Annapurna Luxury Trek - 13 days

Overview
Travel style - Sightseeing and Trekking
Country Nepal
Group size 1-15 persons
Duration 13 days
Level of difficulty Easy
Max. Altitude: 4130m

Overview

Annapurna Luxury Lodge trek is the ultimate way of exploring Nepal in style while staying in the comfortable lodges of the Annapurna region; they are at a standard far better than anything else available in the area. The Ker and Downey lodges provide the highest level of service whilst on trek with landscaped gardens, comfortable lounges and bedrooms including hot showers and western toilets.

The trail between lodges takes you through beautiful Nepalese villages with spectacular views of the Annapurna region. This trekking is a relatively gentle walk designed for the first time trekker in the low-lying hills fringing Pokhara. It is a culturally rich journey through Gurung villages with an ever increasing build-up of mountain views. We trek for six days through the Annapurna foothills with about five hours walking each day.


Itinerary

Day 1:

Arrive at Kathmandu airport (1345meters)..

Upon the arrivals at kathmandu airport,You will be met by our representative and transfer to hotel and a short brief about the trekking then over night at hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 2:

Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing..

Tour including Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Monkey Temple, Pashupatinath Temple and Baudhanath Stupa.

Day 3:

Fly to Pokhara..

Morning, you are transferred to the airport for the 35-minute flight to Pokhara, the rural capital of western Nepal. Transfer to Hotel in Pokhara.it is next to Phewa lake so simply look around.

Day 4:

Trek to Birethati -Sanctuary Lodge, (1100 meters)..

walk will follow a ridgeline in the lower foothills of the Annapurnas with surrounding views of the Pokhara valley. This route then drops to the Modi River valley, where the Sanctuary lodge is located about 20 mins walk from Birethanti. Lunch at the lodge with the afternoon free to explore the surrounding valley. The surrounding area is very lush and there is plenty of opportunity for bird watching and plant finding, over night at Lodge.

Day 5:

Trek to Ghandruk -Himalaya Lodge, (2000 metres)..

After breakfast, we leave the lodge walking out through the outlying farms following the Modi River Valley. Soon we begin to climb out of the valley & up towards the mountains. The trail passes through small hamlets, terraced rice fields and forests with spectacular views of the surrounding valley. Snacks are provided along the trail. Hot lunch is served on arrival at the lodge in the early afternoon. It is from this lodge that there are magnificent close up views of the surrounding mountains, over night at Lodge.

Day 6:

Himalaya Lodge, Ghandruk (2000 meters)..

There are tremendous views of the surrounding peaks from Ghandruk, including Annapurna South and Machapuchare. Ghandruk is a picturesque town of slate roofed houses surrounded by terraced fields. The headquarters of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project are here. Today you will explore the area with your guide, returning to the Himalaya Lodge, over night at the Lodge.

Day 7:

Trek to Birethati - Sanctuary Lodge..

After breakfast, we leave the Himalaya Lodge walking out through the village of Ghandruk. Buffaloes and goats graze in the surrounding fields and you may have to make way for the donkey and mule trains that convey goods to and from the Gurkha settlements. You may also meet some of the trekkers coming down from or heading up to the Sanctuary itself. We continue descending for about 2 or 3 hours until we reach Shauli Bazaar. From here, we follow along the Modi River until reaching the Sanctuary Lodge. We'll have lunch at the lodge followed by another opportunity to walk to the village of Birethanti. Or you may choose to spend the afternoon relaxing by the river bank, Overnight Sanctuary Lodge.

Day 8:

Trek to MajGoun – Gurung Lodge (1,400m)..

Following a leisurely breakfast, we leave the Sanctuary lodge & trek to Ker & Downey's Gurung Lodge. The lodge is built along the lines of a traditional Nepalese village. Every room has spectacular views of the surrounding valley and mountains. Trek time to the Lodge is just 2 hours. After lunch at the lodge, you will be escorted to the local village of Tanchok. There will be a talk at a local house, now made into a museum. The contents of the house illustrate how the local people live, together with the tools and implements of day to day traditional village life. There will also be a visit to the school and should there be more than 6 guests, the school children will visit the lodge and perform a number of local dances and songs typical of the region, Overnight Gurung Lodge.

Day 9:

Trek to Dhampus, Basanta Lodge..

This morning we start out trekking through the unspoiled village of Patlekhet. Our walk takes us through sub-tropical forests that include tree orchids, rhododendrons and magnolias. Along the way, we will stop at the village of Pothana where many Tibetan traders live and sell their souvenirs. After about 3 ½ hours, we arrive at the Basanta Lodge. From the lodge, there are sweeping views of the entire Annapurna Range. After lunch at the lodge there will be an optional walk through the old village of Dhampus.

Day 10:

Trek to Phedi and Drive Pokhara..

After breakfast trek along the ridge and descend through wooded hillside to the valley floor and after about 1½ hours you reach the road at Khare Khola at 999 meters, where a vehicle is waiting to transfer you to Pokhara (40 mins). Afternoon free to explore Pokhara and perhaps take a boat on Phewa Lake. Overnight at the  hotel .

Day 11:

Fly to Kathmandu..

Transfer to airport for the flight to Kathmandu (35min). Met on arrival and transferred to the 5 star Hotel. Rest of day free for sightseeing and shopping, over night at hotel.

Day 12:

Kathmandu ,Free day for sightseeing, shopping or relaxing, over night at hotel..

Day 13:

Transfer to Airport to your destination:.


Inclusion

Cost Inclusive:

Cost Inclusive:

  • Airport arrival and departure by private vehicle
  • 4 star accomodation in kathmandu and pokhara on Bb plan
  • Sightseeing trip with city tour guide in Kathmandu .
  • Kathmandu -pokhara-kathmandu by flight
  • Pokhara to Nayapul & return by private vehicle
  • Meal on full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea & coffee) basis during the trek
  • Accommodation on teahouse/lodge during the trek
  • Trek leader (English speaking, First Aid and eco trained), Sherpa helper and all payments
  • Annapurna Conservation entry fee and permit
  • Down jacket and four seasonal sleeping bag
  • Exclusive medical kit bag
  • All government and local taxes.

Exclusion

Cost Exclusive

Cost Exclusive:

  • Departure taxes
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Lunch and dinner in city
  • Travel and rescue insurance
  • Personal expenses e.g. phone calls, laundry, bar bills & extra porters
  • Tips for driver, guides and porters.

Helpful Info

What Type of Trek is This?

This is tea house trekking tour thus you will be eating ans sleeping at the tea houses  during your trekking period.

A Day on Trek  

Each morning after packing our bags and a healthy breakfast, we set off on the day’s walk. After walking for 3-4 hours we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon’s walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day’s adventures, before retiring for a well-earned sleep.

Meals and Accommodation

In Kathmandu we use 2 star  hotel to ensure a comfortable stay and relaxed environment before and after your trip. All breakfasts are included at the hotel in Kathmandu. Rooms are generally twin share - depending on group size and room availability, triple share may be offered to your request.

While on the trek, we provide good quality food in sufficient quantities from Tea Houses/Mt. lodges. We provide all meals on full board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and tea & coffee) from the teahouse menu during the trekking period.  Most of the  accommodation is in guesthouses which are basic structures, generally with shared facilities but very comfortable. In some guesthouses, showers are available; where there are no showers; there are private facilities in which you can sponge bath.

Luggage while on Trekking

During trek your main luggage will be carried by porters or pack animals (usually yaks or cross breeds). You simply carry a day pack with water bottle, camera, sun-screen, spare jacket, etc. - a small load that allows full enjoyment of the trek. A trek bag is ideal for your main luggage, plus a small lockable bag for travel clothes or anything that you do not need during trek which you can leave at hotel’s locker room/safe deposit box in Kathmandu for free of charge. Weight allowance at Nepal’s domestic airlines is 15 Kgs, excess weight is chargeable at USD 1 or more per Kilo depending on sectors.

Ground Leader and Crew

1) Trained Nepali Trek leader (experienced and knowledgeable)
2) Sherpa Guide (handles the logistics and guides you and your team on the trek)
The Sherpa guide (commonly called Sirdar) will be accompanied by a crew of porters. On camping trek, there will be 2/3 porters for each members while on GAP and on Lodge trek 1 porter for 2 members.

Join a group or private Trip:

Our trips are available on both fixed departure and private basis. If you are looking for a group to join this trip please check our ‘departures’ link for availability, dates and price. If you would like to travel independently, or with your friends, families & colleagues you are invited to choose any of the trips at your convenient timeframe for any number of people (minimum 1 & maximum 100 at a time).

If you want to do something that is not included in our trip list we are ready to tailor a trip to suit your exact requirements. In short, we will make every effort to get you on the trip you want, when you want.

Group Size and Fixed Departure Date:

If you opt to join our ‘fixed departure trip’, you are likely to be joining people from different countries of any age group except minors. The size of group varies, minimum no of persons required to operate a trip is 2 the maximum is 15 people.

Personal Expenses

Personal expenses depend largely on the type of trek, duration and the trekking region.

If you are on Camping or Tea house trek all meals will be provided. You only need money for table drinks (alcoholic/non alcoholic beverages), snacks while walking (a few smaller shops are available along the trail in some areas) tips, souvenirs, hot shower (available in some places).

If you are on ‘GAP’ trek style you need to pay for all your meals. NPR 1000-1500 a day should be enough to cover your meals. We pay for your accommodation at mountain hut (tea house) along the trail and bear all the expenses of staff assigned by us.

Tips are appreciated by your support team after the trip. The amount depends on your budget and appreciation of their work. As a suggestion, we advise you to allocate 5 - 10% of the total tour cost as tips.

Flight and Transfers

You can choose any mode of transport to commute from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Please do check for piece difference. From Kathmandu, you take a 30 minutes scenic flight to Pokhara and  by driving it will take 7 hours along the Prithvi Highway to Pkhara. The starting point of the trek is Nayapul. On your return, our car/bus shall pick you from Nayapul and drive to Pokhara. You can choose between flying or driving back from Pokhara to Kathmandu. We will arrange the transportation from your hotel to the airport (Kathmandu).

Communication  and Electricity:

While trekking in the remote parts, you may not have an access to telephone facility for some days or weeks. However, en route there may be few places where telephone facilities may be available and likely to be working.  There is  electricity  facility entire trekking trails in Nepal  thus  there won’t be any problem  to re-charge your battery and  cameras.If it is crucial for you to keep in contact with your family or others, Adventure Magic Treks can provide you a mobile satellite phone (rental charge on request).

How do you find us in Kathmandu ?

You need to pass on your International flight details to us for a “meeting and greeting” service at airport. You just pass on the Customs and come out of the Terminal building where you will see someone standing with a placard with either ‘Adventure Magic Treks’ or your name written on it. Our airport representative or tour officer will greet you and welcome you with a garland.

Climate and Best Time to go .

The best seasons to trek in the Annapurna region are Autumn (from mid-September till November end) and Spring (from the beginning of March until mid-May). Temperatures will drop considerably as you trek higher everyday. The nights are cold (between -20 C to 5C) but the days are sunny and hot (between 10C to 30C). The mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up during the afternoon, disappearing at night. Trekking during the monsoon is not recommended, as the visibility during monsoon is limited. Trekking in the winter is possible; however, it is much colder than Autumn and Spring.

March, April, October and November are the most popular and favored months for traveling. Please choose the date that is convenient for you.

Itinerary Changes

The itineraries for each trip should be taken as a guideline only. Depending on the prevailing situation, you can modify it to some extent after consulting with your guide. However, the date of trek completion should always coincide with the original itinerary.

You should keep in mind that this is an adventure trip into the remotest region, where many unforeseen events may contribute to the need for a change in itinerary. In such cases, we or your guide will suggest the best alternative similar to your original.

Trek Duration  

We ensure liability as per indicated itinerary and list of services. If the holiday is cut short or completed earlier than the projected period upon client’s wish, we shall not be responsible or make refund against unutilized days or services. Clients need to pay extra for Hotels/services incurred in Kathmandu or elsewhere in such cases.

Vaccinations

As vaccination requirements change frequently, we suggest you to consult your doctor at least 2 months prior to the beginning of your trip. We recommend protection against malaria, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis and polio.

First Aid Kid  

We supply a medical bag with standard medicines prescribed by trekking doctors. Since our staffs/guides are not qualified for suggesting medications to western clients, we would request you to use the medicines upon your own risk. It is safer and more reliable if you have your own medicine kit and not depend on what we have.

Altitude :

Altitude Sickness has the potential to affect all travelers from 2500m and higher our itinerary is planned in such a way that you make very gradual ascend, spending some days at a low elevation to build necessary acclimatization before walking up to Annapurna south base camp at 4130m (the highest point on this trek). When you are at high altitude, your body needs time to adjust to smaller quantities of oxygen in the air at 5500m/18,044ft; the air pressure is approximately half that of sea level, i.e. there is half the amount of oxygen.

Check out "Altitude illness" by Dr Jim Duff

Rescue and   Evacuations

In case of a serious sickness or a casualty, which we believe will not happen; we will do everything to transfer you to the nearest hospital. Since you are entirely liable for all the expenses incurred in evacuation please make sure that it is covered by your insurance before assigning for it or be prepared to pay on your own after getting back to Kathmandu.

Insurance

Before joining a tour, we recommend you to take a travel insurance which should cover cancellation, medical expenses, helicopter evacuation and emergency repatriation.

Responsible Travel

Wonderful environment of the Himalayas is also an extremely fragile one. Increasing population density and numbers of trekkers threaten the very beauty of Nepal. At Adventure Magic Treks , we are extremely conscious about the environment and aim to minimize our impact as much as possible.
As deforestation is one of the greatest environmental threats, we do not have camp fires and use kerosene for cooking as an alternative fuel to wood. We also discourage trekkers from using wood-fuelled hot showers in lodges along the way. Many lodges, however, now provide solar hot showers, a far more eco-friendly alternative.
Garbage disposal is another major problem and some of the busier trails can, at times, appear strew with litter. Our staff members are well motivated towards eco-friendly practices. We carry out all our garbage, apart from that which can be safely and easily burnt at the campsite. Our aim is to help protect and preserve this beautiful environment for future generations of trekkers to enjoy.

Trip Extensions

In addition to your trek, we can organize extensions both within Nepal and other neighboring countries. You may want to try water rafting or a jungle safari in Nepal or Nepal Cultural Tour. You may as well take a trip to Tibet, India or Bhutan, whichever seems more appealing to you. Since the trek ends in Pokhara, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal, it would be nice and relaxing for you to spend a day or two taking in the sights and sounds of this scenic city.

Social Responsibility

Adventure Magic Treks  works with the motto ‘Development through Tourism’. Keeping in line with this motto, Adventure Magic  Community Service Project  was imagine to authorize deprived, marginalized, poor and minority section of Nepal.

Staff’s Care:

We ensure that all the porters and other staffs going into high altitude conditions are provided with adequate clothing and equipment. We are the first ever company to supply high-altitude porters with crampons. Therefore we are lifetime member of Keep.

Booking conditions:

  1. It is fundamental you acknowledge that this is an adventure tour. This requires some flexibility. The day to day itinerary is taken only as a guideline. We can not be held responsible for any delays caused by International or domestic flights, strikes, Government regulations, weather or natural casualties etc. In such cases, Adventure Magic shall provide suitable alternatives which could be decided upon mutual agreement. If an agreement cannot be made, Adventure Magic Trek  shall only be responsible for refunds after deducting the expenses already incurred.
  2. Your booking will be confirmed by email once we receive your  20 % advance payment.
    The balance is due no later than two months prior to departure. If you book a tour less than 1 months prior to departure, you must send the full payment..
  3. If you cancel, the following scale of charges will apply:
    2 months before departure – Loss of deposit (US$ 10 % )
    15 days  to 2 months before departure – 5% of total trip cost
    Less than 10 days before departure – 100% of total trip cost

Booking Procedure:

If you still have any questions regarding this trip, please feel free to contact us. We answer all enquiries within more or less then 12 hours. If you want to book a trip, you can e-mail us at info@adventuremagictreks.com  or contact us straight by phone: +977-1-4410361

Thanks and Regards

Adventure Magic Treks Team


Trekking Gears

Clothing and Equipment List for Trekking in Himalayas:

Our main paramount is to offer safe and enjoyable trek for your clients.As part of the booking process, we will provide you with a comprehensive clothing and equipment list for proposed trekking .Experienced trekkers will often take only a selection of these items based on what has worked in the past.Please find the equipment list below for your personal use during your traveling period.

Foot wear:Walking boots, Wool and liner socks, sandals

Clothing:

Waterproof jacket and trousers, Trekking trousers, Long sleeve shirts, Micro fleece, Mid to heavyweight fleece, Sleeveless or body warmer type fleece, Thermals or base layer for top & bottom (merino wool or synthetic), Fleece pants, Medium weight down jacket

Hand wear: Fleece gloves, Warms mittens and/or gloves

Head wear: Wool or fleece hat, Sun hat, Scarf, Head torch and extra batteries,Sunglasses

Personal Equipment:

Sleeping bag, Backpack large enough to carry water bottles, camera and extra clothing, Stuff sacks for keeping your gear dry and organized, two water bottles (Nalgene wide mouth bottles are the best), Sunscreen and lip salve with a high SPF, Insect repellent, Water purification tablets (Pristine, Biox Aqua or Aqua Mira), Favorite snack food, Books, iPod and cards etc, Trekking poles, Camera with spare batteries and memory cards, Insurance certificate.

Travelling:

Duffle bag or large backpack for your personal gear on the trek (carried by a porter), Bring a small combination padlock to secure the bag, Travel clothes. You will need casual clothing for air travel days and time spent in Kathmandu, Toiletry bag include toilet paper, soap, towel, toothbrush, etc.

Personal first aid kit:

Any personal medications, Diamox (optional) helps with acclimatization.

Adventure Magic Treks always provide down jackets and down sleeping bags for all our trips.The above list is one 'rough guide' of kit which you'll need to consider before leaving home. Each trekker should carry one backpack for items required during the day.Your day backpack will contain items such as warm clothes, jacket, camera, water bottles, and personal first aid kit and day snacks. The rest of your personal equipment packed in a duffel bag or backpack will be carried by a porter.The maximum weight allowance is 15kgs/33 pounds that we strongly care of porter rights and solely against any exploitation on its operation.


Map

FAQ's

Our main paramount is to offer safe and enjoyable trek for your clients.As part of the booking process, we will provide you with a comprehensive clothing and equipment list for proposed trekking .Experienced trekkers will often take only a selection of these items based on what has worked in the past.Please find the equipment list below for your personal use durin