What is the exact route for the Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek? Our standard package runs 5 days from Kathmandu to Pokhara: a travel day in, three actual trekking days through Ulleri, Ghorepani, Poon Hill, Tadapani and Ghandruk, and a travel day back out to Pokhara. A shorter 4-day version exists for travelers already in Pokhara, covering the identical trail without the Kathmandu leg. This guide walks through each day in full, exactly as our groups run it — the drive times, trek times, meals, and overnight stops for every single day.
What’s Inside This Guide
- Route Overview
- Day-by-Day: The 5-Day Itinerary
- The 4-Day Pokhara-to-Pokhara Version
- Which Version Should You Choose
- Altitude Gain and Acclimatisation
- Accommodation Along the Route
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Guides
Route Overview
Kathmandu → Pokhara → Ulleri → Ghorepani → Poon Hill → Tadapani → Ghandruk → Pokhara
The trail itself only covers three villages beyond the trailhead at Ulleri: Ghorepani, Tadapani, and Ghandruk. Everything before Ulleri and after Ghandruk is road travel, either by tourist bus or shared jeep. That’s a big part of why this trek stays short — there’s no long walk-in the way EBC or the Annapurna Circuit require.
Day-by-Day: The 5-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m)
Drive: 6–8 hours by tourist bus | Meals: Not included | Stay: Hotel, Pokhara
The road runs west out of the Kathmandu Valley, following the Trishuli and Marsyangdi river valleys before dropping into Pokhara. On a clear day, the Annapurna range is visible from the lakeside long before you check into your hotel. This is a pure travel day by design — the actual trek starts fresh the next morning rather than on tired legs.
Day 2 — Drive to Ulleri, Trek to Ghorepani (2,874m)
Drive: 3–4 hours by jeep | Trek: 4–5 hours | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Ghorepani
A jeep carries you from Pokhara through Nayapul and Birethanti — the ACAP checkpoint sits at Birethanti, so this is where your permit gets its first stamp. From Ulleri, the trail climbs immediately: a long run of stone steps through forest that catches out anyone expecting an easy start. Past Banthanti and Nangethanti, the forest shifts to rhododendron and oak as the trail gains height. Ghorepani sits at the top of this climb, a village that grew up around a water stop for pack horses on the old trading route.
Day 3 — Ghorepani, Poon Hill Sunrise, Trek to Tadapani (2,630m)
Hike: under 90 minutes to Poon Hill | Trek: 6–7 hours total | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Tadapani
This is the day the whole trek is built around. You leave Ghorepani well before dawn — headlamps on, cold enough that a proper layer matters — and reach Poon Hill’s summit in under an hour and a half. On a clear morning, the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges catch the first light in a wide, unbroken panorama. After returning to Ghorepani for breakfast, the trail continues through forest toward Tadapani, a quieter ridge stop with its own views back toward Annapurna South and Machapuchare. It’s the longest day on the route, but also the one everyone remembers.
Day 4 — Trek from Tadapani to Ghandruk (2,012m)
Trek: 3–4 hours | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Ghandruk
A shorter day on purpose, dropping through rhododendron and oak forest before the trail opens onto the terraced hillsides around Ghandruk. This is one of the larger Gurung villages in the Annapurna region, with stone-paved lanes and a cultural museum worth an hour if you arrive with daylight to spare. The afternoon is genuinely free time — a rare thing on a trekking itinerary.
Day 5 — Trek and Drive from Ghandruk to Pokhara
Drive: 3–4 hours by jeep | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch | Stay: Hotel, Pokhara
A jeep winds back down through the terraced villages below Ghandruk to Pokhara, closing the loop from where the trek began three days earlier. The standard package ends here.
Day 6 (Optional) — Return to Kathmandu, or Extend Your Trip
Drive: 6–8 hours by tourist bus, if returning to Kathmandu | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: Not included
This day sits outside the core package. If you want to head back to Kathmandu the same day, we provide a complimentary tourist bus ticket for that leg. Otherwise, it’s an open day to extend into Chitwan National Park, Lumbini, Bandipur, another night in Pokhara, or a further Nepal trek.
The 4-Day Pokhara-to-Pokhara Version
If you’re already in Pokhara — maybe you’ve just finished another trek, or you started your Nepal trip there — the 4-day version skips the Kathmandu legs entirely and covers the same three trekking days:
- Day 1: Pokhara → Ulleri (jeep) → Ghorepani (trek). Same as Day 2 above.
- Day 2: Ghorepani → Poon Hill sunrise → Tadapani. Same as Day 3 above.
- Day 3: Tadapani → Ghandruk. Same as Day 4 above.
- Day 4: Ghandruk → Pokhara (jeep), trip ends.
Same trail, same altitude, same permits — just without the two Kathmandu-Pokhara travel days bookending it.
Which Version Should You Choose
If Kathmandu is your entry point to Nepal, the 5-day version is the straightforward choice — it handles the Kathmandu-Pokhara transport for you in both directions. If you’re already in Pokhara, whether from another trek or because you flew directly there, the 4-day version gets you the same trek without paying for travel days you don’t need.
Altitude Gain and Acclimatisation
This trek stays low by Himalayan standards. Poon Hill itself, at 3,210m, is the only point on the route above 3,000m, and you’re back down in Ghorepani (2,874m) within a couple of hours of reaching it. The highest overnight stop is Ghorepani, well below the altitude where sickness becomes a real concern. There’s no dedicated acclimatisation day built into the itinerary because none is needed — the daily altitude changes are modest enough that most trekkers adjust without issue.
Accommodation Along the Route
Nights in Pokhara (Day 1 and Day 5) are spent in a hotel, twin-sharing. On the trail itself — Ghorepani, Tadapani, and Ghandruk — accommodation is teahouse lodges, also shared basis. Rooms are simple: a bed, blankets, and shared bathroom facilities at most lodges, with hot showers available for a small extra charge. Ghandruk in particular has some of the more comfortable teahouses on the route, since it sits closer to road access than the higher stops on longer Annapurna treks.
Frequently Asked Questions
5 days from Kathmandu to Pokhara in our standard package, or 4 days Pokhara-to-Pokhara if you’re already in Pokhara. Both versions cover the same three trekking days: Ulleri to Ghorepani, Ghorepani over Poon Hill to Tadapani, and Tadapani to Ghandruk.
Day 3 — Ghorepani over Poon Hill to Tadapani — is the longest at 6 to 7 hours, and it starts with a pre-dawn climb in the cold and dark. It’s not technically difficult, but it’s the day that demands the most from a fitness standpoint.
No, and none is needed. The trek’s highest point, Poon Hill at 3,210m, is reached and left behind within hours, and every overnight stop sits below 2,900m — well under the altitude where acclimatisation days typically become necessary.
Yes — the 4-day Pokhara-to-Pokhara version covers the identical trail and altitude, just without the two Kathmandu-Pokhara travel days on either end.
Day 6 is left open. You can take a complimentary tourist bus back to Kathmandu the same day, or extend into Chitwan National Park, Lumbini, Bandipur, another night in Pokhara, or another Nepal trek — arranged based on what you tell us you’d like to add.
Related Planning Guides
- Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek Cost — Full package pricing and daily budget breakdown.
- Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek Difficulty and Packing — Fitness expectations and what to bring.
- Best Time for the Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek — Season-by-season guide.
- Poon Hill vs Annapurna Base Camp — Which trek fits your time and budget.
- Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek Package — Full package details and booking.
Three trekking days, one sunrise, no acclimatisation worries — that’s the whole itinerary. See the full Poon Hill Ghorepani Trek page for pricing, or message us on WhatsApp if you want the 4-day version quoted instead.