Australian Camp and Dhampus sit on a forested ridge a short drive from Pokhara. You walk through Phedi or Kande to lodges with Machhapuchhre filling the window at breakfast. Breakfast with Machhapuchhre in the window is why people stay overnight on this ridge.
Sunset and sunrise on the ridge are the reason to stay overnight. You walk down to the road the next day with time left on lakeside. Phedi or Kande is the trailhead after a short Pokhara drive, and you are lakeside again by the second afternoon.
You'll leave lakeside for Kande and walk the short climb to Australian Camp, where we already hold the ridge lodge for sunset and sunrise on Machhapuchhre. Our Pokhara desk files ACAP before you leave town, and office staff trained in adventure tourism brief the overnight as carefully as a longer trek. The walk stays mid-hill, with Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South, and Hiunchuli in the lodge window.
Next morning you descend through Dhampus, then drop to Phedi for the drive back. Your guide keeps the stone-step hours honest so you are lakeside again by the second afternoon. We'll tailor the start time if cloud sits on the ridge.
From Pokhara, we will kick off our Australian Camp Dhampus Trek with a very gratifying drive towards Kande. The immense Pokhara Baglung Highway will be our friend for around 45 minutes till we get off at this tiny yet very gorgeous village. Putting on our comfortable shoes, then, we will begin our light trek along the cobblestone path of Kande.
Shortly, the dirt jungle track will uplift us up steeply over the slope of Goldanda Hill. For around an hour or so, we will keep moving up through the magnificent flowery trail till we reach the heavenly terrain of the Thulo Kharka, aka Australian Camp.
Yet another splendid day on our Australian Camp Dhampus trek. After we have an organic breakfast at the Australian Camp beneath all the resplendent peaks, we will set forth for our journey down through the cool jungle route. Today is mainly about the descent, which will cover approximately 300 m, taking us around an hour to complete.
We will be met by the smiling lively indigenous Gurung village of Dhampus, which is also called the community of the Gurkhas. The very gorgeous-faced Annapurna dominates the skyline of this village, while the village is dominated by the courageous tales of the Gurung British Gurkha soldiers who once made history with their pride and bravery.
Most guests fly into Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Share your arrival time ahead of travel so a Thamel hotel transfer can be arranged, or make your own way to the meeting hotel.
Many departures include a road transfer to Pokhara before walking starts from Nayapul or a nearby trailhead. Allow a little extra time after the trek before international flights home.
Twin or double rooms in a comfortable Kathmandu hotel cover your first nights and your return from the trail, with breakfast on those city stays when included in the package. Briefings happen at the hotel, and airport collection from Tribhuvan is available when flight times are shared in advance.
Family-run teahouses or lodges line the route with twin beds and a shared dining room. Rooms get simpler and colder as you climb, with shared bathrooms common at higher villages. Hot water, Wi-Fi, and charging are paid at the lodge when offered.
Stable trekking weather most often falls in pre-monsoon spring and post-monsoon autumn. Monsoon cloud sits lower on the hills while winter brings ice on steps above village level.
If your dates sit in winter or monsoon, pack rain and cold layers and accept that flight or pass days may move by a day when safety requires it. Weather can shift daily plans, so your guide keeps a steady pace with regular breaks.
You should be comfortable on steep stone steps and forest paths for four to six hours with a daypack. Hill training and longer weekend walks in the months before travel help your legs and lungs on uphill trail days.
Hill training, stair climbing, and longer weekend hikes in the months before travel help your legs and lungs, even when acclimatisation days are built into the route. Break in boots before you fly and carry a light daypack on practice walks.
Guided trekking with licensed leaders, lodge nights on the trail, meals as described for walking days, and permits for the regions crossed are included when they are part of this trip. Domestic flights, porters, and airport transfers apply only when they are part of this trip.
Domestic flights, road transfers, porter support, and airport transfers apply only when they are part of this trip. Permits for the regions you cross are arranged in Kathmandu or Pokhara when included.
International flights to Nepal, visa fees, compulsory travel insurance, personal trekking clothing, snacks and drinks outside included meals, and tips for crew are not covered. Hot showers, Wi-Fi, and battery charging in lodges are usually paid locally when offered.
Charges for hot showers, Wi-Fi, or battery charging in lodges are paid locally when offered unless your trip notes say otherwise. International flights, visa fees, and personal insurance stay outside the trek package.
Thamel hotel meet after airport pickup is standard; confirm whether briefing is in Kathmandu, Pokhara, or both. Allow a little extra time after the trek before international flights home in case mountain roads or flights move.
Trailhead transport from Pokhara is timed so you reach Nayapul in daylight when possible. Trail conditions are checked each morning before the group moves.
Guides set a steady pace and watch for headache, nausea, or dizziness as you gain height. Your crew would rather wait for a safe window than rush marginal weather.
Tell your guide early if symptoms appear so tomorrow's stage can shorten or descent can start before conditions worsen. Thamel hotels are the usual meet point; drivers need flight numbers to meet you at the international terminal.
Road transfer from Kathmandu to Pokhara and a short drive to Nayapul or another start point are common when transport is included. Your guide confirms departure times at briefing.
Motion sickness medicine helps on winding mountain roads. Shoulder weeks need an honest weather call before high passes or dawn viewpoints.
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and TIMS registration apply on this route. The team arranges paperwork in Kathmandu or Pokhara when you provide passport copies and trek dates.
Keep copies in your daypack for checkpoint stops. Your crew would rather wait for a safe window than rush marginal weather.
Families join when children can manage the daily hours and terrain on this specific route. Pace and daily hours can be adjusted on private departures, though that may extend the calendar.
Ask our Kathmandu team if you are planning with younger walkers. Private departures can shorten daily hours, though that may add a day or two to the calendar.
Comprehensive travel insurance that covers trekking to the highest altitude on your itinerary, medical evacuation, and helicopter rescue when applicable is essential. Many standard policies exclude high altitude by name.
Read the wording before you travel so you can adjust cover if trekking above 5,000 metres is not named. Many standard policies exclude high altitude by name, so read the wording before you fly.
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About the centre
Kathmandu
You'll travel with a Kathmandu-based team that plans treks, peak climbs, helicopter flights, motorbike journeys, and cultural trips across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. Routes range from classic teahouse walks and high passes to luxury lodge itineraries and longer expedition-style climbs, with departures shaped around how you want to pace the mountains.
Licensed guides and office staff train regularly on mountain safety and guest care. Porters are insured, fairly paid, and equipped for the trail, with sensible load limits on lodge routes. We work with remote communities through sustainable tourism, including support for education in village areas, so your booking helps local people as well as your own adventure.
Operated by Himalayan Adventure Treks & Tours, a partner of adventuro.
