Hiking to Poon Hill (super close to Ghorepani Village near Pokhara) is one of Nepal’s best overnight treks. Thinking of trekking to Poon Hill? You’re in the right place.
Overnight trekking in Nepal is a popular activity for many travelers. Towering snow-capped mountains and wide-open valleys – it’s a nature lover and hikers paradise.
One of Nepal’s best overnight treks is the trail to Ghorepani. This tiny town nestled on a flat surface of the earth is surrounded by mountains that touch the sky. There are multiple peaks soaring over 7000 meters in elevation, with the tallest, Dhhaulagir, hitting 8171m!
This awe-inspiring overnight trek in Nepal is popular for many reasons, the mountainous views are an obvious one, but friendly locals and children running to school, along with donkey and buffalo paint a vivid picture of life in Nepal’s mountains. It’s unforgettable.
How long does the multi-day trek to Ghorepani (Poon Hill) in Nepal take?
Trekking to Poon Hill isn’t an easy trail. Steep hills and lunge-inducing steps make the trail exhausting and tiresome.
Hiking the trail to Poon Hill takes around 7-8 hours if you keep a good pace – and you’re not suffering a vicious bout of travelers sickness like I was at the time. Remember them steep lunge-inducing steps? It’s exhausting when you have to clench for hours on end…
I completed the trek to Poon Hill in 4 days return. Now you could do this a lot quicker, but it’s well worth taking your time and soaking in the mountainous vistas you’re surrounded by. Plus, there’s a small museum in Ghandruk, a small town I stayed in and recommend visiting if you have time.
Where does the trail to Poon Hill start?
While the trailhead doesn’t begin in the city of Pokhara, that is where most trekkers make it before heading to the trek.
Pokhara is the closest main hub of transport before beginning the trek to Poon Hill.
The small town of Nayapal is where the track to Ghorepani begins. A taxi from Pokhara takes around 90 minutes one way to get to Nayapal to begin the overnight trek in Nepal.
There is a small restaurant you can stock up on food and water and have a meal before setting off on the trek to Poon Hill.
How do I get to Pokhara from Kathmandu?
Pokhara is a large town (verging on city size) to the southeast of Kathmandu. While Google Maps likes to say it’s around a 5.5 to 6-hour bus ride between Pokhara and Kathmandu, but don’t be fooled.
While taking the bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara is the most popular way to get to these two cities, the 205 km journey takes a lot longer.
Bumps in the road the size of small gorges and notoriously bad traffic, especially around the hairpin cliff-side highway, turns this trip into a much longer journey. Leaving at 6am, my journey took over 8 hours. Most of that was spent as a crawling pace in gridlocked highway traffic – as dust circulated the inner cabin of the bus. If you decide to take the overnight bus option, you’re looking around 14 hours as the drivers travel much slower.
There are 3 rest stops on the road from Kathmandu to Pokhara on the bus. One stop for lunch and two for a rest/snack stop.
While the outside of the bus proudly proclaimed to have toilets, A/C and WiFi, don’t count on any of these facilities. There is WiFi but connecting wasn’t possible. On top of that, the toilet didn’t flush. It’s a handy thing for a non-flushing toilet with travel sickness. Let’s just say I felt every single bump on that dusty road.
The four day journey to Poon Hill – Ghorepani, Nepal
The walk from Nayapal to Poon Hill takes around 6-7 hours if you’re walking at a decent pace.
But it’s a tiring trek through Nepal. There are steep inclines for hours on end and large awkward sized stairs that aren’t possible to climb gracefully.
During my 4 day overnight trek to Poon Hill is had very bad travelers’ sickness. So my guide took it slow and easy, stretching the days out to 4 days. If you’re fit and fast, this hike can be done in fewer days.
Before setting out to Ghorepani and eventually the climb to Poon Hill, you need to make sure all your permits are in order. This costs around $45 US Dollars (5,100 Nepalese Rupee – Rs) and was handled entirely by my trekking company.
Day 1 – Himalayan Guest House
After setting off from Nayapal, the first day began easy. The first hour is flat and a good way to get warmed up. It begins to get slightly more difficult just before the 2 hour mark which was the first lunch stop.
Food and water slowly gets more expensive the higher you climb towards the summit of Poon Hill. For a reference point, fried rice, momos (familiar to dumplings, and a coke shared between two costs 450 Rs ($4 USD) per person.
It doesn’t take long for the views to begin. Most of the trek is uphill, gaining over 3000 meters of elevation. This puts the towering mountains climbing over 8000 meters in a better perspective. Make sure to soak in the beautiful valleys around you and peaks in the distance. Trekking to Poon Hill is full of unforgettable vistas.
Day 2 – Hotel See You – where to stay in Ghorepani
Day two of the multi-day trek to Ghorepani began around 730am with breakfast and a short, but exhausting 3-4 hour trek. Tonight found us in the tiny town of Ghorepani, getting ready for the summit at sunrise to Poon Hill.
Ghorepani is big enough to have a small first aid station, but very limited hours of opening if you’re in need of supplies.
The views today only got better as elevation was gained. Valleys deepened and the mountains only got steeper as you edged closer and closer. Today was the first glimpse of two behemoths, Annapurna South (7291 m) and Machha Pachhre, or Fish Tail, (6997 m).
Today’s route passed by many small villages and inevitably a lot of interaction with locals and livestock. Apart from waves and smiles, donkeys, goats and buffalos all went about their daily lives as if my small trekking group didn’t exist.
If you’re looking for a great place to stay in Ghorepani, Hotel See You is clean and quite affordable once you consider how difficult access to the basic resources is (water, for example). They also have wifi, while it is slow, it is useful when you’re almost completely bedridden from sickness and wanted to plan further travels.
Day 3 – Heavens View Hotel – visiting Ghandruk Museum
Day number three begins with visiting Poon Hill at sunrise. Rising with sleepy eyes at 4am isn’t always fun but this time it’s well worth it today. As you can imagine, being at higher altitudes in the mountains with no sun can be quite chilly. I wore every article of clothing I had with me and was still cold.
It takes around 50 minutes to reach the summit of Poon Hill from the Ghorepani and it’s all going up – the summit sits around 3200m in elevation. Once at the entrance of Poon Hill, a 550 Rs ($4.80 USD) donation is collected – this isn’t included in your trekking tour to Poon Hill and only cash is accepted at the entrance booth.
As you wait for the sun to peek over the giant chunks of rock surrounding you, there’s a small hut selling hot tea to keep you warm. As the silhouette mountains begin to lighten up, and the vast and gorgeous valleys that are interrupted by jagged rock formations. The scene changes constantly as the light begins to filter through the sky. From a dark and gloomy set of shadows to clear bright blue skies and pristine white-capped peaks, with the tattered and colorful prayer flags strewn around Ponn Hill viewpoint.
After sunset at Poon Hill was finished, heading back to Ghorepani for breakfast. Leaving around 8am for around 8 hours of walking. With the first hour being uphill and steep, the trail soon began to flatten and eventually decline.
The third day being by far the longest day of walking, we finally got to our hotel for the night. Heaven’sView Hotel in Ghandruk, a small town on the Annapurna Circuit is where I spent the final night of the famous Nepali trek.
If you have a bit of spare time in this small town, there’s a great thing to do in Ghandruk. Visiting the Ghandruk Museum is a unique insight into local life and the history of the area.
Why visit the Ghandruk Museum
Walking around the small Ghandruk Museum is a relaxing and educational way to spend a small chunk of time. While the museum isn’t huge, there are a good number of displays with English text.
The tiny museum entrance fee for tourists is 75 Rs (0.65 USD), with Nepali nationals getting a discount of 66% (25Rs).
Along with tools and local outfits there were many items made from bamboo, with very different uses. A hat that dispersed water in one corner and a cage for baby birds in another.
If you’re looking for an easy thing to do in Ghandruk, visit the local museum. It’s just across the quiet alley from Heaven’sView Hotel.
Day 4 – Back to Pokhara – Magnolia Hotel
Today was almost all downhill. Large steps made my legs shake from lunging as the thought of Pokhara and a hot shower grew closer by each step.
Today was filled with interactions with locals. Mostly children running to school, some travel for over 2 hours to each way to get their education. Along the narrow paths these kids must interact with trekkers almost daily. According to my guide for the Poon Hill Trek, it is customary to give chocolate to children, but two persistent girls settled for 10Rs and a photo from my bulky camera.
Before the 90-minute taxi ride from Nayapal to Pokhara, tickets are checked at a town called Birethanti and again at Nayapal.
Magnolia Hotel is where I stayed both before and after my trekking tour to Poon Hill. Clean, comfortable and a short walk from many things to do in Pokhara.
Extra things to do in Pokhara
If you have some spare time in the town, there are some great things to do in Pokhara.
- Taal Barahi Mandir is a small temple on an island a short walk from downtown Pokhara. There are sunset boat rides and it’s a popular activity.
- Davis Falls is a very popular attraction in Pokhara. This giant waterfall claimed the life of a Swiss national named Davi drowned while swimming back in July 1961. Patale Chango is the Nepali name for this waterfall meaning “underground waterfall”, as it forms in an underground tunnel.
- Shopping along the many souvenir shops is a great way to pass an hour or two and pick up some unique souvenirs – my partner got hand-stitched purses as gifts for family back home.
Why the overnight trek to Poon Hill in Nepal is worth the effort
Poon Hill is one of Nepal’s most popular overnight treks for a reason. It’s stunning. Soaring mountains with bright and colorful prayer flags are an unforgettable view from the summit of Poon Hill. But the trek to Ghorepani itself is full of scenic views and unique lessons in the way people live and survive in this challenging part of the world.
If you’re after a great overnight trek in Nepal, hiking to Ghorepani and eventually the viewpoint of Poon Hill is a must for every nature lover and hiking enthusiast.
You can book your guided trek to Ghorepani (or Poon Hill) online before you leave home – and there are plenty of options to choose from. Check out the tours through GetYourGuide and Viator.
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Happy and safe travels,
Ben – Horizon Unknown
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