Day 01: Arrive in Kathmandu.
On the very first day of your trip, you will arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. You will see our representative from Exciting Nepal at the airport. He/she will greet you and welcome you with a warm smile.
The representative will then transfer you to your hotel at Thamel, Kathmandu. You will rest for a while and attend a traditional welcome dinner in the evening. You will also have a short meeting regarding your trip on the same day at your hotel.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing Tour
Today is a free day for you. You will visit some of the culturally significant places of the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu comprises of seven out of top ten UNESCO World Heritage sites.
You will explore the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa, Swayambhunath, etc. You will return back to your hotel in the evening and take some rest.
You can also walk around the alleys of Thamel and Ason on this day. Ason is a traditional local market where you can find almost everything. You can buy some of your trekking gears here if you haven’t purchased it already.
Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu.
Day 03: Drive to Pokhara.
Driving Duration: 5-6 hours
After having your breakfast in the morning, our representative will come to pick you at your hotel in a private vehicle. He/ she will drive you to the bus station where you will take a local bus to Pokhara.
The bus moves with the scenic views of beautiful hills, landscapes, along the bank of Trisuli river. After about 5-6 hours of drive, you will finally reach Pokhara. Pokhara is the tourist hub of the country that lies on the bank of Phewa lake.
On reaching Pokhara, you will explore some of the beautiful places of the city. The city rewards people with some of the best views of Mount Annapurna, Machhapuchhre ( Fishtail), Dhaulagiri, and various other peaks.
If time allows, you can also go for boating around the Phewa lake in Pokhara.
Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Day 04: Trek to Gyachok.
Height: 1420 meters
Trekking Duration: 3-4 hours
At first, you will take a drive to Hyenja from Pokhara in the morning. It is from Hyenja from where you will officially start your trekking journey. From Hyenja, you will follow the trail along the bank of Mardi Khola.
After crossing a bridge over the Mardi Khola, you will walk along the riverbed of Seti Khola. You will pass through several terraced fields before you reach the village of Gyachok.
On reaching Gyachok, you will have some of the best views of Mount Machhapuchhre and Mardi Himal.
Overnight at a tented camp in Gyachok.
Day 05: Trek to Sano Khoban (1600m).
Altitude: 1600 meters
Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours
After having your breakfast at Gyachok, you will head towards Sano Khoban today. On the way to Sano Khoban, you will come across charming settlements and dry stone walls. You will climb towards a higher area through the paddy fields and beautiful terraced farming.
You will cross two beautiful villages of Mirsa and Kaduwa before you reach to Sano Khoban. These are the last two settlements that you will see until you take a steep climb to Sano Khoban.
Sano Khoban is a pasture land where you will set up your camp for overnight stay.
Overnight at a tented camp.
Day 06: Trek to Pipa (3150m)
Altitude: 3150 meters
Trekking Duration: 4-5 hours
Today you will head towards Pipa at 3150 meters. You will take a steep climb along the dense forest at first. After climbing uphill for about an hour, you will take a short break to have your lunch in an open space.
After finishing your lunch, you will continue walking uphill through a dense forest until you reach the height of 2900 meters. Finally, you will take a steep climb over a ridge which will lead you to a small lake at Pipa.
Overnight at a tented camp in Pipa.
Day 07: Acclimatization day/ Exploration day at Pipa.
Acclimatization is very important to help you adjust to the surrounding. It will prepare you physically before you ascend to a higher altitude. It will also help you reduce the problem of altitude sickness that becomes a major barrier while trekking.
So, on this day, you will spend your day exploring around Pipa. You will explore the stream which is 20 minutes away from the camping site at Pipa. After exploring some of the beautiful places, you will return back to your tented camp for overnight stay.
Day 08: Trek to Thulo Kharka
Altitude: 4120 meters
Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours
After your acclimatization day at Pipa, you will head towards a higher altitude today. You will walk, you can view the Manaslu Himalayan range in the northwards direction. Similarly, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges will smile at you from the westward direction along the trail.
You will continue trekking uphill towards the edge of the ridge with beautiful scenic views of the areas. After walking for some time, the route will take you to the grazing area of Thulo Kharka. You will set up a camp after reaching Thulo Kharka.
Overnight in a camp at Thulo Kharka.
Day 09: Trek to Mardi Base Camp (4100m).
Altitude: 4100 meters
Trekking Duration: 2- 3 hours
From Thulo Kharka, you will be able to see the entire route to Mardi Base Camp. Mardi Base Camp is not very far from Thulo Kharka. It is only a short hike from the camping site of Thulo Kharka.
The Mardi Himal Base Camp sits in the valley between the south and southeast ridges of Mardi Himal. It will take you approximately 2-3 hours to reach there. After reaching the base camp, you will set up the camp. Your climbing experts and guides will make necessary arrangements for climbing equipment.
Overnight at a tented camp in Mardi Base Camp.
Day 10: Acclimatization day.
Today is another day for acclimatization before you trek up to the Mardi High Camp. You will rest during this day as there will be a lot of walking in the coming days.
You will explore the area and have some of the best views of the mountains. Such as Mount Annapurna, Machhapuchhre, Gangapurna, and many other neighboring peaks.
Day 11: Climb to High Camp
Altitude: 4650 meters
Trekking Duration: 2-3 hours
Today you will leave the Mardi Base Camp and start climbing steeply upwards for about 200 meters. You will then cross around the southeast ridge. You will continue walking to make a steady climb over the rocks. The route will further continue towards a decent camping site.
After walking for some time, you will reach the campsite of Mardi High Camp. On reaching the site, you will set up your camps. You will make the necessary arrangements for the climbing equipment required for tomorrow. And our guide will give you some climbing training before you conquer the Mardi Himal.
Overnight at a tented camp in Mardi High Camp.
Day 12: Climb Mardi Himal
Altitude: 5555 meters
Climbing Duration: 7-8 hours
Today is finally the day that you have been waiting for so long. So, you will start your journey early in the morning today. It is because, after the midday, a strong wind blows which makes it impossible to reach the top of the peak.
At first, you will move towards the East Col that sits at the height of 5400 meters between Mount Machhapuchhre and Mardi Himal. This will take you around 4 hours to reach.
After this, you will use climbing equipment and follow our experienced climbing experts. It involves a long and snowy section which is very tiring. So, you will take some rest along the route towards the top of the Col. From here, you will continue walking for about an hour along the snowy ridge to reach the top of the summit.
On reaching the top of the Mardi Himal summit, you will get to witness some of the magnificent views of Annapurna ranges, Mount Machhapuchhre, Gangapurna along with other snowy peaks. The views of the Annapurna region from the top of the peak is quite a breathtaking moment. After collect memories for a lifetime, you will descend your way towards the base camp.
Overnight at a tented camp in Mardi Base Camp.
Day 13: Trek to Korchon (3680m).
Altitude: 3680 meters
Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours
From the Base Camp, you will take a different route to Pokhara today. You will follow the route that crosses the southward ridge towards Col. The top of the ridge will allow you to have some of the best views of snow-capped mountains.
From here, you will descend towards the grazing pasture of Korchan where you will set up a camp.
Overnight at a tented camp in Korchon.
Day 14: Trek to Riban (1780m).
Altitude: 1780 meters
Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours
In the morning, you will have your breakfast and descend towards Riban today. The route involves walking downhill below Odane Hill. The trail is quite steep and grassy and will lead you towards a forest.
Odane hill gives you a good viewpoint. You will get admire some of the majestic mountains of the region. You will follow the ridgeline south and reach to a forest just above Riban. Passing the forest will you to Riban.
Overnight at a tented camp in Riban.
Day 15: Trek from Riban to Hyenja, drive to Pokhara.
Trekking Duration: 3 hours
Driving hours: 45 minutes
Today is the final walk of the journey. You will have a pleasant walk to Hyenja from Riban. At first, the route will take you to Lachock. On walking further, you will cross the Mardi Pul over the Mardi Khola. It is an excellent place to have your lunch.
From there, you will take a short walk to reach Hyenja. At Hyenja, you will take a bus to Pokhara. You will follow the zigzag hilly route to Pokhara with the scenic views of beautiful landscapes and green hills.
Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Day 16: Return flight to Kathmandu.
After exploring the beautiful city of Pokhara, you will bid goodbye to Annapurna Himalayas and fly back to Kathmandu. It will take you approximately 25-30 minutes to reach Kathmandu from Pokhara.
On reaching Kathmandu airport, you will transfer to your hotel. You can either rest or go on a sightseeing tour around the area. You can also go for shopping to buy souvenirs for your family and friends.
Day 17: Final Departure.
Today is the final day of your trip. You will have your breakfast and our representative will come to pick you at your hotel. He/ She will drop you at the Tribhuvan International Airport for the final goodbye.
