Trips & Tours: India Nepal Adventure

On arrival at our group hotel our leader from the Delhi office will brief us on the trip. The rest of the day is free to adjust to the sights, sounds and smells of India.

We transfer to New Delhi station to board the early morning Express train to Jaipur. The train takes five hours, reaching Jaipur by lunchtime, leaving the afternoon to wander the city.

The famed "Pink City" of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan, and was founded in the early 18th century by Maharajah Jai Singh, who moved from Amber to this new site on the plains. We visit the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar - the remarkable observatory reflecting Jai Singh’s passion for astronomy.

There is also the Old City with its bazaars and the Hawa Mahal - the Palace of the Winds, originally built as part of the City Palace complex to allow the ladies of the Royal household to watch the everyday life in the city without themselves being observed.

Please note, we may travel by bus to Jaipur, depending on train schedules.

We continue our programme of sightseeing in Jaipur.

Departing through the outlying settlements of Jaipur and with Amber Fort as our backdrop, we commence the bike section of the trip. Instruction and bike adjustment will take place at this point of time.

We then progress along the Ramgarh road, one of the quieter veins leading out of Jaipur. This twists through small farming settlements, where we provide endless entertainment to the villagers who are intrigued at the notion of westerners riding bikes through India.

By lunch we arrive at Ramgarh Lake and enjoy a lunch respite under a huge banyan tree. After lunch we cycle on to our camp spot; in a true
rural setting, with small rudimentary dwellings and endless fields of various crops.

We continue riding through timeless India, with lush flowering mustard plantations flanked by overhanging willow trees, before reaching the gates to the Sariska Tiger Reserve.

After a drink stop we continue on to our camp inside the park where we will have lunch. This was once home to a significant population of tigers, until a few season ago, when poaching reduced numbers. However there are many other animals in the park, and the atmosphere and natural surrounds make the visit very much worthwhile.

Our camp overnight will be in the grounds of the Sariska Tiger Camp.

We ride through a number of small villages to Rajgarh where we stop for lunch. After lunch we continue cycling another 15km before boarding the bus for the journey to Bharatpur via Mahua arriving at our camp in the premises of the Swaraj Resort.

Today we cycle to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary where we will enjoy a packed lunch. Our bikes provide a wonderful mode of transport to move around and explore the park, where swamplands provide habitats for hundreds of bird species. We will then travel in our vehicle for about 20km to Fatehpur Sikri, to explore Akbar’s deserted capital, before continuing on to Agra.

In the early morning we have a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan’s mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. We continue to Agra Fort, a fitting testimony to the Great Mughals – Akbar, Jahangir
and Shah Jahan – during the era when Agra was the capital of the Moghul Empire. From the Red Fort we’ll have more views of the Taj Mahal before driving back to Delhi that afternoon.
 

Check out from the hotel and transfer to Delhi airport for the flight to Kathmandu. You will be met by your group leader and transferred to the hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

A pre-trek briefing will be given around 5pm where arrangements will be made for the distribution of your kit bag, sleeping bag and down/fibrefill jacket.

This morning a sightseeing tour has been arranged, taking in the key attractions in and around Kathmandu. In the afternoon you have time to explore Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, and the lesser-known
towns that dot the valley on foot, by bicycle or trishaw.

The area has an amazing range of fascinating highlights, whatever your interest. Excellent bookshops, extensive markets, and novelty and handicraft shops contrast with fantastic centres of cultural and spiritual significance - Kathmandu has more World Heritage Sites than any other city in the world.

This morning we take a flight west to Pokhara, Nepal's second largest town (820 m). On arrival you are greeted with sights of the entire Annapurna Range.

The drive to the road head at Khara takes around one hour. Our trail then winds uphill through terraced fields and mixed oak and rhododendron forest. There is no need to rush. This is a short day with plenty of time to reach camp.

Australia Camp is located on a grassy ridge that affords inspiring views of the huge snowy face of Annapurna South and the sacred peak of Machapuchare. At dusk we can appreciate the lights of Pokhara over a thousand metres below our camp.

After a glorious mountain sunrise we follow the trail through rhododendron forest before continuing through a series of Gurung villages where lifestyles have not changed substantially over the centuries.

After lunch we follow a well-marked trail to the prosperous village of Landrung where we camp for the night.
 

After watching sunrise on Annapurna South we follow the classic trail leading towards the Annapurna Base Camp. We descend through rice terraces to the glacial fed waters of the Modi Khola before a long haul (steady as you go and don’t forget to take short Sherpa steps) to the ridge camp settlement at Taglung.

From here we continue to the Gurung village of Chomrong where our campsite affords yet further wondrous views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhare.

After witnessing another memorable sunrise we backtrack for an hour before following trails high above the Modi Khola gorge. This delightful stage heads through terraced fields and beautiful oak forest (with a few ups and downs to cross tributaries) before a gradual ascent to the substantial village Ghandruk.

We have ample time to explore this ancient village and include visits to privately owned Gurung villages that provide a further insight into the lifestyles of villagers who have traditionally provided the backbone of the famous Gurkha regiments.

After absorbing even more spectacular views of Annapurna South we head down the Modi Khola valley along a secluded village trail that is rarely followed by other trekking groups.

After lunch at the scenic village of Dansing we complete a short, steep descent to the village of Birethanti along the Modi Khola. We cross a substantial bridge before making our way to a serene campsite just below the bustling bazaar of Naya Pul.
 

We appreciate the distinctive fluted peaks of Machapuchare before undertaking an early morning ascent through mixed oak and rhododendron forest. We are now off the established trails through farming settlements that rarely see foreign trekkers. After lunch we complete our trek to Bhadure and a fine campsite just above the village. That night we often celebrate with the local musicians and dancers who will ensure a memorable last evening on the trail.

The views from camp in the early morning are some of the finest on the trek. We recommend however you undertake a ten-minute climb up the trail at the crack of dawn in order to appreciate sunrise that extends across the Annapurna Range to Dhaulagiri in the east and west as far as Manaslu.

After breakfast we complete a leisurely walk to the road head just above the thriving village of Naudanda. From here our bus will complete the one-hour drive back to Pokhara and our well-appointed campsite. There will be ample time in the afternoon to explore Pokhara - with its multitude of shops and cafes – or alternatively take a walk by the lake for your last memorable views of the Annapurna Range.

This morning we transfer to Chitwan by road. On arrival we are briefed on the planned activities during our stay and on the park in general. Late afternoon and early morning are the best times to sight wildlife, so other times tend to be for less energetic activities.

We will have lunch at the lodge and commence our activity program. Our accommodation is in 2-bed huts with a private bathroom. Solar heated hot water is available in the afternoons.

A full day's activities are available including jungle walks, elephant rides, canoe rides, bird-watching and four-wheel-drive excursions, as well as lectures on elephants and other fauna.

Our concession area is the territory of many species of wildlife including 3 tigers, 5 leopards, 7 rhino, and many deer, boar, bear, peacocks, an extraordinary number of bird species and is occasionally visited by wild elephants.
 

We complete our last activity, and after breakfast transfer by road to Kathmandu.

After breakfast arrangements cease unless further arrangements have been made. Those people travelling by aircraft to further destinations will be transferred to the airport and assisted with check-in procedures.