Annapurna
The Millennium Trek
Seven days through the Annapurna mid-hills, sleeping in Gurung and Magar family homes and walking terraces that have been farmed for a thousand years.
Overview
The Millennium Trek is the trip we send people on when they say they want to see Nepal rather than tick off a summit. It follows the old trading paths of the Annapurna mid-hills — routes that carried salt and grain long before they carried trekkers — and it stays low enough that altitude is never the story.
You walk between four and six hours a day through terraced farmland, oak and rhododendron forest, and villages where the houses are still built from stone quarried in the same valley. Every night is spent in a family home rather than a lodge, which is the part travellers tell us about afterwards.
It is not a wilderness trek and it does not pretend to be. It is a walk through a lived-in landscape, guided by people whose grandparents farmed it.
Highlights
- Sunrise over Annapurna South and Machapuchare from the ridge above Ghandruk
- A full day of cooking, grinding and eating with your host family
- The thousand-year-old stone staircases the route is named for
- Rhododendron forest in full colour if you walk in late March
- A community-run seed bank supported by Sharing Seeds
- Hot springs at Jhinu Danda on the walk out
Community impact
This route was designed with the village development committees of Ghandruk and Landruk, who set the nightly homestay rate, cap how many groups pass through each week, and rotate which families host.
Roughly sixty-eight paisa of every rupee you pay stays inside the district: homestay fees, porter wages, food bought from the households you eat with, and a per-traveller contribution to the Sharing Seeds programme.
Twelve families currently host on this route. Two more are being trained and equipped for next season, funded from the same contribution.
Suitable for
First-time trekkers, families with children over ten, and anyone who would rather spend an evening in a village kitchen than a lodge bar. No technical ground and no altitude above 3,210 m.
Day by day
- 1Day 1
Pokhara to Nayapul, walk to Ghandruk
A two-hour drive out of Pokhara along the Modi Khola, then a steady four-hour climb through terraced farmland into Ghandruk, a stone-built Gurung village that looks straight up at Annapurna South. You meet your host family in the afternoon and eat with them.
- 4–5 hours
- 9 km
- 1940 m
- Homestay, Ghandruk
- Meals: Lunch, dinner
- 2Day 2
Ghandruk — a day that stays put
No walking to speak of. The morning is spent in the kitchen learning to make dhido and gundruk; the afternoon is yours for the Gurung museum, the seed bank, or doing nothing on a roof in the sun. Sunrise from the ridge above the village is worth the alarm.
- 2 hours, optional
- 3 km
- 1940 m
- Homestay, Ghandruk
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 3Day 3
Ghandruk to Tadapani
Into rhododendron forest and up. Three and a half hours of climbing brings you to Tadapani, which means "far water" and is named for exactly the problem you would expect. The peaks come out at dusk.
- 3–4 hours
- 7 km
- 2630 m
- Homestay, Tadapani
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 4Day 4
Tadapani to Ghorepani
The longest day, and the prettiest. You contour through old-growth forest, cross two suspension bridges and climb into Ghorepani in the late afternoon. If the cloud lifts you will see Dhaulagiri from the village itself.
- 5–6 hours
- 12 km
- 2870 m
- Homestay, Ghorepani
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 5Day 5
Poon Hill at dawn, then down to Tikhedhunga
A dark, cold, forty-five-minute climb to 3,210 m for sunrise on the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges — the highest point of the trek and the only early start we insist on. Back for breakfast, then a long descent on stone steps.
- 6 hours
- 14 km
- 3210 m
- Homestay, Tikhedhunga
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 6Day 6
Tikhedhunga to Jhinu Danda
A gentler day along the river to Jhinu Danda, where a twenty-minute scramble below the village gets you to hot springs on the bank of the Modi Khola. This is the evening people stay in longest.
- 4–5 hours
- 10 km
- 1780 m
- Homestay, Jhinu Danda
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 7Day 7
Walk out to Nayapul, drive to Pokhara
Two hours down to the road, then the drive back to Pokhara and a lake-side guesthouse. Most people spend the afternoon asleep and the evening eating far too much.
- 2–3 hours
- 7 km
- 820 m
- Guesthouse, Pokhara
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
What's included
- All accommodation — homestays, teahouses and one night in Kathmandu
- All meals on trek, plus breakfast in cities
- Licensed English-speaking Nepali guide
- Porter support, one porter per two travellers
- All national park fees, TIMS cards and local permits
- Airport transfers and ground transport on the itinerary
- Drinking-water filtration throughout
- Guide and porter insurance, wages and equipment
What's not included
- International flights to and from Kathmandu
- Nepal entry visa (available on arrival)
- Travel and medical insurance — mandatory, and we check it
- Lunch and dinner while in Kathmandu or Pokhara
- Drinks, snacks and personal expenses
- Tips for your guide and porters
- Emergency evacuation costs, which your insurance must cover
What to pack
On your feet
- Broken-in walking boots with ankle support
- Trail shoes or sandals for the evenings
- Three or four pairs of wool walking socks
- Gaiters (Oct–Nov and Mar–Apr only)
Layers
- Base layer, top and bottom
- Fleece or light down mid-layer
- Waterproof shell jacket
- Sun hat and a warm hat
- Gloves — thin liners are enough below 3,500 m
Kit
- 35–45 litre daypack
- Head torch and spare batteries
- Reusable water bottle, one litre minimum
- Sunglasses rated for altitude
- Sunscreen SPF 50 and lip balm
- Power bank — village electricity is not guaranteed
Documents & health
- Passport with at least six months validity
- Travel insurance covering trekking to your route’s maximum altitude
- Personal first-aid kit and any prescription medication
- Two passport photos for permits
Photographs
Frequently asked questions
Do I need previous trekking experience?
For most of our mid-hill routes, no. If you can walk comfortably for five hours on consecutive days you will be fine. Our guides set a pace that suits the slowest walker, not the fastest, and there is no prize for arriving first.
What happens if the weather turns?
Every itinerary has slack built into it. Your guide can shorten a stage, swap a pass for a valley route or add a rest day without it costing you anything. Safety decisions are the guide’s to make and are never negotiable.
How does the homestay arrangement work?
You stay in a family home with a private or shared room, depending on the village. Meals are cooked by your hosts and eaten together. Families are paid a fixed nightly rate agreed with the community, not a per-head commission.
Is drinking water provided?
Yes. Every trip carries filtration so you refill from a communal source rather than buying bottled water. We do not sell single-use plastic on any route.
What is your cancellation policy?
Full refund up to 45 days before departure, 50% up to 21 days, and no refund inside 21 days — though we will always try to move you to another date instead. Trips cancelled by us are refunded in full.
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