Trek to Nepal’s northern frontier with Tibet to experience the mystique of the fabled Kingdom of Mustang - yes there is still a King of Mustang! Closed to all foreigners since Nepal crushed the Khampa revolt against the communist Chinese in the early 1970s it has been reopened to a limited number of trekkers only recently. Here we find fascinating villages, Buddhist monasteries and medieval forts set amidst a scenery of the high Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau. Flying from Pokhara up the Kali Gandaki valley we land at Jomsom - the gate way to Mustang. From here we start our 10-day loop visiting Lo Manthang, the walled capital of Mustang and the famous cave temples at Luri, along with many monasteries and villages.

Moderate to rigorous trekking, and camping, generally between 2,750m (9,000ft) to 3690m (12,100ft) and hiking to a maximum of 4,207m (13,800ft). Fully supported trek with all meals and equipment led by experienced local guide. All equipment and luggage will be carried by porters. Clients carry day pack only and walk at an easy pace.

This trek, to Nepal’s remote and seldom seen wild west, is possibly one of the best long treks in the Himalaya. This follows the route taken by Peter Matthiessen and immortalized in his famous book The Snow Leopard. The Dolpo area was also the area where Rodney Jackson, a naturalist, conducted his study on the elusive snow leopards which became the subject of a National Geographic article and a book - Vanishing Tracks. This trek offers one of the remotest terrain, natural grandeur and Buddhist villages few westerners have yet visited. Starting by following the tropical Mayagdi Valley the trail crosses several high passes before getting to Tichurong and the Buddhist enclave of Dho and then to the famous Phoksumdo Lake (near where Matthiessen spotted his snow leopard) before swinging back to Dunai and ending with the flight out of Juphal to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu. A trek for those looking for some serious trekking.

Mardi Himal - South-West Face. Less than fifteen miles north of Pokhara, as the crow flies, this mountain is the most southerly of the Annapurna range. From some viewpoints it seems little more than an outlier on the south-west flank of Machhapuchhare. Mardi Himal is the lowest and perhaps least climbed or visited of the trekking peaks.

Once again it was Col. Jimmy Roberts who, with two Sherpas, climbed to the summit by a route on its East Flank in 1961. The normal route of ascent reaches a col from a glaciated amphitheatre that rises above a hidden plateau; the 'Other Sanctuary', as Roberts calls it. Although another route has been made on the south-West Face, Roberts' route is the only recorded line and the one used on most subsequent ascents.