Day 01 – Drive to Nayapul (55km) from Pokhara by private transport and trek to hot spring (1730m)
After a half an hour flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, we will drive to Nayapul (1 hour) and start trek to Tikedhunga (1480m). Following the Modi Khola, village of Syauli Bazar (1140m), and Queme bridge, we will cross several rice fields and mountain settlements to reach the Jhinu Danda hot spring (1730m).
Day 02– Trek to Dobhan (2600m)
We start the day by climbing a steep uphill trail to Taklung village (2190m) and further uphill to Chhomrung village (2210m), the last permanent settlement in the valley. The trail then descends through a stone staircase and crosses the Chhomrung Khola through a suspension bridge, then uphill to Sinuwa (2340m). We then go through a forest of rhododendron leading to Kuldi (2470m). The trek now enters the upper Modikhola valley. After descending a steep and slippery stone staircase, we reach Bamboo (2310m). This section of the trail is a bottleneck with very few lodges, so the goal is to get here early in the day. In the winter, it is very common to experience snow from this point on. From here, we walk for an hour to Dobhan and spend the night at a mountain lodge.
Day 03 – Trek to Machhapuchhare base camp (3700m)
From Dobhan, we pass through the Himalayan hotel (2840m) and Hinko (3100m), then to lodges located in Deurali (3140m), before finally reaching a cluster of hotels known as the Machhapuchhre base camp. Here, you will get excellent views of Machhapuchhare, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Annapurna III, Hiunchuli and Gangapurna. Altitude sickness may start to kick in from this point forward, so it’s best to spend the night here to acclimatize.
Day 04 – Trek to Annapurna base camp (4130m) and back to Dobhan (2600m)
From the Machhapuchhare base camp, we take a further uphill trail leading to the Annapurna base camp at 4130m. The trek normally takes around 3 hours so it will be best to start walking early before the clouds roll in. From the Annapurna base camp, we retrace our steps to the Machhauchhare base camp, Deurali, Himalaya Hotel and finally to Dobhan where we stay overnight at a lodge.
Day 05 – Trek to Chhomrung (2170m)
From Dobhan, we follow the trail leading to Sinuwa (2340m), which will take around 3 hours of walking through a Rhododendron forest and Bamboo. After a brief tea/coffee or cold drinks break in Sinuwa, we trek downhill to Chhomrung Khola, crossing Chhomrung Khola and uphill to Chhomrung village through a series of stone steps.
Day 06– Trek to Ghandruk (1990m)
After having breakfast in Chhomrung, we bid goodbye to the Modikhola upper valley and go straight to Kim Rung Khola. The first part of the trail is a rural mountain village that will directly lead us to Kim Rung Khola. We then follow the uphill trail to Kim Rung hill through a Rhododendron forest. After a short break in the Kim Rung hill trail, we continue trekking to the beautiful Gurung village of Ghandruk.
Day 07 – Trek to Nayapul and drive back to Pokhara (900m)
After a three hour downhill trek from Ghandruk, we reach some tea houses and continue our trek until Birethanti (1000m). Half an hour walk from here will lead us back to Nayapul where we start our drive to Pokhara via private transport. You may opt to have your flight to Kathmandu on the same day or spend the night in Pokhara.