Poon Hill Trek is the best bang for your buck multi-day trek in Nepal. It is easily accessible, relatively easy & short, and offers incredible scenery and cultural experiences. If you are short on time or do not want the physical challenge of hiking all the way to Everest or Annapurna Base camp, but still want a trekking experience, then Poon Hill is your best bet. We run trips to Nepal and other adventurous destinations and you can see the upcoming tours.

Overview: Poon Hill is in the Annapurna region and is part of the greater Annapurna circuit. You can do Poon Hill without doing the entire Annapurna circuit and it is accessible via jeep from Pokhara. The ideal time is 4-5 days to complete the trek. There are plenty of teahouses and restaurants that cater to trekkers along the way. The best seasons are shoulder seasons: Spring (Mar-May) & Autumn (Sep-Nov). You will need permits: The TIMS card & the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit. You can organize everything in person via a travel agency in Pokhara or Kathmandu. Or youou can save time and organize everything in advance- my go to travel agency in Nepal is Royal Mountain Travel.

Guide/Porter: As of post-Covid timeframe it is required that all trekkers are accompanied by a guide when trekking in Nepal. However, I haven’t seen it enforced on my last two visits, but I was also with a guide so maybe I didn’t notice. Guides and porters are really affordable in Nepal and they will ensure all of your teahouses, permits, meals, rides, etc are all lined up and all you need to focus on is one foot in front of the other and enjoying yourself. For the more experienced hikers it also very doable independently and there are plenty of teahouses along the way to book as you go. The past two treks I’ve done in Nepal I’ve used Royal Mountain Travel and cannot recommend them enough; they handled everything seamlessly and have the best guides.

Porters and Guides made the trek much more enjoyable

Itinerary:

Day 1: Pokhara to Nayapul to Ulleri

Jeep ride from Pokhara to Nayapul is about two hours. You will need to stop in Nayapul to show your permits and check in for the trek. Nayapul used to be the launching off point for the trek, but it is now possible to take a jeep all the way to Ulleri village. The Nayapul to Ulleri trek is along a dusty road and is not very nice, but the jeep ride from Nayapul to Ulleri is a little over an hour and very bumpy. Overnight in Ulleri village at 2070M elevation.

Day 2: Ulleri to Ghorepani

About a 4 hour slow and steady ascent to Ghorepani. There are plenty of opportunities to refuel & rest at small shops/restaurants/teahouses along the way. It is a wonderful day of hiking; passing through mountain scenery, Buddhist shrines, and Himalayan villages. Overnight in Ghorpepani at ~2800M.

Day 3: Ghorepani- Poon Hill Summit- Ghorepani- Tadapani

Wake up at about 4am for a steep hike in the dark up to Poon Hill Summit(3210M). You will want a headlamp to aid in visibility. It is about a 2 hour steep hike up to the summit of Poon Hill. As long as the weather is good you will have incredible views of the Annapurna range including the famous Fishtail mountain with sunrising behind them. It is the highlight of the trek, but the most challenging leg of the journey. This part of the trek is optional because after the sunrise hike you will descend back down to your teahouse in Ghorepani for breakfast. After breakfast it is a challenging 5 hour trek to Tadapani village. The 5 hour trek is not a direct descent you will go up and down through various mountain passes. Overnight in Tadapani at 2600M.

Day 4/5: Tadapani to Ghandruk to Pokhara

Today is a relatively easy 3-4 hours of hiking. Arrival into Ghandruk village and celebrate finishing your trek. Ghandruk is a well preserved ancient Gurung village with a range of accommodations, beautiful architecture/scenery, and a Tibetan style monastery. You can head back to Pokhara straight from Ghandruk or opt to spend a night in Ghandruk. If you have the time, Ghandruk village is worth spending a night in. From Ghandruk it is about a 2-3 hour jeep ride back to Pokhara.

Conclusion: I choose to do the Poon Hill trek because I only had two weeks in Nepal and I wanted to do more than just trekking in the mountains the whole time. This trek gave me a good feel for trekking culture and was a good challenge for myself, but also didn’t take up my entire two weeks. Hanging out in the teahouses after trekking is really special, you are mostly disconnected and get the opportunity to connect with Nepali’s and travelers. The views from Poon Hill at sunrise are incredible and it’s hard to articulate the feeling of trekking in the Himalayas. You can see our tour to Nepal here. Also check out the top things to see in Nepal and Nepal itinerary,

Poon Hill Trek Guide

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