A representative of Mountain Kick will receive you at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (4,600 feet). Rest overnight at your hotel musing over your Himalayan adventure ahead.
See Kathmandu first before embarking on your adventure. This ancient city is dotted with royal courtyards, monasteries and temples which offer a glimpse into local culture. Your journey starts the next day and we will brief you on your big trip.
We drive to the town of Arughat in western Nepal by a private vehicle. The journey takes about eight hours through roads carved into the hills.
There is a dirt road that passes through several villages till we reach Soti Khola. The six hours’ trek also takes us through farmlands and some waterfalls. Our first day of trekking to the village of Soti Khola will be quite easy as we will be in low altitude and the road is mostly straight.
We will follow the Budhi Gandaki River straight into a forest. The forest is in the hills so we have to walk up and down till we reach the village of Lapubeshi (2,887 feet). From here, we again follow the river till we reach our destination of Machha Khola, some five and a half hours after leaving from Soti Khola.
We walk up the river bank for six hours till we reach the village of Jagat. The trail is similar to the earlier day’s with the Budhi Gandaki below us and the forests above.
We gain more than 3,000 feet this day. We climb up the Saguleri hill continuously for six hours to reach the village of Ngyak. Climbing steep slopes will be difficult but there will be views of the Himalayas to keep things interesting.
We again have to walk for six hours this day. We will follow the Deng River up till we reach a tunnel. We walk through the tunnel and reach the village of Ghap on the other side.
We cross the Budhi Gandaki River and walk through villages and farmlands till we reach the village of Namru. From there, we cross the Hinan River and trek towards Lho. The Manaslu massif can be seen clearly on this day of the trip. We will reach our campsite after six hours of trekking.
Mount Manaslu and adjacent peaks will now be ever present in the backdrop in our trip further up. We will walk for six hours through trails that pass through and beside rhododendron forests till we reach the village of Sama. We will set our camp near the Samagompa monastery.
We climb the hill above the Budhi Gandaki River towards the village of Samdo. We hike for about five hours and pass through source from where the Budhi Gandaki originates. The villagers in Samdo are mostly involved in yak rearing. We will camp at Stone Hut for the night.
You will be tired after trekking in high altitude for so many days. Therefore this is a day of rest to gather stamina for our trek to the highest point in our travel the next day and for returning back. You can walk around the village to see yak and their grazing pastures.
We climb up steeply towards the Larkya La pass. We walk on snow on the bottom of a glacier and pass some frozen lakes to the top of the Larkya La. At over 17,000 feet, you will get the best view of your entire trip from the pass. We cross the Larkya La and descend heavily towards Bhimphedi. The whole journey takes us a total of eight hours.
The first part of the trek involves climbing up the to the Karcha La pass. After that we walk downhill in a forest till we reach Tilje village. We have to walk for five hours this day.
We walk for five hours this day following the Marshyangdi River downstream and passing through several villages along the way to Tal.
We again walk downhill for five hours following the Marshyangdi River. We make stops at some of the villages along the way for lunch, snacks and tea till we reach the village of Jagat.
This trip has a tough uphill climb right in the beginning. It takes five hours of continuous laboring till we reach the top of Bahundanda hill. What makes matters worse is the heat. But once you get to the top, the view of the valley below is beautiful to say the least.
This is a day of walking downhill for five hours. After walking for so many day, even downhill trips are hard but thankfully this is the last of it. We pass through several villages along the way to keep you distracted from your pain.
We take the same road back through which we had arrived at the beginning of our journey. Look out the window from your bus to see what places you remember. The view of the Himalayas in the distance will surely remind you of your travel there. We will host a farewell dinner for you before you leave.
Spend the day it as you like it. You might want to visit some more heritage sites or wander around happening parts of the city like Thamel. We will have a farewell dinner planned for your last night in Nepal.
You will be headed home and recollections of your Himalayan expedition will keep you occupied on your long flight back.
In Kathmandu, you will stay in a three-star hotel while you will be staying at standard guesthouses during your travel. There will be electricity, internet, laundry and hot showers in all of the places you stay. You will have to share your room with a fellow traveller in our typical package. Single supplement will be served on request and will cost an additional USD 50.Also note that single rooms is easily available in Kathmandu and the trekking regions at lower elevation but it might be difficult to find them at higher elevations.
General
We never force our customers to follow our set itinerary.You can customize your itinerary exactly the way you want. Please share with us your ideas.
As one of the core guiding principles for Mountain Kick, we always give back to the mountain community in any way we can as a means of gratitude. The people who live in the Himalayas and share their homes with us deserve to have all their little problems fixed which seem very basic for outsiders but are commonplace in rural Nepal. The people lack proper access to healthcare, sanitation and education but a little effort from travellers goes on a long way to solve these issues. Mountain Kick has made it its corporate social responsibility to help improve the living standards of the local community. We make donations to their cause, organize social campaigns and programs and also have a few trips designed to mix a little volunteer work in your holiday.
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