Annapurna Luxury Lodge Trek

Welcome to Nepal!

Upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be greeted and welcomed by one of Icicles Adventure Trek’s representatives. As there are no planned activities today, you can get refreshed in your hotel or just stroll in the streets of Kathmandu, observing the local lifestyle. Our representative also will explain further plans and activities to you about the upcoming adventure. Spend overnight at Dwarika’s Hotel or a similar one in Kathmandu.

This day, we have scheduled a half-day guided sightseeing tour to the several historical, cultural sites of Kathmandu enlisted in a World Heritage Sites. This includes a popular stupa at the hilltop of Swyambhunath, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, and Boudhanath.

The journey begins after your breakfast at your hotel at around 8 am. A tour leader, a private vehicle arrives at your hotel’s gate to pick you up. Initially driving to the Stupa of Swyambhunath, you will get insights into the culture, Buddhism, and historical monuments. The shrines from the 2nd century to the date can be explored here. Meanwhile, you will be amazed to see the entire Kathmandu valley from the hilltop.

Driving southward for about 10 minutes from Swymabhunath, you will reach Kathmandu Durbar Square. A historical Durbar palace, dozens of temples, and other religious monuments are worth seeing here. Your trip leader will explain the important monuments and shrines there. Do not miss to see the Kumari Ghar, the home of living goddess!

Exploring Kathmandu Durbar Square, you will head towards the stupa of Boudhanath. It is one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world, where hundreds of thousands of people visit every year. It was established in the 5th century with four pairs of eyes of Lord Buddha in four cardinal directions, believing an eternal watch over the people and their doings. Spin the wheels around the stupa, get a picturesque form of fluttering prayer flags, and more.

Your trip leader will take you to one of the rooftop restaurants for your lunch. Get a yummy Nepalese lunch with the finest view of Boudhanath stupa. Immerse yourself, gazing at the wonderful scenery of Boudhanath.

After lunch, you will again head towards the temple of Pashupatinath. It is one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated at the bank of the Bagmati River, it is the pilgrimage destination for devotees from the entire planet.

Getting back to the hotel from the sightseeing, you will visit the Icicles Adventure Treks and Tours office. Your trekking leader will be there and will explain in detail about the trekking ahead. If you do not have any, you can buy needed trekking gear and equipment from nearby shops. Spend overnight at Dwarika’s Hotel or a similar one in Kathmandu.

A vehicle awaits you outside your hotel gate to shift your airport for a short flight to Pokhara. Get breakfast and be ready to begin the adventure. You will be picked up and transfer to the domestic airport for your flight. After flying just half an hour, you will reach Pokhara, the second biggest city in Nepal. During this amazing half-hour flight along with the Himalayan range, trekkers can witness four of the world’s 14 giant mountains, over 8,000 m, including Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, Manaslu Shishapangma.

After a short break outside the airport, you will be picked up and driven towards Nayapul, the beginning point of the trek. Finally, after an hour and thirty minutes of scenic drive, you will reach Nayapul.

After having lunch there, you will begin your hike comfortably. You will pass through a ridgeline in the lower foothills of the Annapurna with surrounding views of the Pokhara Valley. Upon reaching the small township of Birethanti, you will check in the luxury lodge named “Sanctuary Lodge” by Ker and Downey. Thus, enjoy your first night in the Himalayan foothills.

Break your day with a sip of tea in the lodge garden, observing the first golden rays of sun over Mt. Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) and its neighboring ones. Then, have your first meal of the day and begin your hike for the magnificent village of Ghandruk. Initially, you will walk briefly back along the Modi River valley before a long climb to the village of Ghandruk village.

The steep steps lead across cultivated terraced fields and up into the forested lands of the oak and rhododendron backwoods. On the way, you will meet the friendly people of the Himalayan foothills, plowing the fields with their oxen-drawn plows and sharing your alleyway with their cattle and flocks of multi-colored goats and sheep.

The trekking trail offers magnificent scenery across the terraced farms to the Modi River far below. Each village passed offers a captivating indication of Nepalese life.  People with families seem to use traditional tools to quid corn, interlace cloth, cover their roofs, and figure neat dry-stone walls and houses.

After a few hours’ walk, you will reach the village of Kimche (1554m) and pass it. In this place, you will have spectacular scenery showing the height you have gained since leaving the bank of Modi Khola (river).

Continue your journey to one of the largest villages of Gurung people. Walking about a couple of hours from Kimche, you will reach your daily destination; the welcoming arch of Ghandruk and a final climb, winding through the village streets, leads up to the Himalaya Lodge.

Congratulate yourself for reaching the most elevated part of the trek while sitting on the terrace lawn of this luxury lodge with a refreshing glass of lemonade in your hand. Then, spend the rest of the day enjoying an encircled Himalayan panorama.

Watching again the magnificent sunrise illuminates the surrounding mountain massifs, including the Mt. Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South, consume a leisurely first meal on the lodge lawn. Then and there, begin your day hike crossing the entire vale to the settlement of Landruk, which sits across and slightly below the level where you are now.

Initially, you will descend steeply, passing the terraces to the banks of the Modi River. Then, you can witness some of the honey hunters in the cliffs climb on ropes to collect the honey from the wild bee.

Afterward, you will cross the Modi River by a rickety suspension bridge and begin to climb up switchbacks and steps to arrive at the village of Landruk. From here, trekkers will have magnificent sceneries of the entire Annapurna range.

Lunch will be ready as you reach Ker and Downey Lodge (La Bee Lodge). After lunch, either relax in your room enjoying the magnificent views of the mountains or go on a sightseeing tour around an interesting mountain village age with your trip leader.

A journey to Majgaun will begin after a luxurious yummy breakfast at your lodge yard. The walk snakes along the valley through small untouched villages, farmlands, terraced fields and farms, and forest with the astonishing sceneries of mountain massifs and some craggy sections and across three rivers that all descend to the Modi Khola beneath.

While passing the villages, you will hear the birds chirping and a cock-a-doodling as you pass through the beautiful villages where only a few trekkers pass by. It is just an emerging side of the valley. After some steps and a section of steep ascends and descends, some streams, rivers, and bridges, you will reach the village of Majgaun. Spend overnight at the luxury lodge there.

Your luxurious journey continues trekking towards Patlekhet, a small village on the way towards Pothana, where we shall stop. Pothana is another small settlement along the trek which Tibetan traders use to sell their products to the visitors who go up and down the Annapurna Base Camp.

Upon reaching your lodge in Dhampus, you will be greeted by magnificent sceneries of the entire Annapurna range. You will have lunch at the same lodge Ker and Downey Lodge (Basanta Lodge), where you are accommodating. And this is the last light in the Himalayan foothill.

After having a delicious first meal of the day, you will depart along the bee-line ridge and descend through the wooded hillside and terraced farmland to the valley floor. You will reach Phedi after approximately 1:30 hours’ walk from Dhampus. You will then be transferred to Pokhara hotel using a private vehicle.

Rest of the day, either rest in the hotel or visit around the Pokhara valley. Phewa Lake, Mahendra cave, Bat’s Cave, David’s fall, Bindawaseni temple are some of the paramount places to visit in Pokhara.

Catching an early morning flight, you will fly back to Kathmandu. Upon landing at Kathmandu airport, a private vehicle will await you outside the terminal gate. You will be transferred to one of the star hotels in Kathmandu.

During the day, you can either relax around the hotel or visit the rest of the monuments inside Kathmandu valley as a city tour. Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Changunarayan, Chandragiri Cable car ride, Patan Durbar Square are important monuments to visit in Kathmandu valley. Spend overnight at Dwarika’s Hotel or a similar one in Kathmandu.

This is the last day of your trip to Nepal. You will be transferred to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. One of the representatives from Icicles Adventure Treks and Tours will bid a farewell to you outside the entrance gate of the airport.

Happy journey!!