Welcome to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The Langtang Ri Trekking & Expedition representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After your refreshment you will be picked up from your hotel lobby and driven to our Thamel office where you will be formally introduced to your trekking guide. We will go through all your trek itinerary and arrangements with you to insurer every detail is in place. We will also ask to bring your passport, extra passport photographs and a copy of your travel insurance so that we can organize permits required for your trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary.

After breakfast, we start an interesting tour around Kathmandu. Escorting by an English speaking guide (can be provide any language speaking guide on request) the tour will give you a taste of our vivid Nepali culture and history. In our sightseeing tour we go to Monkey Temple Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Bouddhanath: Bouddhanath is a Buddhist religious complex with a history dating back over 500 years. Located on the eastern edge of Kathmandu it is now a site of great pilgrimage for Buddhist followers who circle its massive stupa, spin its many prayer wheels and visit its beautiful monastery. The main feature of Boudhanath is its huge hemispherical white stupa with central golden tower and the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha. Visitors should circle the stupa in a clockwise direction and spin prayer wheels for good fortune and a good life. Visitors may also enjoy visiting the thangka painting school within the complex to see highly skilled artists at work on religious mandala paintings.

Pashupatinath: This Hindu Temple is a very large complex and focal point for the Hindu religion in Nepal. This old and very revered complex of buildings and shrines is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism. While Lord Shiva has multiple forms he is often seen as the destroyer. This has great significance for the Pashupatinath temple as it is the site of many Hindi ritual cremations each day. Pashupatinath is considered by Hindus to be an auspicious site for passing from one stage of life to the next through the purifying and destroying flames of cremation. However, on a happier note, visitors may also get to see the temple in a buoyant festival mode with one of the many Hindu festivals celebrated here through the year.

Swayambhunath: You will first visit the Swayambhunath temple complex that sits atop a high hill overlooking Kathmandu and the entire Kathmandu Valley. Swayambhunath is perhaps the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal. It consists of a very large white stupa with the all-seeing-eye of Lord Buddha plus many small stupa and beautifully carved stone shrines. This is a wonderful place to catch your breath and start to understand and appreciate the deep importance of Buddhist belief to the people of Nepal and the Himalaya region. Make sure you ring the many bells to awaken the gods and let them know you are in Nepal. Take the time to enjoy the view over Kathmandu and have your guide point out the many other highlights of the city. In the far distance to the east you may also be able to see the hills of Nagarkot. If you feel energetic you might also like to try some or all of the 350 steps that lead all the way from Kathmandu city up to your Swayambhunath temple vantage point.

Kathmandu Durbar Square: The next stop today is the beautiful Kathmandu Durbar Square, or the royal palace square of the ancient Malla Kings of the Kathmandu Valley. This square and all its architectural treasures are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While some damage to buildings occurred in the 2015 earthquake the site still contains many stunning architectural gems. The original royal palace courtyards are open to visitors and you will marvel at the intricate timber carving and beautifully crafted brickwork of the palace. The open square outside the palace has many beautiful multi-storey pagodas and temples with ornate carving and carpentry artwork that tells some of the story of the ancient kings and their mystical time and beliefs. The square also contains many important Hindu temples and statues such as to Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Durbar Square also contains the unique and intriguing Kumari Chok. This is an ancient and ornate house where resides the Raj Kumari – the Living Goddess. She is a young girl chosen through an ancient and mystical selection process to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga. If you are in the courtyard of her home at the right time in the afternoon you may see a brief glimpse of the Goddess at her window.

We start today with a one and half hour drive from Pokhara to Nayapul and then commence your trek to Tikhedhunga (1,577m).  A short and scenic twisting road takes you from Pokhara (915m) to Nayapul (1050m) at the southern margins of the Annapurna Sanctuary. From there it is time to lace up the boots, pull on your day-pack and begin your trek to Tikhedhunga (1577m) via Birethanti (1065m). While the trail undulates you will have gained about 500m in altitude by the end of your four or five hour walk. The initial sections require little effort but the trail starts to steepen in the later section as you near Tikhedhunga. There are a few villages you pass through today and they make a great place to take a break and enjoy a cup of Nepali tea – just the thing to boost your energy for the next stage of the walk. The villages you pass through are populated by the ethnic Gurung people and their religion is Buddhist, so you will often see carefully tended stupa along the way.

The trek from Tirkhedhunga to Ghorepani (2675m) takes about six hours and some considerable effort. The first couple of hours is steep but the trails are very well made with good solid steps when the grade steepens. So take your time, rest when you need to at the villages of Ulleri (2070m) or Banthanti along the way. The gorgeous scenery will help take your mind off all the steps. The stunning views of Mount Machhapuchhre or Fish Tail (6997m), Mount Huinchuli (6441m) and Annapurna South (7219m) will inspire you forward and upward. The higher you ascend the better the views get!  At times you will be walking through beautiful rhododendron forests which normally blossoms during March and April. You may also hear and see monkeys and many species of birds in the trees as you pass by. The final section of the walk takes you up too many steps to count and delivers you to today’s destination and some rest time in Ghorepani. By the end of the day you will have ascended over 1.1km in altitude. But the rewards of tomorrow are worth every step and sore muscle.

Today is the scenic highlight of your trek. You will depart Ghorepani before dawn and ascend to the vantage point of Poon Hill just to the north-west and looming above Ghorepani. Your goal is to arrive on Poon Hill just before the sun starts to rise over the Annapurna Massif and its many peaks. Poon Hill (3210m) is about 500m higher than Ghorepani and the hilltop provides uninterrupted views in every direction. Watch the first rays of the sun hit the summit of Mount Dhaulagiri (8167m) to your west and the other icy peaks of the main Annapurna Massif – Tukuche Peak (6920m), Mount Nilgiri (6940m), Varaha Shikhar (7847m), Mount Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna South (7219m), Annapurna III (7855m), Machhapuchhre (6993m), Annapurna IV (7525m), Annapurna II (7937m), Lamjung Himal (6931m) and many other gorgeous Himalayan peaks. Make sure you have fresh batteries in your camera, you’re going to leave Poon Hill with lots of fantastic photos and memories that will last a lifetime. But once the sunrise show is over and you catch your breath it is time to descend the hill and trek on to Tadapani. The trek is about 5 hours from Ghorepani to Tadapani with slight up and down. Tadapani is 200m lower altitude than Ghorepani.

Today we continue to trek towards the east and into the heart of the Annapurna Sanctuary as we head for the village of Ghandruk. The trail brings you closer to mountains such as Machhapuchhre and at high points of the trail you are rewarded with fantastic views of its distinctive twin-peak summit. Ghandruk is a great place to end the day’s trek as it is a thriving village that welcomes visitors to its cultural museum of the Gurung people and also its local handicrafts shops. So this is a great place to find the perfect Annapurna trek gift or memento.

After breakfast in the morning you say goodbye to Pokhara and head back to bustling Kathmandu by road. You may also choose to fly back to Kathmandu as an optional extra to your itinerary. You will be delivered back to your Kathmandu hotel at the end of today’s travels.

Bhaktapur sightseeing (1,310m)

Bhaktapur is one of three ancient cities in the Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu itself, Patan adjacent to and just to the south of Kathmandu, and Bhaktapur 18 km to the east of Kathmandu. All three of these cities have a Durbar Square – or royal square – and each is an architectural wonder and protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. The durbar square of Bhaktapur comprises a beautiful and ornate royal palace with intricate stone and wood carvings. Adjacent to the palace is an extensive plaza with many wonderful religious shrines to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and tall multi-level traditional Nepali pagoda. The main five-level pagoda in Bhaktapur is the tallest such structure in all of Nepal and a wonder of carpentry craftsmanship.

This is a free day for you to explore a little more about Kathmandu and complete your gift shopping. In the evening you will be picked up from your hotel for a farewell dinner in a Nepali cultural restaurant where they will play traditional music and dances.