The Royal Trek — the ridge Prince Charles walked in 1980

Four low, warm days east of Pokhara through farming villages, finishing at Begnas Lake. No altitude, no crowds, and no other trekkers at all.

By Dawa Gurung · 5 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

In 1980 Prince Charles walked a low ridge east of Pokhara with a considerable entourage, and the route has been called the Royal Trek ever since. It is one of the few trekking names in Nepal with a verifiable origin.

It has also been almost completely ignored for forty-odd years, because it tops out around 1,730 m and Nepal's trekking industry is built on altitude. Everyone wants a base camp.

What it offers instead is villages, ridge walking, rice terraces, an enormous amount of birdlife, and a genuine chance of not meeting another foreign trekker for four days.

What the walking is like

Gentle. You follow a ridge line east from near Pokhara through Kalikasthan, Syaglung and Chisapani, with the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhre along the northern horizon and terraced farmland dropping away on both sides.

Days are short, four to five hours, and the climbing is modest. There is no point on this trek where fitness is the limiting factor, which makes it unusual in the Annapurna region. The finish at Begnas Lake is one of the nicer endings in Nepali trekking — a quiet, green, largely undeveloped lake where you can swim and eat fresh fish, twenty minutes from Pokhara but a world away from Lakeside.

The villages are the point

Because the route stays low it passes through farming country rather than trekking infrastructure. Gurung and Brahmin-Chhetri villages, buffalo, millet and rice depending on the season, schools, and people going about a normal day.

There is very little trekking economy here, which cuts both ways. Accommodation is basic homestays and there is no menu in English. In exchange, nobody is trying to sell you anything.

Birdlife along the ridge is excellent and the low altitude means far more species than the high routes. We get birding groups asking for this specifically in spring.

Who it is for

People who want to walk in Nepal without altitude — because of age, health, a heart condition, small children, or simply because they do not enjoy being cold and breathless.

It is also the right answer for anyone visiting in deep winter or at the edges of monsoon, when the high routes are unpleasant or closed. It is not the trek for someone whose goal is a big mountain moment. You see the Annapurnas across a valley all day. You never get among them.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

Royal Trek4 days · 1,730 mRs 37,400 · See dates →Sikles Gurung Heritage Trek4 days · 2,000 mRs 40,100 · See dates →Panchase Hill Overnight Hike2 days · 2,500 mRs 17,300 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

Did Prince Charles really walk it?

Yes, in 1980, and the name stuck. Local guides who were young at the time still talk about the size of the support party.

Is 1,730 m too low to be interesting?

It depends what you want. You will not stand among the peaks. You will walk through real villages in comfortable weather with the whole Annapurna skyline in view, and you will have it to yourself.

Is it good for children?

One of the best options we have. Short days, no altitude, warm nights, and villages full of other children.

What is the accommodation like?

Homestays and very simple lodges. Clean and friendly, with limited facilities. Bring a sleeping bag liner and a headtorch.

Can I do it in monsoon?

Better than most treks, though it will be humid, green and leech-prone, with the mountains often hidden. Spring and winter are the sweet spots.

Six more walks around Pokhara, including ones we do not sellDhampus, Kalikasthan, Naudanda, the Begnas–Rupa ridge, Astam and Pumdikot. No package, no guide needed for most — just go.7 min read →Birding around Pokhara: lakes, forest and the spring migrationKaski district holds several hundred species between the wetlands and the forest above them, and the best sites are a taxi ride from Lakeside.6 min read →Walking in the Himalaya in your seventiesAltitude, stairs and long days are the three things that stop people — and all three are avoidable without giving up the mountains.6 min read →A day at Begnas and Rupa: the lakes nobody photographsTwenty-five minutes east of Lakeside there are two more lakes, a wooded ridge between them, and almost no visitors at all.5 min read →

Still deciding?

Tell us your dates and how much walking you have actually done, and we will tell you honestly whether this trek is the right one for you.

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