Day 1-2

Fly to Kathmandu. Leave your hometown and fly to Kathmandu. One day lost as you cross the international dateline.

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. D.

Day 4

Explore Kathmandu. Kathmandu is one of three former medieval city-states in the Valley, along with Bhaktapur 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

Annapurna Trek - Drive to Pokhara, about 100 miles west of Kathmandu. An early morning departure leaves most of the afternoon for shopping, roaming the city or relaxing 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.

Everest Trek – Fly to Lukla (2800m/9184’), commence trek to Phakding (2850 m/9350’) (3 hrs). We will have an early breakfast and head off to the airport for our flight to Lukla. The is a beautiful flight over ranges and river valleys towards the highest peaks in the Himalaya: Ganesh Himal to the west, Langtang Himal, and the peaks of the Sagarmatha National Park-the home of Mount Everest, ahead. Lukla is a small Sherpa town that is the starting point for some of the most famous climbs and treks in Nepal. After lunch, will start our trek with an easy hike through terraced fields, forests, and eventually over the milky white glacial melt waters of the Dudh Kosi up to Phakding (2600m), where we will camp for the night.

Langtang Trek- Drive to Dhunche. We head north out of Kathmandu driving through scenic foothills and ridgeline vistas to Dhunche. The drive will take the majority of the day with only one hour of trekking to our campsite. Our camp is near the town of Bharkhu, set in the forest high above terraced fields and the Trisuli River thousands of feet below. The sunset and views of Paldor Peak on the Ganesh Himal Range to the west are wonderful.

L, D.

Day 6

Annapurna Trek – Drive to Nayapul and trek to Tikhedhunga (1525 m/5000’) overnight at lodge (4 hrs).  Begin trek. After breakfast we hand over our bags to our staff to be packed into wicker baskets for transport and we drive into the hills north of Pokhara for 1.5-2 hours to the small roadside town of Nayapul (1130m, 3700ft).  The trail is gentle today as we loosen up our legs. In preparation for tomorrow’s long climb up the Bhurungdi Khola, we will stop after a few hours in Tikhedhunga.

Everest Trek – Trek to Namche bazaar (3440 m./ 11,270’) (5-6 hrs).  We continue up the Dudh Kosi river valley through small towns with fields of millet, barley, and potato and eventually enter into Sagarmatha National Park. Not far from the park boundary we encounter our first difficult climb as we make our way up Namche Hill to the town of Namche Bazaar. Halfway up we will catch our first glimpses of Everest! Namche Bazaar is one of the largest Sherpa villages we will encounter on our trek. It is situated in a large bowl shaped valley flanked by the mountain giants of Thamserku and Kwangde peaks, affording awesome view of these and other peaks.

Langtang Trek- Trek to Syabru Gaon (6950ft, 2120m). The trek today is very leisurely through forests and terraced hill slopes.  As we enter Syabru, we descend to the ridgeline that separates the Langtang Khola from the Trisuli River. Syabru is a beautiful village stretched out along the ridgeline. We will continue through the village to our campsite about fifteen minutes beyond on the slopes below the village. The sunset is spectacular, brilliantly backlighting the houses perched on the ridgeline above. B, L, D.

Day 7

Annapurna Trek -Trek to Ghorepani (2850 m/9350’) (5-6 hrs).  This is undoubtedly the toughest day of the trek as we climb 1300 m/ 4200’ to the ridge top town of Ghorepani. We follow the Bhurungdi Khola throughout the day through numerous small towns, clearings, and forest. Watch the change in vegetation as we rise in elevation! As we top out on the ridge at Ghorepani, we get our first views of many of the peaks that will dominate our landscape for the next few days.

Everest Trek – Rest and Acclimatization day in Namche. Namche has for millennia been an important trading town for goods traveling between Tibet and India, as evidenced by the still active and nearly legendary bazaar held her every Saturday. It is the cultural heart of the Sherpa region and while here we will have the opportunity to visit the Sherpa museum, National Park headquarters, and it’s numerous shops. For those feeling strong, there are numerous day hikes around the valley.

Langtang Trek- Trek to Changdam/Lama Hotel. We start the day heading downhill through lush forest and fields to the Syabru River, before starting the steady ascent that will mark the next few days. As we climb up the Langtang Valley, watch for sudden changes in the vegetation that exemplify the natural diversity of this region.  After about three hours, the trail will cross the river and head up the west side. We climb for another forty-five minutes to Lama Hotel, a collection of ten or so lodges and teahouses set in the woods. B, L, D.

Day 8

Annapurna Trek -Trek to Tadapani (2300 m/7545’) (6-7 hrs).  Up before the sun to climb Pun Hill for spectacular views of Macchapuchhare (whose name literally means, “fish-tail” after its shape), Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and the Annapurnas. This will be an easier day, mostly through oak and rhododendron forest to Tadopani.  We’ll enjoy a spectacular sunset view of the Annapurnas this evening.

Everest Trek – Trek to Tengboche (3930m/12,900’). It is another four to five hours easy, but often steep, ascent through forests of fir and rhododendron to the ridgeline. The walk is rewarded with what is surely one of the finest views in the World as the snow capped peaks of Kwangde (21,290’), Tawachee (21,455’), Ama Dablam (6856m/22,492’), Nuptse (7878m/25,843’), Lhotse (8501m/27,889’), and of course Everest (8850m/29,035) come into view. Its just a few more minutes to Tengboche where we will spend the next two nights.

Langtang Trek- Trek to Langtang. . The valley we have traveled through the last few days has been characteristically ‘V’ shaped from the cutting down/erosion of the Langtang River. Today, as we continue up the valley, notice the intense change in flora and valley features as we ascend the last major hill and enter the upper Langtang Valley, now ‘U’ shaped from the erosive action of glaciers rather than the river. We have entered the region of more Tibetan related people and you will notice the change to from fields and crops to primarily yak pastures. You will also now be feeling the elevation as we near 3400m/11,150’. It is another two to three hours to Langtang village over gently undulating terrain primarily made up of yak pasture and single house towns. Langtang village is the highest permanent settlement at 11480ft/3500m and is a traditional Tibetan style village with low houses built of stone. B, L, D.

Day 9

Annapurna Trek -Trek to Ghandrung (1940 m/6365’) (5-6 hrs).  Start the day on a level trail contouring the valley to the medieval town of Ghandrung (1830m/6,000'), the second largest Gurung village in Nepal (after Siklis). Ghandrung is a cluster of closely spaced square-roofed houses with neatly terraced fields situated above and below the village. The rest of the day is reserved for a short hike around Gandrung or to explore the narrow streets and meet the lively Gurung people.

Everest Trek – Excursion to Tengboche Monastery and overnight at Tengboche.  This is as high up as we go and the effects of the high elevation will be noticeable! We are now only a thousand feet below the highest peak in the lower 48 states of the USA! Tengboche is home to the famous Tengboche Monastery, which now houses 50-60 actively practicing monks. This is the site of the famed Mani Rimdu festival in late October- Early November and in many senses is the spiritual center of the Khumbu region.  We can visit the monastery and tour the inside if desired. The remainder of the day is available for short hikes or just relaxing.

Langtang Trek- Rest day in Langtang. Today is an opportunity for those feeling strong to make the trek up to Kyangin Gompa, which is literally surrounded on all sides by high snow-capped peaks. Langtang is an interesting town as well, with constant views of Naya Kanga (5862m/19,230’) across the narrow valley and the huge mass of Langtang Lirung directly overhead. The Tibetan related people that inhabit this region are renowned traders; so feel free to haggle if you wish to buy anything. B, L, D.

Day 10

Annapurna Trek – Head down out of Gandrung towards the east along a moderately steep trail to the valley floor and the Modi Khola. The Modi is sourced in the glaciers and snowmelt from the high peaks in Annapurna Sanctuary, directly north of us in the heart of the Annapurna Massif. It is another 45 minutes to hour uphill march to Landrung; a heavily terraced hillside town where we will stop to eat lunch. The rest of the day is a beautiful and gentle trek through forest, open hillside, and small towns; with sporadic but wonderful views north of the high peaks. We will camp in the ridge top town of Pothana, a typical small Nepali hill town.  Just beyond the town is a small pass that offers spectacular sunset views over the mountains above and terraced fields below.

Everest Trek – Trek to Namche Bazaar (5-6 hrs). The now seemingly oxygen rich air, beautiful green forest and fields, and fabulous mountain views as we retrace our steps back to Namche Bazaar make this an exhilarating trekking day!  We cover a lot of ground today so the warm bakery bread and/or a celebratory beer in Namche are wholeheartedly welcomed.

Langtang Trek- Trek to Syabru Bensi. We head back down the valley, giving back all the elevation gains we worked for so hard over the previous few days. The trek is nice as we wind our way back down through the forests along the Langtang river. We will leave our old trail at the uphill spur to Syabru and head west along the river. It is a surprisingly easy downhill and we will cover a lot of ground before reaching Syabru Bensi late this evening. B, L, D.

Day 11

Annapurna Trek -Trek end at Suikhet\Phedi (1130 m./ 3700’) and return drive to Pokhara.  From Pothana it is a gentle two-hour hike through forest and along ridgelines to the beautiful town of Dhampus (1645m, 5400ft.), where we will eat lunch.  Dhampus is a lovely small terraced town and we will likely be sharing our lunch spot with many day hikers that have come up here for the wonderful views of the entire Annapurna Range. The remaining one to two hour trek is a continual gentle descent through nicely terraced hill slopes to the roadside town of Phedi (which means ‘foot of the mountain’) where we end our trek and join our vehicles for the ride to Pokhara.

Everest Trek – Trek to Lukla (6-7 hrs). Once again we join the Dudh Kosi river and follow it down to our last night’s camp in Lukla.  The bustle of Lukla with its electricity, many newly arrived trekkers, and buzz of incoming airplanes is a stark contrast to our many days trekking in Sagarmatha National Park.

Langtang Trek- Drive to Kathmandu.  Syabru is just 20 minutes further down the road from our starting point of Dhunche, so we will be returning along the same road we took coming up. This time the bumps and turns will be easier to bear, as we will be heading downhill the entire way and will make better time. B, L, D.

Day 12

Drive to Chitwan. We depart in the morning 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 an afternoon’s 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).

Everest Trek – Lukla to Kathmandu and on to Chitwan. We take an early morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu and then drive to Chitwan National Park. Join the itinerary above. B, L, D.

Day 13

Chitwan.  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 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 vantage point. B, L, D.

Day 14

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

Day 15

Free day in Kathmandu for shopping and relaxing. Optional trip to Patan Durbar Square and Nepali cultural museum or an optional mountain flight to the Everest region.

Day 16

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

Day 17

Arrive in Los Angeles and on to your hometown.