28°15′N · 83°50′E · 8,091 M
Private and small-group treks in the Nepal Himalaya, led by Mukunda — an Annapurna guide of twenty years. From a one-week ridge to the full Circuit over Thorong La. Five departures, October 2026 to April 2027.
Five departures · Oct 2026 → Apr 2027
MH-07 Annapurna · 7 days · max 4,500 m
A short, quiet ridge with a startling view.
Mardi Himal is the trek I send people on when they have one week, no acclimatisation history, and want to come home changed. The route climbs through cloud forest onto a high ridge that opens — without warning — onto Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna south wall.
AC-21 Annapurna · 21 days · max 5,416 m
The classic, end to end — over Thorong La at 5,416 m.
The Circuit is the trek that put Nepal on my map and on most of my clients'. Three weeks, four climate zones, a single pass that asks you for everything.
UM-17 Mustang · 17 days · max 3,840 m
A walled kingdom behind the Annapurnas. Permit-restricted.
Upper Mustang is a desert above the clouds — geologically Tibetan, culturally Tibetan, politically Nepali. You need a restricted-area permit ($500 USD for ten days, included in the price), and that fee is what keeps it the way it is.
AS-13 Annapurna · 13 days · max 4,130 m
Into the amphitheatre — Base Camp at 4,130 m.
The Sanctuary is a glacial basin ringed by ten peaks above 7,000 m. To reach it you walk through bamboo forest, climb stone staircases that Sherpa porters built two hundred years ago, and emerge into an amphitheatre where the silence is the loudest thing.
LV-13 Langtang · 13 days · max 4,984 m
The closest range to Kathmandu, the warmest welcome.
Langtang was flattened by the 2015 earthquake and rebuilt by its own people. To trek there is to walk a route that needs you — the Tamang and Tibetan villages depend on it.
Looking for private dates or a custom route? Send a custom enquiry
The guide
I grew up below Annapurna II in the village of Sikles, and I walked the Mardi ridge before I owned shoes. I have been guiding professionally since 2005 — a TAAN-licensed lead guide, ACAP-certified, Wilderness First Responder recertified in 2022. I run no more than ten treks a year. I want every one of them to be the kind a client tells their friends about — quietly, over dinner, years later.
Field notes
Mukunda carries one camera. The filler images here are CC-licensed Wikimedia photographs of the same trails — they'll be swapped for his own before launch.
In their own words
Mukunda made the altitude feel manageable — he was reading us before we read ourselves. I had a headache on day six and he caught it before I did. The whole trip was unhurried in the best way.
I am a fast walker and I have done the Tour du Mont Blanc twice. Mukunda slowed me down and I am glad. The Circuit is not a race and he knew that without saying so.
Upper Mustang was the most surprising landscape I have ever walked through. Mukunda's connections with the homestay families — many of whom he has known for fifteen years — gave us a trek that no agency could buy.
We were two retirees a little nervous about altitude. Mukunda built our trip around two extra acclimatisation days. He never made us feel slow, never made us feel like the youngest weren't on the same trek with us.
I went to Langtang specifically because the valley needed the visit. Mukunda introduced us to the rebuilt village himself — his cousin is the headmaster of the new school. The trek was honest, the welcome was real.
I booked Mardi Himal as my first ever Himalayan trek with one week of holiday. I have since done two more with Mukunda. He is patient with people who are new at this, and honest with the rest.
What you're paying for
Common questions
The ten questions I'm asked most often. If yours isn't here, send it through the form.
If you can walk 6 hours over hilly terrain at home, comfortably, several days in a row — you can do a 10- to 13-day trek with me. For the 21-day Circuit you should also have some long-distance walking experience (a coast path, the Alps, Mont Blanc). I'd rather you arrive a little overprepared than struggle on day eight.
No. Most of my clients are first-time trekkers above 3,500 m. We schedule rest days, walk slowly, and watch for symptoms daily. I carry an oximeter and a satellite messenger. Real altitude sickness is rare on my treks because we treat acclimatisation as a non-negotiable, not a delay.
Everything from the moment you land in Kathmandu or Pokhara until you fly home: permits, lodging, all meals, guide and porters, ground transport, internal flights where listed, and a 24-hour satellite messenger. Not included: international flights, the Nepal visa on arrival (~$50), travel insurance, your trekking gear (rentable in Kathmandu), and tips.
Travel insurance with mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation up to your trek's maximum altitude (5,500 m for the Circuit). I check the policy at the briefing. Recommended providers for UK clients: True Traveller, World Nomads Explorer, BMC, Snowcard. EU: Globelink. US: Global Rescue.
I send a one-page gear list when you book. Almost everything is rentable cheaply in Kathmandu — down jacket, sleeping bag rated -10 °C, trekking poles. You should bring your own broken-in boots, base layers, a small daypack, and any specific personal medication.
Send me an inquiry through the form below. I reply personally within 48 hours (Nepal time). If we're a good match, I send you a one-page agreement, a gear list, and a 25% deposit invoice. The balance is due 30 days before the start date. Cash, bank transfer, or Wise — whichever is easiest for you.
Teahouse menus are remarkably consistent. Daal bhat (rice, lentils, vegetables — unlimited refills) is your reliable hot meal at altitude. Eggs, fried rice, noodle soup, momos, porridge are all available. Vegetarian is easy. Vegan is doable but tell me in advance. Hot tea is constant.
Ncell and NTC SIM cards work in most villages on the Annapurna routes. Wi-Fi is available in teahouses for 200–500 NPR per day, often slow. Upper Mustang and high points on the Circuit are off-grid — I carry a Garmin inReach for emergencies and a daily check-in to your designated contact at home.
Yes — six is my preferred maximum on the open-booking treks. For a private group (four or more), I run the trek on dates you choose and can adapt the itinerary. Email me and we'll talk.
Deposits are refundable up to 60 days before the trek minus a small admin fee. After that, the deposit is non-refundable but transferable to a future trek with me within 18 months. The balance is fully refundable up to 30 days before. Force majeure (visa denial, family emergency, illness) — we'll talk like adults.
Begin an enquiry
No booking engine, no automated funnel, no payment requested at this stage. Send the form and I'll write back with availability, a gear list, and any questions of my own.
