Muldai and Khopra Trek — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi to Thamel (approx £3–4, roughly 30 mins). Check into a Thamel guesthouse. Spend the afternoon sorting trek admin yourself: pick up your TIMS card and ACAP permit at the Nepal Tourism Board office (Bhrikutimandap) or via the TAAN office — bring passport photos and passport copies. Buy or rent a down jacket and sleeping bag in Thamel (rental approx £2–3/day each) and load a cash float — there are no ATMs past Pokhara.

🚌Airport prepaid taxi ~£3–4

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (£12–18)

• →TIMS card + ACAP permit application
• →Gear rental in Thamel
• →Boudhanath Stupa evening stroll (optional, ~£2 entry)

Book a tourist bus the day before at any Thamel agency (approx £8–12, departs ~7am from Sorhakhutte/Kantipath, 7–8 hours with a lunch stop at Malekhu or Mugling). Cheaper local buses exist but are slower and more crowded. Arrive Pokhara Lakeside in the late afternoon; confirm your return bus and check the weather forecast for the ridge. If you'd rather fly, Buddha Air/Yeti flights Kathmandu–Pokhara run approx £70–90 and take 25 minutes.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu–Pokhara ~£10

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£10–15)

• →Lakeside evening walk
• →Buy trek snacks and water purification tablets

Local bus from Pokhara Baglung Bus Park to Nayapul (approx £1.50–2, ~1.5 hrs) — or share a jeep with other trekkers for ~£4 each. Register your permits at the Birethanti checkpoint and walk up the Modi Khola valley through Birethanti and Kimche to Ghandruk (approx 5–6 hrs, ~1,940m). Ghandruk is a large Gurung village with a homestay cluster and a small museum; it's the priciest teahouse stop on the route.

🚌Local bus/jeep Pokhara–Nayapul ~£2

🛏Ghandruk teahouse or Gurung homestay (£6–10)

• →Permit check at Birethanti
• →Trek to Ghandruk (5–6 hrs)
• →Gurung Museum, Ghandruk (~£1)

A short but steep day through rhododendron and oak forest to Tadapani (approx 4–5 hrs, ~2,630m). Follow the well-signed trail past Bhaisi Kharka; the path is obvious but slippery after rain. Tadapani has a handful of teahouses with big windows facing Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South — get in by mid-afternoon for the sunset.

🚌On foot

🛏Tadapani teahouse (£5–8)

• →Trek Ghandruk–Tadapani (4–5 hrs)
• →Machhapuchhre viewpoint

Leave the main ABC circuit and head west on the quieter Khopra trail — you'll likely see almost nobody all day. About 5–6 hrs of undulating forest walking to Bayli Kharka (~3,300m), a small clearing with a couple of basic teahouses. Carry extra water and snacks as shop supplies are thin. Views open up to the Annapurna range and Dhaulagiri.

🚌On foot

🛏Bayli Kharka basic teahouse (£4–6)

• →Trek Tadapani–Bayli Kharka (5–6 hrs)
• →Annapurna & Dhaulagiri views

A shorter day (approx 3–4 hrs) traversing open hillside to Upper Chistibung (~3,350m). This is alpine pasture country used by shepherds — expect basic lodges, dal bhat only, and cold nights. Bring a warm layer and a headtorch; electricity is limited and charging may cost extra.

🚌On foot

🛏Upper Chistibung teahouse (£4–6)

• →Trek Bayli Kharka–Upper Chistibung (3–4 hrs)
• →Shepherd pastures and wildlife spotting (Himalayan tahr, danphe)

The big climb to Khopra Ridge (~3,660m), 4–5 hrs of steep switchbacks through forest and yak pasture. Arrive early: Khopra Ridge (and nearby Khopra Danda community lodge) only has a limited number of rooms when busy in high season, and this is your splurge night. Book ahead via a Kathmandu agency or by phone if travelling Oct–Nov. Non-trekkers rave about the sunset panorama of Annapurna South, Nilgiri, Fang and Dhaulagiri across the Kali Gandaki valley.

🚌On foot

🛏Khopra Ridge community lodge (£8–14)

• →Trek Upper Chistibung–Khopra Ridge (4–5 hrs)
• →Sunset panorama: Annapurna South, Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri

Acclimatisation/exploration day. The flagship option is the out-and-back hike to Khayar Lake (4,660m) — 9–10 hrs total and genuinely demanding, starting before dawn; only attempt it if you're well acclimatised and weather is clear. A gentler alternative is the ridge walk toward Thanti (~4,200m, 6–7 hrs) or simply a short dawn walk up to the Muldai viewpoint for sunrise over the Dhaulagiris. Sleep at Khopra again.

🚌On foot

🛏Khopra Ridge community lodge (£8–14)

• →Khayar Lake hike (4,660m, 9–10 hrs) OR
• →Thanti ridge walk (4,200m, 6–7 hrs) OR
• →Muldai Peak sunrise viewpoint (3,637m)

Descend via Chistibung through mossy forest to the farming village of Swanta (~2,200m), 4–5 hrs. Swanta is a Magar village with community homestays, a small cheese operation and a local school — often the friendliest stop of the whole trek. Cheaper and warmer than the ridge.

🚌On foot

🛏Swanta community homestay (£5–8)

• →Trek Khopra–Swanta via Chistibung (4–5 hrs)
• →Magar village walk and local cheese tasting

Climb back up through terraced fields and forest to Ghorepani (~2,870m), 5–6 hrs, rejoining the busy Poon Hill trail. Ghorepani is a large teahouse village — plenty of choice, hot showers and wifi at a price. Get an early night ahead of the sunrise hike.

🚌On foot

🛏Ghorepani teahouse (£6–9)

• →Trek Swanta–Ghorepani (5–6 hrs)
• →Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Dhaulagiri views

Head up to Poon Hill (3,210m) for sunrise — 45 mins up, and worth the ~£2 entry fee for the classic Dhaulagiri/Annapurna panorama. Then descend via Deurali and the notorious 3,300 stone steps through Ulleri to Tikhedhunga (~1,540m), 5–6 hrs of knee-battering downhill. Trekking poles earn their keep today.

🚌On foot

🛏Tikhedhunga teahouse (£5–8)

• →Poon Hill sunrise hike (~£2 entry)
• →Long descent via Ulleri's stone staircase

A short 2–3 hr walk down to Nayapul past Hille and Birethanti, where you check out your permits. Then local bus or shared jeep back to Pokhara (approx £2, ~1.5 hrs). Afternoon free for Lakeside cafés, a boat on Phewa Lake (approx £3/hr) and a real shower.

🚌Local bus/jeep Nayapul–Pokhara ~£2

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£10–15)

• →Trek Tikhedhunga–Nayapul (2–3 hrs)
• →Phewa Lake rowboat (~£3/hr)

Tourist bus back to Kathmandu (approx £8–12, 7–8 hrs, morning departure). Alternatively take a 25-minute flight (approx £70–90) if you're short on time. Evening in Thamel: celebration dinner, momos and a rooftop beer, and a last wander through Asan Tole bazaar.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara–Kathmandu ~£10

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (£12–18)

• →Return bus journey
• →Thamel/Asan Tole night market wander

Depending on your flight time, squeeze in a morning visit to Swayambhunath or Patan Durbar Square (approx £4 entry), do any last souvenir shopping, then head to the airport. Metered/prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport approx £3–4 — allow 3 hrs before an international flight.

🚌Taxi to airport ~£3–4

🛏N/A — depart

• →Swayambhunath or Patan Durbar Square (optional)
• →Souvenir shopping in Thamel