Annapurna Trails & Chitwan - Premium Adventure

The tour starts at our hotel in Kathmandu this afternoon. Free arrival transfers are available for any flight, provided you have supplied Exodus with your flight details in advance and have requested one. This evening there will be a full trip briefing.

For those who wish, there is the chance to do an optional Everest sightseeing flight early this morning; this can be booked locally through your leader on day 1.
We will leave the hotel late morning for our Kathmandu sightseeing tour. First, we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boudhanath to see the famous Buddhist stupa with its huge mandala; one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and indeed in the world. We have lunch nearby and then continue to Kathmandu Durbar Square (which also has UNESCO status), one of three royal palace squares in the Kathmandu Valley. Although the Kathmandu Durbar Square was heavily damaged in the 2015 earthquake the many palaces, temples and courtyards in the Newari style are interesting. There will be a full trip briefing today.

We leave Kathmandu early this morning and drive to Pokhara - traffic leaving Kathmandu can prolong the journey but once out of Kathmandu city, the journey usually takes around 6 hours depending on the road and traffic conditions. In the afternoon your leader will take you for an orientation walk along the shore of Phewa Lake. Pokhara is a pretty lakeside resort at the foot of the Annapurna Range.

We have a short drive to our trek start point, from where we follow a ridgeline in the lower foothills of the Annapurnas with surrounding views of the Pokhara Valley. This route then drops to the Modi River Valley, where Ker & Downey's Sanctuary Lodge is located. The lodge has magnificent views of the sacred and unclimbed Fishtail Mountain, or Machhapuchhare, as it is locally known. A picnic lunch is provided today.

After breakfast, you will leave the lodge to start the trek through the scattered small farms. Following the Modi Khola and with constant views of Mt. Machhapuchhre ahead, you will soon climb the valley towards the mountains. It is quite a long climb up stone steps passing through the rice fields and forest, but we take plenty of stops. Finally, we arrive at Himalaya Lodge in Ghandruk in the early afternoon to a late lunch that is served on arrival as you enjoy the spectacular views of Annapurna Massif.

Although we can see Landruk across the valley we have to descend to the river and climb up the other side to get there! Leaving the Ghandruk village, the trek descends steeply to the banks of Modi River. Crossing the suspension bridge, we trek up a stone staircase to Landruk village, enjoying the views of the Annapurna Range and passing under the cliffs where honey hunters climb up on the ropes to harvest the wild bee honey. Lunch will be ready as we arrive at our lodge. After lunch, you may either rest and enjoy the spectacular views of the mountains, or go on a sightseeing tour in the village with your guide.

You will start your trek passing through the village and farmlands with views of the Annapurnas behind. Today is an easier walk to Majgaon with no steep up or downhills. We will arrive at the lodge by lunchtime and in the afternoon you can enjoy the views of the mountains from your room itself or spend time in the garden. There is also the option of a guided village walk

Starting your trek today, you continue trekking towards Patlekhet, a small village on the way towards Pothana. Pothana is used by Tibetan traders to sell their souvenirs and gifts to the tourists trekking up and down the trails to Annapurna Base Camp. As you reach your lodge in Dhampus, you get spectacular views of the entire Annapurna range. Once at the lodge you will be served hot lunch after which you can take a short walk into Dhampus village.

After breakfast, we depart along the ridge & descend on a stone staircase through the wooded hillside and terraced farmland to the valley floor. Trek time 1.5-2hrs hours. We then transfer by vehicle to the hotel in Pokhara (1hr). The afternoon is free to explore Pokhara. You may want to visit the interesting mountain museum or you can go for a boat ride on Phewa Lake or hire a bike for a cycle along the lakeshore. Or you may simply want to relax by the hotel pool or wander along the lakeside browsing in the shops. Your leader will brief you on the various options available.

We drive from Pokhara to Barahi Jungle Lodge in Chitwan, which will take about 4 hours. On a clear day look to the left as we leave Pokhara for the magnificent panoramic views of the Annapurna Range. The road takes us back to Mugling, from where we turn south to the lowlands of Nepal and our jungle lodge in Chitwan. We should arrive by lunchtime and after lunch, we’ll meet our naturalist guide who will go over the programme of activities. In the late afternoon, we take an ox-cart ride around Tharu village and witness a traditional Tharu dance.

The knowledgeable staff from the lodge will accompany us on all the excursions.

Activities may be offered in a different order but usually, the programme will include an early morning bird-watching walk before breakfast. Before lunch there will be another activity, normally a trip along the Rapti River in a dugout canoe, looking for crocodiles and observing the many birds. Then before dinner, we set out on a jeep safari. If we are lucky we may encounter the Indian one-horned rhinoceros or some of the several species of deer found here.

For those who wish, there is a bird-watching walk early this morning. We then transfer to Bharatpur airport and catch a flight to Kathmandu.

The trip finishes after breakfast. Those travelling on the group flights to
London will transfer to the airport for their flight back to the UK.