Luxury hiking to Australian Camp without guide in Nepal

Hiking to Australian Camp is easy and luxury. The hike from Kande is about 2km (1,5 hour walking) and a permit and/or guide is not needed.

With my motorcycle (you can also go by bus) I drive to Kande, around 32km from Pokhara.

The starting point of the hike is near to the busstop but is not super clear but the Tibetan ‘refugees’ can tell you (after buying some bracelet).

I bought an omelet for lunch and some chocolate in a small shop in Kande. In return they would keep an eye on my motorcycle for the night.

Hike

The hike to Australian Camp can be started from two villages: Kande and Dhampus. I choose for Kande because there is no checkpoint for the treking-permit. I heard that they will check for the permit in Dhampus and Australian Camp is just situated in the national park.

The way up is easy walkable with some steep stairs. The route is around 2km with 300m altitude difference. The total altitude is +/- 2050m on the top. The path is made out of gravel, sand and a lot of stone-stairs. I would say that it can be done on normal sporting shoes, hiking-shoes with some grip are more safer off course.

The route is poorly marked with red/white strips but the way up is pretty logical, especially if you see the path on google satellite maps.

On the track are some shops to buy water, soda or food for triple the price.

Australian Camp

At the top there are a few hotels and tents for hire, bringing your own tent is possible for a charge of 200NPR.

However it was still off-season, the hotels where already completely booked and I had to stay in a more expensive tent (800NPR). Making a reservation beforehand would be smarter, if you want to be sure for a place to stay the night.

Even with cloudy weather the camp was fantastic. The sunset was amazing, the luxury tent (with matres and blankets) had a view over the white tops of the Annapurna and there was even a possibility to have a bonfire. I was lucky a Chinese couple already paid 1000NPR for it and I could just join the warmth on this cold but beautiful night.

Waking up in a tent on the top of the mountain with a great sunrise makes the picture complete.

Conclusion

Must go if you around Pokhara! If you’re young or old, having trekking experience, equipment and condition or nothing of this. This trek is good for everybody and is a good start to taste the beauty of hiking.

Booking information

The best view-point of Australian Camp: Sunrise Tent Resort & Restaurant 9846304251, 9856021860, 9846777883, 9816108932

A bit more down, with tents surrounded by the hotel rooms: Australian Camp Guest House & Restaurant 9846208310, 9846604986

Tips

• It is smart to buy some snacks or drinks down because the prices on the track or on the top will be twice or triple the normal prices.
• From the camp there are possibilities (if you have a permit) to do some other hikes and stay an extra night in the camp.
• You can go down the other route if using public transportation. (I didn’t saw this route)
• The route I walked: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3510174-kande-to-australian-camp-nepal
• There is tap water and a shower, with a simple filter I didn’t have any problems with drinking this.
• If you want to be offline, leave your phone home. There is an internet connection.
• When I walked down one of the stairs was replaced by a ‘shortcut’. The government is working to connect the small villages/houses so maybe this hike would be just drivable on a road in a few time.