Ghorepani and Poon Hill: A Day-by-Day Guide to the Classic Short Trek

If you ask a Pokhara trekking agent for a short trek with big views and comfortable lodges, the answer is almost always Poon Hill. The loop through Ghorepani and Ghandruk has been popular for decades, and for good reason: in under a week it offers forest, villages, a superb mountain panorama and a manageable altitude.

The shape of the route

The trek forms a rough horseshoe in the foothills south of the Annapurna range. You climb from the Modi Khola valley to the pass village of Ghorepani, make a pre-dawn ascent of Poon Hill, traverse east along a forested ridge, and descend through the Gurung village of Ghandruk. It can be walked in either direction; the description here goes clockwise.

Day one: Pokhara to Ulleri or Banthanti

A drive of about two hours brings you to the roadhead. Jeep tracks now extend well beyond the old starting point of Nayapul, and many groups drive as far as Hille or even to Ulleri, cutting out the lowest section.

If you start from Tikhedhunga, the day is dominated by the Ulleri staircase: more than three thousand stone steps climbing relentlessly up a hillside. Take it slowly, drink plenty and rest at the tea shops. The Magar village of Ulleri, at about 2,000 metres, has the first good mountain views. Some walkers continue an hour further to Banthanti.

Day two: to Ghorepani

A gentler day of four to five hours through oak and rhododendron forest, alongside streams and small waterfalls. In March and April the trees are covered in red, pink and white flowers. Ghorepani sits on a saddle at about 2,860 metres and is a large cluster of lodges with a stove-warmed dining room in each. The afternoon is free to rest and look across at Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South from the upper end of the village.

Go to bed early.

Day three: Poon Hill, then Tadapani

Wake around half past four. With a headlamp, climb the stone stairway from Ghorepani to the summit of Poon Hill at about 3,210 metres. It takes forty-five minutes to an hour. A small fee is collected on the way.

At the top there is a viewing tower and a tea stall. As the light comes, the peaks appear from west to east: the massive bulk of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Nilgiri, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and the tip of Machhapuchhre. In peak season you will share the moment with a few hundred people. It is still wonderful.

Return to Ghorepani for breakfast, then set off east. The trail climbs to a ridge with views that many people think equal Poon Hill's, then drops steeply through dense forest to a stream and climbs again to Tadapani, a small lodge settlement at about 2,600 metres. It is a long day of six to seven hours including the morning climb.

Day four: Tadapani to Ghandruk and out

Sunrise from Tadapani looks straight at Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South. After breakfast, descend for three hours through forest alive with birds and langur monkeys to Ghandruk, a large village of slate-roofed stone houses. Have lunch on a terrace facing the mountains and visit the small Gurung museum.

From Ghandruk a jeep road leads back to the highway and Pokhara in about three hours. With a fifth day you can spend the night in the village and leave in the morning, which is the more relaxed option.

How hard is it?

The altitude is modest and no technical skill is required. The challenge is the steps, both up and down. Knees take a pounding on the descents, so trekking poles are well worth carrying. Anyone with basic fitness who can walk five or six hours with breaks will manage.

Lodges and food

Accommodation is in family-run lodges with twin rooms, shared or attached bathrooms and hot showers, usually solar or gas heated. Dining rooms have a central stove. Menus offer dal bhat, noodles, soups, potatoes, eggs and pancakes. Charging devices and wifi are available for a small charge in most places.

Best time

October to early December and March to April. Winter brings cold nights and occasional snow at Ghorepani but very clear skies. In the monsoon the trail is slippery, leeches are active and the mountains are often hidden.

Variations

• Shorter: drive to Ulleri, walk to Ghorepani, climb Poon Hill and return the same way in three days.

• Longer: continue from Tadapani to Chhomrong and on to Annapurna Base Camp.

• Quieter: branch off from Ghorepani to the community lodges on the Khopra ridge.

Poon Hill is popular because it works. It gives a first-time trekker the full pattern of a Himalayan walk in miniature, with a sunrise at its centre that earns its reputation.