Annapurna Ghorepani “Poonhill” Trek

Half-day sightseeing tour of UNESCO Bhaktapur and Kathmandu, including Buddhist and Hindu temples and shrines reflecting ancient local traditions. There is time to explore the city’s many places of interest on your own or take a rest while trekking permits are finalized. In the evening, sample a delicious traditional Nepali dinner. Overnight in Kathmandu

Fly or drive to Pokhara, from where you will depart on your trek. Overnight in Pokhara

Your trekking guide will meet you at your hotel at 06:30 a.m. to escort you to the airport, from where we take a plane to Pokhara, which takes about 25 minutes of flight time. Drive by car via the large village of Lumle and walk for about 20 minutes to Birethanti, a large and prosperous town. The trail follows the main street of Birethanti, going through bamboo forests and past a large waterfall and swimming hole. Beyond a pasture used by pony caravans, the trail reaches Sudami where you will have your lunch. After lunch, climb steadily up the side of the valley, reaching Hile at 1,495 m near Tikhe Dhunga (4 hrs).

Breakfast is served at 7:00 a.m. From Tikhe Dhunga the trail crosses a stream on a suspension bridge near the camp site at Tikhe Dhunga. The trail ascends a steep stone staircase (which has about 3,300 steps) to the large Magar village of Ulleri at 2,080 m. Above the village, the trail climbs gently through pastures and cultivated fields. There is a camp site for a rest and water stop one hour’s walk above Ulleri. The trail crosses two sparkling streams before making a short, final climb to Nangethanti, where we will stop for lunch. Thanti is a Nepali word meaning “rest house." In the winter, the trail can be covered with snow. From Nangethanti, we will climb to Ghorepani at 2,750 m. From here, we can see the spectacular panorama of Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m), Tukuche Nilgiri (6,940 m), Annapurna South (8,091 m), Himchuli (6,441 m), and Tarke Kang (7,189 m). Overnight in Ghorepani (4-6 hrs).

An early start and a 60-minute hike to Poon Hill (3,195 m) leads to a brilliant spectacle: an unobstructed view of sunrise over the high Himalayas. After about 40 minutes, we will descend to Ghorepani for breakfast before beginning our climb to Tadapani. The trail leads along ridges and through pine and rhododendron forests to Deurali (2,960 m). Then start the descend to Banthanti, leading to Tadapani (6 hrs).

The Ghandruk trail descends steeply through forests to the village of Ghandruk, where we will arrive around noon. We will overnight here, so we will have the afternoon to visit the Annapurna Conservation Office and museum, as well as take time to explore this maze-like village (3 hrs).

Today we'll make our way down from Ghandruk to the Modi Khola river, which we'll cross via a suspension bridge. Our trail then climbs up a stone staircase to the village of Landruk, a Gurung village at 1620 meters. We will pass some oval-shaped houses before ascending to the village of Tolka on a long stone staircase (3 hours).

Today we will have the option of returning directly to Nayapul along a more leisurely downhill trail or taking a steep ascent to another small settlement called Deurali atop a hill at 2,150 m. This is a different village than the one we passed on Day 4, although they both have the same name. From here, we descend on a stone-paved trail to the village of Pothana (1,990 m) before reaching Phedi (950 m). We arrive in Phedi mid-afternoon and take our private transport back to Pokhara (4 hours).

Fly or drive back to Kathmandu.

Depart from Kathmandu.