The Ultimate Poon Hill Trek Guide
Table of Contents
- Poon Hill Trek
- Packing list for Poon Hill trek
- Poon Hill Trek Difficulty
- Poon Hill Trek Cost
- Poon Hill Trek Guide (6 Days Poon Hill Itinerary)
Are you considering your next family vacation to be in Nepal? Or do you love hiking but hate high altitudes? Perhaps you are visiting Nepal and want to go on a trek, but don’t have a lot of time. Nepal’s Poon Hill trek can accommodate all scenarios. This trek is a micro-version of the Annapurna Base Camp Trek and the Langtang Trek. The Poon Hill Trek is also known as the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, because Ghorepani is a 15-minute hike to Poon Hill.
Bennifits of going
The Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek is a short and economical trek suitable for beginners, family groups, solo hikers, and female hikers. It doesn’t require a high degree of fitness or skill. And one of the nicest things about the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, is that there are plenty of facilities to stay in. The trek also requires less time to complete making it ideal for short vacations. And the highest elevation reached on the trek is only 10,531 ft!
The Poon Hill Trek is the best option to get sweeping panorama views of amazing, highly coveted mountains. The breathtaking views of the snow capped mountains, and the immaculate scenery will make you fall in love at first sight. At least for me it was.
This trek is also perfect for photographers, because it has views of Annapurna I, II, III, and IV, Lamjung Himal, the Dhaulagiri range, Mt. Manaslu, Gangapurna and many other 22,965+ tall peaks too. Did I mention the sun rises over the Annapurnas are world famous?
The Poon hill trek is famous for its mesmerizing views of sunrises over the Annapurna range. You can watch the white snow capped mountains change color, from a cold blue hue to magnetic oranges and reds. You will fall in love with its magical beauty. The trail could be Disney’s inspiration for his many fairy tales. The trail passes through Rhododendron forests, beautiful paddy meadows, and terraced slopes. You can stay in and explore cultural villages with ethnic communities of Magar, Gurung, and others.
Ghandruk and Ghorepani are primarily Gurung settlements. They offer their visitors insight into their traditions, way of life, and outstanding customer service.
The Poon Hill trek is relatively easy. The trail takes advantage of pathways linking villages together. These pathways are made up of stairs, which makes it easy to walk on. The trek is comparatively inexpensive costing between $400 and $1,200. This is due to convenience and duration. The trek can be completed in 2 to 4 days or can be prolonged for up to 7 days. This is one of the most popular treks in Nepal due to its benefits.
Best Time to go on the Poon Hill Trek
The best time to go on Poon hill trek is between October and May. specifically, from March to May and September to November. This is because the summer monsoon rains bring a lot of clouds and haze and the winter months may be too chilly.
Packing list for Poon Hill trek
So if you have planned to g0 on the Poon Hill trek, the following are some essentials you must pack to keep yourself warm in the fall and cool in the spring.
Headwear:
For head wear, you should keep at least one warm hat, a pair of sunglasses, and buff. You may be interested in picking up a cashmere scarf in place of the buff.
Hands:
For your hands, you must keep cool weather gloves to save them from getting cold. You may also want trekking poles, which will help navigate all those stairs.
Footwear:
Ankle length trekking or hiking boots are perfect for the trip. You can also wear sneakers or running shoes. A pair of flip flops will also be good for a comfortable stroll during the teahouse stay.
Clothing:
For clothing, you should keep:
- 1 pair of shorts
- A pair of hiking pants
- A thermal layer or base layer for legs
- 4 to 5 T-shirts
- A base or thermal layer for the torso
- A jumper
- Hoody
- Warm jacket
Others:
Some other miscellaneous things to keep are:
- A water bottle
- Some snacks such as chocolate bars, nuts, chips, etc.
- Sunscreen
Make sure you don’t carry too much and your stuff can fit into one pack. It is because carrying extra stuff during a hike can be tiresome. If you expect your pack to be too heavy to carry, please hire a porter. They will take care of your belongings.
Poon Hill Trek Difficulty
The Poon Hill trek has an easy difficulty level due to its elevation, terrain, and available facilities. On a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the most difficult, the Poon Hill Trek has a difficulty of 3. You do not need to be in shape to do this trek. There is a saying in Nepal, “Go slowly!”
If you go slowly on the Poon Hill Trek, you will not have any problems. Here is a story of some boy scouts who Trekked to Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp.
You can go on this trek with no training, but I recommend training for a couple of weeks to identify a healthy pace and to build stamina and endurance.
The Poon Hill Trek route is an easy one and requires only 6 to 7-hours of walking. This can be spaced between 1 or several days depending on your athletic condition.
Poon Hill Trek Cost
The typical cost of Poon Hill trek varies from $ 325 to $700 depending on the number of days of trekking and the additions such as porters, guides, food, supplies etc. Most booking agencies have a floating price, which can be adjusted depending on what you want.
While booking through travel agencies, you can get transportation, and accommodation in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and in teahouses during the trek. You will also get lunch or dinner in teahouses, trekking permits, guides, with porters included.
Additional expenses, such as the tips, trekking equipment, snacks and beverages, personal expenses, are normally the trekkers responsibility.
The international flight ticket is also an expense that you may have. You can book by yourself or let the travel company arrange it for you. You will probably get a better deal if you book with a travel agent.
Poon Hill Trek Guide
You can opt for a 4-day Poon Hill Trek by driving up to Ulleri and hiking the rest of the way. But, the 6 days Poon Hill trek allows for more time to see the sights and experience the country. So, the 6 days trek itinerary of Poon hill is as follows:
Day 1: Pokhara to Nayapool and trek to Tikhedunga 1,480 m
The drive from Pokhara to Nayapool takes 1.5 hours. In Nayapool we start trekking. It takes about 4-5 hours to reach Tikhedunga by foot. It is a 5.7-mile walk. The slope is gradual. When we reach Tikhedunga we will check into a tea house for food and rest.
Day 2: Tikhedunga to Ghorepani 2,874 m
After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we continue our trek. The trail from Tikhedunga to Ghorepani is mainly composed of stairs. It is 8 miles long and takes about 6-7 hours to complete. This section of the trail passes through villages, and Rhododendron forests. We receive glimpses of the mountains as we walk. When we arrive in Ghorepani we check into a teahouse and rest.
Day 3: Poon Hill Summit 3,210 m, then trek to Tadapani
In the morning we start hiking up to Poon Hill 1 hour before the sun rises. If timed right, we should arrive at the top just as the sun is rising over the mountains. The sunrises like steam over the mountains. It is so beautiful that it feels like it will last forever. After about 5 minutes of awe, the sun has risen, and the mountains are in prominent display. When we are finished looking at the mountains, we hike back down to Ghorepani, eat breakfast, then start our trek to Tadapani. The Hike to Tadapani takes about 4-5 hours and is 7 miles.
Day 4: Tadapani to Ghandruk, reaching 1,940 m
This day is the shortest day on the trek. It takes about 3-4 hours to reach Ghandruk. The distance from Tadapani to Ghandruk is 4 miles. The trail passes through more forests, along river gorges, and through villages. Ghandruk is a nice stopping place. It receives visitors from all the ABC, Circuit, and Poon Hill treks. It has a monastery, and a temple. We can sightsee before or after checking into a tea house and eating.
Day 5: Trek to Nayapool and drive to Pokhara
This is our last day of trekking. It takes about 5 hours of walking to arrive in Nayapool. The hike is about 6 miles from Ghandruk. We start trekking after breakfast. When we arrive in Nayapool we take a car to Pokhar. The drive is about 1.5 hours long. When we arrive in Pokhara we check into a hotel and have the rest of the day to relax or explore the many shops or the lake.
Day 6: Pokhara to Kathmandu
It takes about 6 hours to drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu. It is 124 miles long. This may seem slow, but It goes by fast. The road can be windy at times and for these sections the traffic slows down to avoid accidents.
To book this Trek please contact us here.