Nepal Panorama
| country: | Nepal |
| location: | Annapurna |
| trip type: | High altitude, moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 28 Dec |
| price: | From £535 (15 days) excluding flights. Local payment US $150. We can arrange flights from the UK |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
This trip is a unique combination of culture, nature and trekking and is a wonderful introduction to Nepal. The highlight is a 7 day easy/moderate trek in the Annapurna foothills with our Sherpas who take care of all meals and camping arrangements. Our trail passes through many tranquil Nepalese villages and promises a breathtaking variety of scenery. Returning to the lowlands we enjoy a variety of activities including white water rafting on the Trisuli River and a safari on elephant back in Chitwan National Park in search of tiger and rhino before returning to Kathmandu to swap stories of our trekking adventures.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Kathamandu. Arrive and transfer to hotel. Later this evening you will have the chance to meet your Tour Leader and the other members of the tour. |
| Day 2: | Kathamandu. Morning walking tour of the market area of Asan, Durbar Square and Swayambunath Temple |
| Day 3: | Pokhara - Phedi - Dhampus (1,770m). A very scenic drive takes us past Pokhara to where we start our trek. A short trek takes us to our campsite at Dhampus. |
| Day 4: | Tolka (1,850m). We make our way over the Deurali Pass and down the valley to Tolka. |
| Day 5: | Ghandruk (1,940m). Descend down the valley to cross the Modi Khola before ascending into Ghandruk. |
| Day 6: | Tadapani (2,590m). Continue through the forest, past mountain streams and across a rhododendron covered ridge to Tadapani |
| Day 7: | Ghorepani (2,860m). Walking uphill we reach Ghorepani. We have lunch in Deurali where there are fantastic views of the mountains. |
| Day 8: | Poon Hill/Ghorepani - Banthanti.You have the option to rise early to climb up Poon Hill (3,194m) to watch a magnificent sunrise over the Himalaya. West to east you can see Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Dhampus Peak, Nilgiri, Annapurnas and Machapuchare - breathtaking! After lunch, walk 3 hours along a downhill trail to Banthanti. |
| Day 9: | Banthanti - Pokhara. An downhill walk passing interesting villages to Birethanti. We drive from here to Pokhara. |
| Day 10-11: | Pokhara. Two free days to go for a boat ride on the lake, hike into the hills, visit the Tibetan refugee centre or simply hire a bike and enjoy this laid back lake side town. |
| Day 12: | Chitwan. Fly to Royal Chitwan park, transfer to our jungle camp. |
| Day 13: | Chitwan. Full day exploring Chitwan on foot, elephant back and by canoe as we search for rhinos, tigers and wild elephant |
| Day 14: | Kathamandu. Drive back to Kathmandu |
| Day 15: | Kathamandu. Tour ends |
travellers' tales
It was a fabulous experience that I would recommend to anyone to go and see not only the amazing mountains but the culture of the country. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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When not camping we use small family run hotels, our trekking team is made up of locals who come from the hill areas, and all staff are paid fair wages in accordance with local standards. Environmental responsibility and the fair treatment of porters has always been of utmost importance however after becoming directly involved in Tourism Concern's 2001/2002 campaign for fair working conditions for porters we now have an extensive written policy. This policy covers points on communication with ground agents, employment of head porters/sirdars, provision for medical and life insurance, wages, basic training, equipment provision, load limits and respect and understanding of porters by travellers.
Alongside this, travellers are also briefed on environmental responsibility. We use toilet tents at camp sites and dig deep holes for the outlet of these tents. We ask anyone 'going behind a bush' to dig a hole and burn the toilet paper or take it with them. While camping we try to find suitable sites that have the least impact on the environment. We cook on kerosene or gas stoves - we never light camp fires or cook on open fires. Our crew also supply boiled water twice a day to reduce the amount of bottled water brought on the trek. Travellers are reminded of the importance of not leaving behind litter and our tour leaders make a point of leading by example to ensure that areas and ecosystems are treated with the respect they deserve. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |