Ghorepani Poonhill Trek (Nepal)

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN POKHARA (841m) FROM KATHMANDU

Reach Pokhara on your own before 4.00 PM. Your stay will be in hotel in Pokhara. Hotel name will communicated to you 1 week before the trek. Check in to Hotel. Meet the rest of the team.

DAY 2: DRIVE FROM POKHARA TO GHANDRUK (1940m) 

Drive: 5-6hrs

Today will start form hotel at 8AM. We will drive to Ghandruk in a private vehicle. Overnight stay in tea house.

DAY 3: TREK FROM GHANDRUK TO TADAPANI (2653m)

We will start our day and will trek to Tadapani. Today you will see the big mountains.

 You will be able to sight Mt Annapurna South, Mt Himchuli, Mt Ganga Purna, Mt Annapurna III and Mt Machapuchare (fishtail). These mountains stay with you on your right as you move ahead.

DAY 4: TREK FROM TADAPANI TO DABATO (3421m)

As on the previous day, the trek starts today on a forest trail filled with rhododendrons and bamboo. The Annapurna range accompanies you on the right. The trail enters deep forests. Oaks appear here. Now, the trail descends. After about 30 minutes, you again start climbing up. This brings you very close to the tree line. From here, you can see the ridge, which is a part of the trail from Dobato to Khopra Ridge.

Till Dobato is a mix of ascent and descent. After reaching Dobato, have lunch at the teahouse.

DAY 5: TREK FROM DOBATO TO CHHISTIBANG (2949m)

Trek Duration: 6-7hrs

We start early as it is a long day today. The chhistiband is nestled among the forests and it is a pasture area. There are very few pastures in Chhistibang.

DAY 6: TREK FROM CHHISTIBANG TO KHOPRA RIDGE (3660m)

Trek Duration: 2-3hrs

Today is a short day. But it is all climb from Chhistibang to Khopra ridge. Once you reach the Khopra ridge you will welcome with majestic views. It look like you're seeing poster. The mountains will be so close to you.

DAY 7: TREK FROM KHOPRA RIDGE TO KHAYER LAKE (4663m) AND BACK TO KHOPRA RIDGE

Trek Duration: 7-8hrs

Start early today. It’s the summit day and the longest day of the trek. The trail turns into a ridge walk with multiple climbs and descents for the next two hours. Take a look to your left – in addition to the Dhaulagiri range, you will see the world’s deepest valley, Kaligandaki, between Mt Tukuche and Mt Nilgiri North.

Slowly the trail brings you to an open field surrounded by barren mountains. This is similar to the cold desert landscape of Spiti in the Indian Himalayas. This also means that you are approaching Khayar lake.

The lake is surrounded by praying flags, bells and alone temple. Sit down here for a while and take in the surroundings. You have reached the highest point of the trek.

DAY 8: TREK FROM KHOPRA RIDGE TO SWANTA (2214m)

From Khopra Ridge, we will  trek down to reach Swanta village. Swanta village is known for its community cheese factory. You can explore Swanta village and taste their cheese. Swanta is picturesque village.

DAY 9: TREK FROM SWANTA TO GHOREPANI (2880m) 

Trek Duration : 4-5hrs

 This day we will leave the beautiful village of Swanta and head to Ghorepani – our destination for the day. At first, we will descend through the village fields and reach a small river that we will cross on a suspension bridge and head upwards to Chittre village, from where we will join the classic Annapurna Circuit trekking trail.

DAY 10: TREK FROM GHOREPANI TO BIRETHANTI AND DRIVE TO POKHARA 

Trek Duration : 4-5hrs Drive  :2-3hrs

We ascend to Poon Hill (3,210m) early morning to view sunrise over the  Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs – including Mt Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). Poon Hillis also a favorite spot for photographers looking to capture the best views of the Himalayas. We will not leave Poon Hill without clicking pictures to our heart’s content. 

After catching sight of heavenly sunrise views on humongous mountains and rice terraces, we will return to Ghorepani and trek to Birethanti. From Birethanti, we will catch a bus to return to Pokhara via Nayapul. Your trek ends in Pokhara. 

Important Points

• The weather is very crucial on the running of this trek. Weather can cause delays on the flights on Kathmandu- Pokhara sector. It is better to keep a buffer day in Kathmandu for your return international flight.  In an extreme case, if you miss your international flight from Kathmandu, we will render all assistance, but cannot be held liable for any extra cost incurred. (If you have a connecting flight from Kathmandu)
• AC buses run from Kathmandu to Pokhara. You can book online. Journey takes 7-8 hours
• Please carry photo ID and 3 passport size photo for the permits.
• Though not mandatory, travel and accident insurance is highly recommended.
• Please note that there is a culture of tipping the guide and porters in Nepal and they expect it after the end of the trek.
• At the Tea house, there will be common Toilets on sharing basis, blankets are provided and running water is available. – Majority of tea houses have cold showers, some provide hot water at an additional cost.
• Some teahouses have electricity where you can charge your appliances (mobile phones and cameras) at an additional cost
• Since it is mountain region, we do not recommend taking the international flight from Kathmandu back to your place on the same day of long travel. There could be unforeseen delays. So better to book flights with at least one day buffer.If you are planning to reach Pokhara by road, deluxe buses start early in the morning by 6 or 7 am and takes 7-8 hours to reach the destination. Hence plan your date of journey accordingly.
• Please note that while we endeavor to assist all our clients in achieving their goals, there may be times your leader makes the decision to either delay or stop your ascent based on your medical conditions and AMS symptoms.