Pokhara to Poonhill Trek- 2 days to 5 days

If you are looking at this article, we assume that you are already in Pokhara, or at least somewhere in Nepal. And we also assume that you know how amusing the Poonhill Ghorepani trekking region is (and that’s why you are looking for the Poonhill trek from Pokhara). The short and easy trek from Pokhara to Poonhill is perfect for travellers who are staying in Nepal for less than a week and looking for something easier that takes them close to the Himalayas. So without filling the article with unnecessary information, let’s directly dive into a complete Pokhara to Poonhill trek guide. Here’s everything you will need to know before and during trekking at Pokhara Poonhill. 

Where is Pokhara Poonhill?

Poon Hill is a small hilltop at 3100m in the Kaksi District of Gandaki province. It lies in the western North of Pokhara at a distance of about 64 KM. The diversion point to Poonhill from the Baglung Pokhara highway is Nayapul. From Nayapul, you can get to Ulleri, Ghorepani, and then Poon Hill.

Pokhara Poonhill Trek

How many days does it take from Pokhara to Poonhill?

Well, Pokhara Poonhill Trek completely depends on you. From Pokhara, the Poonhill trek can be completed in 2 days or it can take more than seven days depending upon your Poonhill trek Itinerary and the places you want to cover during the trip. 

Wanna look at Ghorepani Poonhill Trek from Kathmandu?

Pokhara to Poonhill in 2 days

Day 1: Pokhara to Ghorpani

On the first day, you need to get to Ghorepani which is like the base camp for the Poonhill. Ghorepani has all the hotels and restaurants and is about 45 minutes of walking distance from Poonhill. On the first day, we stay at Ghorepani and walk to Poonhill on the second day.

So, how can you reach Pokhara to Ghorepani in one day?

For that, you need to first drive to Nayapul and then to the place called Ulleri. Unless the off-road is damaged by rain, the jeep can even go up to Ghorepani. However, let’s keep Ulleri as your end spot for driving. From Ulleri, Ghorepani is about 4 to 5 hours of walking. If you leave Pokhara at about 7 am, you will be in Ghorepani at about 4 pm. 

Now, let’s explain where you get a bus to Ulleri. About 4kms beyond Lakeside, there’s Baglung Buspark where you can get the bus to Ulleri. However, there is only one bus operating to Poonhill each day and that bus might also be cancelled. In that case, you can find Jeep for hiring or sharing basis. The cost for a bus will be about $5 but a jeep ride can cost up to $20. If you hire a jeep ( for 6 to 8 people) it can cost up to $50. 

If you don’t want to hire a Jeep from Pokhara to Ghorepani, you can first get to Nayapul. Any bus going from Pokhara to Baglung can drop you at Nayapul. You can easily find Jeep on sharing basis from Nayapul to Ulleri. Once you reach Ulleri, you can have your lunch and then walk towards Ghorepani. The road from Ulleri to Ghorepani is mostly hidden in the forest. There’s a checkpoint for ACAP and TIMS before you enter Ghorepani.  

Day 2: Ghorepani to Poonhill to Pokhara 

In the morning we wake up at about 5:00 a.m. or even before that. Poonhill is about 45 minutes to 1 hour of the walk along the stairways. The path from Ghorepani to Poonhill is covered in Rhododendron blooms during the spring (the best time for the Poonhill trek)and is full of snow in winter. Once you get to the top you can witness the awesome Panorama of the mountains in the Annapurna Range and Dhaulagiri range. After about one hour on the Hilltop, you start walking down the same stairway. Back to the same hotel in Ghorepani, it is time for some breakfast. 

After breakfast, we walked down towards Ulleri on the same path we travelled yesterday. If you don’t want to take the same path, you can walk towards Ghandruk which will add one more day to your Trek. However, since this is only two days of the Poonhill Trek Itinerary, we walk back to Ulleri and then to Nayapul and Pokhara. The walk is about 3 hours, and the ride is about four hours long. If you are lucky, you might even find a bus from Poonhill to Pokhara. You are back at Pokhara Lakeside at around 7:00 p.m. in the evening.

Pokhara to Poonhill-3 days

For the three-day Poonhill Trek Itinerary, we followed the exact same path on the first day. On the second day, we walk to Poonhill in the morning and go back to Ghandruk for breakfast. Then, instead of getting back to Ulleri on the same trial, we walk to Tadapani or Ghandruk village, getting back to Pokhara on 3rd day

Day 1: Pokhara to Ghorpani 

Here’s 3-day Poonhill trek Itinerary detail.

Day 2: Ghorepani to Poonhill to Tadapani/ Ghandruk

Trekking to Poonhill from Pokhara

As explained earlier, we wake up at about 4 am and hike to Poonhill. Then back to Ghorepani, we are ready for the trek at around 10:00 a.m. Our target is to reach Tadapani (5 hours) or Ghandruk (8 hours).

From Ghorepani, we first stop at Deurali. At around 1 am, there’s a beautiful lodge on the hilltop where we stop for lunch. The trail taking us to Tadapani is beautified with the stream flowing alongside us and the random waterfalls. However, it’s a long journey with many ups and downs on the way. We reach Tadapani at about 4 in the evening. Since most trekkers coming from Poonhill are quite tired here, they often crash here.

The better option would have been to spend a night in Ghandruk. Ghandruk is one of the most important Gurung villages in Annapurna with a big settlement. This is a popular homestay destination among national and international tourists. However, we need to walk for another 3 hours from Tadapani to reach Ghandurk, which is really hard. So, that’s why we recommend 4 days from Ghorepani to Poonhill Trek. 

Day 3: Tadapani/ Ghandruk to Pokhara

Most likely, you will be spending your night in Tadapani. After breakfast here, we walked towards Ghandruk on a level path. Walking in the forest in the morning has its own charm. We reach Ghandruk for lunch. Also, we take some time to stroll around the village here and then get a Jeep to drive us from Ghandruk to Pokhara. This is about 4 hours of the ride. We will be back at Lakeside Pokhara at about 4 pm. 

Pokhara to Poonhill trek 4 days 

The Poonhill 4 days Itinerary is the same as above up to the 2nd day. The first day in Pokhara to Ghorepani (if possible, Pokhara to Ghorepani via road). On the 2nd day, we stay at Tadapani and walk to Ghandruk in the morning on the 3rd day. We have a whole day to visit the temples, monasteries, and museums of Ghandruk. For the night, we sleep in a comfortable hotel at Ghandruk after enjoying the campfire. The morning view of Annapurna from Ghandruk is just awesome. On the 4th day, we can walk for a few hours to the Madi River bank to get our Jeep. And if you don’t feel like walking, you can get a Jeep directly from Ghandruk to Pokhara. 

Pokhara to Poonhill trek 5 days

Trek Pokhara to Ghorepani

The 5 days Itinerary is a bit different as we first drive to Nayapul and instead of driving all the way to Ulleri, we walk to this spot. Then, it’s the same as in 4 days itinerary. 

Day 1: Pokhara to Nayapul

You can get the bus to Nayapul from Hari Chowk, Pritihivi Chowk, or Baglung Buspark. Bus driving to Ghandruk or any bus getting to Baglung and Syanjha can drop you here. From Nayapul, we start the walk via Tikhedunga. The walk towards Uller is quite steep in some parts. However, hiking along the village and rivers is quite fun. In about 6 hours from Nayapul, you will reach Ulleri. 

Day 2: Ulleri to Ghorepani

4 to 5 hours of the walk along the forest takes us to the stunning Ghorepani village. There are few waterfalls and streams along the way, but it’s mostly the forest full of Rhododendron and Pine. In about 5 hours of hike, you reach the amusing Ghorepani village with many beautiful hotels.

Day 3: Ghorepani to Poonhill to Tadapani

Ghorepani to Poonhill for 1 hour and back to Ghorepani for breakfast. Then, we complete multiple ascents and descents before crashing at Tadapani for the night. If you still feel engernetic, you can walk for 3.5 hours to reach Ghandrul as well.

Day 4: Tadapani to Ghandruk

3 hours of walk from Tadapani to Ghandruk in the morning is very fun. At Ghandruk, we can visit many monasteries, temples, museums, and local houses, and keep ourselves engaged for the entire day.

Day 5: Ghandruk to Pokhara 

Next morning, we can hike down to Nayapul and get a ride to Pokhara or we can simply get a Jeep/ Bus from Ghandruk to Pokhara.

FAQ

What is the cost of the Pokhara to Poonhill trek?

The transportation cost during the start and the return journey from Pokhara to Ghorepani via road is about $20 (for the bus) and about $50 (for the Jeep) per person. The cost of a hotel in Ghorepani is $5 to $8 for one night and food is about $30 per day. If you also hire a guide and porter they cost $25 and $20 respectively. So, for 2 day Pokhara to Poonhill trek cost is about $100, and that for 5 days is about $200 (without a guide and porter). Oh, and you will need about $50 for the TIMS and ACAP permit. 

Poonhill trek cost for Nepalese is about NRP 3000 for two-way transportation (in Jeep) and about Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 for dinner, bed, and breakfast per night. 

How hard is the Pokhara to Poonhill trek?

Ulleri to Ghorepani to Poonhill and back (as in 2 days Itinerary) is not that hard. In fact, it’s among Nepal’s easiest trekking trails that can be completed by any newbie trekker. Nayapul to Ulleri hike can be quite demanding but you can easily skip that with a Jeep ride. Also, if you aim to walk from Ghorepani to Ghandruk on the same day, it will take a lot of energy. So, it’s wise to stop at Tadapani. 

What kind of accommodation/ hotel in Poonhill can we find? 

It’s basically a tea house trekking trail with good local lodges. You can find the full guide to Poonhill accommodation and food here. 

Do you need a guide for Poonhill Trek?

Legally, you don’t. And since it’s short and easy, you can probably manage without a guide. The number of hotels is also good in Ghorepani and Ghandruk, so pre-booking might not be needed. However, it’s always safe to have an experienced guide while trekking in an unknown country. 

What is the Pokhara to Ghorepani distance?

Pokhara to Ghorepani is about 60kms (can be higher for Pokhara to Ghorepani via road). Ghorepani is about 40 km from Nayapul via road and 25 km from the trekking route. The Poonhill to Ghorepani distance is about 2 km. 

Is Pokhara to Poonhill via car possible?

Right now( end of 2021) it’s not. The road to Poonhill is still under construction, and off-road driving in a car is hard. A jeep can reach Poonhill in good weather. Otherwise, people mostly drive to Ulleri. 

Final words, 

Anything else you wanna know?

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