The lovely lakeside town of Pokhara and the Annapurna foothills to the north hold the most beautiful mountain scenery in Nepal. Rice terraces and rhododendron forests lead the eye to the timeless peaks of Machupuchare, also known as Fishtail Mountain, and the high Annapurnas. Our six-day trek takes us through the prettiest villages in the region, including Birethanti, Landruk, Majgoan and Gangruk, and we stay in five lovely mountain lodges, built in the local style, but with the creature comforts not normally found on Himalayan treks. Moving on to the tropical lowlands, we’ll stay in boutique eco-cottages at Barahi Lodge in Chitwan, which are sandwiched between the jungle and the Rapti River. Glimpse wildlife from the infinity pool, spot birdlife and crocodiles as you ride a traditional dugout canoe, and encounter the endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros on a jeep safari. Return to Kathmandu to round off your adventure.
The tour starts at our hotel in Kathmandu this afternoon. Free arrival transfers are available for any flight, provided you have supplied your sales representative with your flight details in advance and have requested one. This evening there will be a trip briefing followed by a group welcome dinner, a great early introduction to get to know your Leader and fellow travellers. Premium accommodation: Hotel Yak & Yeti
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. We will visit 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. After lunch overlooking the stup, we visit the 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 is also the chance to stroll through the bustling markets of Asan Tol, the oldest bazaar in Kathmandu, into the Thamel area, the newer main tourist area of Kathmandu. There will be a full trip briefing today. Premium accommodation: Hotel Yak & Yeti
We fly to Pokhara this morning, a pretty lakeside resort at the foot of the Annapurna Range. The flight takes about 30 minutes and on a clear day offers great views of the Himalaya from the right hand side of the plane. We should arrive by lunchtime and in the afternoon your leader will take you for an orientation walk along the shore of Phewa Lake. Premium accommodation: Atithi Resort & Spa
We have a short drive to our trek start point, from where we follow a ridgeline in the lower foothills of the Annapurnas with views of the Pokhara Valley. This route then drops to the Modi River Valley, where Mountain Lodges of Nepal's Sanctuary Lodge is located. The lodge has magnificent views of the sacred and unclimbed Fishtail Mountain (or Machhapuchhare, as it is locally known). Lunch will be in the lodge and in the afternoon we can either relax in the wonderful garden or your leader will take you on a bird watching walk to Birethanthi village. Accommodation: Mountain Lodges of Nepal (Sanctuary Lodge, 3,363ft/1,025m)
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 Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre ahead, you will soon climb the valley towards the mountains. Today is quite a long climb up stone steps passing through the rice fields and forest, but we take plenty of stops and have lunch en route. Finally, we arrive at Himalaya Lodge in Ghandruk in the afternoon. Tea and snacks are served on arrival as you enjoy the spectacular views of Annapurna South, Huinchuli and Machhapuchhare. Accommodation: Mountain Lodges of Nepal (Himalaya Lodge, 6,601ft/2,012m)
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 ropes to harvest 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 Annapurna South and Huinchuli or go on a sightseeing tour in the village with your guide. Accommodation: Mountain Lodges of Nepal (La Bee Lodge, 5,135ft/1,565m)
An easier walk today on a wide trail with no steep up or downhills and no stone steps passing through village and farmlands with views of the Annapurnas behind. Today is a great day for bird watching in the forests above us. 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 wonderful garden with views of Annapurna South. There is also the option of a guided village walk to Thanchok, an old traditional Gurung village and home to many blacksmith families. (Occasionally if Gurung Lodge is full we walk on another 20 minutes to the equally wonderful Malla Lodge in Tomijun village). Accommodation: Mountain Lodges of Nepal (Gurung/Mala Lodge, 4,593ft/1,400m)
After a spectacular sunrise on Annapurna South we walk along a wide forest track ascending gradually for a couple of hours. A short section on a forest trail brings us to the main trail at Potana. Half an hour further on we come to Australia Camp, a collection of lodges with magnificent panoramic views of the Annapurna, Machhapuchhare, Lamjung Himal and the Manaslu Himal. We can stop here for a tea break before descending the ridge to Dhampus. Once at the lodge you will be served hot lunch after which you can take a short walk into Dhampus village. The sunset and sunrise from the lodge garden are not to be missed. We can see all the way from Annapurna South, Huinchuli, Machhapuchhare, Annapurnas 4 and 2, and the Lamjung and Manaslu Himals. Accommodation: Mountain Lodges of Nepal (Basanta Lodge, 5,003ft/1,525m)
After breakfast, we depart along the ridge and descend on a stone staircase through the wooded hillside and terraced farmland to the valley floor. The trek time is 90 minutes to two hours. We then transfer by vehicle to the hotel in Pokhara (one hour). The afternoon is free to explore Pokhara. You may want to visit the interesting Mountain Museum, take 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. Premium accommodation: Atithi Resort & Spa
We drive from Pokhara to Barahi Jungle Lodge in Chitwan, which will take about 4-5 hours. On a clear day, we look to the left as we leave Pokhara for 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, after which we’ll meet our naturalist guide who will go over the activities. In the late afternoon, we take boat trip on the river looking out for crocodiles and birds to sunset point. After the sun has gone down, we drive back to the lodge. Before dinner there will be a traditional cultural dance programme. Our naturalist from the lodge will accompany us on all the excursions. Premium accommodation: Barahi Jungle Lodge
Activities may be offered in a different order but usually, the programme today will include a village and bird watching walk and a jeep safari. We will do one activity in the morning and one in the afternoon. The naturalists are very knowledgeable and can spot the many birds for you. We will also visit a traditional Tharu house. The jeep safari will take us into the National Park where as well as great bird life there is a chance to spot several species of deer, wild boar, the one horned rhino and hopefully, the rare Bengal Tiger. Before dinner there will be a different cultural programme at the lodge. Dinner is served inside or outside by the pool depending on the time of year. Premium accommodation: Barahi Jungle Lodge
For those who wish, there is a bird-watching walk early this morning. After a leisurely breakfast, we depart Chitwan and head on the road for Kathmandu. The drive is approximately five hours and we should arrive in Kathmandu early afternoon with the rest of the day at leisure. Premium accommodation: Hotel Yak & Yeti
The trip comes to an end after breakfast. If you are flying out today, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. However, if you’d like a little more time to explore Kathmandu, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
During your holiday you stay at the following hotels. If you'd like to extend your time at any of these or, if you'd like to enhance your stay with an upgraded room, just let us know at the time of booking.
To find out more call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199, use our live webchat or email sales@headwater.com
Our aim is to provide holidays that are unbeatable for choice and flexibility. We've listed our most popular travel options below, however you aren't limited to these - we can tailor-make virtually any holiday to suit.
To find out more about the travel options available call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or email sales@headwater.com
Here at Headwater we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can continue to develop, and where necessary improve, our services and ensure our holidays continue to be the best they can be. As this is a relatively new holiday, we don't yet have any customer reviews available from our customers, but here are the comments that have been received from previous Exodus travellers.
I really enjoyed the mix of activity, culture and trekking on this trip. The accommodation was good quality relative to Nepal standards and the adventurous nature of this trip, I wouldn't call them 5* luxury but definitely solid 4* and the Chitwan lodge was a particular highlight! The trekking lodges were much nicer than the stories I'd heard about Nepalese teahouses, really comfortable and excellent service, with some spectacular views (when the weather cleared). The trekking was a good pace and not too challenging but there were a lot of steps in parts which tested my knees. The road journeys were not the most 'premium' experience, the vehicle was comfortable but the roads in parts were pretty rough and the journey was really long between Chitwan and Pokhara. I know flying isn't great for our Carbon footprint but a flight on that route would make it a more premium experience.
A holiday of contrasts -the hubbub of Kathmandu, the magnificence of the Annapurna range and the luxury of the Bahari Jungle Lodge in Chitwan. We had a superb tour guide in Kathmandu who was happy to answer any question and who took us to see the living goddess! Our original hotel was very average but we were moved to the much more upmarket Yak and Yeti for the final night, which was the original hotel when we booked the trip and is now advertised for future trips. I really enjoyed the trekking experience, the scenery was spectacular, the lodges were very comfortable, the food really good and the staff excellent. Our guide and porters were amazing, it was very sad bidding them farewell. Chitwan was a complete contrast, much warmer, very luxurious. We were kept busy there. The jeep safari was my favourite, fortunately we did this early in the morning when the park inhabitants are more lively. To get to the National Park we simply took a boat across the river from the lodge, so easy! We didn't see a tiger but saw several one horned rhinos, including a mother and calf whom we observed for some time. It would have been great to have one more day there to chill, to enjoy a dip in the pool, to sit on our balcony of our lovely 'hut’. Our last full day, the 'approximately 5 hours' on a coach turned into about 8 hours on a holiday, a day when traffic is much quieter than normal. We did not arrive in Kathmandu until about 4pm, it left little time to do anything before our farewell meal. I would have preferred to pay a little extra to fly! It was a disappointing end to our holiday.
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday.
This 12 night guided walking holiday includes:
All breakfasts, eight lunches and eight dinners Welcome drink and snack in each Mountain Lodges on trek All accommodation Tips for local staff Named tour leader, chosen for their expertise and great customer feedback All transport and listed activities One internal flight Free arrival and departure transfers for everyone Trek Pack including a daypack, walking stick, rain poncho, souvenir hat and scarf Trekking permit and national park fees
How to book:
To book this holidays speak to our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'book now' or 'check availability' button below.
To book this holiday call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'Book now' or 'check availability' button below.
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15th Oct 2024 | WAS US$6325 US$6225 Save US$100 |
US$1500 | Tour only: Now US$6225 (was US$6325) Single supp: US$1500 |
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19th Nov 2024 | US$6600 | US$1500 | Tour only: US$6600 Single supp: US$1500 |
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3rd Dec 2024 | US$6375 | US$1500 | Tour only: US$6375 Single supp: US$1500 |
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25th Feb 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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11th Mar 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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25th Mar 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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1st Apr 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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23rd Sep 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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30th Sep 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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14th Oct 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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28th Oct 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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11th Nov 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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18th Nov 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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25th Nov 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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2nd Dec 2025 | US$6750 | US$1650 | Tour only: US$6750 Single supp: US$1650 |
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The prices quoted for each individual departure supercede those published in our current brochures. Air prices are subject to change and we advise early booking to obtain the best prices. Please see our Planning your holiday and What's included in the price? pages for additional information.
This holiday is operated by our sister company, Exodus
Five nights in premium hotels, five nights in Mountain Lodges of Nepal, and two nights in a premium jungle lodge Travel by air-conditioned private bus and one internal flight Six days walking with full porterage Small group size (maximum 12 clients). Minimum age: 16 Low altitude throughout, maximum reached: 6,601ft/2,012m Good introduction to Himalayan walking