š³šµ Nepal is famous for many things.
Everest, the worldās highest mountain; beautiful Buddhist stupas; Gurkhas, known for their unrivalled fearlessness in combat, and much, much more.
Visiting Nepal for 18 days here in March 2019 with a friend, a trek of some kind was seen as a must-do.
Upon arriving into the country, the majority of the people you meet (tourists and locals alike) ask if youāre planning on trekking while here.
Shops cater for every trekking need, while dozens (perhaps hundreds) of companies offer treks of all types, lengths and difficulties.
Want to trek for 18 days to Everest base camp? Sure. Prefer a 2 day gentle ramble in the hills? Easily found. How about something in the middle, like a challenging 5 day mountain trek? Thatās possible too.
Coming to Nepal and not trekking would be a clear mistake, given the abundance of natural beauty in the expansive conservation areas across this beautiful country.
My friend Sabrina and I walked around the city of Pokhara into a number of local businesses to discuss which trekking option would be best for us, given we wanted something along the four night / five day mark.
After speaking to a number of different operators, the one that stood out to us as the most passionate and caring for his customers was a nice man called Mohan at North Nepal Travels & Treks.
He was not only competitive in price but made a huge effort to ensure that we had an experience that was āoff the beaten trackā compared to many of the other tours.
As a result, rather than just going for the popular Poon Hill 3-4 day trek, we opted for a 5 day trip that also included the Muldai Peak viewpoint. (Note that Muldai can also be spelt Muldhai.) Youāll read later on how this was a fantastic decision.
The next choice involved deciding whether to carry our own equipment or use a porter. In the end, wanting to fully focus on the fantastic views and make the most of the trip, we opted for one porter between the two of us, carrying our 15kg bag while we carried our own smaller personal rucksacks.
[Sadly @Partiko only lets iPhone users post one photo per post, which is a huge shame. Please, @Partiko, can you change this? It would make a HUGE difference to iPhone users who, like me, are using Partiko as their sole access to Steemit while travelling]
Day 1: Setting Off From Kimche š»šš»āāļø
After a 7am pickup and a 3 hour drive into the Anaporna Conservation area, we met Ananda our guide and Kim, our porter.
The jeep ended up at a standstill for another 2 hours or so as the torrential rain from the previous night had caused a huge clay slurry. This in turn caused difficulties for all the taxis, buses and mopeds trying to make their way up the mountain.
Arriving to our start point in Kimche at lunchtime, we started on our merry way.
A gentle start, fine weather and a whole load of enthusiasm meant we made good pace, reaching our lunch stop after only an hour and a bit, rather than the two we had expected.
The menu for lunch was one weād become accustomed to over the next few days, as it was the same menu across the conservation area, provided by every guest house. On it was everything youād expect (the Nepalese delicacy dhal baat, fried rice, and so on) and plenty you wouldnāt (pizza, sandwiches, pasta).
After a quick stop for food, we continued on with the trek, stopping occasionally to let herds of bison & donkeys stroll past.
The sky turned quickly and the heavens opened to rain strongly for at least an hour, drenching every fibre of our beings. This was disheartening after the initial good weather, but wasnāt ultimately much of an issue.
The ponchos came out, the walking continued and we stopped for the day at a fantastic little guesthouse (private bathroom, hot water and clean rooms) and played cards.
It felt surreal to think that we had climbed 800m in altitude in one day, during a relatively short trek.
My favourite card game, President, became a staple over the next few days.
It also became apparent after speaking to our guide Ananda that despite this being a 5 day trek, he was expecting his first child in 7 days. He didnāt know the gender but fingers crossed they didnāt arrive early!
Time trekking: 3-4 hours
Location of overnight stay: Little Paradise Lodge, Kot Danda Gandruk.
Elevation gain: +800m
Day 2: A Day Of (Literal) Ups & Downs ššš
Another 7am rise, a quick breakfast of an omelette, and off we continued on our way.
Day two comprised of ups and downs throughout the entire day, meaning you could never really find a rhythm, though the scenery was stunning.
Everywhere we went we saw beautiful rhododendrons, and soon discovered that they are prevalent across the area in white, red and pink variations.
Thankfully no rain, though visibility was low as the area was engulfed in fog and clouds.
Here, we started early and finished early, arriving before lunchtime and therefore relaxing for an entire afternoon.
The shower was warm(ish) but the outside air was freezing cold, meaning you wanted to change and head somewhere warm as soon as possible.
An afternoon of chatting, President, and a little Netflix on our phones before bed made for a relaxing end to the day. We sourced an extra set of duvets each and I ended up looking like the āPrincess and the pea.ā Ironically, I slept terribly not because of the cold, but because I was too hot.
Time trekking: 3-4 hours
Location of overnight stay: Tadapani Guest House
Elevation gain: +450m
Day 3: Up, Up & Away ā¬ļøā¬ļøā°
Our third day of trekking was a challenging one.
Largely up-hill, there were times when the steep climbs felt overwhelming.
That being said, when youāre āonlyā trekking for five hours and you have an early start, itās easy to break up into smaller sections by stopping regularly.
Accommodation for the night was quite literally a tin shack, which at 3,486 metres of altitude, meant it was cold.
Very cold.
Far from being too warm the previous evening, here I struggled for sleep despite being layered up.
Time trekking: 5 hours
Location of overnight stay: Little Paradise Lodge, Kot Danda Gandruk
Elevation gain: +900m
Day 4: An Early Rise and Stunning Views šā°š
After having slept terribly in what was (and I cannot reiterate enough that this is not an exaggeration) nothing more than a tin shed, a 5am rise was hardly an issue. If anything, it proved a chance to put on more layers and warm up by climbing to the Muldae Hill viewpoint that we had been promised.
Boy oh boy, was it worth the wait!
Other viewpoints in the area can attract over a hundred, or in some cases two hundred people per morning at sunrise.
Here, a Nepalese secret (until now) the viewpoint at Muldae peak saw no more than around twenty people.
We reached the top just in time to see the sun pour over the neighbouring mountains and light up the valley in spectacular fashion.
The viewpoint here was at 3,637m of altitude, giving views of Dhaulagiri, the worldās 7th highest mountain, as well as Annapurna I, the 10th highest.
The fact that we were literally above the clouds meant they appeared as an extensive white carpet at the foot of the mountains, adding a surreal, ethereal feel to the occasion.
I can only apologise for only being able to post one picture in this post; I just havenāt found a way to easily do so from an iPhone while travelling, and Partiko restricts me to this.
After an hour or so of soaking up the view, it was time to head back down. Breakfast followed, we packed our bags and continued on our trek on what was to be our penultimate day of trekking.
By now, feeling like relatively seasoned trekkers and spurred on by the beautiful scenery of the morning, the fourth day of hiking flew by.
I honestly canāt tell you much more about it, other than there was a fair amount of ascent, despite the overall altitude dropping from the 3,400m mark to 2,860m.
This particular tea house had WiFi but we opted to restrain, as we had by now come to accept the relative peace and quiet of being disconnected from the world.
That evening consisted of the last few games of cards and once again, an early night. The hot shower was also a welcome bonus.
Time trekking: 5-6 hours
Location of overnight stay: Peace & Excellence Guest House
Elevation gain: -600m
Day 5: The Final Descent... And A Family Emergency šØ
By now, having seen the view from Muldai Hill viewpoint, we were less excited about seeing Poon Hill, which we knew would be considerably busier and at a lower altitude.
On the morning itself, a 4am wake up revealed that the view was poor due to the cloud coming in, so we opted not to make the hour long trek (and back) and instead opted for a few more hoursā sleep. Hey, no judgement please.
The last few hours of trekking, once we got going, were a breeze.
Almost entirely down hill, the morning flew by. We stopped for lunch and noticed our guide Ananda was suddenly acting differently and rather intensely.
He quickly explained that he had just received news of his wife going into labour, and was of course anxious to hear of the well-being of both wife and child, and to be there for the birth if possible.
We hopped into a jeep slightly earlier than our intended pickup point (we figured this family emergency šØ justified it), and headed back to Pokhara.
Iāve emailed Ananda but havenāt yet heard back on the status of his childās birth; fingers crossed it went smoothly and I hope to share an update on this soon.
Time trekking: 3-4 hours
Elevation gain: -900m
Further Info
The total cost of this trek, booked with the North Nepal Trek & Tours company in Pokhara, was around Ā£290pp . Itās of course possible to do this solo, without a guide or porter, but for me these were a hugely valuable (and interesting) addition to the trip. You are of course also ensuring local employment, which is a good thing.
Included in this price:
An English speaking guide (5 days), a porter (5 days), all transportation to and from the mountains, 4 nightsā accommodation, all meals (breakfast x 4, lunch x 5, dinner x 4), teas / coffees with every meal, all local trekking permits, insurance for the guide and porter, walking poles and sleeping bag rental.
Not included in this price:
Beer, soft drinks, WiFi access or additional battery charging, none of which we needed other than the occasional soft drink.
TL:DR / In summary:
If youāre looking for a 4-5 day trek in Nepal, of medium difficulty, I wholeheartedly recommend the Muldae Peak trek.
Itās tough but rewarding, whilst not being overly difficult or discriminatory. We came across trekkers from as young as ten year old children with their parents, right up to men and women well into their 70s.
The one unifying factor was an appreciation for the beauty of Nepal. Trust me, this trek is worth it.
Congratulations to anyone thatās made it this far; thanks for reading.
Peace,
Franck / @goodwithtravels