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Sunrise at the top of Poon Hill

Annapurna

Poon Hill

A short loop from Pokhara through Gurung villages and rhododendron forests to the Poon Hill viewpoint.

  • Walking days 3–5 days
  • Highest point 3,210 m
  • Level Moderate
  • Permits 5,000 NPR (≈ €29)
  • Start Pokhara
  • Mandatory guide, checks vary

At a glance

You climb from the valley via Ulleri to Ghorepani, head up Poon Hill (3,210 m) before dawn to watch the sun rise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas, then come down via Tadapani to the large Gurung village of Ghandruk.

It's the ideal trek for a first experience or a short trip: no problematic altitude, lodges everywhere, and Pokhara a few hours' drive away.

Highlights

  • The panorama from Poon Hill, from Dhaulagiri to Machapuchare
  • Rhododendron forests, in bloom in March and April
  • Ghandruk, one of the most beautiful Gurung villages
  • Short and accessible: three to five days from Pokhara

Drawbacks

  • The stairs: over 3,000 steps between Tikhedhunga and Ulleri if you walk up from Nayapul
  • Very crowded on top of Poon Hill in season
  • Jeep roads now reach several villages

In pictures

Ghorepani and Annapurna South
On the ridge between Ghorepani and Tadapani
A lodge in Tadapani
Buffalo in the forest between Tadapani and Ghandruk

Route

A loop via Ghorepani and Ghandruk; starting from Ulleri by jeep, you skip the big staircases.

3 daysof walking
3,210 mhighest point
22 kmD+ 1,500 m D− 1,550 m
Track (jeep)Track (jeep)Road (bus)Ulleri — 1,960 mGhorepani — 2,860 mTadapani — 2,630 mGhandruk — 1,940 mPoon Hill — 3,210 mUlleri — Start: UlleriTikhedhunga — Start: NayapulGhandruk — Finish: GhandrukJhinu Danda — Finish: Jhinu DandaUlleriTikhedhungaGhandrukJhinu DandaPoon Hill 3,210 mGhorepaniPokharaDhaulagiri 8,167Annapurna South 7,219Hiunchuli 6,441Machapuchare 6,993Annapurna I 8,091Nilgiri 7,061Move to change your starting pointStartMove to change your finishing pointFinishN
  • Road (bus)
  • Track (jeep)
  • Chosen route
  • Other possible trails
  • 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 2Tadapani via Poon Hill 3,210 m2,630 m−230 m10 km700 m890 m
  4. D 3Ghandruk1,940 m−690 m6 km0 m660 m
Distances and elevation gain estimated from OpenStreetMap and a terrain model.
  • Ulleri — Jeep or local bus from Pokhara (Baglung bus park) to Ulleri: 3.5 to 4 hrs, about 500 to 700 NPR (≈ €3 to €4) by bus, 1,000 to 1,500 NPR (≈ €6 to €9) by shared jeep. You skip the thousands of steps between Tikhedhunga and Ulleri.
  • Ghandruk — Large Gurung village. Bus to Pokhara (3 to 5 hrs, about 450 NPR (≈ €3)) or shared jeeps; the road sometimes ends a little before the village.

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 · Tadapani — 2,630 mD 3 · Ghandruk — 1,940 mGhandruk 1,940 mD 123
Altitude of each night, with the day's passes and viewpoints (red dots). Green dot: rest day.

Permits

The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), checked at Birethanti and Ghorepani. The TIMS card is handled by the agency providing your guide.

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.

In practice, checkpoints in the region only check the ACAP; the situation is changing, so ask in Pokhara.

Guide

Mandatory guide, checks vary

Poon Hill is in the Annapurna Conservation Area: a licensed guide has in theory been mandatory since April 2023, with patchy checks in practice.

The trail is busy and well marked; a guide mainly adds local culture. 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 500 to 700 NPR (≈ €3 to €4) by bus

Local buses from the Baglung bus park; shared (1,000 to 1,500 NPR (≈ €6 to €9)) or private jeeps.

Pokhara → Nayapul

Duration 1 to 1.5 hrsPrice ~200 to 300 NPR (≈ €1.2 to €1.7)

Local bus from the Baglung bus park; taxi about 2,500 NPR (≈ €14).

Getting back

Ghandruk → Pokhara

Duration 3 to 5 hrsPrice ~450 NPR (≈ €3)

Bus from Ghandruk (first departure early in the morning) or shared jeeps; during roadworks the road may stop 15 min from the village.

When to go

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

IdealPossibleNot advised

October–November: the clearest skies at sunrise. March–April: rhododendrons in bloom, with a little more haze.

December to February: doable, cold, and sometimes snow at Ghorepani. Monsoon: rain, leeches and peaks often hidden.

On the trail

AccommodationLodges in every village, rooms 3 to 10 USD (≈ €3 to €9).
MealsDal bhat around 600 to 1,000 NPR (≈ €3 to €6) depending on altitude.
BudgetAbout 25 to 35 USD (≈ €22 to €31) a day, excluding guide and transport.
MoneyNo ATM on the trail: withdraw cash in Pokhara.
ConnectivityDecent in most villages; wifi in the lodges.

Good to know before you go

Sunrise: leave Ghorepani around 4:30–5 am, 45 min to 1 hr of climbing. Bring a headtorch and warm clothes: it's cold at the top before dawn.
Your knees: there are lots of stairs, both up and down. Trekking poles help a lot.

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.