Early morning, you catch a tourist bus to Pokhara. The ride will take about 8 to 9 hours.

Option: To save time, you can opt for a 30-minute flight to Pokhara instead. This would give you the opportunity to explore the peaceful city by the lake. Contact us for more details.

breakfast – bus – buspark transfer – hotel

From Pokhara, you drive to Phedi in about a half an hour. This is is the starting point of our trek! Today, you trek to Pothana (1,890 m). The trail is steep until Dhampus and then it is a pleasant easy walk up to Pothana, where you will be staying in a mountain lodge for the first night.

breakfast – private vehicle – lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

From Pothana, you walk up to a place called Pitam Deurali. Here you’ll turn off the main Annapurna Sanctuary trekking route and continue along a quiet trail through a dense forest of oak, maple, hemlock and rhododendron.

Tonight, you stay at one of the lodges in a clearing of the forest at Forest Camp, also known by the locals as Kokar. The lodges at Kokar are quite basic and there is no dining room. So, you will probably have your meals in the kitchen with the owner. In some ways, this is more like a homestay. It is a great opportunity to get to know this friendly family from Siding village.

breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

From Forest Camp, the trail to Low Camp takes us through the forest. However, as you ascend, the vegetation starts to change with more rhododendron. The trees are covered with moss, lichen and tree ferns.

At Low Camp, there are just 2 basic lodges. If the weather is clear, the view from Low Camp is superb, with Mount Machhapuchhre visible up the valley.

breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

An hour or so above Low Camp, the trail breaks out above the tree line. And towards the west you can have a good view to Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. The trail continues along the Mardi Himal ridge, mainly on grass with some isolated rhododendron bushes along the way. Look out for the colourful Danphe pheasant on this section of the trail.

The lodge at High Camp is larger than lodges at Low Camp and Forest Camp, as this one has 8 rooms and a separate dining room with heater. The view from the lodge is superb to Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail).

breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

The plan for today is to wake up early, to see sun rise over the mountains. After that, you’ll have early breakfast and walk up the ridge towards Mardi Himal Base Camp.

There is a well-established trail through the grass with a couple of steeper sections, however, overall not too challenging. Look out for the dzokpo (yak/cow crossbreds) grazing up here, as well as Danphe pheasant. In the summer, sheep and goats from lower villages are brought up to graze in this area so you will pass a number of herder’s huts along the way. After about 3 hours, you’ll reach Base Camp (4,250 m).

From Mardi Himal Base Camp, you can look into the Annapurna Sanctuary, and the panorama view is spectacular. You can see the south face of Annapurna and all of the peaks in the Sanctuary as well, such as Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail).

breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

On the way down, you take a different route. From Low Camp, you follow a trail that goes down to Siding village instead of going back down to Kokar.

Siding is a traditional Nepalese village and still very much away from the busier modern tourist treks. It is a wonderful cultural experience, finding out more about village life. In the evening, you will probably eat dal bhat with the family in their kitchen.

breakfast, lunch & dinner – mountain lodge

From Siding, you will pass the villages of Kalimati and Ghalel. Kalimati is mainly a Brahmin village with Ghalel and Siding mixed Brahmin and Gurung. At Lumre you will meet our driver who drives you back to Pokhara.

breakfast & lunch – private vehicle – hotel

If it’s the final day of your holiday in Nepal. Your international flight departs from Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu.

Goodbye friends! We hope that you will cherish these memories we’ve made together forever.

breakfast – airport transfer