Your Taste of Nepal adventure includes:

• All accommodation

• All meals

• All travel within Nepal

• Five-day Annapurna Trek to the incredible viewpoint Poon Hill

• Porters and trek guides

• Trek permits

• Stunning mountain flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu

• Sightseeing day in Kathmandu including entry fees

• Service experiences and materials

• 1-hour massage at Seeing Hands Nepal

• New Zealand guides and experienced Nepalese guides

• Kiwi guidance and assistance from the moment you book
  

You will need to budget for:

• International flights

• Insurance

• Entry visa into Nepal (USD$25)

• Spending money for souvenirs, snacks and beverages

• Tipping for porters and guides

Day 1 Land in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. You will be met at the airport and transferred to accommodation.

Day 2 Full day of sightseeing around Kathmandu. Later explore the maze of shops and bars in the tourist centre Thamel.

Day 3 Service experience - Sunsar Maya. Today we visit Sunsar Maya’s After School Programme - this is a first of its kind in Nepal, providing educational opportunities to better the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children. We also visit their Women’s Literacy programme which aims to build reading, math, and life skills (Nepal’s adult literacy rate is only 65%). Your trip cost has contributed to the materials for a cultural exchange and a donation to this organisation.

Day 4 Free morning in Thamel - gather the last items you need before we depart Kathmandu tomorrow morning. Service afternoon experience - Curry Without Worry Kathmandu. Preparing curry and serving dinner for 300 hungry souls. Your trip cost has contributed to the costs of providing this nights meal.

Day 5 Travel Kathmandu to Pokhara by tourist bus. Pokhara is Nepal’s second largest city known for its serene lake and views of the Annapurna Mountain range.

Day 6 Travel Pokhara to Nayapul by minibus. Poon Hill trek begins – Nayapul to Tikhe Dhunga (1480m) enjoying sub tropical valley forests on a carved trail and the Modi Khola River crossing via suspension bridge.

Day 7 Tikhe Dhunga to Ghorepani (2750m) via the Ulleri Hill challenge - hundreds of steps and boulders, which are all worth it for the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains including Annapurna South and Nilgiri mountains. Ghorepani village also hosts small shops and stalls, selling local products and craft.

Day 8 Ghorepani to Poon Hill (3200m) to Tadapani (2700m). Today we conquer Poon Hill - an icon of the Annapurna region. We make an early morning climb along the steep trail to the viewpoint to catch the magnificent splendour of sunrise over the Himalayas and enjoy incredible panoramic views of Mustang and Pokhara valleys. After returning back to Ghorepani for breakfast, we descend to Tadapani.

Day 9 Tadapani to Ghandruk (1940m). Early morning in Tadapani we will see the sun rise over beautiful mountain peaks of Annapurna south, MT Fishtail, Gangapurna, and Hiunchuli. Later we make a steep descent through a dense forest to enter the village of Ghandruk, a slope settlement with stone houses.

Day 10 Ghandruk to Pokhara. Downhill all the way to Syaule Bazaar, Birethanti via a staircase paved with stone slabs, curving in and out of villages and through terraced farms. Our trek comes to an end at Nayapul and we travel back to Pokhara by minibus. Tonight we will enjoy a Poon Hill Trek celebration dinner.

Day 11 Free day in Pokhara. This afternoon you have the option to visit the social enterprise Seeing Hands Nepal – a massage centre where blind Nepalise are given training to become massage therapists and later work within the organisation. You may choose to enjoy a 1-hour massage here by these talented people (this is already included in your trip cost).

Day 12 Pokhara to Kathmandu by plane. On a clear day this 1-hour scenic flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara offers magnificent views of the Himalaya mountain range. Pokhara is Nepal’s second largest city known for its serene lake and views of the Annapurna Mountain range.

Day 13 Service experience - painting classrooms, building desks, or taking orphaned children on an excursion - the service will be determined by the need at the time and organised by Australian founded organisation In Giving We Receive. Your trip cost has contributed to the materials required for this service.

Day 14 Free morning and service experience. Enjoy your last morning in Thamel – purchase any last souvenirs or gifts, or visit The Garden of Dreams on the edge of the tourist centre. This afternoon visit the children from the IGWR Family Houses for games and activities.

Day 15 Depart Kathmandu. You will be collected from your Thamel hotel and transferred to Kathmandu International Airport.