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The Rhododendron Trek
This is a lovely leisurely paced 8 day trek using the mountain tea houses in the lower regions of the Annapurna Conservation Area.
As the name suggests, this trek is designed to coincide with the full bloom of the Rhododendron forests in this region, which also attract (and is home to) many colonies of wild grey monkeys. These are not the sort that come down and feed from your hands; these are wild and shy although at a decent distance they are very visible and a joy to watch for a while.
Acclimatise in Kathmandu with some sight seeing before driving to Pokhara and straight on to the start of your 8 day/7 night trek to see some wonderful villages tucked away in this area. The scenery is truly stunning, not least for the almost constant view of the Fishtail mountain and the mighty Annapurnas. The early part of the trek demonstrates just how good these resourceful people are at managing their precious land; the terracing stretches for miles! After 3 days you begin to hit the forests themselves, which are full of life including the grey monkeys and the rhododendrons.
Whilst visiting trekkers are commonplace, the Tea Houses in this area do not exist because of them. It will be plain to see that this region is their true home; they raise animals, work the land and share resources to live a simple but happy life.
You will trek across the Modi Kola up to Ghandruk, which is the largest Gurung village in the Annapurnas. It is then up through the delightful Tadapani where you may see some traditional dancing and eventually onto Ghorepani. This is the highest village you will ascend to from where you can trek up to Poon Hill and catch a spectacular sunrise early in the morning (weather permitting!). You will not want to leave these hills even after just 8 days; this area will just steal your heart.
Cap it all off with a relaxing 2 night stay at the Lake View Resort in Pokhara (no trekking!), or try your hand at microliting or paragliding. Finally we fly back to Kathmandu prior to your journey back to the UK.
