Walking the Annapurna Foothills

The trip starts today in Kathmandu, the busy, colourful and chaotic capital city of Nepal.



Your Leader plans to meet everyone in the hotel reception for a welcome meeting at 5 pm. For those that wish, there is the chance to go out together as a group for dinner afterwards. There are no other activities planned for today. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your leader will leave any essential information and details of the best time to catch up with them, at the hotel reception.



If you would like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). You should allow at least 45 minutes to reach our hotel in central Kathmandu as traffic congestion in city can be bad.



Depending on the arrival time of your flight, should you wish to explore, our hotel is located a short walk from the lively Thamel area. Home to a multitude of outdoor gear, souvenir shops, great bookshops and a huge variety of restaurants, it's a fun place to wander.

After breakfast we will have a full briefing by the Tour Leader on the trekking days ahead, followed by a chance to visit a local hire shop to pick up any last-minute equipment still needed. Following this, we then have a walking tour of the city, visiting the bazaars and the temples of old Kathmandu in the company of a local Nepalese guide. Nepal's bustling capital is a captivating mix of spice sellers and potters, rickshaws, all crowded together amidst a city of vibrant noise and color. Our sightseeing takes in the sumptuous majesty of Durbar Square and its collection of ornate palaces, courtyards and temples, as well as the Asan Bazaar and the Kumari Ghar, home to the living goddess of the Kumari Devi.

We make a morning departure to drive out of the high Kathmandu valley and descend to the foothills where we overnight at a riverside hotel in Kurintar at the much lower altitude of about 262 metres/859 feet. As we leave the valley, on clear days we will have views of the Ganesh, Manaslu and Annapurna ranges of the Himalaya. En route you have the option of partaking in an exciting half-day's whitewater rafting trip on the Trisuli River (Grade III-III+). No previous experience is required (although we do recommend that you are confident swimming for at least 25 metres/82 feet unaided) and the price includes all permits, equipment, the services of experienced river guides and lunch.



The rafting trip finishes at the beach just below our hotel. Those who do not wish to raft will continue to the hotel with the bus after dropping off the rafters and can spend a leisurely afternoon relaxing by the hotel pool.

This morning we head first to Pokhara (840 metres/2,756 feet). Pokhara is smaller and more relaxed than Kathmandu and is beautifully situated on the banks of Lake Phewa. There are superb views from here of the snowcapped Annapurna range,including Machhapuchhre - the famous Fishtail Mountain. We'll call in at our hotel to deposit the luggage not needed for the trek and then continue our drive north west to the trek start point at Kande (1,700 metres/5,577 feet). From here we walk for around 2 hours passing cultivated fields and scattered small settlements to the Gurung village of Badauri (1,661 metres/5,449 feet) where several trails cross.



Today's 5 kilometre/3.1 mile walk is expected to take around 2 hours with a total ascent of 305 metres/1000 feet and a descent of 405 metres/1,328 feet.

After breakfast our walk takes us mostly through mixed oak and rhododendron forest to the high point of the trek - Panchase Danda 2,500 metres/8,202 feet. The summit has panoramic views of all the Annapurna peaks as well as 8,000 metres/26,248 feet Dhaulagiri to the west and 8,000 metres/26,248 feet Manaslu to the east. This area is also part of a pilgrimage route and we may visit the nearby shrine to the Hindu god Shiva. We descend to Panchase Bhanjyang - a bhanjyang being the local name for a pass (2,100 metres/6,890 feet). There are several local houses at the pass and we have wonderful views of the mountains as well as of Pokhara and Phewa Tal.



Today's 9 kilometre/5.6 mile walk is expected to take around 6 hours with a total ascent of 940 metres/3,084 feet and a descent of 440 metres/1,443 feet.

Our walk today is through a largely uninhabited area on a less major trail. We will spend some time in forest but will also pass several open meadows specifically cleared to graze water buffalo. In the spring you can look out for rhododendrons and white orchids in bloom in the forest. There are several welcome stone built resting places along the route which climbs to the top of a ridge and then crosses three small passes on the descent to our overnight stop at Bumdi (1,500 metres/4,921 feet).



Today's 14 kilometre/8.7 mile walk is expected to take around 6 hours with a total ascent of 470 metres/1,542 feet and a descent of 1,020 metres/3,346 feet.

We're now coming back into a much more inhabited area and pass many cultivated fields and several settlements. There are lots of cherry trees in blossom here in November. We pass the chhettri village of Pumdi with its distinctive houses to reach the white dome of the Japanese Peace Pagoda all the while with good views of the mountains to the north. From here we descend through Rani Ban (the Queen's Forest) to the end of the trek near the dam at the south eastern end of Phewa Tal. From here we drive a very short distance to our hotel.



Today's 10 kilometre/6.2 mile walk is expected to take around 4 hours with a total ascent of 60 metres/196 feet and a descent of 791 metres/2,595 feet.

The day is free to explore the interesting town of Pokhara. You could make an optional visit to Tashiling, a thriving village of Tibetan refugees with its own schools and monastery, where you can watch Tibetan carpets being made. Alternatively hire a boat to visit a small temple on an island in Phewa Tal. There will also be time for some souvenir shopping.

Today we drive to the flat lands of Nepal's Terai region where we stay just outside of Chitwan National Park. Once a private hunting ground, Chitwan is now a National Park with thick tree cover and tall elephant grass sheltering a wealth of animals. We'll be briefed today on the variety of activities that we can enjoy in the Park and orientate ourselves on a short walk around the village. All Park activities will be accompanied by a trained naturalist guide who will help us get the best enjoyment from these excursions.

Throughout your stay you will be kept busy except for a couple of hours around lunch time when you can read or relax in the shade. Activities in the park include a jeep safari searching out Chitwan's famous rare one-horned rhino, bird watching, jungle walks and a dugout canoe trip along the Rapti River. Canoeing will be dependent on the water level, floating silently down the river in a traditional dugout canoe gives us the opportunity to spot many varieties of water birds. On a nature walk in the company of trained native naturalists we walk along trails in the less densely forested parts of the park. An early morning bird watching walk near the river will reveal many of the 450 bird species that can be found in the park, especially kingfisher.

Today we drive back to Kathmandu. Due to ongoing roadworks this journey is taking longer than usual, possibly up to eight hours.

Today has been left free with the opportunity to make various optional excursions which your Leader can help arrange. One option is to visit the Newari town of Bhaktapur in the eastern corner of the Kathmandu Valley. Also know as Bhadgaun or the City of the Devotees, Bhaktapur evokes the feel of a medieval village, a snapshot of a time when the city lay along the prosperous trade routes between Tibet, China and India. The ancient centre of the town is a dazzling collection of temples, palaces and monasteries that has earned it a place on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Other places to visit include the Swayambunath stupa, perched on a hilltop and also known as the 'monkey temple' because of its resident group of very inquisitive primates and nearby Patan, whose Durbar Square has the finest collection of temples and palaces in the entire country.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Kathmandu.

There are no activities planned for today, so you are free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM).