After all the planning and preparation the wait is finally over! Today we board our flight to Kathmandu to begin our Nepal expedition. On arrival in Kathmandu you will be met by our World Expeditions trek leader and transfer to your Kathmandu Hotel. As you arrive late we will rest tonight before waking tomorrow morning for our briefing. Overnight Kathmandu Hotel

Meals:  Nil

Waking up for the first time in Nepal we will start to explore this fascinating city. Before we do we will have a full safety and trip briefing with your guide where arrangements will be made for the distribution of your kit bag, sleeping bag and down/fibrefill jacket. Today we can explore the cultural and historical highlights of Kathmandu including the two most important World Heritage Listed spiritual sites: Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple and an important cremation site, and Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal and the most sacred Tibetan Buddhist shrine outside of Tibet. We can also visit Durbar Square, a wonderful place to sit and watch life on the streets of Kathmandu go by. This evening we will head out for a welcome dinner in Kathmandu.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we start our drive west to Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest town (820m). In good weather we are greeted with sights of the entire Annapurna Range. On arrival we transfer to our hotel in Pokhara. Set on the beautiful Phewa Lake this is a wonderful introduction to the Nepal countryside with views to the Annapurna Mountain range to the North.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise and prepare all the gear and equipement for our trek. After a hearty breakfast we hit the road and drive for an hour to a pass between two river valleys to the village of Phedi, where we commence our trek. The trail ascends for the first hour, following a ridge through fields of bamboo clusters to magnificent rhododendron forest. Villagers greet us with “Namaste”, the traditional Nepalese greeting, as we pass their homes and continue to the ridge top where at the crest the scale of the mountains astounds us. Machapuchare (6993m), Hiunchuli (6441m) and Annapurna South (7219m) can be seen from our immediate viewpoint. Overnight eco lodge.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise and after breakfast preparation we follow the trail through rhododendron forest before continuing through a series of Gurung villages where lifestyles have not changed substantially over the centuries. After lunch we follow a well-marked trail to the prosperous village of Landruk located south of the Annapurna massif on the east side of the Modi Khola river valley. Landruk is a very important town in the district of Kaski. This afternoon we can explore Landruk.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our destination today is easily seen across the valley, the attractive Gurung village of Ghandruk. We descend the valley floor through terraced fields and cross steel suspension bridge to commence our ascent. As we trek up the staircase, we enjoy the beauty of Himalaya at a relatively close range and observe the glaciers flowing from them to form the river below us. It really is a magnificent location and a photographer's delight. On our leisurely approach along these ridges we savor the magnificent scenery with fine mountain views. Ghandruk is the second largest Gurung settlement in Nepal and provides a further insight into the lifestyles of villages that have traditionally provided the backbone of the famous Gurkha regiments. The afternoon can be spent exploring the old village.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our trail meanders uphill through fields and into forest of rhododendron, magnolia and lichen covered fig. We pass by waterfalls that cascade down narrow gullies that provide the perfect home for many small ferns and delicate plants such as exotic orchids bursting with colour. We reach Tadapani which is a small village home to our eco lodge, where we will spend the night.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we start our trek with a short decline until we reach a small fast running stream. We then rise through Rhododendron forest until we reach the settlement of Banthahiti. We can stop here for a refreshment before ascending past tea houses and lodges, through thick forest to the top of Gurung Hill. We then plateau out and head to the township Ghorepani. There is a long history we can explore at Ghorepani as we mix with the local villages and explore the local bazaar and markets before we prepare for our ascent of Poon Hill early tomorrow morning.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we don our head torches and make a very early start as we ascend the steep trail to Poon Hill (3200m). The view of the Himalaya on a clear day are tremendous, with forested foot hills as a fore ground and some of the world’s greatest mountain ranges surrounding us. The glow of the rising sun catches Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri and Annapurna, making the early morning rise more than worth the effort. From Poon Hill we descend back down to Ghorepani where we can have a full breakfast and relax before re starting our trek. The majority of todays trek is downhill, through small settlements to enter a deep ravine where multiple water falls follow our trail. We arrive at Ulleri village where we stay the night. From here we will have an over view of our trek route, as well as views of the Annapurnas at the head of the valley.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our walk today is descending steadily through trails into lower level jungle through Himalayan brown oak, alder and rhododendron. We pass through interesting villages situated on steep rocky hills and terraces. The villages we pass are mixed communities of predominantly Gurung, Brahmin & Chettri. The final descent into Nayapul is 20 minutes on stone stairs. Here we will have a quick lunch break and then board our vehicle for Pokhara. Once settled in we highly recommend you take a stroll down to the lake at Pokhara, there are many stores selling Tibetan wares which are less expensive than Kathmandu. The main street running along the lake is vibrant and an interesting place to sit and watch the world go by.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we have time in Pokhara to relax, do some washing, debrief on our trek and then start to prepare for our service program starting tomorrow. Whilst in Pokhara the group can organise an outing to cross the Phewa Lake and trek to the lookout vantage point giving us a fantastic view of the Annapurna Range and Pokhara village on a clear day.

Meals:  B,L,D

Over the next 5 days we will travel out to a school that has had a long association with Haileybury School and we will commit to doing a service program to help not only the students currently at the school but the generations to come. Each afternoon we will return on the short drive to Pokhara.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we start our drive back to Kathmandu where we transfer to our hotel. Tonight we will enjoy a farewell dinner with our guide.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise for breakfast, pack and head to the airport for our flight home to Melbourne.

Meals:  B

Meals:  Nil