Nepal - Buddha Purnima Trek + Retreat

m.u.s.a.f.i.r

ABC Trek: April 26 - May 07, 2023 | Add-on Retreat: April 21 - 25

Journey through Himalayan mountains & valleys while reflecting on life's purpose itself!

The m.u.s.a.f.i.r. experience blends outer exploration with inner ‘seeing’ – so you’ll leave not only with memories of beautiful sights, but deep, personal Insights.

We curate off-beat Himalayan journeys of rare otherworldly Beauty and pure Soul! Nepal is our next destination – to celebrate Buddha’s legacy, starting at his birthplace.

The Annapurna Base Camp Trek is a mix of beautiful landscapes and physical challenge. We’ve added the 3rd dimension – lighting up the Spiritual genius of Buddha’s teachings. To prepare for Buddha Purnima (the full moon on which Budhha attained Enlightenment) on May 5, 2023 we’ll learn the Buddha’s teachings – daily Meditating & discussing what it means to us in our modern lives.

So that we close our experience in Nepal – with a Himalayan Meditation experience under the Full Moon!

The aspect of our Journeys that is hard to describe is that of Celebration inherent in every day!

Trip Details

April 26-May 7, 2023
Annapurna Base Camp Trek

The Annapurna Base Camp Trek {beginning & ending at Kathmandu

April 21-25, 2023
Detox + Meditation Retreat

Add-on (optional): Detox + Meditation retreat including daily Kathmandu spiritual visits.
Manish Pole leads the signature retreat experience with daily Practices, in the countryside.

While the whole experience is recommended and is the best utilisation of 2 weeks away from work and being immersed in the Himalayas and Learning; you are free to choose just the ABC trek.

What you'll experience as a m.u.s.a.f.i.r

Our typical day would include: Waking up around 6am with basic Yoga & Meditation, and then learning a nugget of Buddha's Wisdom {Detachment, Impermanence, Non-Self & much more}

Breakfast, followed by Trekking about 6hrs {time to soak in the majesty of the Himalayas}

Lunch will be had enroute against stunning Himalayan backdrops

Dinner, alongside open group-sharing discussions on how Buddha's teachings resonate with our own Life struggles and experiences. This safe sharing space where the group connects as one, is the highlight of our m.u.s.a.f.i.r. journeys.

Reaching our Teahouse {local village accommodation} to rest & connect.

Sleep, and then wake up to repeat the Magic!

Manish Pole

yogi + guide

  • Teaching Yoga & Meditation since 2003.
  • Lived and trained for 7 years with his Guru – Himalayan Yogi, Bharat Thakur.
  • Moved on from being the CEO of Artistic Yoga in 2010, and co-founded Total Yoga with Neetu Singh
  • Total Yoga has spread from India to USA, UK, UAE, NZ, Singapore & Canada
  • Leads Himalayan retreats in India & Bhutan; as well as Yoga Teacher Trainings in Bali.
  • Founder of 21st Century Yoga for online Yoga + Nature retreats.
  • Taught the main Meditation event at Dubai Expo 2020.
  • Taught at the YPO as well as TV shows including TATA Sky Active, authored Pune Mirror columns.
  • Trained the UAE National Golf team and Bijapur Bulls cricket team.
  • Taught Yoga to India’s most successful actors, musicians, political & business leaders.
  • Accenture, Dell, Microsoft, IBM, Infosys, Citibank, HSBC, Hager and even at Marlboro!
  • Fundraising for children’s education at the Vidya Foundation through Yoga events
  • Taught Yoga at the Poona Blind School
  • Taught Yoga at Old Age centers in Singapore

See what the m.u.s.a.f.i.r.s say about our experiences:

Annapurna Base Camp - Itinerary & Trip Inclusions
April 26-May 7, 2023

Arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu. The airport is small and can get very chaotic in the peak tourist seasons. Getting past the immigration and baggage claim takes a while. Ask for an official’s help if you have trouble finding your luggage. Our representative will be waiting outside the airport with a placard that reads “Adventure Sindbad”. Look out for this as you walk out of the chaotic airport. You will then be driven to the hotel in Thamel where your trip leader will receive you and assist with the check-in process and orientation. The comprehensive trip briefing will happen in the evening once all the clients have arrived and assembled at the hotel.
Meals: LD ; Overnight Hotel.

We start early and take the 25 mins flight to the beautiful lake city of Pokhara. If you are lucky to grab the right hand seats of the plane, you will witness some amazing sights of Manaslu and Annapurna ranges during the flight. We drive directly from the airport for 2 hrs to Nayapul(1050m), the famed starting point for many treks. Nayapul is also the confluence of Modi Khola and Bhurundi Khola .There is a Tourist check post at Birethanti 30 mins ahead where we need to register before moving ahead. The trek to Ulleri takes about 6 hours and follows the Bhurundi khola. The terrain is relatively flat in the first half and gets steeper with many steps to climb post lunch. The toughest patch is the climb from Tikhedunga to Ulleri( 2 hrs) towards the end of the trek with about 3200+ steps. Be ready for some serious quad workouts right after lunch. Despite the effort, we cannot stop ourselves from falling in love with the rustic atmosphere, fresh mountain air and its vastness.
Trekking time: 6 hrs
Meals: BLD ; Overnight Tea-House.

Today is a similar walk starting with a steep ascent to Nangetanti(2450m). Once you get into your rhythm , you stop concentrating on the effort and the beautiful vistas around you take priority. The scenery changes from village farms to rainforests and beautiful waterfalls in the tiny creeks. We stop for lunch at Nangethanti. Post lunch we have another 800m of ascent spread across a longer distance famously called the Nepali Flat…meaning some up and some down!! Ghorepani is a big village and all our efforts of the day are rewarded with some incredible views of the Himalaya. We retire to bed early since we have a super early start the following day to catch the sunrise above Poon Hill. This is also the day that you may feel mild affects of altitude.
Trekking time: 6 hrs
Meals: BLD ; Overnight Tea-House.

With our torches and headlights we make an early start(4.30am) and trek uphill for about an hour to Poon Hill to catch the sunrise over the Himalayan giants. The star lit night sky is itself a great joy to watch as we ascend slowly to the highest point on our trek. The glorious sight that awaits us at Poon Hill at sunrise, is our prize for all the trekking effort to reach this place. From left to right, you have the Dhaulagiri range, Annapurna range and Macchapuchare peaks. Annapurna South towers over everything else.
We descend to our Tea-House for breakfast. After breakfast we set-out on our up and down descent to Tadapani through the most amazing rhododendron and bamboo jungles. Lookout for some charming creeks with little waterfalls throughout our descent.
Trekking time: 8 hrs
Meals: BLD; Overnight Tea-House.

From Tadapani, we walk through forest terrain to reach Chuile, a village. We walk further down through the village to the bridge over Kimrong Khola, cross it and climb up to Gurjung, our lunch spot for the day. From Gurjung it is about 2 hrs to Chommrong. Chommrong is spread across on both sides of a high ridge. It has a wide range of Tea-Houses with lovely coffee shops, internet centres and massage therapy. A bakery of note with some amazing coffee and cakes is AnnaAroma selling organic coffee. Great views of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli early in the morning.
Trekking time: 6-7 hrs
Meals: BLD; Overnight Tea-House.

Today is the day of steps….a lot of them, down and up and repeat! From Chommrong we descend all the way to Chommrong Khola and walk up to Sinuwa Danda. Sinuwa Danda is divided into lower Sinuwa and upper Sinuwa and is the last place where we see villages and farming. From Sinuwa, we enter the best part of the trail which is through a thick forest with Modi Khola on our right. There are many small side creeks through the forest that flow into the Modi Khola. Right in the middle of the forest in a small clearing is Bamboo, with a hand-full of Tea-Houses. This is our lunch spot for the day. Post lunch, we walk for another 1.5 hrs through forest to reach Dovan with just 3 Tea-houses. The peak of Macchapucchre can be seen from here on a clear morning.
Trekking time: 6-7 hrs
Meals: BLD ; Overnight Tea-House.

We walk further on getting out and above the treeline today. The walk from Dovan to Himalaya, a tiny clearing with just 2 tea-houses takes about 1.5 hrs, after which we start ascending to the ridge through sparse vegetation till we reach Deurali(3200m), our lunch spot. At Deurali, we are already above the treeline and the Valley opens up with the snow mountains clearly visible as we walk towards them. There are many high waterfalls on the left cascading down huge granite walls and we start realizing the magnitude of the mountains around. The rest of the walk is amazing with views of the valley and mountains all around. At MBC we can see the glacier to our left, our walk the next day.
Trekking time: 6 hrs
Meals: BLD; Overnight Tea-House.

We wake up early in the morning for some great morning views and start our short trek to Annapurna Base Camp. The first part of the trek is over a glacier and it is fun walking on hardened snow. You will start feeling slight affects of altitude here. We reach Annapurna Base Camp and enjoy the morning views. The sun rays come in from behind Fishtail peak. We are completely surrounded by mammoth snow peaks all around and a huge glacier on the right coming down from Annapurna. Annapurna 1 stands tall and firm like a huge fortress. We spend about 2 hours enjoying the spectacular scenery by when our breakfast is ready. After breakfast and our last group photos against the awesome Annapurna we make our way ḍown to Bamboo, our halt for the night.
Trekking time: 2-3 hrs + 6-7 hrs
Meals: BLD ; Overnight Tea-House.

Trekking time: 6 hrs
Meals: BLD; Overnight Tea-House.

From Bamboo it is a steep ascent over steps to the forest trail leading to Sinuwa Danda. From there we retrace our steps to Chommrong and stop for lunch. Jhinu Danda is another hour and a half of hiking…first to the top of the ridge, then all the way down. Jhinu Danda is famous for the natural hot springs and the lovely open air hot water baths built right next to Modi Khola. Read more about it here.
Trekking time: 6 hrs
Meals: BLD ; Overnight Tea-House.

We trek the last mile through small hamlets and farmlands to reach the roadhead at Siwai. We hire the local jeep to drive us on the jeep track till Nayapul from where we hop onto our cars for the drive to Pokhara (2 hrs). A hot shower awaits us at the comfortabe hotel in Pokhara. Evening, we can go checkout the Fewa lake and the hip and happening lakeside street at Pokhara.
Trekking time: 3 hrs
Meals: BL ; Overnight Hotel

We have an early breakfast and drive to the airport and take the short flight to Kathmandu. Day free in Kathmandu for shopping and leisure.
Meals: B ; Overnight Hotel

Depart to Home Meals: B

COST INCLUDES 

  • Accommodation: Entire Accommodation during the trek
  • 2 nights at 3 star Hotel in Kathmandu at twin sharing
  • 1 night at 3 star Hotel in Pokhara at twin sharing
  • 8 nights at Tea-houses on trek route.
  • Food: All Meals on the trip except Lunch and Dinner at Kathmandu and Pokhara
  • 3 meals per day- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with beverages(tea/coffee) throughout the trek 
  • Airfares and Road Transportation within Nepal only:
    All Transfers as mentioned in the itinerary
  • 2 Domestic flights KTM-Pokhara-KTM
  • Arrival and departure transfers between Airport and Hotel
  • Transfers to and from Trek start/end Points.
  • Experienced Trek Crew: Qualified Trip Leader, Local Nepalese Guide, Sherpa and Porters.
  • Porterage: 12-14 Kg/person. 1 porter between 2 trekkers.
  • Permits and Taxes
  • Trekking Permits – TIMS
  • Annapurna Conservation Area Entrance Fee 

COST EXCLUDES 

  • International Airfares to and out of Kathmandu 
  • Visas 
  • Meals not mentioned in the above itinerary at Kathmandu and Pokhara 
  • Mineral water during trek. Account for about INR 300-350 per day for drinking water(mineral/boiled) on the trek. A litre costs an avg of INR 100 on the trek 
  • Hot showers/ wifi/ Charging of gadgets/ snacking/ bakery items/Desserts 
  • Any additional transport or activities apart from the trip itinerary 
  • Travel/Medical/Evacuation Insurance 
  • Expenses arising through unforeseen conditions like bad weather, covid restrictions, natural calamities, flight cancellations, etc
  • Rescue and evacuation services 
  • Expenses of any personal nature like phone calls, drinks, cigarettes, souvenirs, laundry, etc
  • Tips to Crew 
  • 5% GST
  • Anything not explicitly mentioned in Cost Includes
  • 100% of the amount will be refundable if you cancel 30 days before the start date.
  • 50% Refund if you can cancel 16 days prior to the start date.
  • No Refund if canceled within 15 days before the start of the trip.
  • Payment Gateway fees of 2-3% will be deductible in most cases of refund.

Detox + Meditation Retreat - Itinerary & Trip Inclusions
April 21-25, 2023 (Add-on or Standalone Retreat)

  • Transfer from Kathmandu airport to Hotel via Evening Aarti {prayer} at Pashupati Temple, depending on your time of flight.
  • Musafir’s Meet-up: Intros to everyone.
  • Morning: BREATH-WORK + MEDITATION practice
    Transfer to Yoga Retreat
  • Sunset: YOGA + MEDITATION
  • Sunrise: YOGA, PRANAYAM + MEDITATION
  • SHATKRIYAS (similar to PANCHAKARMAS) – the 5 Internal Cleansing kriyas: Neti, Trathaka, Nauli, Kapalbhati, Dhauti
  • YOGA NIDRA Meditation
  • AYURVEDA Learning: Fundamentals & Daily Living & Food guidelines
  • Sunset: MEDITATION
  • BONFIRE: at Campsite
  • Sunrise YOGA, PRANAYAM + MEDITATION
  • TREK around campsite
  • PHILOSOPHY Learning: The History of Yoga from the VEDAS, UPANISHADS, GITA, PATANJALI SUTRAS and beyond.
  • Sunset YOGA, MEDITATION & OM Chanting
  • BONFIRE at Campsite
  • Sunrise YOGA, PRANAYAM & MEDITATION
  • TREK around campsite
  • CHAKRAS Learning: All about CHAKRAS from the Yoga-Tantra tradition as well as other Wisdom traditions and Modern Research.
  • Sunset MEDITATION
  • BONFIRE & Dancing at Campsite with a Celebration of our last night together!

Sunrise PRANAYAMA & MEDITATION

Transfer to Kathmandu: Explore the Temples, Shops & Cafes. Check-in to Hotel if you are doing the ABC Trek or transfer to Airport and head back home

COST INCLUDES 

  • Accommodation: Entire Accommodation during the retreat
  • Food: All Meals on the retreat
  • 3 meals per day- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with beverages(tea/coffee) throughout the retreat 
  • Arrival and departure transfers between Airport and Hotel
  • Experienced Crew: Qualified Retreat Leader, with support staff
  • Any Permits with Taxes

COST EXCLUDES 

  • International Airfares to and out of Kathmandu 
  • Visas 
  • Meals not mentioned in the above itinerary 
  • Mineral water during the Retreat.
  • Any additional transport or activities apart from the trip itinerary 
  • Travel/Medical/Evacuation Insurance 
  • Expenses arising through unforeseen conditions like bad weather, covid restrictions, natural calamities, flight cancellations, etc
  • Rescue and evacuation services
  • Expenses of any personal nature like phone calls, drinks, cigarettes, souvenirs, laundry, etc
  • Any Tips to Crew 
  • 5% GST
  • Anything not explicitly mentioned in Cost Includes
  • 100% of the amount will be refundable if you cancel 30 days before the start date.
  • 50% Refund if you can cancel 16 days prior to the start date.
  • No Refund if canceled within 15 days before the start of the trip.
  • Payment Gateway fees of 2-3% will be deductible in most cases of refund.

Pricing

Annapurna Base Camp Trek

April 26-May 7, 2023

Full Price: $1299 | ₹ 99,999

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Yoga, Detox + Meditation Retreat

April 21-25, 2023 (Optional Add-on​)

Dbl Occupancy: $499 | ₹ 39,999

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Sgl Occupancy: $749 | ₹ 59,999

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