The Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

The Poon Hill trek is where a great many people have their first Himalayan experience, and it earns its popularity: in four or five easy days from Pokhara it takes in stone-paved trails, terraced fields, Gurung and Magar villages, forests of rhododendron that turn scarlet and pink in spring, and a great many stone steps. The point of it all is a pre-dawn walk up to the viewpoint at Poon Hill, at 3,210 metres, to watch the sun come up over Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna range and the sharp fin of Machhapuchhre, which stands unclimbed because it is considered sacred. Because it stays relatively low, altitude is not the concern it is elsewhere, and teahouses along the way are comfortable and well spaced, so it works for reasonably fit walkers without previous trekking experience.

What you actually see

• Poon Hill at dawn - sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Machhapuchhre.
• The rhododendron forest - the spring bloom through the Ghorepani woods.
• Gurung and Magar villages - stone-built hill villages and terraced fields.
• The stone stairways - the long flights of steps that define the route.

When to go

October and November give the clearest mountain views, while March and April are slightly hazier but bring the rhododendrons into full bloom, which is a fair trade. The monsoon means cloud, leeches and slippery steps. It is cold at dawn on the hill in any season.

Honest expectations

It is popular, and in peak season the viewpoint at sunrise holds a crowd of a couple of hundred people, which is not the solitary Himalayan dawn some imagine. The trek is not technically hard but the stone stairs are relentless and thighs suffer, particularly the descent. Teahouses fill in season, so an early arrival at each stop or a booking through a guide helps.

Nearby

Pokhara is two hours from the trailheads; the longer Annapurna Base Camp route branches off the same trails.