Note: This is best done in three weeks to spend more time in Kathmandu and Pokhara and surrounding areas. Southern Nepal may also be a 3-4 day extension to this trip.

Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu. Get situated at hotel. Lunch and orientation near hotel. Walking or rickshaw tour, explore downtown, Dur Bar Square, Freak Street, the King's Palace.

Day 2: Walk to Syambu Nath Buddhist Temple early AM or visit after the trek. Taxi to Boda Nath, the Buddhist stupa and Pashupati Nath, the Hindu temple area. Visit other neighborhoods. Shopping and Buddhist monastery. Afternoon, last minute shopping for the trek, snacks, equipment. Read journals about recent treks.

Day 3: Fly to Pokhara west of Kathmandu on morning flight. Spend the afternoon exploring Lakeside and short walks.

Day 4: Drive to Nayapul at 3,630 feet. Stop at the Tibetan Refugee Camp on the way. Explore this village in the evening and prepare for the trek.

Day 5: Day 1 of Trek. Porters will be hired for the trek. Begin hike to Tikedungha at 4950 feet. Pass through Birethanti. Pass by a large waterfall and swimming area.

Day 6: Day 2 of Trek. Hike to Ghorapani at 9,157 feet, From Tikedungha cross a suspension bridge and follow a steep stone staircase. The highest snow covered peaks begin to come into view in the distance. The trail climbs through pastures and fields then forests. The national flower, rhododendron trees are in bloom in the spring and summer. At the pass near Ghorapani there are spectacular panoramas of the Himalayas.

Day 7: Day 3 of Trek. Hike to Tatopani at 3,300 feet. An early morning hike to the top of Poon Hill at 10,593 is a good way to get ready for the day and great for acclimatizing. The view here is worth the work. During the day we will pass several horse trains herded by Tibetan men, transporting loads between Pokhara and Jomsom. In Totopani (hot water in Nepali), there are some very popular hot springs.

Day 8: Day 4 of Trek. Trek to Kalopani at 8,448 feet. The trek starts up the Kali Gandaki Gorge, known to be the deepest gorge in the world. We will pass through a small tunnel in the rock. There is a high waterfall a short distance from the trail and several small mills, powered by the water, grind corn and grain. The trail continues through the steepest and narrowest part of the gorge where there are often landslides. We will cross a bridge over the raging river and soon enter Buddhist country. Langur monkeys are found in the trees in this area.

Day 9: Day 5 of Trek. Hike to Marpha at 8,794 feet. Along the way it is possible to take a 2 day side trip to the icefall at the base of Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh tallest mountain. We are on the trade route between Tibet and Nepal, and we may find traders selling crafts from Tibet. The scenery changes as we enter the desert like country that looks like Tibet. The wind up the gorge can be strong and may blow dust at our backs in the afternoon. Along the way we can visit a Tibetan Refugee camp where there is a carpet factory. In Marpha there is a large gompa (Buddhist monastery) where we may witness ceremonies and celebrations.

Day 10: Day 6 of Trek. We continue to Kagbeni at 9,273 feet. From Marpha there is an easy side trip to another gompa. We will pass through Jomsom and continue up the Kali Gandaki where wee may see people practicing rock climbing on the cliffs above. The trail can be windy here. Kagbeni looks like a village from the medieval days. Many people still dress in typical Tibetan clothing but unfortunately the children have learned to beg for candy.

Day 11: Day 7 of Trek. We will continue on to Muktinath at 12,500 feet, the highest point of our trek. The trail continues through a beautiful area of meadows, streams, poplar and fruit trees where flocks of cranes may be found. Near Muktinath there are holy shrines for Buddha and Vishnu a Hindu god. Around the temple of Vishnu, 108 waterspouts in the shape of cow heads, pour sacred water. Inside the temple, the water that comes from a special rock is even more sacred. Also a natural gas jet produces a continual flame. The combination of earth, fire and water brings many pilgrims to this area.

Day 12: Day 8 of Trek. Trek back to Jomsom. Hopefully there will not be a strong head wind.

Day 13: Day 9 of Trek. Early morning flight back to Pokhara. Spend the afternoon shopping and resting by Phewa Lake.

Day 14: Day 10 of Trek. Extra day to account for bad weather, flight delays or altitude problems during the trek. This may also be used as an extra acclimatization day when at high altitudes.

Day 15: Fly to Kathmandu and depart for the US.

POSSIBLE MODIFICATIONS TO THIS TREK:
We can combine days 3 and 4 (or 4 and 5) to have another extra day at the end of the trek.

It is possible to take a less strenuous route from Nayapul (day 4) to Tatopani (day 7). The alternate route starts in Baglung instead of Nayapul, continues through Beni and on to Tatopani. This is less of a climb, however accommodations and food may be better on the main trail.

We could do the above trek backwards, flying to Jomsom first and trekking back down to Pokhara. Of course the climb up is better for acclimatization, but the trek down might be easier in some ways, yet possibly hard on the knees. Many people do it this way without problems.

Lastly, we could shorten the trek to seven days and go in a smaller loop from Nayapul to Tikedungha to Ghorapani to Poon Hill to Tadapani to Ghandruk to Pothana to Phedi and back to Pokhara.