You will be met by our representative outside the arrival area with your name. He will welcome us then drive us to our hotel in Thamel. On arrival at the hotel, we will be given our room keys and we take our luggage to our rooms and return to the lobby for a quick briefing, thereafter free to roam around in the streets of Thamel. It is advised that we have our dinner in the BLACK OLIVE RESTAURENT..

From Kathmandu we drive in a jeep or bus depending on a size of a group to Arughat. It takes nearly 5 hours of driving for us to reach Arughat. We then change the bus to Lapubesi. In an hour we shall reach Lapubesi. There are many tea houses and lodges in this area where we can stay for overnight.

From Lapubesi the trail follows down to the sandy river bed at 860m and walk along rounded stones before climbing about 110m over a side ridge to avoid a spot where the river changed course and erased the riverside trail. Head down again to the river and traverse to the village of Machha Khola (920m), above the stream of the same name. The Budhi Gandaki is spanned by a bridge that provides access to the area south of Ganesh Himal. Don’t cross here. The narrow trail makes some ups and downs, often dropping onto gravel bars alongside the river. Travelers report that a single, well-built lodge stands above the river opposite a small waterfall between Machha Khola and Khorla Bensi. It eventually crosses the Tharo Khola, flowing in a rocky ravine, then reach Khorla Bensi. There are two houses; field of tobacco, wheat and buckwheat; and a rudimentary shop, tea-stall and outside covered restaurant here. The main part of the village is far above, on top of the hill. The valley is extremely steep and the trail climbs over a small ridge, then makes another steep climb and descends to a single house. After more ups and downs there is a small trailside hot spring then the route reaches Tatopani (930m), meaning hot spring water. The narrow village square has a hot spring, where you can wash and do your laundry alongside the locals. Form the hot spring the trail climbs over another ridge, then cross it on a suspension bridge. Now on the eastern side of the river, the trail climbs on a wide well, crafted staircase, then across a landslide and over a ridge to Dobhan Village. Make an enquiry whether tea-shop has Himalayan trout, if so, ask them to cook it!

From Dobhan we continue our trek in the morning after breakfast. The route stays low after the footbridge, the terraced corn field, and then climbs to a rugged, rocky trail to two teashops at Duman. After crossing a big landslide you will eventually find yourself atop a ridge. The river valley widens, and the trail descends to the Budhi Gandaki, which is now meandering serenely among gravel bars. At Yaru Khola (1330m) there is a single large house. Cross a 93m long suspension bridge over the Yaru Khola and ascend a wide set of stone stairs, drop to the river and then climb more stone stairs to Tharo Bhanjyang: two houses and a shop next to a bridge. Cross to the west bank of the Budhi Gandaki, climb over a ridge, trek along the river for a while, then climb to the compact village of Jagat. Jagat has a beautiful flagstones village square in front of a rudimentary trekkers’ hotel. In the village are shops and a police post. A short walk from Jagat we shall reach the Bhalu Khola. We continue a nice easy walk to the Gurung village of Salleri, now with several lodges.

From here to the village of Setibas, where a decrepit stone kani and several mani walls indicate that the trek is now entering a region of Tibetan influence, although the people are still Gurungs. The valley widens a bit as the trail continues up to the stone houses of Ghatta Khola. Cross the rock-strewn stream where several mills (ghatta in Nepali) spin merrily away. The trail continues upstream to a long suspension bridge and cross the bridge, climb up to Phillim (1590m), a large Gurung village with fields of corn and millet. Another hour to the north on a level path we arrive at Eklobhatti for lunch.. . After lunch we go through a narrow, dramatic gorge section with towering walls, and past a thundering waterfall just above us on the right of the trail. We cross the river three more times in the next two hours. After trekking through dense woods for over an hour, we pass a campsite of Pewa on the river, and after another hour we leave the gorge and climb briefly to the small village of Deng. This is the start of the lower Nubri region called Kutang, where the people are ethnically Tibetan but speak a different dialect than the people of upper Nubri where the people are pure Tibetans. The Kutang dialect, called 'kukay', is a mix of Tibeto-Burman and Gurung. We have views of Lumbo Himal to the rear, as well as Lapuchen and Dwijen Himals. In the evening we enjoy a glass of local 'chyang', or Tibetan beer, and for a chat. It starts to feel like a piece of old Tibet at last.

The valley is still steep-sided and impressive; after twenty minutes, we cross the bridge and switchback up to the village of Lana and then Bihi Phedi (where there is a good shop and views of Kutang Himal), and start to see mani stones (prayers etched onto wayside rocks, particularly mani stones with pictures of gods and goddesses), a sure sign that we are entering another of the tiny Tibetan footholds that mark the high Himalayan places. We have about seven hours of trekking ahead of us, twice crossing the large Budhi Gandaki and twice over smaller tributary streams, staying mostly high with many ascents and descents as we walk through the gorge, all the time enjoying spectacular views. Eventually we reach Ghap,. The egg-shells strung above their 'tea-house' door prevent the evil spirits from entering the house. The sun goes down early here, so we will cross the small bridge spanning the Buri Gandaki and trek steeply up for 45 minutes to the village of Chaak, There is a small, deserted gompa, carved mani stones (the style here is distinctly different from most other Tibetan Buddhist regions), and some Tibetans from Samdo who graze their yaks here. In the village, they will be drying their maize to grind into flour, and then trade with the people of upper Nubri, Look out across the river for views of the village of Prok perched on the plateau jutting over the river below us. From Chaak, you can trek further to Kwak, and there is a trail up to Shringi Himal base camp. A fire recently destroyed the gompa at Kwak. After lunch we ascend through a dense, cool forest then steep uphill for about two hours to Namrung, at 2660 meters, where we will stop for the night. Namrung village is the start of Nubri, the region of purely Tibetan inhabitants speaking a dialect of western Tibet.

Above Namrung the valley opens out and there are extensive pastures. A few hours later, we reach the village of Lihi at 2840 meters, a substantial altitude gain. We are climbing gently now, cross a large stream flowing down from the Lidanda Glaciers, and reach the picturesque Tibetan village of Sho at 3000m, where we might stop for lunch. Look for the bear claw on the upper deck of the house, and across the river to the ruins of an old Tibetan fort. From Sho, the views of Ngadi Chuli are spectacular, and further on, towards Lho, we are finally treated to views of Manaslu itself; quite an impressive afternoon! We stay for overnight in Lho, a lively village adorned with many prayer flags, in the yard of a small lodge. Sunset and sunrise from the lodge are wonderful, and the small gompa near our lodge is worth a visit.

Walking through the upper reaches of Lho, with the snowy peaks of Manaslu ahead of us in the distance, we pass the new gompa and then ascend through light forests next to a small river to reach the Tibetan settlement of Shyla, where the villagers are often out in the fields. Another few hours of trekking through classic alpine scenery leads us past Tibet grazing settlements, the trail to Pung Gyan Gompa, and then Sama Gaon, or Ro, as the locals call it. Sama Gaon sits in a bowl at the foot of the pastures leading to the high peaks, with mani walls, a small gompa and tightly packed rows of houses at the lower reaches of village, and the large gompa at the upper reaches. The people settled here from Tibet over 500 years ago, and the two gompas date from this time, both having unique architecture and built of wood. The Tibetan villages here have entrance gates which are very distinctive from the Tibetan ones, and they maintain an active trade with their co-religionists in Tibet (notice the Chinese brandy and beer on sale). If the weather is good, you will see the village women weaving wool (baal) from Tibet into gowns - which are then traded back to Tibet. Overnight stay at a lodge. (If the group is fit then we can explore to Pungyan Gompa. Great views of Peak 29 and Manaslu and of course the historic Pungyen Gompa)

During the walk up to Samdo we can see incredible mountain views. On our way to Samdo, we pass the long mani walls at Kermo Kharka, after which we spot the entrance chorten of Samdo high on a bluff. We descend back to the Budhi Gandaki and cross a small bridge before another short climb to the 'kane' entrance of Samdo; look back down valley for great views. The villagers of Samdo came across the border from the village of Riu after 1959 and built their new village here, at their old herding settlement. Samdo village is a collection of houses and lodges at 3850 meters. Get out and take a walk around the village, where the inhabitants live an essentially Tibetan lifestyle, herding their yaks, sheep and goats, training their horses and planting barley.

A rest and acclimatization day in this wonderful spot below Manaslu, which towers above us. We recommend a hike up the valley directly in back of Samdo, heading towards one of their passes to Tibet, for amazing mountain panoramas. En route, we’ll pass many lovely, slated herding settlements. The prayer flags strung up on a distant hill, sending messages out into the Himalaya make a good stopping point before returning to lively Samdo. Or we can climb to Samdo Ri 5200m. We leave the lodge at 0500 hours with pack lunch and chocolate bars as the climb takes some five hours. The views include most of the summits of the region including Manaslu and Manaslu North. The whole trip takes about 7 to 8 hours to complete. Make every effort to do the trip. Additional we shall see the Tibetan Land.)

We leave on the trade route to Tibet and climb through the ruins of Larkya bazaar, one of the trade markets that flourished years back. After two hours of climbing past glaciers, with increasingly awe-inspiring panoramas, we come to the lodge at Dharamsala, where we have lunch and gaze out at the views. You'll really feel the altitude and the cold here, so enjoy a more leisurely afternoon and keep warm. We’ll have an early dinner in preparation for our pass crossing tomorrow.

After a short climb above the campsite, we reach the ablation valley on the North side of the Larkya Glaciers where we have views of Cho Danda and then of Larkya Peak. We continue across the moraines of the glacier, making a gradual ascent which becomes steeper only in the last section to the pass, which should take us about three hours to crest. From the pass, there are outstanding views of Himlung Himal, Cheo Himal, Kangguru and the huge Annapurna II. If there is fresh snow, we may see Snow Leopard prints from the evening before; it's also blue sheep (Bharal) and Tibetan Snow Cock territory. The views from the top of the pass are truly unbelievable. After hanging our Tibetan prayer flags, and yelling 'Ki ki so so lha gyalo' (may the Gods be victorious), get ready for a steep, ankle straining drop to a trail following the glacial moraine, very slippery if covered in snow so have your 'Yak tracks' ready if you've brought them, and definitely use trekking poles. It is a longer day then usual to our destinatio at Bimtang, but to walk into these low pastures with the evening mist coming in and Manaslu; it's an experience not to be missed. A boulder-strewn descent brings us, finally, to Bimtang, where the three sisters of the 'Three Sisters Hotel' are on hand with Himalayan chilled beer. Does life get any better?

Bimthang has the interesting pine forest and the hauntingly beautiful alpine area. We descend the river towards Tilje. Slowly the valley widens the trees grow taller and taller and we shall reach Tilje in about 6 hours. Stop just after the village and after the suspension bridge.

This morning we've got an easy trek following the Dudh Khola through bamboo forests down to Dharapani, an atmospheric Tibetan village with prayer flags fluttering in the wind, stopping en route at the gompa in Thongje on the old Annapurna trail. We climb over a small ridge and enjoy the stone paved trail as it passes through a beautiful village. We then cross the bridge over Dudh Khola and climb up through a chorten-shaped arch, pass a mani wall and reach the Thonje village. At the village, we go through a police checkpoint and continue to Dharapani. We have entered the Annapurna circuit section from Dharapani. Further down, we come across Karte village and after quite a bit of walking we cross a bridge over Marshyangdi Khola. We also come across some mani walls before reaching the village of Tal, situated at the foot of a large waterfall.

Continuing along the riverside, we have a quick ascent to the entrance 'kane' of Tal, and after cresting the small hump, we descend steeply past the small teahouses at Sattale, loosing even more altitude as we continue down through the lush forest to the river and cross another suspension bridge leading to Chamje. Chamje is an atmospheric, 'wild west' village of traditional-style teahouses, often packed with saddled local horses. One more steep descent through the woods, looking across the river to large waterfalls, leads us to the lovely cobbled village of Jagat, situated on a shelf which juts into the precipitous Marsyangdi valley. We shall have our lunch at Siri Kharka about half an hour from Jagat. From here we catch a bus which will take us to Besisahar.

It will take approximately 6 hours drive to reach Kathmandu. We shall have our lunch in the way.

Today we can organize a half day sightseeing for you in which you can take a tour of Swayambhu, Bouddha or Patan. You can shop around in Thamel or simply rest in Hotel. At the evening we shall enjoy our farewell dinner with traditional Nepalese cuisine and cultural show.

Free untill departure.