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Grade
This
trip is graded moderate. It is well within the capabilities of any
normally active person, but to gain the best rewards you should be
physically fit. Like all Himalayan treks it does have its ups and
downs. And some steep and sometimes muddy slopes. Difficulties with
altitude should not be a problem as the maximum elevation is 8695ft.
Climate
Weather
in the world’s highest mountain range is never totally predictable
but we would expect clear and settled conditions. In the early
stages the days will be warm, around 70 F/20 C. As altitude is
gained, though the days will still be pleasantly warm, it will be
chilly early morning and night time temperatures can be down to
freezing.
Equipment & Clothing
All
general equipment and cooking equipment is provided. Also
provided free of charge is a Trek Pack including a sleeping bag, two
insulated sleeping mats, down/fiberfill jacket, waterproof poncho
and duffle bag. A
detailed list of other recommended clothing and equipment will be
sent with confirmation of booking.
Included
International/domestic
arrival/departure airport transfers. 3 nights accommodation at a 5*
hotel in Kathmandu on a bed & breakfast basis, half day
sightseeing tour of Kathmandu with an English speaking guide and all
entrance fees. 1 welcome evening meal in Kathmandu. 1 night at hotel
in Pokhara. 1 night at Everest Panorama Resort on a full board
basis. 2 days whitewater rafting with complete camping services. 2
nights accommodation at Chitwan National Park on a full board basis
with all jungle activities & National Park fees. 8 days fully
catered camping trip in the Annapurna region with breakfast, lunch
& dinner and all the trekking support crew. National park fees,
conservation fees and all entrance fees. Trekpack for use during the
trek, which includes down or fiberfill jacket, duffel bag, two
insulated mats, a poncho, air pillow, sleeping bag with inner liner
and a t-shirt as a gift.
Not Included
International
flights (unless you have requested them), Passport, visa,
insurance, immunization fees, lunch and evening meals while in
Kathmandu (budget £15 per meal without drinks), airport transfers
and taxes.
The Trekking Day
A
typical day begins just after 6 a.m. with an early morning mug of
tea served through the tent flap. After a hot breakfast, during
which the camp will be struck and the porters loaded, we begin our
walking in the pleasant cool of the morning. Lunch is around 11 a.m.
This midday break usually lasts about an hour or so. After walking
for around three hours
in the afternoon, we will aim to pitch camp around 4 p.m. You will
have an hour or so to relax and reflect before the day is rounded
off with a hot three course meal. However, there may be the
opportunity of visiting a nearby village to have contact with the
local people. The two rafting days also have a similar
structure about them.
Flights
We
will on request source International flights from London Heathrow to
Kathmandu via Doha with Qatar Airlines. Note that these fly out of
London on the day before
the first day of the tour (Day 1 of itinerary).
Flight
routing example:
Outbound
Depart LHR 22.30 -
arrive Doha 07.25
Depart
DOH 09.00 – arr KTM 16.25
Inbound
Depart KTM 08.15–arr DOH 10.30
Depart DOH
12.30 – arrLHR 17.55
(same day)
Health Matters
A
medical kit will accompany the trek. We do, however, recommend that
each person carry a small personal first aid kit. A suggested list
of contents will be sent to all members, as well as more general
information on health matters.
Documents
A
visa is required for Nepal and you must have a valid passport. Visas
for Nepal if applying directly with the Nepal Embassy will cost £20
for a single entry. Instead, you could use the postal visa service
of www.travcour.com but there is an additional fee of £25 + £7
postage and packing. Trekking documents are required, but these are
organised by us in Kathmandu. You can purchase visas on arrival into
Kathmandu but we would not recommend this option as the queues are
long and the situation on this can change at any time.
Books & Maps
For
information on the sights of the Kathmandu valley, its history and
culture, we suggest ‘Rough Guides’
& ’ Lonely Planet travel guides’.
A good general guidebook (although without so many hints) is
the Insight Guides series Nepal.
There are many books on Trekking
in Nepal. Perhaps the most well known are those by Stephen
Bezruchka, or Stan Armitage. A
usefully realistic account of what happens on trek is found in Mike
Harding's Footloose in the Himalayas.
There
are accounts of the most important great expeditions such as John
Hunt The Ascent of Everest. Reinhold Messner The Crystal Horizon.
Note:
That a good company for sourcing outdoor / trekking books is ‘Cordee’:
www.cordee.co.uk
Another
company: ‘Cicerone Press,’ www.circerone.co.uk
Publish their own trekking guides to areas of the
Himalaya. Recommended is:
Annapurna:
A Trekker's Guide by Kev Reynolds
Published: 1 Jan 2004
Originally Published: 1 Jan 2003
Pages : 272
No. Maps: 28
No. Photos: 78
Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.6 x 1.5cm
Weight: 380g
EAN: 9781852843977
ISBN 1852843977
Price: £14.00
A
trekking map is normally issued to you at your trek briefing in
Kathmandu, if not these are readily available in the town, although
they are somewhat lacking in detail!
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Outline Itinerary
The
following itinerary is intended as a working guide only and may be subject
to variation as a result of local conditions, weather and group progress.
We
reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) any trek at any time if
necessary.
1000m=3281ft.
1km=.62 miles.
Day 1: Flying into Kathmandu along the northern
border of Nepal on a clear day is in itself an unforgettable experience
with the entire Nepalese Himalayas sprawling out below you.
After transferring to your 5* hotel, you will be given a chance to
catch your breath, meet the other group members that weren't on your
flight and then be given a briefing on all relevant aspects of your
holiday by your Group Leader. A traditional Royal Nepali feast then
highlights the evening.
Day 2: Half-day excursion visiting Kathmandu with its
many temples and pagodas, afternoon free.
Day 3: Fly to Pokhara, 30 mins, 915m and trek to Bhumdi,
5 hours, 1535m. Your group leader will meet you at your hotel in the
morning and take you to the airport for the flight to Pokhara. On a clear
day, the views are breathtaking and it is a good idea to have your camera
in your daypack ready for any photographic opportunities that the flight
provides. Our trekking crew will meet you at Pokhara and you will be
driven to the trek start point. This day's walking is through a mixture of
rarely trekked farmland country and deep shady forests to Bhumdi, our
first night's camp, and the first opportunity to watch the mountain
Alpenglow as the sun gives up the day's struggles and drops below the
horizon.
Day
4: Trek to Panchase Bhanjyang, 6 hours, 2110m. Continuing on, we enter
a section of uninhabited forest cut by small bubbling streams and carpeted
in wild flowers (in Spring); providing bright flashes of colour in the
deep green, until a gradual
change to open grazing grasslands, heralds the arrival of Panchase
Bhanjyang and our next camp. Once again, magnificent views are available
and dinner is often served on the cropped grasses as twilight deepens to
dark.
Day
5: Trek to Bhadaure, 1500m 5 hours via Panchase Peak (2509m).
Panchase
Peak is tackled early in the morning. This is the highest point of your
trek and the track follows up through forests of oak and rhododendron and
a steep narrow ridge to one of the best viewpoints of the Annapurna Himal
at the summit. Machapuchare, Annapurna II, the Lamjung Himal and
Dhaulagiri dominate the northern horizon. There is plenty of time for
picture taking before heading downwards as we wind along the trail to the
small village of Bhadaure where we camp.
Day
6: Trek to Nayapul. 5 hours, 1030m.
Continuing
downwards, we cross the Rati Khola (river) at a natural ford and often
travel a short distance upstream to a small ‘Tal’ (lake), where the
cool waters are a blessing on warmer days. A short climb takes us to the
crest of the Tharmajung ridge and then down through rainforest to Nayapul
and the Modi Khola, the fast and powerful river rushing headlong to India
from the heart of the Annapurna Sanctuary. Camp is made
along the river and the night is often spent watching the myriad fireflies
and listening to the soothing murmur of the waters.
Day
7: Trek to Ghandruk. 6 hours, 1951m.
Following
the Modi Khola upstream, we come to Birethanti and join the main trail
system. Birethanti is part of the Annapurna Circuit and contains all the
necessary supplies that trekkers may need. From here we follow the Modi
Khola to where the trail heads uphill to the large Gurung township of
Ghandruk. Seemingly close enough to reach out and touch, the peaks of
Annapurna South and Hiunchuli dominate the town and provide a spectacular
backdrop to this fascinating village.
Day
8: Trek to Pothana. 6 hours, 2010m. The next morning, time permitting,
we visit the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) Headquarters where
displays of the Project's aims and achievements are housed. If possible,
your leader will arrange a viewing of a short film on ACAP's efforts to
control the environmental damage that careless trekkers cause.
After
the ACAP visit, a short and steep track leads us down to the Modi Khola
and we then climb up to Ghandruk's sister village, Lhandruk, and continue
upwards through deepening and beautiful forest to the ridge crest and
Potana, our next campsite.
Day
9: Trek to Kholamukh. 5 hours, 1015m. Dropping down once more, we head
for our next campsite at Kholamukh.
Day
10: Trek to Pokhara. 4 hours, 915m Return to Pokhara and our camp at
Phwea Lake to watch the sunset. Nearby "Lakeside", full of
souvenir shops and other distractions, is soon explored in the rush to get
an ice cream and return to camp for the traditional end of trek party!
Days
11 & 12: Rafting. Early morning on day 11, sees us busing
from Pokhara to our rafting put-in point. The trekking crews return to
Kathmandu and we meet our rafting guides and crew. A full safety briefing
is given and then it's onto the river to practice some of the various
paddle strokes you will need to know before entering the first of the
rapids and the excitement. With names like "Upset" and
"Surprise", you can be sure of having fun! During the stretches
of quieter water, we can let the world drift by and take in our new
surrounds. Rafting days are more relaxed than trekking days, but follow
the same general routine. Each raft will be guided by an experienced Raft
Captain and assistant, and is fitted with a waterproof canoe barrel for
storage of clothing and equipment. This barrel is not bottomless however
and only essentials should be taken with you. Lunches and camps are made
on the riverside on lovely little sandy beaches that provide excellent
opportunities to swim and sunbathe. Remember that the sun here is strong
and if you burn easily, you will need a good sunscreen. Also the river can
be rocky, so before any jumping in, please check to make sure it is clear
to do so!
Our
second day's rafting is a further continuation of the fun and has the
added advantage that the countryside changes as the Trisuli meets the
Marsyangdi River at Mugling and turns southwards to India. The river
narrows and some beautiful gorges are passed, often monkeys are seen
scampering through the trees and the river takes on an almost primordial
aspect with dense forests of tall trees and clinging vines right down to
the water's edge.
Days
13 & 14: Chitwan A
short private bus ride from our night's camp and we are in the Terai and
soon at the pick-up point for the Chitwan
National Park. Four-wheel drive vehicles or sometimes elephants are used
to take us from the main road to the camp where, after almost two weeks in
a tent, you are given a twin bedded room with hot showers and towels! The
temptation is to luxuriate in them but the jungle beckons. After a
briefing from the naturalist guides you will commence an exploration of
this intriguing area. The Lodge has a programme that allows you to
experience all the different activities such as elephant safari, jungle
walks, canoe rides down the nearby Rapti River, elephant briefing, bird
watching and so on.
The
main animals that people come to see are the One-Horned Rhino and the
Bengal Tiger but remember that both animals are extremely rare and
difficult to find, especially the tiger. The jungle is thick and dense,
unlike the plains of Africa, and the activities not to miss are the dawn
and dusk tours when the animals are at their most active, as during the
day they often lie up through the heat. The day is the time of the birds
and with over 400 species in the park, this incredible variety is well
worth the jungle walk and view tower visit.
You
will be together as a group on all activities and the real secret to
seeing animals in Chitwan is to work together. When you go out on
activities, the quieter you are and the more subdued the clothing the far
greater chance you have.
Day
15: Everest Panorama Resort. Transfer by private bus to the E.P.R
for a relaxing day enjoying this wonderful hill country. From this
resort in early morning, before the clouds bubble up, or at dusk, you can
get perhaps the finest
overall views of the
Himalayas in Nepal. You should get an extensive glimpse of an array of
mountains from Dhalaugiri to Makalu! Afternoon activities are available
for those who would like to experience the excitement of mountain biking,
fishing, pony trekking or a monastery walk nearby.
After a delicious buffet dinner, a party in the coziness of the
"Base Camp Bar" is not unknown as the sun slips down over the
mountains.
Day
16: Return to Kathmandu and your hotel in the morning. Your group
leader will collect the "Trekpack" from you and then you're
free, with time to continue exploring this wonderful city, shopping for
souvenirs and trying out the various restaurants in Thamel.
Day
17: Depart. Time to fly home. Please make sure that you have collected
all your valuables from the security deposit and settled all your hotel
bills. Coordinating with your flight time, the transport staff will pick
you up and take you to the International Airport for your flight home.
Each
day may vary from this schedule as walking times differ with every group,
some taking longer and others take less, plus trails and lodge conditions
need to be taken into account. The guide in charge of your trek will alter
the schedule if necessary.
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