Arrive at Kathmandu International Airport. Be received by our staff that will help in assisting you to get transferred to the hotel.Overnight stay at a hotel in Kathmandu with BB Plan.

Our Guide will take you around Kathmandu Valley to show the history of Nepal while visiting temples, monasteries and the vibrant streets.

After breakfast, drive to Gorkha, the old capital or kingdom of Nepal perched high up in the surrounding hillsides and reached by worn stone steps. After organizing the gear with the porters, we head up to our first night’s campsite above the Gorkha Fort, stopping en route to visit a well-maintained site, which is home of the powerful Gorkha royalty. On the way, lunch is provided with an overnight stay at lodge/teahouse with dinner.

After breakfast, trek to Arkhul with passes through classic middle hills, forested mountains, snaking rivers with rounded rocks strewn on the beaches, local fishermen casting their nets, iridescent rice fields, papaya, lemon and orange trees and water buffalos. We’ll also be met by many colorful local communities and get an opportunity to encounter with them. Camp on the beach at a lovely campsite just below the small village of Arkole.

A continuation of yesterday’s scenic trek over several swaying suspension bridges spanning the river, past a high waterfall which tumbles to the trail, and back up just a bit to reach our camp at Baluwa in the early afternoon. The following day, we have a steep climb ahead of us, and this is the last campsite before the (large) hill. Head down to the river and perch yourselves on the smooth river rocks and the staff might even pick up few small fishes for dinner.

After breakfast, we head off early to avoid the afternoon sun for our steep, long climb up to the wonderful village of Barpak, situated perfectly on a green ridge overlooking the misty valley. It should take approximately four hours to get to the camp, with several rest stops in between. Barpak is a large village densely populated by Gurung, Ghale (royalty) and Bisokarma clan with clean wide alleys between the houses. You will notice grains and vegetables drying outside their patios. The villagers often organize ‘cultural shows’, the proceeds of which go to improving the village, so we might be treated to one in the early evening if lucky. We are towered over by Bauddhi Himal, a high, snow-capped peak that makes for a wonderful sunrise and sunset.

Take an early start to the day as we ascend the narrow ridge for a picturesque climb with Bauddhi Himal providing a spectacular backdrop to the sprawling and scenic Barpak. We take the small, stone trail to the right of the main trail after an hour or so, and then after a total of three hours later, we reach the ridge, officially a pass, Gupsi Dada (3000m) which separates Laprak and Barpak. We are then rewarded with panoramic mountain views along the many herds of sheep grazing on the grassy hillsides. Bauddhi Himal, Shringi Himal, Ganesh Himal and the Langtang range all span the horizon and proves to be a breath-taking view. The rhododendrons bloom brilliantly, in many hues of pink and red, around us, providing great photographs with the snow-peaks at the backdrop. Another steep hour or two of trekking brings us down to another large Gurung village, Laprak. The villagers often offer some friendly indoctrination. We camp in the only campsite around, at the school in the upper section of the village, with several teahouses nearby. Again, we have the afternoon free to explore the village, take a walk down the hill and look into some of the houses, all with symbolic murals on the mud-brick walls. The villagers are friendly, and there are lots to explore in Laprak’s winding maze of lanes.

A classic Nepali trekking day of seven to eight hours where we descend through Laprak’s maze of village paths and then to the river. After crossing a very rickety suspension bridge, we climb equally steeply back up, past terraced fields of pink sorghum and rice. We walk around several hillsides on a narrow trail, barely visible at times, up to a small chorten (Buddhist shrine) just below the village of Singla. From here, the going is easy, and we enjoy the views of the Manaslu Himal, Kutang Himal and Shringi Himal to the north as we walk down through more terraced fields and papaya trees, through the Gurung village of Khorla, and then down along a narrow, winding trail to Korlebesi on the Buri Gandaki River. Take care, as the rocky steps are just before the long suspension bridge to Khorlabesi and are pretty treacherous. Look out for the local women weaving straw mats in the village.

A five hour trek starting with an hour of walking along the watercourse by tobacco and buckwheat fields, past rocks washed smooth by the river, often climbing up stone steps, to reach the hot springs in the center of the small, terraced village of Tatopani, where we can enjoy soaking our grungy bodies in the gushing hot water. Then, a gentle climb through the woods past a spectacular waterfall across an old, wooden suspension bridge through a short section of forest path and we reach Dobhan. Above Dobhan, the Bhudi Gandaki River descends in an impressive series of steep rapids. Here, our trail climbs high above the river to descend through the river calms. We cross the river on a long, new suspension bridge and climb high on stone steps before coming into our camp below Jagat, the entrance to the Manaslu Conservation National Park. It is worth wandering around this beautiful, paved village, where proud villagers have recorded how much they contributed to these paving schemes.

After descending a long series of stone steps back down to the river from Jagat, we climb on several more wonderful stone steps along a terraced hillside to the small village of Saguleri, from where we can see the impressive Shringi Himal (7187 meters) high. We pass through the charming paved village of Sirdibas and cross the river again on a long, high suspension bridge at Ghata Khola. The path splits, with the right-hand branch heading off towards the Ganesh Himal. Our route continues upstream, and again we have a steep climb to reach Philim. In the afternoon we are free to explore the interesting upper village and gompas or sit and enjoy the afternoon at camp.

We cross the river first at a narrow section of the gorge on a new suspension bridge, ascend gradually along a wide hillside through an open forest, and then cross the river two more times in the next two hours on a small, very badly maintained bridge particularly of Nepali style. The first bridge sits at the intersection to Tsum valley, a remote valley leading to Tibet. After trekking through dense woods for over an hour, we pass the cold campsite of Pewa on the river, and after another hour we leave the gorge and climb briefly to the small village of Deng. Deng is the start of the lower Nubri region called Kutang, where the people are ethnically Tibetan but speak a different dialect than the people of upper Nubri where the people are pure Tibetans. We have views of Lumbo Himal to the rear, as well as Lapuchen and Dwijen Himal.

After an early breakfast, we climb through the lovely woods of pine and then, cross a small bridge where we reach Bihi Phedi, where there are astounding views of Kutang Himal, and start to see mani stones (prayers etched onto wayside rocks, particularly of gods and goddesses), a sure sign that we are entering another tiny Tibetan footholds that mark the high Himalayan places. We have three or four hours of trekking ahead of us, twice crossing the large Bhudi Gandaki River and twice over smaller tributary streams, staying mostly high with many ascents and descents as we walk through the gorge, all the time enjoying spectacular views. Eventually, we reach Ghap and set up our camp for the night at the house of some wonderful villagers.

Soon after leaving Ghap, we ascend for an hour through a dense, cool forest, crossing the Bhudi Gandaki River once on a wooden bridge, climbing on smooth stone steps and eventually arriving at Namrung, (2540 meters) at the Tibetan-run lodge. As we gain altitude, we reach the alpine territory and are treated to increasingly broad mountain views. Namrung village is the start of Nubri, the region of pure Tibetan inhabitants speaking a dialect of western Tibet. A few hours later, we reach the village of Lihi at 2840 meters, a substantial altitude gain. Lihi houses are spread along the trail with its billowing fields of barley, guarded by ‘bear watches’. We climb gently now; soon we cross a large stream flowing down from the Lidanda Glaciers and reach the beautiful Tibetan village of Sho at 3000m, where we stop over for lunch. After an hour, we reach Lho where we are treated to breath-taking views of Manaslu itself. We set up camps in Lho and enjoy the wonderful sunsets and sunrise from the campsite.

Walking through the upper reaches of Lho, with the snowy peaks of Manaslu ahead of us in the distance, we pass the new Gompa and then ascend through light forests next to a small river to reach the high, idyllic Tibetan settlement of Shayla, where villagers are often out in the fields. Magnificent mountain panoramas can be viewed from here. Another few hours of trekking through classic alpine scenery leads us past Tibet grazing settlements, the trail to Pung Gyan Gompa off to the left, and eventually past checkered fields of barley and potato to Sama Gaon. The people settled are here from Tibet over 500 years ago. The Tibetan villages in this region of Manaslu have distinctive entrance gates (manes), and they maintain an active trade with their co-religionists in Tibet over several high passes nearby. If the weather is good, you will see the village women weaving wool from Tibet into gowns – which are then traded back to Tibet. Take the afternoon to hike up to the old Gompa settlement above town, and to wander the streets of the fascinating Sama Gaon village.

Another day of incredible mountain views, past craggy woods of Himalayan Birch, during the walk up to Samdo, an easy three hours away. En route we pas the long Mani walls at Kermo Kharka, after which we spot the entrance chorten of Samdo high. We descend back to the Bhudi Gandaki and cross a small bridge before another short climb to the ‘kane’ entrance of Samdo. There is a small home Gompa which we can visit where a puja is generally being held by several of the reincarnated lamas living in the Samdo. We’re at the high and the wind can be chilling in the evenings, so we tuck into the little teahouse next door for a cup of salt-butter tea to warm you up.

Another rest and acclimatization day in this wonderful spot below Manaslu, which towers above us. We recommend a hike up the valley directly in back of Samdo, heading towards one of their passes to Tibet, for amazing mountain panoramas. En route, we’ll pass many lovely, slated herding settlements. The prayer flags strung up on a distant hill, sending messages out into the Himalaya make a good stopping point before returning to lively Samdo.

We leave Samdo on the old trade route towards Tibet, cross a bridge, and climb through the ruins of Larkya bazaar, one of the trade markets that flourished years back. After about three hours of climbing past glaciers, with increasingly awe-inspiring panoramas, we come to the campsite at Dharamsala, the high camp for the Larkya La pass, where we have lunch and gaze out at the views. You’ll really feel the altitude and the cold here, so enjoy a more leisurely afternoon and keep yourself warm. We’ll have an early dinner in preparation for our pass crossing tomorrow.

After a short climb above the campsite, we reach the valley on the North side of the Larkya Glaciers where we have views of Cho Danda and then of Larkya-La. We continue across the moraines of the glacier, often through the snow, making a gradual ascent which becomes steeper only in the last section to the pass, which should take us about four hours to crest. After reaching the site, we hang our Tibetan prayer flags and get ready for a steep, often slippery trail following the glacial moraine. Lunch is taken below the pass on smooth rocks before continuing the descent. A boulder-strewn descent brings us, finally, to Bhimtang. The trail isworthwhile now after we reach the destination for the night.

A chilly but beautiful morning, as the sun hits the peaks around us long before the campsite. After leaving the grazing fields of Bhimtang, we cross a boulder-strewn river and head down through open forests of brilliantly blooming rhododendron, past the Kharka below Bhimtang. We’ll take lunch at a small teahouse, and then continue along the rocky riverbed and sliding hillsides to several small green villages, a sign that we’ve reached lower altitudes. Eventually, after a somewhat long but very scenic day, we reach the large village of Tilje village which are a mix of Manangis (of Tibetan descent) and Chettris (Hindus), having a unique architecture and culture, and mix foods – Dal Bhat, buckwheat dhiro, tsampa and Tibetan salt-tea.

It’s an easy trekking day following the Dudh Khola through bamboo forests down to Dharapani, an atmospheric Tibetan village with prayer flags fluttering in the wind, stopping en route at the Gompa in Thongje on the old Annapurna trail. Trekking south on the main Annapurna Circuit trail, we soon arrive at a long suspension bridge over which we cross the Marsyangdi River to reach the small village of Karte, re-crossing it soon afterwards. We continue along a high, winding, stunning cliff-side trail past several small teahouses at Khorte, and then switch backing down the steep trail before crossing the Marsyangdi River yet again. Before us, we see the wide plain and waterfall at scenic Tal, the last village of the Lower Manang region.

Continuing along the riverside, we have a quick ascent to the entrance ‘kane’ of Tal, and after cresting the small hump, we descend steeply past the small teahouses at Sattale, loosing even more altitude as we continue down through the lush forest to the river and cross another suspension bridge leading to Chamje. Chamje is an impressive ‘wild west’ village of traditional-style teahouses, often packed with saddled local horses. From here the road building is on a full swing, so we’ll continue as far as we can get, and hop on our jeeps. But before then, one more steep descent through the woods, looking across the river to large waterfalls, leads us to the lovely cobbled village of Jagat, situated on a shelf which juts into the precipitous Marsyangdi valley. Descending steeply, we arrive at the small, somewhat wild-looking village of Syange. We’ll have a bumpy drive to Besisahar where we set up our last campsite and get ready for our last night with the staff and porters.

It’s an approximately five hours drive back to Kathmandu so we head off early and stop for lunch en route. It is a different world back in the Nepali hills, and the gentle light sends us on our way back to the bustle of Nepal’s capital. Finally, we reach Kathmandu and check into a Hotel for a real shower. A celebration is definitely in order tonight.

Day is free for shopping and other kinds of activities in Kathmandu.

Catch a flight for final departure back home.