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Dhaulagiri from Poon Hill
Home/Treks/Annapurna Foothills/Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek
Annapurna Conservation Area · Poon Hill · Five Days
Five days, no altitude to speak of, and a sunrise most people never forget. The trail climbs through rhododendron forest and Gurung villages to Ghorepani, and the pre-dawn walk up Poon Hill puts Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas across the whole horizon. It is the trek we recommend to anyone testing whether they like walking at altitude before committing to three weeks of it.
Drive to Nayapul and start walking up the Modi Khola through terraced farmland. A gentle first afternoon to find your legs.
The famous 3,300 stone steps up to Ulleri, then rhododendron forest all the way to Ghorepani. The hardest day of the trek, and it is over by mid-afternoon.
A 04:45 start for the 45-minute climb to Poon Hill and sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre. Back for breakfast, then a forest traverse to Tadapani.
Down through old-growth forest to Ghandruk, the best-preserved Gurung village in the region, then a jeep back to Pokhara and a hot shower.
Morning free by the lake, then your flight or coach onward. Sarangkot and paragliding can be added if you have the day.
Prices per person, twin-share · 20% deposit confirms · Balance payable in Kathmandu
We provide free of charge: an 80 L duffel bag, sleeping bag and down jacket for the trek — handed over at your Kathmandu briefing, returned after the trek. Anything missing can be bought or rented in Thamel; your guide will help you shop.
It is the trek we recommend for exactly that. Nothing goes above 3,210 m, the days are four to seven hours, and every night is in a proper teahouse. Families with children over eight do it regularly.
Around 3,300 stone steps over two hours, and they are the one genuinely hard stretch of the trek. Trekking poles help more here than anywhere else in Nepal. Everything after that day is easier.
Mid-March to late April, and it is worth planning around — the forest between Ulleri and Ghorepani turns red and pink for weeks. Autumn gives clearer mountain views but no flowers.
Poon Hill is at its clearest between 05:30 and 07:00, before the valley cloud builds. Cloud can beat you, which is why we sleep at Ghorepani rather than walking up from lower down — you get the earliest possible start.
It slots neatly onto the front or back of Annapurna Base Camp, and pairs well with two days in Pokhara or Chitwan. Tell us your dates and we will build the week around it.
Our first trek anywhere and the right choice. The steps to Ulleri were brutal and the Poon Hill sunrise more than made up for it. Both kids (10 and 13) managed it fine with a porter carrying the bags.
Four days, no altitude worries, and a view at dawn that I have not stopped thinking about. Ghandruk on the way down was the surprise — we wished we had stayed a night.
