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10 Night 11 Days
Daily Tour
16 people
English, Hindi, Japanese
Just a stone’s throw away, Poon Hill Trek is ideal for trekkers with limited time and want to discover the Himalayan mountains on an easy to moderate grade trek. The trek offers the best of greenery, Himalayan villages, waterfalls and mountains, topped off with a stunning sunrise seen from Poon Hill. With the facade of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu mountain ranges – all with 8000m+ mountains – right in front of you, watch the first ray of light fall on snow-clad summits. The change of colors is remarkable – from the dark skies as we reach Poon Hill to the burning embers of sunrise, it is truly an incredible sight. The fresh, crisp and chilly mountain air adds a depth to watching the mountains in awe.
The trek also goes through Ghandruk – a large village of Gurung ethnicity and has myriad tiny alleyways to navigate. Paddy fields, monasteries, museums and just the lives and lifestyle of people is something we get to discover. The village itself is as photogenic as its cheery habitants. Fishtail Mountain (local name Machhapuchhare), bearing its name from its shape, stands prominently in the horizon, as do Annapurna South and Hiuchuli. On the other end of the panorama seen from Ghandruk is the deep valley that stretches southward, with layers and layers of hills.
Though a short one, Poon Hill Trek never fails to mesmerize travellers and yearn for longer treks in the Himalayas.
Best months: January to May; October to December
Upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, a staff from Himalayan Adventure Girls will pick you up and transfer to your hotel. After checking into the hotel and getting some rest, head out to explore the town a bit. Your guide will host a trip briefing session in the evening at your hotel. Crucial matters like itinerary, gear check and safety precautions will be discussed. If you have any gear missing, please rent or purchase them from a trekking shop nearby.
Accommodation: Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
A short domestic flight from Kathmandu takes you to the lovely lakeside city of Pokhara. The flight is 25 minutes and sports incredible views of mountains on right side of the aircraft and vast southern plain on the left side. Once in Pokhara, your guide will take you to the hotel. Settle in and after a bit of rest we’re off to explore Lakeside, the most popular street in Pokhara by Phewa Lake. Weather permitting, the Annapurna range will be visible above Pokhara’s hills.
Later we drive to the outskirts of Lakeside, to a village called Sedi, and visit the house of one of our female guides. She will lovingly prepare local and typical lunch for us, which we enjoy with the views of Phewa Lake and Lakeside. After lunch, we will walk for about 15 minutes to a small school nearby, and you are welcome to provide donations to the school that has actively supported kids from underprivileged families.
Accommodation: Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Meals Included: Breakfast
We gear up for the trek today, which begins after a few hours drive from pokhara. The drive is smooth on the highway for the first half and gets bumpy after Birethanti. We get the first glimpses of rugged landscape and trails of the trek. We get off at Kimche and begin the trek. It will be a short day of walking but the greenery, rivers, local lifestyle and architecture instantly give us a feeling we’re far off from the urban civilization. We check into a teahouse once we reach Ghandruk - a large Gurung settlement that has incredible views of Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Fishtail Mountain.
Overnight at a teahouse in Ghandruk
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
The sunrise is quite a sight from Ghandruk, so wake up early and watch the mountains turn bright orange at dawn. We begin our walk farther up the hills today. Walking along the uphill trails, we can feel the moisture in the woods, giving us an idea of how thick the forest is. We cross a rivulet several times on the way, along with waterfalls, as we trudge on to Tadapani. The village itself is perched on a ridge and has glorious panoramic views of the Annapurnas. Get a breath of fresh mountain air, a cup of coffee and the Himalayas ahead - perfect way to top off the day.
Overnight at a teahouse in Tadapani
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Continuing on the flowy trails through the dense jungle, we make our way to Ghorepani today. The trek is 4 to 5 hours but thoroughly enjoyable. Once you exit the forest onto the clearing of Deurali, the grand Himalayan views immediately appear - Dhaulagiri on the left and Annaurna to the right, towering over the horizon with the valley running deep below. Just a sight to behold. We head down for a short while and reach Ghorepani. “Ghoda” means horse, and “pani” means water, hence in earlier times the place served as a water stop for horses. We sleep early today as we have to wake up really early in the morning to make our way to Poon Hill.
Overnight at a teahouse in Ghorepani
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Our day starts very early in the morning today to Poon Hill. The 1 hr walk will be just before dawn so we don’t miss the incredible sunrise. It’s an uphill walk from Ghorepani to Poon Hill, but the views sported at the top makes us forget the woes. Poon Hill is situated at 3,200m in elevation and has amazing views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountain ranges right at eye level. On the other side, layers of hills and alpine forests are silhouetted by the dark dawn skies. As the sun appears, the colors of the skies change and bright orange and yellow skies are visible above the mountains. Watch in awe as the sunlight touches the grand mountains - Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Bara Sikhar, Machhapuchhare (Fishtail), Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri are some of the summits seen from Poon Hill. Once it’s bright and sunny, we head back down to Ghorepani for breakfast, and move on to Ulleri on mostly descending trails.
Overnight at a teahouse in Ulleri
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
On stony steps from Ulleri, we make our way down to the suspension bridge. You can see a lovely waterfall by the bridge, and walk on through Hile, a quiet little village with paddy fields. We continue walking along the river and through the small valley. Enjoy the sights of hills surrounding you, many waterfalls on the way, exotic birds and their lulling chirps. The walk today is quite pleasurable, fitting to conclude our trek in Nayapul. On a short drive from Nayapul on a private vehicle, we return to Pokhara, and can see the entire Annapurna range from various stretches of the road.
Accommodation: Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch
Today we will venture out to explore Peace Pagoda on a half-day sightseeing tour after breakfast. Drive for 30mins from Lakeside to reach Peace Pagoda. The Pagoda was built by a Japanese buddhist monk along the southern ridge of Pokhara Valley, from where you get incredible views of Annapurna range with Phewa Lake at the bottom of the valley. We will enjoy the lovely views before a short hike down to the lake shore, and take a small wooden boat to cross over to Lakeside.
Pokhara valley has a host of adventures and activities to choose from. If you want more adrenaline fix, you can do paragliding above the lake and the city in the afternoon. Or you may just relax by the lake and visit the small restaurants and pubs on a fun evening, sharing your favorite moments from the trek up in the mountains.
Accommodation: Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Meals Included: Breakfast
After an early breakfast, we head over to the tourist bus station in Pokhara, which is just a short drive away from your hotel in Lakeside. The drive takes place along beautiful rivers Seti and Trishuli, on the first and second half of the 7-hour drive.
Accommodation: Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Meals Included: Breakfast
We begin sightseeing today after breakfast. Kathmandu is known for several religious and historical monuments that are worth exploring to understand the culture and country better. Pashupatinath and Boudhanath are two monuments we will visit, both of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Pashupatinath temple complex holds great religious significance for Hindus, and is among the most important pilgrimage sites. Bouddhanath is the largest Buddhist stupa (a dome-shaped monument) in Nepal revered by Buddhists. You can see people circumambulating the stupa en masse (also known as kora) below the fluttering prayer flags and Buddha’s eyes above them.
In the evening we will have a farewell dinner where we reminisce about our trek and thank the guides and staff for their hard work.
Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your guide will pick you up from the hotel depending on your flight departure time. It was great to share the Himalayan journey with you, and we hope the experience for you was a memorable one. Thank you for choosing Himalayan Adventure Girls, and have a safe flight ahead.
Meals Included: Breakfast
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