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Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) from Khopra Danda

Annapurna

Khopra Danda

From Ghorepani, you leave the Poon Hill crowds for a ridge at 3,660 m facing Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South, with lodges run by the villages.

  • Walking days 6–7 days
  • Highest point 4,660 m
  • Level Challenging
  • Permits 5,000 NPR (≈ €29)
  • Start Pokhara
  • Mandatory guide, checks vary

At a glance

You climb as for Poon Hill, via Ulleri and Ghorepani, watch the sunrise from Poon Hill, then head north via Swanta and Chistibang to Khopra Danda (3,660 m), a ridge facing Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South and Nilgiri.

You come down via Bayeli Kharka, Dobato and Tadapani to Ghandruk, or via Paudwar towards Tatopani. The lodges at Khopra and Chistibang are community-run: the income stays with the villages.

Highlights

  • The Khopra ridge facing Dhaulagiri, with hardly anyone around
  • Poon Hill on the way, without sleeping there among the crowds
  • Community lodges: tourism that benefits the villages
  • Optional: the sacred Khayer Lake at 4,660 m

Drawbacks

  • Only one lodge at Khopra: best to book in high season
  • Steep climb from Chistibang to Khopra
  • Khayer Lake: a very long day (7 to 10 hrs return)

In pictures

On the trail to Khopra
Snowy ridges on the way up to Khopra

Route

Ulleri, Ghorepani and Poon Hill, then the Khopra ridge; back via Dobato and Ghandruk, or via Tatopani.

6 daysof walking
3,660 mhighest point
46 kmD+ 3,240 m D− 3,310 m
UlleriStart
TadapaniUlleri — 1,960 mGhorepani — 2,860 mSwanta — 2,210 mChistibang — 3,000 mKhopra Danda — 3,660 mDobato — 3,420 mGhandruk — 1,940 mPoon Hill — 3,210 mUlleri — Start: UlleriGhandruk — Finish: GhandrukTatopani — Finish: Tatopani+ Khayer Lake +1 dUlleriGhandrukTatopaniPoon Hill 3,210 mGhorepaniSwantaChistibangKhopra DandaDobatoPokharaDhaulagiri 8,167Annapurna South 7,219Nilgiri 7,061Machapuchare 6,993Start : UlleriStartMove to change your finishing pointFinishN
  • Chosen route
  • Other possible trails
  • Optional side trip
  • Possible start or finish

Drag the “Start” and “Finish” labels to another served point, or tap a point. The “+” buttons add a side trip. Zoom with + and − (or Ctrl + scroll wheel), then drag the map to move around.

How do I use it in a hiking app?

The file contains the route you chose on the map (start, finish, side trips), with altitude, and a marker for each night, pass and viewpoint.

  • Organic Maps or Maps.me (free, offline): download the Nepal map before you leave, then open the GPX file from your phone and choose the app.
  • OsmAnd: menu “My places” → “Tracks” → “Import”.
  • Komoot, Gaia GPS, Wikiloc, Garmin: use the app's or website's “Import a GPX file” feature.

With no signal, your phone's GPS still works: you can see your position on the track. The track is indicative: on the ground, waymarks and advice from the lodges come first.

Itinerary
  1. D 0Ulleri1,960 m
  2. D 1Ghorepani2,860 m+900 m7 km800 m0 m
  3. D 2Swanta via Poon Hill 3,210 m2,210 m−650 m7 km390 m1,050 m
  4. D 3Chistibang3,000 m+790 m6 km810 m20 m
  5. D 4Khopra Danda3,660 m+660 m3 km610 m0 m
  6. D 5Dobato via Bayeli Kharka3,420 m−240 m11 km600 m790 m
  7. D 6Ghandruk via Tadapani1,940 m−1,480 m12 km30 m1,450 m
Distances and elevation gain estimated from OpenStreetMap and a terrain model.
  • Ulleri — Jeep or local bus from Pokhara (Baglung bus park), 3.5 to 4 hrs, as for Poon Hill.
  • Ghandruk — Via Bayeli Kharka, Dobato, the Muldai viewpoint and Tadapani. Bus or jeep from Ghandruk to Pokhara.

Elevation

above 3,000 m: climb slowly1,0002,0003,0004,000D 0 · Ulleri — 1,960 mUlleri 1,960 mD 1 · Ghorepani — 2,860 mPoon Hill — 3,210 mPoon Hill 3,210 mD 2 · Swanta — 2,210 mD 3 · Chistibang — 3,000 mD 4 · Khopra Danda — 3,660 mD 5 · Dobato — 3,420 mD 6 · Ghandruk — 1,940 mGhandruk 1,940 mD 123456
Altitude of each night, with the day's passes and viewpoints (red dots). Green dot: rest day.

Permits

The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). The TIMS card is the responsibility of the agency providing the guide; in practice, checkpoints in the region only check the ACAP.

Conservation area

ACAP permit (Annapurna)

3,000 NPR (≈ €17)

At the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) or Pokhara (Damside), in cash, with your passport and 2 photos. Or online at epermit.ntnc.org.np (card, +2.9%). Bought at the checkpoint, it costs double.

Trekker card

TIMS card

2,000 NPR (≈ €12)

Issued only by a licensed agency since April 2023: it goes hand in hand with hiring a guide. See the Guide and porter page.

See Permits.

Guide

Mandatory guide, checks vary

Annapurna Conservation Area: licensed guide mandatory in theory since April 2023, checks are patchy.

Beyond Swanta the trail is less well marked than the Poon Hill one: a guide helps, especially for Khayer Lake. See Guide and porter.

A guide for this trek? The Guides Nepal directory lists guides, porters and agencies who know this trek, with their licence checked, the languages they speak and traveller reviews.

See guides for this trek

Transport

Getting to the start

Pokhara → Ulleri

Duration 3.5 to 4 hrsPrice 1,000 to 1,500 NPR (≈ €6 to €9) by shared jeep

From the Baglung bus park; local buses are cheaper.

Getting back

Ghandruk → Pokhara

Duration 3 to 5 hrs

Buses or shared jeeps.

When to go

J: PossibleF: PossibleM: IdealA: IdealM: PossibleJ: Not advisedJ: Not advisedA: Not advisedS: PossibleO: IdealN: IdealD: Possible

IdealPossibleNot advised

October–November, then March–April (rhododendrons).

Winter: snow possible at Khopra; monsoon: clouds and leeches in the forest.

On the trail

AccommodationCommunity lodges at Chistibang, Khopra and Bayeli Kharka; regular lodges at Ghorepani, Swanta, Tadapani.
BudgetAbout 25 to 40 USD (≈ €22 to €36) a day, excluding guide and transport.
MoneyNo ATM: withdraw cash in Pokhara.
SignalWifi at the Khopra lodge; patchy mobile signal after Ghorepani.

Good to know before you go

Altitude: you sleep at 3,660 m; Khayer Lake reaches 4,660 m as a day trip. See Altitude and safety.

What about the visa? A two-week trek plus a few days in Kathmandu and Pokhara quickly adds up to more than 15 days: get the 30-day visa. The calculator on our sister site Visa Nepal shows the cheapest length.

Which visa length?

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Preparing your trek

PermitsPrices, where to buy, documents needed, trek by trek.Guide and porterMandatory or not, region by region, and what it costs.TransportBuses, jeeps and flights to the start of each trek.Altitude and safetyAcclimatisation, altitude sickness, rescue, insurance.BudgetDaily costs, cash to bring, ATMs.FAQThe questions people ask before they go.