We went trekking in the Himalayas with the kids – here’s how our family adventure in Nepal went

After a whole day of plane travel, I found myself helping a Nepali traveller remove his gold necklace for security checks just before exiting Tribhuvan International Airport. It wasn’t how I imagined our adventure would unfold but it was nice to have a small moment of human connection upon landing amidst the chaos.

In December of last year, on a whim enabled by affordable off-season flight tickets, we headed to Nepal with our children – Elna, eight, and Llucia, four – on their first trek. There’s nowhere better to develop a love for the mountains than in the country that has eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks.

My plan in Nepal was simple – visit the Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara and trek for a few days in the Himalayas. Not too much of an ask with young children, I suppose.

We picked a manageable 3,200m trek in the lower Annapurna region and rented a pony to give the two girls extra motivation. The pony was a splurge and would restrict us to certain routes but it also meant we would be more likely to complete the five-day trek with the girls taking turns riding the pony if they were tired.

OF SERPENTS AND GURKHAS