Your holiday starts at the hotel in Kathmandu. Transfers from Kathmandu Airport are provided. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the opportunity to explore the immediate vicinity of the hotel and get acclimatised to this bustling city. Alternatively, you may prefer to recover from your journey by relaxing beside the hotel pool. Your guide will take dinner with you and will provide an informal briefing about the days ahead.

We set off after an early breakfast for the drive westwards to the start of the trek, accompanied by our trek crew. It usually takes an hour or so to clear the Kathmandu city limits, climbing to cross the rim of the Kathmandu Valley at around 2000 metres elevation and then descending on a switch-back road with views of snow-capped peaks to the north if the conditions are clear. We will have at least one 'comfort' stop to stretch our legs and then, after 3 hours or so, we will reach the town of Mugling which is the best place to stop for an early lunch at a roadside restaurant. This is a first chance to sample the Nepali staple of dal bhat (rice and dal) usually served with spicy vegetable or meat curry. Soon after leaving Mugling, we reach the small town of Dumre, beside the Marsyangdi River. Here, we turn north on a smaller road which follows the river and we reach our lodge accommodation at Besishar after a total of 6 or 7 hours of driving. Besisahar used to be the starting point for the classic Annapurna Circuit trek, but nowadays the jeep road continues much further northwards.

After breakfast at our lodge, our local guide, assisted by the Sherpa team and our sirdar will make final preparations for the first stage of the trek. The porters will be given their loads and we will set off directly from our lodge, walking away from the river and beginning a steady ascent that will take us most of the morning. We pass through the outskirts of Besisahar and through an area of picturesque, terraced farmland. To begin with the chief crop is rice, but this will change to millet and barley as we go higher. There are sections of jeep track at first, but we largely manage to avoid this on an older trail that takes a more direct line, steep in places and with sections which are stepped. There will be lots of opportunity to interact with local people, villagers and farmers and schoolchildren - school usually starts around 10am in rural Nepal. After 45 minutes or so, we pass a monastery and, looking back, we can see that we are already high up above the river and the views are starting to open out. With one of the Sherpas setting an easy pace, we continue to our first camping place of the trip on a rough area of grass on a ridge close to the small village of Baglungpani (1650m). We should reach this camp by shortly after midday. The Sherpas will set up our tents (if they haven't already) and the cook crew will provide us with a refreshing juice drink. Lunch will be served in the mess tent and the remainder of the afternoon is free to enjoy the magnificent views of Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail), the Annapurnas 2 and 4, Lamjung Himal (6983m), Manaslu (8163m), Himal Chuli and Baudha Himal. Baglungpani is a small ridge-top settlement, with a few shops, a couple of basic lodges, a school and a health post. High up, amongst scattered forest and farmed land, we are already a long way from the regular trekking trails.

This part of Nepal is home to people of the Gurung ethnic group, who are of Tibetan descent and are believed to have migrated into Nepal in the 6th century. Gurkha soldiers serving in the British Army have traditionally been recruited from amongst the Gurung people. Our route today mostly follows an undulating jeep track (no traffic) along the ridge, heading northwards and then zig-zagging uphill to reach the larger settlement of Ghalegaon (2030m) which is one of a number of centres for wild honey gathering in Nepal. Diverting onto village paths wherever we can, we are surrounded by quite lush vegetation at times and the walking has a quite 'jungly' feel to it. We will pass though several small hamlets with traditional Gurung houses and local people tending their water buffalo, goats and chickens. After the steady 1-hour ascent to Ghalegaon we stop for an early lunch, with views of Lamjung Himal, Manaslu, Peak 29, Baudha Himal and Himal Chuli. After lunch, we can have a walk around the village and check out its orderly orange and white-painted houses as well as the local Hindu temple, before continue our trek along the broad ridge for about an hour to Ghanpokhara (2200m). Here, we have left the jeep road behind, as it heads down into the valley to the west, to the large Gurung village of Bhujung. We will follow the ridge northwards from here.

Today, we will leave the villages and farmed land behind as we follow the ridge of the Telbrung Danda generally northwards and with the twin summits of Lamjung Himal ahead of us. This is a great day of walking through a landscape that mixes open, scrubby rhododendron forest, with some stands of bigger, old-growth trees and clearings known as kharkas where the local people graze their livestock during the monsoon months. To begin with our walk is gradually uphill for around 3 hours or so until we reach an isolated shepherd's shelter where the cook crew will prepare lunch. After lunch, there are some steeper sections of walking and we can now, once again, see Manaslu and Himal Chuli away to the north-east. Our overnight camp is at Bhaisi Kharka (2850m), a name which means buffalo pasture. There are a few temporary shepherd's huts in this clearing in the forest and it make a great place to camp with views to Himal Chuli and Bhauda Himal. It is evident very few trekkers come this way. There are no tea-houses now, nor any evidence of previous trekking campsites. So close to the Annapurna Circuit and yet so far!

After an hour of walking on a shepherds' trail through forest on the east side of the ridge, we reach a clearing at a crest where the views open out in all directions. To the north, we can see the ridge-line of the Telbrung Danda which appears to lose itself among a collection of enticing rocky hills that make up the Rambrong Danda, a higher ridge which is orientated east to west. Following the ridge on a switchback trail, we gain height steadily then more gradually through a forest of tall rhododendrons interspersed with mixed deciduous trees and some bamboo. Where the forest clears the panorama of peaks extends all the way from Machhapuchhre in the west to Himal Chuli and Bhauda Himal in the east. We are carrying a packed lunch (as there is nowhere with reliable water on today's route) and we will find a suitably scenic place to stop to eat it. Above the tree-line, the final hour of walking leads to camp at the place we call Rambrong Low Basecamp (3765m). This is a superb camping place on an open ridge with views in all directions. Beyond the deep valley of the Marsyangdi River, the triple peaks of Manaslu, Peak 29 and Himal Chuli are prominent to the east and north-east, whilst ahead of us, to the north, we can see the low summits of the Rambrong Danda, with Lamjung Himal and Annapurna 2 rising up beyond.

There's the option to take it easy this morning or to hike up to a viewpoint on the continuation of the Telbrung Danda. This walk follows the ridge northwards to a viewpoint at around 4100 metres high above the valley of the Marsyangdi. We should have great views eastwards to Manaslu from this accessible high point, before returning to camp for lunch. After lunch we will hike around the head of the valley to Rambrong Basecamp (3850m), following a rocky trail which includes sections of old stone steps that suggests this route was more often used in the past by pilgrims en route to holy lakes such as Dudh Pokhari near the Namun La.

Taking a picnic lunch and following scant trails, steep in places, we will trek up onto the Rambrong Danda, with our aim to get to the viewpoint known as Rambrong West Summit (4300m). The views from here are amazing; extending from Machhapuchhre to Annapurna 2, Annapurna 4, Lamjung Himal, Manaslu and Himal Chuli to name only the most prominent. After spending some time in this remote and rarely-visited spot, we will drop back down to our highest and wildest camping place of the holiday at Rambrong Basecamp. We should reach camp by mid-afternoon.

Walking out from this remote spot we still have 3 great days of trekking before we reach the villages in the valley of the Madi Nadi which flows southwards from Annapurna 2. On this first day, we walk generally downhill through mixed rhododendron, berberis, bamboo and juniper forest. Beyond the open grazing area at Bheda Kharka, we climb up amongst rhododendrons and other tree species to reach our camp on the ridge of the Karpu Danda. We will reach camp at lunchtime and have the afternoon free to enjoy the great views of Machhapuchhre and the Annapurnas which are particularly impressive as the sun sets. This is the place known as Haju Dobato (3420m).

Another great and not-too-challenging morning's walk on an undulating ridge. The ridge-top trail takes us through areas where there are rhododendron trees, as well as more open areas. The trail trends downhill to a junction with the Karpu Danda which we now follow, with great views and photo opportunities in all directions; behind us to the Annapurna Massif and eastwards to Manaslu. We camp at Deurali (3000m) a grazing area in the forest.

After a short section along the ridge, we begin our descent westwards into the deep valley of the Madi Nadi. The upper slopes of the valley are thickly forested and the trail winds its way down, down, down with stone steps in places. After 3 hours or so we reach the first of the terraced farmland, high above the valley floor, then continue our descent on village trails to the pleasant Gurung village of Tanting (1650m), where we set up our final camp of the holiday. Lunch at camp and most of the afternoon free to stroll amongst the traditional houses of the village, whilst admiring the views northwards to Lamjung Himal and Annapurna 2. We will have a party with our local team this evening to celebrate the (near) completion of a great trek.

After breakfast at camp, we will gear up for a final short stage of trekking on a mix of old trail and new jeep track. Walking down to the roadhead, we pass through rich farmland, with scattered farms and plenty of opportunity to meet the friendly local people. There are still relatively few outside visitors to this part of Nepal and we can expect a warm welcome and a cheerful 'namaste' from everyone that we meet. At Tantingbesi, we say goodbye to our trek crew and board our transport for the short drive to Nepal's second city of Pokhara. Arriving in Pokhara, we check in at our comfortable hotel close to Phewa Tal. After a shower and clean-up, we will have some free time to wander by the lake or to sit in the garden of one of the excellent lakeside restaurants and admire the view of the Annapurnas. Compared to Kathmandu, Pokhara is a very laid-back town and is the perfect place to relax at the end of our trek. Pokhara also has a deserved reputation for great restaurants and this evening we will go out for a celebratory meal.

We take the morning flight to Kathmandu. Take it easy by the hotel pool in the afternoon or do some independent sightseeing. One of the attractions of any visit to Nepal is the chance to walk the streets of Kathmandu, which presents a fascinating mosaic of shops, cafes and restaurants, food markets and street vendors, as well as a bewildering array of colourful temples and shrines. This evening we will have a dinner in one of Kathmandu's excellent restaurants.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. Transfers to Kathmandu Airport are provided. To extend your holiday in Nepal, why not pre-book a day's sightseeing tour in the Kathmandu Valley, or a multi-day excursion to the wildlife reserve at Chitwan. Contact our office for details.