Day 01: Arrive in Kathmandu
Meet with our representative at the airport. Drive to hotel.
Day 02: Kathmandu.
Half day visit of Kathmandu city and Swayambhunath. PM: Free, preparation for the trekking. O/N hotel.
Day 4: Beni (830m/2,731ft)
Fly to Pokhara (35 minutes) and drive 82km (4 hrs) to Beni or Kathmandu to Beni Drive (9hrs).
Day 5: Babichoaur (950m/3,126ft)
Trek 18km (6.5 hrs) to Babichoaur, getting a glimpse of the middle hills of Nepal. The trail follows the Myagdi Khola (river) and passes by terraced fields and villages. Some of the houses in these villages are painted red with black windows and doors, indicating a typical Hindu house. The last three hours of the trek is on relatively flat terrain.
Day 6: Dharapani (1,500m/4935ft)
This 12km (7 hrs) trek continues along the Myagdi Khola to Darbang Village, where we cross over to the west bank of the river. Shortly after crossing we begin our 2.5 hour steep ascent to the ridge, where we can see Mt. Myagumath (6,273m/20,638ft) and Mt. Jirbang (6,062m/19,944ft).
Day 7: Muri (1,815m/5,971ft)
The trek to Muri is 12km/6.5 hrs. From Dharapani to Sibang it is for the most part a gradual ascent, with intermittent short but steep ascents. In the wet season the trail descends to Dara Khola and gradually climbs on the other side of the river before reaching Muri, a congested village consisting of wicker-work houses. This area is inhabited by the Magar ethnic group, a mongoloid race of people who were formerly Buddhist practitioners. Soon after arrival in these mid hill regions they were persuaded to convert to Hinduism, but have maintained their original spoken language (tibeto-bermal). We will make camp above the village from where you can see Mt. Manapati (6,380m/20,990ft), Mt. Jirbang (6,062m/19,944ft), and a few peaks of the Dhaulagiri Massif including Gurja Himal (7,193m/23,665ft).
Day 8: Boghara (2,080m/6,843ft)
The 10km (7.5 hrs) trek alternates between descent and ascent along the Muri and Myagdi Rivers with a relatively flat section at Naura Bhir (bhir is cliff). The trail changes dramatically at this point as we ascend a very treacherous and narrow section of the trail before descending on similar terrain to Boghara, the last village on this route.
Day 9: Dobang (2,520m/8,291ft)
Trek 10km (6 hrs) to Dobang. The valley is narrow and deeply wedged between the peaks of Dhaulagiri massif and Mt. Manapathi. The trail first goes down and climbs to the ledge before it comes back to the river bed. We will pass through some thick woods with occasional clearings for cow-herding huts. From here the trek to Dobang is gradual.
Day 10: Choriban (3,110m/10,232ft)
We trek 9km (4.5 hrs) along the Myagdi Khola through landslide prone areas and at times thick vegetation. Attention should be paid while we cross the rivers over the locally made wooden bridges.
Day 11: Pakoban (3,585m/11,795ft)
Cross the Choriban River and than trek 8km (5hrs) over the high alpine meadows, with Dhaulagiri I (8,167m/26,869ft) looming in the east. We will go down a slippery and treacherous path where the glacier and the river join, so caution is a must! We will make camp on the other side of the river. The next three trekking days we will be walking through a perpetual snowline.
Day 12: Pakoban
Today is a planned rest day for acclimatization.
Day 13: Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4,750m/15,628ft)
We begin our 13km (8 hrs) trek following the Myagdi River for 1.5 hours before it see-saws over the glacial moraine. As we trek across the glacier we will go over many boulders, avoiding the crevasses. Along the trail, we can see Tukuche Peak, Mukut Himal, Sita Chuchura and Dhaulagiri I. We will make our camp on the glacier.
Day 14: Hidden Valley (5,180m/17,042ft)
The 9km (6.5hrs) trek to Hidden Valley, a very wide meadow where the Thakali people bring their yaks in the summer to graze, passes between Sita Chuchura and Tukuche Peak. After the first hour of trekking we will climb for 30 minutes to the top of the ridge. Atop the ridge the French pass (5,360m/17,634ft) can be seen on the other side of the snow covered slope. Once on the pass we can get spectacular views of Hidden Valley surrounded by an ampitheater of peaks including Dhampus peak (6,035m/19,855ft), Tukuche (6,920m/22,767ft) and Dhaulagiri I (8,167m/26,869ft).
Day 15: Yak Kharka (3,680m/12,107ft)
We will leave by 5:00AM to begin our 14km (6hrs) trek to cross Dhampus Pass (5,258m/17,299ft) before sunrise. The view of the entire Annapurna Range being touched by the sun with the valley resting below in the darkness is amazing.
Day 16: Marpha (2,667m/8,774ft)
From Yak Kharka we descend 8km (6 hrs) along the flank of the mountain to once again reach civilization. We return to the tree-line, terraced potato and buckwheat fields, and farmhouses. Marpha is famous for its apple orchards and is home to two lovely Tibetan Monasteries (Solmi and Rinjin Gompa). This will be the last night with all of our crew so we will have a celebration to end our journey together.
Day 17: Jomsom (2,700m/8,883ft)
Today is by far the easiest of our trekking days. We will leave at leisure to trek the 6km (2 hrs) to Jomsom, and will spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Day 18: Pokhara
Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara in the early morning and spend the rest of the day exploring Pokhara or relaxing.
Day 19: Pokhara
Today is a rest day in this lovely lakeside town. You can go paddling on the lake or take a visit to the Peace Temple which overlooks the lake.
Day 20: Kathmandu
Fly to Kathmandu or Drive
Day 21 Departure to Airport
