
sites such as lakes, caves, temples of Buddhist and Hindus
along with mountains. You can observe views to the north
across the hills and Phewa Tal (lake) to the white peaks
of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. You can also fly
from Kathmandu to Pokhara which takes about 25 minutes.
Day 2 Drive from Pokhara (915 m.) to Phedi (1130 m.) and trek
from Phedi to Pothana takes about five hours. From here
you begin your trek to Pothana (1900m.). The trail ascends
all the way to Pothana through forests till you reach the
village called Dhampus. It is a Gurung village which gives
you an opportunity to look at the magnificent views of
Annapurna ranges, Lamjung Himal and Manaslu. The ascent
trail follows to Pothana through the forests. This is a
small village which is surrounded by forests having marvelous
mountain views.
Day 3 Trek from Pothana to Ghandruk
(1950 m.) takes about six hours.
The early part of trek is gradual ascend for almost an hour
up to Deurali (2100 m.) which passes through oak and mixed
forests with splendid views of Manaslu, Annapurna ranges
and Mardi Himal. Leaving Deurali, you begin to trek steep
downwards to reach Tolkha (1840 m.) , a beautiful Magar and
Gurung village. To reach the next destination Landruk, a
village inhabited by mostly Gurung and few Brahmins the trail
is gradual descent passing through terraces and few settlements.
Now the steep descent trail moves downwards to Modi Khola
river and crossing iron bridge you follow steep uphill to
reach Ghandruk.. There are many lodges, Gurung museum and
traditional houses made of stone slabs. You can enjoy from
here are Annapurna South (7229 m.), Hiunchuli (6441 m.),
Annapurna III (7755 m.), Glacier dome (7200 m.) and Fish
tail (6997 m.).
Day 4 Trek from Ghandruk to Nayapul via Birethanti takes about
5 hours. This day you descend through Kimshe to Shaulo
Bazaar. From here your trail goes quite flat until you
retrace back to Birethanti. You need to walk almost half
an hour to get to Nayapul. Drive from Nayapul to Pokhara
by taxi.
Day 5 Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu
by tourist mini bus that takes about seven hours. While
driving from Pokhara to Kathmandu, you head up to Damauli,
Dumre, Muglin and Kurintar where the Nepal's first Cable
car is operated to reach to Manakamana Temple. En route,
you can enjoy the mountain views, green sceneries, rice
terrace fields, vegetable fields and people engaged in
their daily life activities. From Naubishe you climb up
to Thankot, the gateway to capital city. You can also fly
from Pokhara to Kathmandu which takes approximately 25
minutes.
This classic trek - offers superb views of Annapurna and
Dhaulagiri and the constant contrasting landscapes of sub-tropical
to alpine to an arid semi-desert similar to Tibet; at the
climax of the trek there is a formidable 5416m pass, the
Thorong La, to cross. As this is a lodge-based trek it provides
opportunity to gain an insight into the local culture and
interact with the local communities.
