Depart London on your overnight flight to Kathmandu.

On arrival in Kathmandu you will be transferred to your hotel. Kathmandu
is a wonderful mixture of the ancient alongside the modern. Crowded
bazaars still throng with local ethnic people today as they have for the
past hundreds of years while roads are crowded with rickshaws, cars,
roaring motorbikes and buses. Ancient temples and crumbling shrines sit alongside modern offices, picturesque palaces slowly sag into dereliction while Buddhist stupas gaze over the bustling scene with their all seeing eyes. Although this is a crowded, noisy and polluted
city it is also friendly, fascinating and vibrant. Tonight you may
choose to eat at the hotel, or you could head off into Thamel to one of
the famous restaurants there, such as the Rum Doodle Restaurant, a placefrequented by trekkers and climbers alike, with pride of place given to a board with the signatures of many Everest summiteers.

You will be met at your hotel and taken to the airport for your flight
to Pokhara. This is a spectacular and exciting flight in its own right
passing over the Himalayan foothills, with views of the main range. From
Pokhara, it takes about 5 hours to reach Siklis, although this dirt road is a challenging drive so the driving time totally depends on the road condition. The drive is highly scenic with great views of the Lamjung
Himal and Fishtail Peak. The dirt road is rough and stony so be prepared
for a long, slow, bumpy ride, but the fantastic scenery is ample compensation as the road twists and turns, mainly upwards, to Siklis. On the 2017 recce of this route, two lynx were seen on this drive! Siklis
is a thriving, lively village populated by around 2,500 people. It’s in
a very picturesque setting. You will stay in a tea house overnight.

Leaving Siklis you begin the trek descending on a good trail with stone steps. There are fantastic views of the Lamjung Himal and Annapurna II
as you head out the village. After about 1½ hours you reach a suspension
bridge at 1,400m/4,593ft, cross it, and then begin climbing on a stony
trail. You may see woodpeckers on the attractive wooded hillside here.

It will take you approximately 2½ – 3 hours to reach your lunch spot,
usually taken where there is a stone water tap for the crew to use, at
around 1,850m/6,070ft. After lunch you weave your way up steep stone
steps through forested hillside for 1½ – 2 hours until you reach a
clearing – your campsite for the night is at 2,350m/7,710ft at Tasa. There is a stone shelter here built by ACAP. There are spectacular views
at the edge of the campsite of Lamjung Himal and the Annapurna range. The distant rumbling of avalanches on Annapurna II and IV can often be
heard.

You can enjoy the early morning views at your campsite before heading off on a trail which rises gently through the forest for 1-1½ hours to a
clearing at 2,650m/8,399ft with a view of Fishtail Peak and a small shrine with prayer flags. You continue your gradual ascent through oak
forest, passing the odd area of grazing land. This uninhabited region is home to Himalayan black bear, danfe, musk deer and Himalayan thar. After around three hours walking, you will have lunch in the forest near the
water tank (as water is scarce here and the tap is lower down it is likely to be empty). This spot is at 3,175m/10,417ft and next to an ACAP sign to Dudh Pokhari (the holy lake). The trail continues upwards
through rhododendron and bamboo forest, passing sheep grazing clearings.
You eventually reach a clearing at around 3,500m/11,483ft which will be
your campsite for the night. There can be problems here with a lack of
water, which may mean continuing to Kori at 3,850m/12,631ft.

Today’s walk involves approximately 3 hours of ascending through forest
to reach Kori, which has a stone shelter, a goat hut and an ACAP sign.
It’s a wild, remote place with stunning views of the surrounding
hillside and snow-capped peaks.

There are fantastic views of Fishtail Peak and surrounding snow-capped
summits to be had on the ridge above the campsite. You follow a good
undulating dirt trail contouring along the hillside through scrubland.
The path is a little narrow and stony at times. After 1½ hours walking
the trail opens out into a large meadow. Another hour or so brings you to an ACAP signpost to Dudh Pokhari at 4,080m/13,386ft. You continue
following the red and white ACAP poles to Thulo Lekh. Alternatively your guide may suggest a 15 minute descent to the river and overnight camp. If you stay down by the river at3,900m/12,795ft, it makes a pleasant
afternoon acclimatisation hike to the lake and back. For this you need to retrace your steps to the sign to Dudh Pokhari, then turn right following the sign and a couple of poles, before heading left up a
couple of knolls, and after about an hour from camp you’ll see the lake.

Today’s route is a spectacular one crossing two passes over
4,000m/13,123ft. You begin walking up the valley following the river on
a trail which becomes a boulder field as you approach the high point of your walk – Rambrong ridge pass at 4,500m/14,764ft, adorned with prayer flags. It takes around 2 hours to reach the pass. From here there are superb views of the Manaslu range of peaks, Lamjung Himal, and
Annapurnas towards the west. You then descend slightly on a good path, following the odd red arrow here and there, and contour around the
hillside. After 1-1½ hours from the first (highest) pass you reach the second pass at 4,380m/14,371ft – Furju Deurali, which is marked by some cairns and an ACAP sign. From here it’s approximately 1-1½ hours descent
to your campsite at 4,080m/13,385ft. There are stunning views of Manaslu
from here. If there’s any snow on the steeper sections of the descent
path, you’ll need to take care with your footing. You can see a lake to
your right and four stone shelters where your campsite is.

For added acclimatisation, you can walk up to the holy lake where the
pilgrims go in August  Dudh Pokhari.

The big day! You begin by walking on the flat, before descending to the
river, crossing it and beginning your long ascent to the pass. The trail
is fairly steep to begin with – route-finding is made easy though even
if snow has obliterated the path due to ACAP’s helpful poles at regular intervals. A zig zag path goes up to your right underneath a huge rock wall. At the top of this (2 hours) there are a few prayer flags and it flattens out. You then head round to the left, gazing down at last
night’s campsite and a beautiful lake. There are fantastic views of
snowy peaks all around. The path is never too steep and is well marked
with poles. You will feel the altitude as you make your final climb to the pass at 4,850m15,912ft, marked with prayer flags and an ACAP sign.

There are superb views of Manaslu here. The descent to Dafne Kharka,
4,250m/13,946ft, gives glorious views and has some steep sections which
require care if snow-covered. Snow leopard footprints were seen here in
2017.

After an initial 10 minute climb up to the ACAP sign at 4,280m/14,042ft,
you descend on a good trail in open hillsides to begin with which then
winds through the forest all the way to Timang. It’s definitely a day
for trekking poles to save the knees. At Timang you are very much returning to civilisation with tea houses and the jeep road through the
Annapurna Circuit to Manang. Tonight you’ll spend the night in a tea
house and can enjoy such luxuries as a hot shower and/or a beer!

It’s a pleasant amble down from Timang to Dharapani, passing the occasional village and tea houses on the main Annapurna Circuit trail. You are definitely out of the wilderness now! You’ll see the trail on the other side of the suspension bridge in Dharapani leading to the Manaslu Circuit trail.

Today you drive from Dharapani to Bandipur. It’s a bumpy, dusty, dirt
road from Dharapani to Besisahar (approximately 2 hours) so the going
will be slow here. You’ll see lots of trekkers toiling up the trail on
the start of their Annapurna Circuit trek. Once on the main road the
going is much easier and quicker and you should arrive in the lovely
Newari village of Bandipur in time for a late lunch.

Today you drive to the town of Mugling, and then head east on the main Kathmandu-Pokhara road. On arrival in Kathmandu you have the rest of the
day at leisure to relax or head out for some last minute shopping or
sightseeing.

You will have time at leisure in Kathmandu when you may do some
sightseeing or shopping or simply relax at your hotel. Later there will
be a group transfer to the airport for your overnight flight back to the
Home.