Valley Ridge Trek
Explore Scenic Trails
6-Day Valley Ridge Trek
The Valley Ridge Trek is a 6-day trek starting and finishing in Kathmandu. A normal day is 5 to 6 hours of walking. We run it as a private trip on your own dates, or as a small group departure.
Gurung and Magar in the middle hills, Thakali in the Kali Gandaki, Tibetan Buddhist in Manang and Mustang. The Thakali dal bhat set through the Kali Gandaki is genuinely one of the best meals in Nepal. Apple products from Marpha.
Graded easy. Days are short and the walking is on good trail, which makes this a sensible first Himalayan trek and a realistic one with older parents or children. Thorong La at 5,416 m on the Circuit is the serious altitude. The Sanctuary treks top out at 4,130 m and are far more forgiving.
Best time to go. March to May and October to November. Spring is the rhododendron season in the middle hills; autumn gives the sharpest mountain views. The Annapurna region is also the most workable of the big treks in December and January below 3,500 m.
Permits and getting there. Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) permit and a TIMS card, both included and issued in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you start. Road access from Pokhara. Tourist bus or private vehicle from Kathmandu to Pokhara is 6 to 8 hours, or a 25-minute flight. Note that in autumn 2026 the Prithvi Highway has suffered landslide damage at Krishnabhir, so we check road status before every departure and switch to flights when needed.
Where you sleep. Some of the best teahouses in Nepal. Attached bathrooms and hot showers are common as far as Chhomrong and Manang; above that, twin rooms with shared facilities.
Why book with us. Trekking Team is a family company in Gongabu, Kathmandu, running trips since 1991 under TAAN licence 1106. About ten thousand people have travelled with us and we hold more than 630 TripAdvisor reviews. Every departure runs with a government-licensed guide, permits arranged before you arrive, insured and equipped staff, and a fixed price. If the dates or the route do not suit you, write to us and we will rebuild the itinerary around what you want.
Trip Summary
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Included
- Airport pick-up and drop-off in a private vehicle
- Kathmandu to Pokhara and back by tourist coach or by air, plus private vehicle between Pokhara and the trailhead
- Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) permit and TIMS card
- Government-licensed, first-aid trained trekking guide, paid, insured and equipped by us
- Porter support, one porter between two trekkers, carrying up to 20 kg, insured and issued boots, jacket and shelter
- Teahouse accommodation on trek, twin share, booked ahead in the peak weeks
- Hotel in Kathmandu on a bed and breakfast basis, as listed in the itinerary
- Down jacket, four-season sleeping bag and duffel bag on free loan for the trek
- Route map, trip completion certificate and a farewell dinner in Kathmandu
- Staff wages, insurance, meals, accommodation and equipment
- All government taxes, VAT and company service charges
- Secure storage for the luggage you leave in Kathmandu
Not Included
- International flights and the Nepal visa fee
- Meals on trek. Our packages run on a bed and breakfast basis: add a prepaid meal plan when you book, or pay the teahouses directly as you go
- Lunches and dinners in Kathmandu
- Travel insurance covering medical treatment, helicopter evacuation and repatriation. This is compulsory and we need your policy details before departure
- Personal trekking clothing and equipment
- Drinks of any kind: bottled water, soft drinks, alcohol and hot drinks
- Hot showers, battery charging, wifi and hot water bottles at the lodges
- Supplementary oxygen, which is always an optional extra
- Extra nights in Kathmandu, and any cost arising from an early return, a flight delay or a change of itinerary caused by weather or illness
- Emergency helicopter evacuation, which your insurance must cover
- Tips for your guide, porters and drivers
- Anything not listed under what is included
Get started on your journey
Detailed itinerary
Arrival in Kathmandu
You will be met in the arrivals hall at Tribhuvan International Airport and driven to your hotel, usually 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Nepal issues visas on arrival: fill in the form at the electronic kiosks before the payment desk, and bring a passport photograph and cash in a major currency to speed it up.
Once you have settled in, your guide will come to the hotel for a full briefing: the day by day plan, the gear check, what the weather is doing, and any questions you have been saving up. This is also when we collect passport details for permits if we do not already have them.
Kathmandu sits at about 1,400 m so there is no altitude concern tonight. If you arrive early enough, the walk from Thamel down to the Durbar Square area is a good first hour in the city.
Altitude: 1,350 m | Overnight: 3-5 Stars | Meals: Breakfast
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Kathmandu: Sightseeing and Trek Preparation
Spend the day exploring the cultural heritage of Kathmandu with a guided sightseeing tour. Visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), Boudhanath Stupa, and Pashupatinath Temple. Prepare for the trek and meet with the team for final preparations. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is the old royal complex of the Malla kings and later the Shah dynasty, a dense cluster of pagoda temples, courtyards and palace wings built between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries. The Kumari Ghar here houses Nepal's living goddess, a young girl selected from the Newar Shakya community who appears at her carved window most afternoons. Much of the square was damaged in the 2015 earthquake and the restoration work, done with traditional joinery and reused timber, is itself worth watching.
Pashupatinath is the most important Hindu temple in Nepal and one of the great Shiva shrines of the subcontinent, a UNESCO site on the banks of the Bagmati. Non-Hindus cannot enter the main temple but the far bank gives an open view across the ghats, where open-air cremations take place through the day. It is confronting the first time and it is also completely ordinary here, a public part of life rather than something hidden. Sadhus in ochre sit along the terraces, and the evening aarti draws a crowd.
Swayambhunath sits on a hill west of the city, reached by 365 stone steps through a forest full of rhesus macaques, which is where the nickname Monkey Temple comes from. The stupa is one of the oldest religious sites in the valley, with the Buddha's eyes painted on all four sides of the harmika and a spire of thirteen gilded rings. The terrace gives the best single view over Kathmandu, and it is at its best in the early morning when the kora is busy with local worshippers.
Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world and the centre of Tibetan Buddhist life in Nepal, particularly since 1959 when refugees settled around it. The white dome is 36 m across, ringed by prayer wheels, and surrounded by more than fifty gompas belonging to different lineages. Walk the kora clockwise at dusk with the local crowd and the monks coming out of evening puja: it is the single most atmospheric hour in Kathmandu.
Altitude: 1,350 m | Overnight: 3-5 Stars | Meals: Breakfast
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Drive to Sundarijal and trek to Chisapani
After breakfast, drive to Sundarijal, the starting point of your trek. Begin your trek with a gentle ascent through the lush forests of Shivapuri National Park. Pass through picturesque villages and terraced fields before reaching Chisapani, where you can enjoy stunning views of the Himalayas. Overnight at a teahouse in Chisapani.
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park rises straight out of the northern edge of the city and gives the closest real hill walking to Kathmandu. Forest trails through oak and rhododendron lead up towards Shivapuri peak at 2,732 m, past the Nagi Gompa nunnery, with valley views on one side and the Himalaya on the other on a clear day.
Altitude: 1,550 m | Travel: 4 to 5 hours | Overnight: Tea House | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Trek from Chisapani to Nagarkot
Today's trek takes you along the scenic ridges, offering panoramic views of the Langtang and Ganesh Himal ranges. The trail passes through charming villages and forests, gradually ascending to Nagarkot, a popular hill station known for its breathtaking sunrise and sunset views over the Himalayas. Overnight at a hotel in Nagarkot.
Nagarkot is a ridge village at about 2,175 m on the eastern rim of the valley, an hour and a half from Kathmandu, and it is where people go for the Himalayan sunrise. On a clear morning the view runs from Dhaulagiri in the west through Ganesh Himal, Langtang and Gauri Shankar to Everest on the far eastern horizon. The clearest months are October to March; in summer you may see nothing at all.
Altitude: 2,175 m | Travel: 5 to 6 hours | Overnight: Hotel | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Trek from Nagarkot to Nala-Banepa, Bhaktapur sightseeing, and return to Kathmandu
Wake up early to catch the sunrise over the Himalayas. After breakfast, trek down to Nala and Banepa, enjoying the scenic landscapes and local culture along the way. From Banepa, drive to Bhaktapur for a sightseeing tour of this ancient city, known for its well-preserved temples, palaces, and courtyards. After exploring Bhaktapur, drive back to Kathmandu. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Bhaktapur is the best preserved of the three medieval cities in the valley and the one where the old town still functions as a town rather than a monument. Brick lanes open into Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square with the five-tiered Nyatapola temple, and Dattatreya Square with the Peacock Window. Pottery Square is genuinely a working pottery, not a display. Give it a full half day rather than an hour, and try the juju dhau, the local king curd served in a clay bowl.
Nagarkot is a ridge village at about 2,175 m on the eastern rim of the valley, an hour and a half from Kathmandu, and it is where people go for the Himalayan sunrise. On a clear morning the view runs from Dhaulagiri in the west through Ganesh Himal, Langtang and Gauri Shankar to Everest on the far eastern horizon. The clearest months are October to March; in summer you may see nothing at all.
Altitude: 1,440 m | Overnight: 3-5 Stars | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
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Final Departure
Transfer to the airport about three hours before your international flight. If you have a late departure we will hold a day room or arrange a final few hours in the city rather than leave you sitting in the terminal.
If you would rather not go home yet, this is the easy point to extend: a few days in Pokhara, a wildlife stay in Chitwan or Bardiya, a short Bhutan add-on, or a rest week somewhere quiet. Tell us before you travel and we will build it in at cost rather than as a late upgrade.
Altitude: 1,350 m | Meals: Breakfast
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Getting ready
Two to three months of preparation makes the difference between enduring this trip and enjoying it. Walk hills, not treadmills. Build to a five or six hour day with a 7 kg pack, twice a week, and add a back-to-back weekend so your legs learn what consecutive days feel like. Stairs with a loaded pack are the best substitute if you live somewhere flat.
Break in your boots properly. More trips are ruined by new footwear than by altitude.
Permits and paperwork
Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) permit and a TIMS card, both included and issued in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you start.
Nepal issues visas on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport: 15, 30 or 90 days, payable in cash in most major currencies or by card. Bring two passport photographs and make sure your passport has at least six months validity.
Money, tipping and costs on the ground
Nepali rupees are the only currency accepted on the trail. Draw cash in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you leave; ATMs have a per-transaction limit of around NPR 35,000 and charge a fee, and above the roadhead there are no machines and no card terminals.
Budget roughly USD 10 to 20 a day for drinks, snacks, hot showers, charging and wifi that are not in the price. Bottled water is best avoided for both cost and plastic reasons.
Tipping is customary and genuinely matters to the crew, but it is not compulsory and never demanded. As a guide to the guide: around USD 8 to 12 per day for your trekking guide and USD 6 to 8 for each porter, pooled by the group and handed over at the end.
Staying in touch
Wi-Fi in most lodges, mobile signal along much of the route, and mains charging at low cost.
Ncell and Nepal Telecom tourist SIM cards are sold at Kathmandu airport and take about ten minutes. Bring your passport.
What to pack
We send a full checklist when you book. The items people most often get wrong:
- Broken-in boots with ankle support, plus trainers or sandals for the evenings
- A four-season down sleeping bag rated to at least minus 10 C, and a down jacket. We lend both at no charge if you would rather not buy them
- Layers rather than bulk: thermal base, fleece, windproof shell, waterproof jacket and trousers
- Sun hat, warm hat, glove liners and warm gloves, and category 4 sunglasses. Snow glare at altitude is brutal
- A one-litre bottle plus a two-litre bladder, and a SteriPen or chlorine tablets so you can refill instead of buying plastic
- Personal first aid: blister plasters, ibuprofen, rehydration salts, antiseptic, any prescriptions in original packaging
- A 20,000 mAh power bank, headtorch with spare batteries, and a two-pin European plug adapter
Health and safety
No vaccinations are legally required for Nepal, but hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are sensible and a rabies course is worth discussing if you are travelling for a long time. Check with a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly.
Drink treated water rather than bottled where you can, wash hands before every meal, and eat what is freshly cooked. Stomach upsets ruin more trekking days than altitude does.
Our guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit. We hold a 24-hour operations line in Kathmandu throughout your trip, and we run rescue coordination ourselves rather than handing it to a third party.
Responsible trekking
We pay porters above the TAAN minimum, insure every member of staff, cap load weights and provide boots, jackets and shelter at altitude. That is not a marketing line; it is the reason our crew come back season after season and some have been with the family for twenty years.
On the trail: carry your rubbish out, use refill points instead of plastic bottles, ask before photographing people, walk clockwise around mani walls and chortens, and give way to loaded yaks on the mountain side of the path, not the drop side.
Booking and cancellation
A deposit confirms your dates and the balance is due before departure. If your plans change we will move your booking to another date rather than treat it as a cancellation wherever the ground operators allow it.
Written quotes are fixed. We do not add fuel or permit surcharges after you have booked, and if a government fee rises between your booking and your departure we absorb it.
Questions before you commit are welcome and never rushed. Write to us with what you actually want and we will tell you plainly whether this trip is the right one, including when the answer is that a different route would suit you better.
Ready to start your journey?
Start planning your dream trip today. Enquire now for more information or customize this trip to tailor it to your needs and make it truly unforgettable.