Day 1-2

Fly to Kathmandu. Leave your hometown and fly to Kathmandu.

Day 3

Arrive in Kathmandu. We will meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport and escort you to the hotel. Your first experiences in Nepal will be somewhat overwhelming as we drive through Nepal’s bustling capital city to the hotel. Kathmandu is a stimulating mix of medieval and modern. You can explore the markets in the afternoon and we will meet for dinner for our first meal in Nepal.

Day 4

Explore Kathmandu. Kathmandu is one of three former medieval city-states in the Valley, along with Bhaktapur (photos 1, 2, 3) and Patan. Our half-day morning sightseeing tour will include key sights around the Kathmandu Valley such as Bhaktapur, the Hindu shrines at Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River, and the large Buddhist stupa at Bodhnath, center of the Tibetan Buddhist culture in Kathmandu. In the afternoon, Kathmandu is yours to explore. By western standards, the city is intimate. You can visit the many interesting sights, shrines, and markets, or stroll in Kathmandu's fascinating Asan Tole bazaar. Don't miss Durbar Square, Thamel, Swayambhunath (the "Monkey Temple," overlooking the entire Valley; go at sunrise or sunset!) and the King's Palace. You could also hire a driver to take you to the nearby ancient city of Patan.

Day 5

Drive to Pokhara, about 100 miles west of Kathmandu. This drive will take most of the morning, leaving much of the afternoon for a relaxing boat ride on Phewa Lake. Pokhara is Nepal’s second largest city. Many Tibetan immigrants have settled here and come to trade their goods in the markets and streets. It is also the major jumping off point for trekking in the Annapurna Himal, Dhaulagiri Himal, and Mustang.

Day 6

Begin trek. Fly from Pokhara to Jomsom (2720m). Walk up the Kali Gandaki valley to Kagbeni (2800m)(Photo). This dusty town is relatively unchanged by trekkers, and sits at the border of the restricted Mustang region on the Tibetan Plateau. This is a short day, but good for altitude adjustment as Kagbeni is at almost 3,000 meters. There will be plenty of time to climb up into the barley fields above the town to get a glimpse into Mustang or perhaps of the snow-capped peaks of the Annapurna range.

Day 7

Hike up to Muktinath (3760m), a very holy spot that has been the object of pilgrimages for 2,000 years. If you have significant altitude problems, we're prepared to backtrack to Jomsom. Otherwise spend the night here. Muktinath is a boomtown of sorts as it is also the base of Thorong La pass. We will probably meet many trekkers who have just crossed the 17,000+ foot pass on their way around the Annapurna Circuit trek, Nepal’s most famous trek. In the afternoon we will visit two of Nepal’s most holy temples. We will be sure to get a glimpse of the famous "firewater" flame that has been tended and kept burning for thousands of years.

Day 8

Walk to Marpha (2670m). This is the apple growing capital of Nepal, with nice views of the Nilgiri range (6839m – 7061m) and great apple pie. Look for fossil ammonites (cephalopods - "saligrams" to the Nepalese) in the riverbed between Kagbeni and Marpha. This region is religiously and ethnically more akin to the people of the arid Tibetan plateau to the north, although we will begin to see forests lining the mountain slopes. The Kali Gandaki gorge begins to narrow and the Himalaya enclose us.

Day 9

Hike to Kalopani (2530m). This day takes us through numerous old-trading towns with spectacular views of the three Nilgiris. Today marks the beginning of a cultural transition zone between the Buddhist Mongoloid peoples to the north and the predominantly Hindu Aryan peoples to the south. We will stop to explore coexisting Buddhist and Hindu temples as we continue our journey southward. This cultural transition zone coincides with an ecological transition zone from sparse vegetation, dry, high altitude ecosystems to the north into a lush, wet, low altitude jungle ecosystem to the south. Additionally, on this day we will pass over a major geological structure of the Himalaya, the South Tibetan Detachment.

Day 10

Today we will pass between Dhaulagiri (8167m) and the Annapurna range (8091), through the deepest canyon in the world. We will be trekking between 2500m and 2000m with Dhaulagiri less than 10 km and Annapurna less than 19 km away. Stay in Ghasa (2013m), a lovely town of stone buildings and narrow alleyways. We’ll leave the yaks behind and say hello to the water buffalo.

Day 11

Hike to Tatopani (means "hot water" in Nepali - 1189m). Below Ghasa the trail steepens and we enter classic Himalayan rainforest. A spectacular day going south along the Kali Gandaki, much of it spent with open views hiking above the river, waterfalls, and forests. We’ll pass over another major Geological feature today called the Main Central Thrust. If you are a bit weary of walking by now, you can enjoy an evening bath in the hot springs at Tatopani.

Day 12

We continue to follow the Kali Gandaki river south through lush bamboo jungle and small villages. We will pass over numerous rock and landslides, many of which were large enough to have nearly dammed up the Kali Gandaki river. We will end the trekking portion of the trip in Beni (923 m), having just walked through the breadth of the higher Himalaya and more than 2800m down.

Day 13

In the morning, we drive to the put-in point near Beni. Have lunch and then the guide will take you to the river starting point. First day we begin with plenty of class III rapids as a warm up for the boat teams, after couple of hours you will be encountering 2 big class 4 rapids i.e. 'Small Brother' and 'Big Brother'. By now you will have a good idea of how to maneuver your raft efficiently. After scouting the rapid, the safety kayaks will go first then the rafts. Soon after encountering these two large rapids we will reach the Modi Khola confluence where we will choose the beach for the evening campsite. We will be camping below a massive cliff with a small village at its top. We will prepare our own food while on the river, but this still leaves plenty of down-time in the evenings for talking, chatting, stargazing, etc.

Day 14

Once the rafts are packed we start down the river for a day mixed with adrenaline, calm, and spectacular scenery including views of Annapurna I and Himachuli. We will tackle many class III sections and the challenging class IV named REFUND. This section of river is abundant with vines and lush vegetation hanging from the cliff faces. Our campsite is below the village of Purti Ghat.

Day 15

Soon after returning to the river we reach the holy village of Seti Beni. The river has deposited a house size boulder in the confluence with a smaller tributary. Since any confluence is considered a holy place in the Hindu religion, this boulder has become an important shrine to the local people. There is usually a great audience to watch and listen to the spectacle as each team negotiates the rapid that has formed around this holy place. Not long after this it is time for the journey to end. Our bus will be waiting for us. We load up the gear and prepare for the drive to the small city of Tansen to spend the night.

Day 16

Tansen is a rarely visited city that has preserved the intimate streets and beautiful architecture once common in Nepal’s larger cities. This was once a capital city and hosts numerous temples, palaces, water holes, and a military parade ground. It is the historic center for bronze and gold-smithing in Nepal. The city itself sits over a thousand meters above the plains just south of it, offering some of the most incredible scenery in Nepal. Every day is greeted with a spectacular scene as clouds fill in the valleys surrounding the city, making Tansen appear as an island in a lake of white clouds. This combined with wonderful views of the Himalaya sets a fairy-tale like setting. We will spend an entire day here where we can either hike to the ancient bazaar town of Ridi Bazaar, hike to the old palace called Rani Ghat perched on a rocky outcrop along the Kali Gandaki river, or just relax and explore Tansen.

Day 17

Depart Tansen for Royal Chitwan National Park. Chitwan is situated in the Gangetic plain (Himalayan foreland basin), south of the Himalaya. The tall elephant grass and hardwood forests here are habitat for tigers, crocodiles, rhinos, elephants, monkeys, etc. We’ll take and afternoon stroll through a Tharu village and enjoy an evening cultural program on the song and dance of the indigenous peoples of the Chitwan region (the Tharu people).

Day 18

In the early morning we’ll take a jungle walk to observe some of Nepal’s large mammals like deer, wild water buffalo and monkeys, hopefully no rhinos while we are on our own feet! From the safety of an elephant’s back, we will go rhino watching just before lunch. With some luck maybe we’ll spot the elusive tiger. In the afternoon, we will go on a canoe ride to enjoy the sights and sounds of the river including the many colorful birds. Sunset views of the Himalaya are amazing from this distant vantagepoint.

Day 19

Depart Royal Chitwan for morning drive to Kathmandu. Afternoon free to explore Kathmandu.

Day 20

Free day in Kathmandu for shopping and relaxing. Optional trip to Patan Durbar Square and Nepali cultural museum.

Day 21

Depart Kathmandu. We'll take you to the airport and assist with baggage and check-in.

Day 22

Arrive in Los Angeles and on to your hometown.