Poon Hill is the trek most first-time visitors to Nepal end up doing, and for good reason: it is short, it is low, it requires no previous experience, and the view from the summit at dawn takes in two eight-thousanders and half a dozen other major peaks. You can do it in three days from Pokhara.
It is also the busiest short trail in Nepal. That is worth knowing before you go, and it is manageable — this guide covers how.
The Trek at a Glance
| Duration | 7 days from Kathmandu, 3 days from Pokhara |
| Highest point | Poon Hill, 3,210 m (trek max 2,885 m at Ghorepani) |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate — short days, one long stone staircase |
| Best seasons | Year-round; best March to May and October to December |
| Access | Road from Pokhara to Nayapul, about 1.5 hours |
| Permits | Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and trekking registration |
| Altitude risk | Minimal |
We run it as a 7-day trek from Kathmandu and a 3-day trek from Pokhara, and it combines naturally with the Annapurna Sanctuary on this 12-day itinerary.
What You See from the Top
Poon Hill is a 3,210 m hill above Ghorepani, climbed in the dark for sunrise. The panorama is unusually wide for a viewpoint this accessible:
- Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) — the seventh highest mountain in the world, directly west and closer than you expect.
- Annapurna I (8,091 m) — the tenth highest, to the north-east.
- Annapurna South (7,219 m) and Hiunchuli — the dominant wall straight ahead.
- Machhapuchhre (6,993 m) — the unmistakable fishtail, east.
- Nilgiri, Tukuche, Barahshikhar and the Dhaulagiri massif filling the western skyline.
The light is the point: Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South go pink, then gold, then white over about twenty minutes while the valleys below are still dark. It is one of the best sunrises in Nepal, and there will be two hundred other people watching it with you in October.
The Route
Nayapul to Ulleri (1,070 m to 1,960 m)
A drive from Pokhara to Nayapul, then a walk up the Bhurungdi Khola through Birethanti and Hille to the foot of the Ulleri staircase — around 3,300 stone steps climbing 500 m in one go. It is the hardest hour of the trek, and it is done in the first afternoon.
Ulleri to Ghorepani (1,960 m to 2,885 m)
The best walking of the trek: a climb through dense rhododendron and oak forest, cool and mossy, with Annapurna South appearing through the canopy. In late March and April this forest is in full flower. Ghorepani is a large lodge village on a saddle at 2,885 m with bakeries, hot showers, and a lot of other trekkers.
Poon Hill and down through Tadapani or Ghandruk
A 4.30 a.m. start for the 45-minute climb to the summit, back for breakfast, then the descent. The better options go east through Tadapani and down to the large Gurung village of Ghandruk — a museum, stone houses, and Annapurna South overhead — rather than retracing the Ulleri steps.
The Crowd Problem, and What to Do About It
Poon Hill in mid-October is genuinely crowded: full lodges at Ghorepani, a queue on the summit path in the dark, and a viewing platform with several hundred people on it. That is the honest picture.
What works:
- Go in a shoulder month. December, February, and late March are almost as clear and far quieter.
- Start the summit climb 30 minutes before everyone else. Your guide will know what time the crowd leaves.
- Stay at Ghorepani rather than Banthanti, and sleep in a lodge at the top end of the village, closest to the path.
- Descend via Tadapani and Ghandruk rather than back down Ulleri. Half the traffic, and better villages.
- Or choose a quieter ridge entirely. Mohare Danda and Khopra Danda look at the same mountains from community-owned lodges with almost nobody on them. Honestly, if solitude matters more to you than the famous name, go to one of those.
None of this makes Poon Hill not worth doing. The sunrise is genuinely one of Nepal's best, the forest is beautiful, and the three-day version from Pokhara is the best value short trek in the country.
Who It Suits
- First-time trekkers wanting a real Himalayan trek with no altitude risk.
- Families with children. Short days, good lodges, and nothing above 3,210 m.
- Travellers with three or four days in Pokhara.
- Winter visitors. Poon Hill is one of the best December and January treks in Nepal.
- Older trekkers or anyone advised against sleeping high.
- Anyone combining a trek with Chitwan, Kathmandu, or Pokhara in a two-week Nepal trip.
Who should look elsewhere: trekkers who want solitude, who want to get genuinely high, or who have two weeks. For those, see Mardi Himal, Annapurna Base Camp, or the quieter community ridges.
