§ 02 · Day-by-day
The 14-day standard line.
Fourteen days door-to-door from Kathmandu, with one acclimatised summit attempt and a spare-day buffer for weather. Compressed 12-day variants exist for climbers with prior 5,000 m experience. Stretched 16-day variants add a second contingency day plus an extra rotation between Base Camp and Camp 1.
Arrival at Tribhuvan, transfer to hotel, evening briefing with the climbing guide. ACAP and TIMS paperwork, gear check, insurance verification. Welcome dinner.
Day 2
Drive to Pokhara
- Altitude
- 820 m
- Walking
- —
- Net ascent
- —
Tourist coach or domestic flight to Pokhara, 200 km west. Final gear pickup at the Lakeside outfitters; satellite phone and weather radio test. Lakeside walk.
1.5 hr drive to Kande trailhead. ACAP and TIMS check at Pothana. Climb through rhododendron forest to Forest Camp (Kokar), the first overnight on the standard trekking route.
Climb out of cloud forest to the open ridge. Low Camp lunch, then a deliberate-pace afternoon to Badal Danda (Cloud Ridge) at 3,210 m for first acclimatisation night.
Short ridge stage to High Camp, last teahouse on the route. Pulse-oximetry check on arrival. Afternoon acclimatisation walk to 3,800 m and back. Early dinner.
Day 6
Acclimatisation, walk to Upper Viewpoint
- Altitude
- 3,580 → 4,200 → 3,580 m
- Walking
- 4 – 5 hrs
- Net ascent
- +620 m / -620 m
Pre-dawn climb to the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 m for sunrise across the Annapurnas. Return to High Camp for breakfast, rest day. The viewpoint walk is the standard trek's high point; for the climbing party it is a rehearsal lap.
Leave the trekkers' route and climb west off the ridge to Mardi Himal Base Camp at 4,500 m, on a moraine shelf below the southwest face. Tents pitched, kitchen tarp set, first night under canvas.
Mandatory acclimatisation day. Crampon and ice-axe drill on the lower glacier. Fixed-rope ascender practice. Self-arrest review. The guide makes the go/no-go call for High Camp based on weather, group performance, and pulse oximetry.
Carry to Camp 1 at 5,100 m on the southwest face. The route crosses the lower glacier on rope, then climbs a moraine spur to a small col where two-person tents are pitched. Cold dinner, early night.
Day 10
Summit day. Camp 1 → 5,587 m → Base Camp
- Altitude
- 5,100 → 5,587 → 4,500 m
- Walking
- 10 – 12 hrs
- Net ascent
- +487 m / -1,087 m
Alpine start, 02:00. Headtorch, crampons on, roped up. The route follows the southwest face over mixed snow and rock, weaving between the three ridges that drop from the summit pyramid, with one fixed-rope pitch on the upper face. Summit between 08:00 and 10:00 weather permitting; 30 minutes on top for photographs and the panorama. Descent retraces the line of ascent through Camp 1, which is struck on the way down, to reach Base Camp by late afternoon.
Built-in spare day at Base Camp. If the summit went on Day 10, Day 11 is a recovery and pack-out day. If weather or fitness pushed the attempt back, this is the second window. Without this buffer, the summit success rate drops by roughly half.
Long descent off the moraine, through Low Camp, and down the steep forest path to the Gurung village of Sidhing. Trekking poles essential. Hot shower, real bed, celebratory dal bhat.
Day 13
Sidhing → Pokhara
- Altitude
- 1,860 → 820 m
- Walking
- —
- Net ascent
- —
Jeep transfer (3 hrs) or helicopter lift (25 minutes, weather permitting) back to Pokhara. Lakeside hotel. Optional paragliding or rest. Expedition wrap-up dinner.
Coach or flight to Kathmandu. Time for last-minute shopping in Thamel. Airport transfer for evening departures. Operator-issued summit certificate handover (no NMA-issued certificate exists for this peak).
