Poon Hill Trek Nepal | 8 Days | Beginner-Friendly

Poon Hill Trek — 8-Day Itinerary (Kathmandu to Kathmandu)

Route: Kathmandu — Pokhara — Nayapul — Tikhedhunga — Ghorepani — Poon Hill — Tadapani — Ghandruk — Nayapul — Pokhara — Kathmandu

Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu (1,400m)

• Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Your Summit Routes representative meets you at arrivals and transfers you to your hotel in Kathmandu — typically a 30–45 minute drive depending on traffic.
• The evening is free for exploration: Thamel is a short walk from most centrally located hotels, with its narrow alleys full of restaurants, gear shops, and the particular energy of a city that is perpetually either preparing for or recovering from an expedition. First-timers often visit Boudhanath Stupa before dinner — one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world, and a quietly powerful introduction to the mountain Buddhist culture you will walk through over the next week.
• Trek briefing, permit preparation, and equipment check in the late afternoon. Confirm your pack weight and porter arrangements for the following morning.
• Overnight: Hotel Amaryllis or similar, Kathmandu
• Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Fly Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m) | Drive to Nayapul | Trek to Tikhedhunga (1,570m)

Flight: 25 minutes | Drive: ~2 hours | Trek: ~5 km | 2–3 hours

• After an early breakfast, transfer to the domestic terminal for the 25-minute flight to Pokhara (820m). The flight path runs west along the Himalayan front range — on clear mornings the entire Annapurna and Manaslu massifs are visible from the right-hand window, an entirely disproportionate reward for a 25-minute journey.
• Pokhara — Nepal's second city and the trekking capital of the Annapurna region — sits at 820m beside Phewa Lake, with Annapurna South rising directly above the northern horizon. Transfer from the airport to Nayapul (1,070m) by private vehicle (~2 hours via the Pokhara–Baglung Highway), where the trek officially begins.
• From Nayapul, the trail follows the Modi Khola River through the bazaar village of Birethanti — the ACAP permit check post — before ascending gently through terraced fields and the first sections of forest to Tikhedhunga (1,570m). A short, pleasant introduction day: the trail is wide, the gradient is gentle, and the Annapurna foothills close in on either side as altitude rises.
• Overnight: Tea house at Tikhedhunga
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Trek Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani (2,870m)

Trek: ~10 km | 6–7 hours — the hardest day of the trek

• The climb begins immediately above Tikhedhunga — the famous Ulleri stone staircase, approximately 3,200 stone steps ascending 400m through dense rhododendron forest to the Gurung village of Ulleri (1,960m). In spring, the rhododendron trees on this section are in full bloom, transforming the forest into an archway of red and pink. Take the stairs at your own pace: they are relentless but well-constructed, and the views that open behind you across the Modi Khola valley with every hundred steps are worth stopping for.
• Above Ulleri, the gradient eases and the trail continues through increasingly dramatic forest — oak, magnolia, and above 2,500m, the dense rhododendron canopy that defines the Annapurna foothills at altitude. Nangethanti and Banthanti are the tea house rest stops on this section — excellent lunch spots. The final push to Ghorepani (2,870m) gains the ridge above the treeline with the first direct views of the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges emerging across the horizon to the north.
• Ghorepani is a ridge-top tea house settlement with a remarkable situation: the village sits at the junction of two great Himalayan massifs, with Dhaulagiri visible to the west and the Annapurna range closing in from the north. Dinner, rest, and an early night — the alarm is set for 05:00.
• Overnight: Tea house at Ghorepani
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea & Snacks, Dinner

Day 4: Sunrise at Poon Hill (3,210m) | Trek to Tadapani (2,630m)

Poon Hill: ~45 minutes one way from Ghorepani | Full day trek: ~13 km | 6–7 hours

• The pre-dawn departure from Ghorepani is the defining moment of the trek. The trail to Poon Hill (3,210m) is 45 minutes from the tea house by headlamp, ascending through rhododendron forest to the hilltop viewpoint tower. Arrive before first light and find a position on the ridge — the panorama that builds as the sky brightens is what people come to Nepal for: Dhaulagiri I (8,167m), the entire Annapurna range from Annapurna I (8,091m) to Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre (6,993m) directly ahead, and on clear mornings the distant white wall of Manaslu (8,163m) to the east. The sunrise alpenglow on these summits — progressing from pale gold to deep orange to white as the sun clears the horizon — lasts approximately 20 minutes. It is one of the most widely photographed moments in Himalayan trekking, and it earns that reputation.
• Return to Ghorepani for breakfast, then continue east toward Tadapani (2,630m) through deep rhododendron and oak forest. The trail undulates along the ridge above 2,500m — a long, quiet traverse with intermittent views north to the Annapurna Sanctuary and south across the Modi Khola valley below. Deurali is the midpoint rest stop.
• Overnight: Tea house at Tadapani
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea & Snacks, Dinner

Day 5: Trek Tadapani to Ghandruk (1,940m)

Trek: ~5 km | 3–4 hours — the shortest day of the trek

• A short, rewarding morning descent through forest from Tadapani to Ghandruk (1,940m) — the finest Gurung village in the Annapurna foothills and one of the most impressive traditional settlements in Nepal. The village is large, architecturally coherent, and set on a south-facing hillside with direct, unobstructed views of Annapurna South (7,219m) and Machhapuchhre (6,993m) rising directly above the stone rooftops — a composition that makes even experienced Himalayan travellers stop walking.
• The afternoon is free for exploration: the Gurung Museum in the village provides a thorough account of Gurung culture, military history, and the Annapurna Conservation Area; the traditional architecture of the village itself rewards an hour of wandering through the upper lanes; and the tea house terrace view at dusk — with Annapurna South turning gold above the village — is the equal of Poon Hill for sheer visual impact at a fraction of the early-morning effort.
• Overnight: Tea house at Ghandruk
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea & Snacks, Dinner

Day 6: Trek Ghandruk to Nayapul (1,070m) | Drive to Pokhara (820m)

Trek: ~16 km | 4–5 hours | Drive: ~2 hours

• The final trail day — a long but predominantly downhill descent from Ghandruk through Kimche and the Modi Khola valley back to Nayapul (1,070m). The pace is your own; the valley narrows below Ghandruk and the trail follows the river through terraced fields, small wayside settlements, and the last sections of lower forest before road access at Nayapul. The descent on this day is sustained — trekking poles are recommended to manage the cumulative knee load on the lower trail.
• Private vehicle meets the group at Nayapul for the drive back to Pokhara (820m). The evening in Pokhara is one of the better returns of any Nepal trek itinerary: the city is warm, Phewa Lake is extraordinary at dusk with Machhapuchhre reflected in the water, and the lakeside area has excellent restaurants. A celebration dinner by the lake is the traditional conclusion to the Poon Hill circuit.
• Overnight: Hotel Celestyinn or similar, Pokhara
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Fly Pokhara to Kathmandu (1,400m)

Flight: 25 minutes

• Morning at leisure in Pokhara — Phewa Lake at dawn before the city wakes, or a final walk along the lakeside promenade before transfer to the domestic airport for the return flight to Kathmandu.
• The afternoon in Kathmandu is free: Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the finest medieval city squares in Asia and worth an afternoon visit if time allows; Thamel is close to the hotel for final shopping, gear returns, or simply sitting with a coffee and reviewing photographs from the past week. Farewell dinner at the hotel or at a Kathmandu restaurant of your choice.
• Overnight: Hotel Amaryllis or similar, Kathmandu
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8: Departure from Kathmandu

• After breakfast, transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) (~30 minutes from Thamel) for your onward or return flight.
• Meals: Breakfast