Your holiday starts at the group hotel in Kathmandu. Airport transfers to the group hotel are provided. Depending on arrival times, you will be able to have a swim in the hotel pool, a rest and freshen up before meeting with guide in the late afternoon. We drive to Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple) and from here watch our first Nepali sunset over the Kathmandu Valley. This is one of the oldest stupas in Nepal and is now an important centre for Buddhism. Adorned with prayer flags and painted gold it is beautiful and peaceful. We then have dinner at a traditional local restaurant where they serve classic Nepali food. It is a great start and introduction to our holiday in Nepal.

This morning we learn about the two main religions of Nepal: Hinduism and Buddhism. We visit the two most important heritage sites of Kathmandu, the Pashupatinath Temple, which is famous amongst Hindus and the Boudhanath stupa, famous amongst Buddhists. It is a very interesting morning and gives us a deeper understanding about the people of Nepal. This afternoon we have a briefing about our trek, as well as some free time when we can relax in the peaceful gardens of our hotel.

Today we set off early on the road to Pokhara. This journey along the Prithvi Highway normally takes around 7 hours. It is a spectacular road through the Himalayan foothills, forested valleys and passing many small settlements. On clear days we get glimpses of the mighty snow-capped peaks. We have comfort breaks and a lunch stop at a roadside restaurant. Depending on our arrival time we'll be able to relax on arrival, and a swim in the pool if it's a warm day. We have dinner at the hotel. Tonight we will organise our luggage so as not to take extra surplus items on trek. These can be left safely at the hotel.

After breakfast we set off into the mountains. This scenic journey to Galeshwor is approximately a 4-5 hours drive. The road takes us around the edge of the Annapurna Conservation Area with its impressive and stunning 8000m peaks. We start to see true rural Nepali life in this area. The start of our linear trek is in the small village of Galeshwor on the Jomsom Road. This village lies on the banks of the mighty Kali Gandaki River and is surrounded by the foothills of the mountain giants, which are covered in forest or terraced for the village farmers. We arrive for a late lunch and have the rest of the afternoon to explore and relax.

Our first day trekking is an exciting moment and there is usually some commotion before every one is ready and off we go. Often the porters will walk at a different speed to the group, and they usually arrive at the night's stop before us. We only have a short walk today but it's mostly uphill as we ascend into the mountains. The route is well marked and maintained, and will be a combination of steps and rocky paths. We have plenty of time so can stop for photos and breaks. Depending on the group we have lunch either along the way or when we arrive at the village of Banskharka. This is our first overnight stop. This section of our trek is away from the main tourist routes, which makes it delightfully rural and remote. We stay with a family in a homestay which is fun and exciting. There will be lots of people and family members to meet and greet, and we will experience a lot of smiles and generosity from these beautiful and humble people. These are truly special moments to share with your family, opening our children's eyes to the world and how people live in these remote communities.

We continue our trek eastwards. Again this section of trail is off the beaten track so we usually only share the trail with the locals going about their daily lives. It is normal to see porters carrying large bulky loads on their heads up to the villages. Planks for house building, cable for bridges, doors, alongside hay for the animals from the fields, are all normal items seen taken along the trails. Our walk today is up hill again as we slowly gain a little more altitude. We take our time to enjoy the walk and the scenery as it changes to a different beauty as we go higher. The small community at the village of Nagi will give us a warm welcome. Tonight we stay at the community lodge belonging to the village as there are not enough tourists to have private tea houses (such as along the main routes). Views from Nagi are outstanding - and you will really feel like you are immersed in the Himalayas now with views of distant snow-capped mountains. We have time to explore the village of Nagi and meet some of the local people.

The path out of Nagi is fantastic, and mainly because of the awesome views of the 8000m peaks behind the layers of foothills. We gain some altitude today, and this is our longest walking day taking around 5-6 hours, but our legs should be suitably accustomed to hiking by now. We have views of the deep valley carved by the Kali Gandaki River from where we came. We head up to the Hampal Pass (3008m) where we meet the ridge which we follow along to Mohare Danda. The ridge is simply stunning, and we walk through rhododendron forests which are at their most magnificent in the Spring, and across flower filled alpine meadows. We finally arrive at our destination and a truly spectacular viewpoint - Mohare Danda. At 3300m this is our highest point of the trip. We overnight here in the community lodge which is perched on the very top of Mohare Danda where we can sit at the window and enjoy the mighty Himalayan vista of the Annapurnas, Machhapuchhre (fishtail mountain), Dhaulagiri, Tukche and many more. We can also sometimes see right down to Phewa Lake next to Pokhara. We are close to the famous Poon Hill from here, which is also in sight. But at Mohare Danda we are slightly higher, and there are not the hundreds of people that are found at Poon Hill for sunrise. It is stunning. We overnight here in the lodge and the meals are served from the productive vegetable garden tended by our hosts.

Climbing out of our sleeping bags we can watch the sunrise from the lodge, or outside at the viewpoint here at Mohare Danda. Being much quieter here, the experience feels more exclusive and all the more special! Having taken some memorable pictures, and soaked up this magical and tranquil atmosphere, we go back into the lodge for some breakfast and pack up for our walk today. We walk along the ridge, which is the southern section of the Khopra Danda ridge trail. This walk can offer breath taking views, with wisps of clouds swirling around and we might see some gigantic vultures and eagles circling. All along the ridge we have Dhaulagiri in the line of sight as we descend onto Poon Hill (3210m) where we enjoy the famous views before descending down to the small town/village of Ghorepani (2874m). We overnight in Ghorepani, which is on the main Annapurna trekking routes, meaning that is much busier than we have been used to. However there are benefits, and one is the many colourful knits that the locals are selling including hats, belts, gloves, cardigans and blankets etc. It is also fun to be with other trekkers and hear their stories and tales of their adventures.

It's pretty much all downhill from here. The path is wide and well-built as we descend and there are some areas with many stone steps to go down. Rhododendron forests are also a feature in this area. They are enormous and exceptionally beautiful with pinks and reds, when in flower in the spring. We pass by numerous small villages and houses as we make our way down. It gets a little warmer as well. We overnight in the village of Tirkhedhunga just before Hile. It is a joyful walk as we are still feeling excited about our achievements of our trek up on the Mohare Danda ridge.

Our last day of trekking takes us out to the road head at Nayapul. The walking is either flat or downhill and the path turns into a dirt track road sometime before the main town. When we arrive in Nayapul it is suddenly odd to see cars driving along the roads because we've not seen any for a whole week. Here we say goodbye to our trekking team who have looked after us over the past week and board our vehicle back to Pokhara. Our drive is 1-2 hrs back to Pokhara and it gives us time to reflect on the wonderful walk that we have completed and the memories we have taken with us. In Pokhara we check into our hotel for a well-deserved shower, possibly a swim in the pool and dinner before rolling into bed.

No rush today as we have a free day for you to relax and 'do your own thing'. The hotel has a swimming pool, bar and restaurant - so time can be spent here, or you can explore the laid-back town of Pokhara. It has many nice cafés, restaurants and optional activities that we can do if we have some energy. We can arrange hire bikes or a boat trip on the Phewa lake (which we saw up from the Mohare Danda).

Leaving Pokhara we drive back to Kathmandu. Enjoying the views and happily satisfied from our trek it'll feel like a lifetime that we arrived on this road just a week ago. We should arrive back at our familiar Kathmandu hotel with time for a swim in the pool. Or we may wish to explore Kathmandu. This evening we enjoy a farewell celebratory dinner

Your holiday ends after breakfast. Depending on our flight times we might be able to take part in the optional 'cooking like a local' experience. This is a morning session which finishes after lunch, so flights should not be booked before 1600 if you wish to take part. This is payable locally. Our specialist guide takes us to the bazaar in Kathmandu to source fresh ingredients, which we then take use to cook a classic Nepali dishes such as Mo Mo, Dal Bhat or Allo Paratha, which we then eat all up for lunch! Airport transfers are included on this day.