Poon Hill Trek around Annapurna Himalayas

The wheels of your jet have barely touched down when your heart is already starting to race with excitement. Here you are, in the fabled city of Kathmandu, deep in the very heart of the mighty Himalayas! It’s a quick trip through the airport where you will get your Nepali visa, pick up your luggage and then meet your representative of Himalayan Planet Adventures who will take you by private vehicle to your hotel. Once you have freshened up and relaxed, you will visit the main office of Himalayan Planet Adventures where you will meet the staff as well as your guide for your Poon Hill Adventure. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with traditional Nepali foods and a Nepali cultural show with dancing and song. Afterward, return to your hotel for the night.

The Kathmandu Valley is an ancient place, once the home of several small kingdoms. The total area of the Valley is larger than the country of Singapore! Within the Valley are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, we will visit three of them. We start out at Kathmandu Durbar Square where the kings of old were crowned. Here you will find the old royal palace, nearly 60 amazing Temples, plenty of intricately carved stone statues along with even the Living Goddess! Yes, she’s real and she comes out to bless the people at certain times of each day. From Kathmandu Durbar Square, we travel to Swoyambhu (also known as Monkey Temple). It is the oldest Buddhist site in the Kathmandu Valley, dating back over 2000 years. Situated high on top of a hill overlooking the valley, it is renowned for its amazing stupas as well as its synergy mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. Only in Nepal can we find such a happy marriage between the two ancient religions. In the afternoon, travel by private vehicle to the city of Bhaktapur. Known as the City of Devotees, it is probably the most popular of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It features its own Durbar Square with the famed 55 windows Royal Palace. Each window is intricately carved. There are two temple areas to explore, which include the tallest temple in the Kathmandu Valley. There are also narrow alleyways to walk where you see craftsmen doing crafts and pottery as they have done for centuries. In the evening, you will return to your hotel for the night and prepare your luggage for the next day's departure.

The journey to Pokhara is a wonderful drive by tourist bus. Leaving Kathmandu in the morning, it crosses the high pass out of the valley before descending down into the Trisuli River Valley. This valley features the famed rafting river of the Trisuli. It starts in three places in Tibet and rushes down the Himalayas on its way to the Ganges River and the Bay of Bengal. The river is known for its whitewater and is a favorite of rafters. At Mugling cross the Trisuli as you head west toward Pokhara. Along the way, there are waterfalls and great views of the snowcapped peaks. You finally arrive in Pokhara, which is nestled on the eastern shore of beautiful Phewa Lake. This is a beautiful city which is the favorite place for visitors to come. After checking into your hotel, explore Lakeside where you will find great food and interesting shops. Relax for the evening, as your trek begins the next day. Please note: Those who take the deluxe trip will fly to Pokhara, giving you a day to explore all of the amazing sites that the city has to offer.

The morning we go by private vehicle to Nayapol where the trek begins. We will trek to the village of Ulleri. It’s about a five-hour trek. These trails have flagstone steps. The local Village Development Committees have placed these stone steps for the ease of the residents who use these trails as their “highways”. You will discover mule trains with their jingling bells bringing goods in and out of the mountains. In the evening, we will check into the village of Ulleri which is a charming place. We have risen 860 meters from when we left Nayapol. There are sharp cliffs that we will walk along, as well as see some great mountain scenery along the way. In the evening, take a time to explore the village of Ulleri.

The new day begins as we leave Ulleri after breakfast and head for the village of Ghorepani. Our destination was once on the main salt route to Tibet. Its name means horse to water and in its day, hundreds of horses stopped here to drink its refreshing waters. We continue to climb in elevation, although not as much as we did yesterday. The climb reveals even more of the amazing mountains of the Annapurna Region. Home to the 10th highest mountain in the world (Annapurna I, 8061 m) this is a compact area of snow-capped peaks. The scenery is stunning, especially as Annapurna South comes into view. We finally arrive after a 5 to 6-hours trek to Ghorepani where we stop for the night. Explore this beautiful little Gurung village with its unique stone houses and fertile terraced fields.

It is early morning as we make our way from Ghorepani to Poon Hill for the ultimate sunrise of your life! It is said that this is the finest place in all of the Himalayas to see a sunrise, and it is indeed most impressive. We leave before sunrise; taking our torchlights as we walk the 45 minutes to the top where we will stand and watch the reddish-orange rays of the morning sun first illuminate the Himalayan skies. You will stand in awe as you witness the ever-changing scene as the snowcapped peaks become illuminated in a dazzling brilliance of white. After sunrise, we return to our tea house in Ghorepani to have breakfast and collect our belongings. Our destination today is the Gurung village of Ghandruk, which will be an eight-hour journey. Today is a long day as we pass the deep gorges, colorful wildflowers, and quaint villages. Ghandruk is a major Gurung community where we will spend the night.

This is the last day of trekking. It is mostly downhill as we make our way back to Nayapol where we pick up our car for the return trip to Pokhara. It is about a four hours trek to reach Nayapol. In the evening, enjoy your night at your hotel where you can get a good, long, hot shower.

It’s a morning start after a good breakfast as we will take a regular tourist bus to Kathmandu. We reverse the route we took just a few days ago as we leave the beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara and the Annapurna Mountains behind. To the north, we can start seeing other ranges as we rise in elevation after Mugling on our way to Kathmandu. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your friends and guide of Himalayan Planet Adventures. Please Note: Those taking the deluxe trip will fly back to Kathmandu. Spend the day exploring or just resting in the capital city before enjoying the farewell dinner in the evening.

As you travel to the airport, you will realize that nine days is simply not enough time to truly appreciate all that Nepal and the Mighty Himalayas have to offer. Before leaving for the airport, be sure to talk to your friends at Himalayan Planet Adventures about making a return trip to Nepal. There are plenty more mountains to see, plus jungles with Royal Bengal Tigers in the southern part of the country. It’s always a great adventure when you come to Nepal as there is so much to see and do. Himalayan Planet Adventures can help you to make the most of any trip inside Nepal and the Himalayas.