6 Days Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

When you arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, your guide will be expecting you at the airport and bring you a nice ride to your hotel, where you can spend the rest of the day relaxing, or take in the local sights.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

The morning starts with the short flight to Pokhara, to the west of Kathmandu, followed by a drive of around 42 kilometers to Nayapul. From here, the trek starts with the first stage of the trail to Tikhe Dhunga. The trail heads out of Nayapul and through the village of Lumle to the vibrant town of Birethanti. As you pass through the main street of the town, the trail then continues out through bamboo forests and past a beautiful waterfall with its own popular swimming hole. Then it is on out of the bamboo to the pasturelands, which are often used by caravans of ponies carrying goods up into the mountains. The final leg is the climb up out of the valley to Tikhe Dhunga, the small village on the side of the valley.

Stay overnight in a Tikhe Dhunga guesthouse.

The second day of trekking sees you leaving Tikhe Dhunga and taking the steep climb up over the ridge to the Magar village of Ulleri, at an altitude of 2,070 meters above sea level. On the other side of Ulleri, it is an hour’s walk to the first rest point, and then you continue on up through oak and rhododendron forests to the village of Banthanti, at 2,250 meters. After Banthanti, the trail continues to head upwards to the settlement at Nangethanti, at 2,460 meters. From here, it is just another hour to the settlement of Ghorepani, which is often covered in snow in the early part of spring and late autumn, some of the best times to travel there. From the elevation of Ghorepani, around 2,840 meters, you get the best views of Dhaulagiri I (8,167m), Annapurna I (8,091m), Nilgiri (6,940m), and Himchuli (6,441m).

Stay overnight in a Ghorepani guesthouse.

The best part of the whole trek, today you will make the journey to Poon Hill, with the sun rising ahead of you from behind the high, mist-covered mountains of the mighty Himalayas. The trek to Poon Hill is a short one, and from this amazing viewing point, you have an amazing vista of the major mountains of the Annapurna Massif, as well as Himchuli, and the awesome Machhapuchhre (6,997 meters), the sacred mountain that is closed for trekkers and climbers to set foot on its slopes. After you have spent enough time at the site at Poon Hill your trek will continue on down to the small settlement of Tadapani, taking you through more of the famous Nepali rhododendron forests, which are in full bloom in spring, with 15 different types of rhododendron trees along the trail. In Tadapani you have the time to spend exploring and relaxing, before enjoying the last day of the trek.

Stay overnight in a Tadapani guesthouse.

The final day of the trek takes you across the meadows and woodlands to Ghandruk, at an altitude of 1,950 meters above sea level. A walk of around three hours, this delightfully quaint Gurung settlement is made up of a few dozen small houses made of quarried stone, and is a relaxing and tranquil place to take a break. Then you will continue on down the hills to the village of Kimche, where you will be picked up and taken back to Pokhara. From Pokhara, you will get the flight back to your hotel in Kathmandu.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

A few hours before your flight out of Nepal, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the Tribhuvan Airport, saying goodbye to the guide that has taken care of you for the trip.