Annapurna Base Camp Trek via Poon Hill - 10 Days

Before starting the hike, Breakfast will be served at Ulleri. Breakfast orders will be taken after dinner the day before, since it takes time to prepare, and the trek usually starts around 8 AM daily. It is one of the commonly accepted practices for hiking and trekking due to its practicality.

After breakfast, you will trek to Ghorepani Deurali, which is actually considered a short hike of around 4 to 5 hours from Upper Ulleri. The beginning of the trek passes through stone paved trails of Ulleri towards Banthanthi, which is the Jeep station of Ulleri. Once you hit the road, you will visibly see the hills of Ghorepani. From Banthanthi, you can also reach Mohare Danda, which will take at least a day or two. Continuing towards Ghorepani, once you reach the end of the road, you will come to a small river with bridges and the temple caves of Mahadev. Around the river are also small trail shops and tea houses for quick snacks and a break. From the river, the trail gradually takes you uphill, through a dense forest of Rhododendron. After you cross a stone resting place and bamboo taps, you will reach Ghorepani Deurali, with a welcome gate. On the right side of Ghorepani is the entry checkpost; you must always be well-tracked for personal safety.

Now, Ghorepani is divided into two parts, Upper and Lower. The entry gate and checkpost is the lower one, where there around 10 lodges; if you want peace, you can choose to remain at the lower part. The main market and central part of Ghorepani is another half an hour of hike, from where you can actually see the Annapurna Range from your hotel rooms as well. The upper part is much larger, with more developed hotels and markets. Overnight at Ghorepani Deurali.

About Ghorepani Deurali!

At an altitude of 2880 meters above sea level, Ghorepani Deurali is currently a popular trekking destination and resting point before hiking to Poon Hill. Originally a remote village of Magar and Gurung communities, Ghorepani still used to be a stop and resting place before trekking or travelling to villages near Annapurna Base Camp.

The name Ghorepani derives from its given name “Ghode” and “Pani”, which translates to Horse and water, meaning the valley probably had natural water reservoirs, and the meadows around Ghorepani, including Poon Hill, are naturally suitable for horses. Today, Ghorepani is more than a remote village; it is an important place that holds the history and culture of trekking itself.

Photo: Ghorepani Village

The third day of the trek will operate differently from the rest of the days, since you will be hiking to the popular viewpoint of the Annapurna Region. Poon Hill is also the highlight of the itinerary, so it can’t be missed, and from the viewpoint of Poon Hill, you can also view the route you will be taking for the Annapurna Base Camp.

For the hike, we and our guide will also recommend you wake as early as around 4 or 5 in the morning. Why? Aside from the panoramic view, the sunrise from Poon Hill is also sensational, with horizons being lit and rays hitting the mountains, which makes it look like it's on fire and definitely do not want to miss it. The lodge can make a go-to breakfast, and the hike will begin around 4-5, depending on the season. If you’re trekking in spring might want to wake even earlier before sunrise.

The hike begins at night, so carry a torch or headlamps. The hike to Poon Hill is around 400 meters of ascent from the lower Deurali, and takes approximately an hour or two, depending on your pace. Before reaching poon hill, you will reach a toll booth or something similar as an entry gate, where you need to pay before entering Poon Hill. This is also the reason for hiking early, since you do not want to be at the last line for the entry and miss the sunrise. The poon hill has a small coffee stall; you can find Hot lemons, black tea, and coffee for enjoying the view.

After the sunrise and an hour of photo session, you will retrace the same trail to Ghorepani Deurali and have Lunch at the same lodge. After lunch, your destination for today is Tadapani. The trail starts from the lower Ghorepani, along the hillside for an hour and straight downhill, until you hear and reach a small river or mid-hill streams. Starting from the river, it’s another hard uphill of the trek until you reach Tadapani. Of course, the trail also has stone resting places, since even the locals know how hard this part is. At the end of the uphill is Tadapani, and our overnight for tonight.

About Tadapani!

Tadapani is neither an ancient settlement nor does it have any importance like Poon Hill. Deep in the forest of Annapurna, from what we can collect, Tadapani is a staging point. From the surface, it doesn’t look as grand as Ghorepani or Poon Hill, nor Ghandruk. But from a travelling perspective, Tadapani has more importance than Poon Hill. It may not have mesmerizing views or cultural history, but since ancient times, Tadapani has been a rest stop before travelling to Annapurna Base Camp or for people travelling around the villages of the Annapurna region.

Since every trail in Nepal has a single purpose of travelling, Tadapani probably was a resting spot, with a few or a single house around, which was used as an inn for local travelers, and with the growing popularity of the Annapurna region, the location transformed into a more commercial place for lodges and teahouses.

Photo: Annapurna Range and Machhapuchhre from Poon Hill.

Quick information: today's hike will be the hardest, and not just a single part of the trek, like the uphill of Ulleri or the Tadapani, but the whole route.

Starting the scheduled day with breakfast around 7 in the morning; also, do not skip breakfast, if possible. You will need every ounce of strength for today's trek. The trek will begin from the rainforest of Tadapani, and for hours, the trail will be inside the rainforest with slippery stones. From Tadapani till Kimrong, it’s a rainforest trail, and around Kimrong you will find scattered houses in small numbers and some lodges for a lunch break. Also, Kimrong has an old museum for handicrafts to visit during the Lunch break.

Starting from Kimrong, it will be straight downhill for an hour until you reach the Kimrong River itself. Crossing the river on a suspension bridge, the trail now transforms from an uphill and river trail to straight uphill for more than 2 hours. You can also consider it as a trail to find out if you’re worthy of trekking the Annapurna Base Camp. From the river, it's approximately 500 meters of uphill; once the uphill ends, a small scattering of houses in terraced farmland marks the beginning of Chhomrong village. Behind the hill is the largest village in the area, Chhomrong, which is also the entry to Annapurna Base Camp. You can also reach there directly from Pokhara in a jeep.

About Chhomrong!

Today, Chhomrong is popular as a transit point to Annapurna and Machhapuchre Base Camp from Pokhara, but the history of Chhomrong is deeper than a resting spot. Unlike many Himalayan villages that grew because of trade, Chhomrong's historical importance lies in being a traditional Gurung farming and herding village. Before the rise of trekking tourism, the village still thrived with farming and seasonal herding. The locals already knew the lands and forests of Annapurna Sanctuary, and shepherds often moved from different elevations of pasture lands during the season.

Chhomrong is not historically significant because of trade or royal events, but because it represents one of the best-preserved traditional Gurung settlements in the Annapurna region. For generations, it served as a farming and herding community nestled on a ridge below the Annapurna Sanctuary. Only in the late 20th century did it evolve into the principal staging post for trekkers heading to Annapurna Base Camp.

Photo: A playful child at Chhomrong village.

Chhomrong is the last ancient settlement and gateway to the Annapurna Base Camp. Due to the harsh environment, passing Chhomrong and Sinuwa, the land and environment were not suitable for sustainable farming. But worry not; of course, there are lodges and teahouses at a reasonable distance for lunch breaks and overnight.

With that being the case, the trek begins at the scheduled time; once breakfast ends, you start trekking downhill through the century-old stone stairs of Chhormong. Midway is the checkpoint for the Annapurna Conservation, once the guide completes the process, you continue downhill to a suspension bridge. Crossing the suspension bridge is another popular stone stair of Annapurna Base Camp; between the bridge crossing and Sinuwa, you might even have seen it on the internet. With the last view of mountains from Chhomrong, starting from Sinuwa, the trails are mostly along the hills and river. For the whole day, you will trek through the rainforest of the Annapurna Region, which is actually good since you have to deal with heatstroke.

Between the trails of Sinuwa and Dovan is Bamboo, a place covered in dense bamboo forest, which is used by trekkers as a resting spot and Lunch place. Crossing Chhomrong and Sinuwa, locals have built lodges and teahouses at estimated intervals for easy access and a comfortable journey. On the way to Dovan, your Lunch break is also at Bamboo; the place is near a river and dense rainforest and bamboo, so do not expect spectacular views of mountains. After lunch break at Bamboo, you will trek for another 2-3 hours uphill and on a hillside trail to Dovan, which is also similar to the campsite of Himalaya and Bamboo, near a river with zero mountain views. The trails from Chhomrong until Deurali are through narrow rivers and hills, which block any vision of the mountains, but once you pass these valleys, the transitions of nature and scenery will completely mesmerize you. With that, the trek ends with overnight at Dovan.

Starting from the sixth day of the Annapurna Base Camp Trek, you will truly experience the remote Himalayas. From Dovan to Deurali is a mixed trail of forest and lower alpine, and Deurali is the border between the Himalayas and Hills.

The trek again starts early with pre-ordered breakfast; your guide will arrange your meals, so you can have enough time for packing and getting ready. Once breakfast ends, you will still be given enough time for a short hygiene practice, and then depart immediately. The trail leading to Deurali is a mixed trail of rainforest with waterfalls and bare hill trails. Between these trails is also a popular, short, broad waterfall right across the river, where people often build small rock towers resembling chortens for various religious and trendy reasons.

After tiring slippery trails for hours, you will start to notice that the scene around you has started to open more with fewer trees. It is due to higher altitudes and harsh environments where only limited vegetation can thrive. With approximately 700 meters of acclimatization from Dovan, you will reach a short stone staircase leading to a lodge with a billboard welcoming you to Deurali. Overnight at Deurali.

About Deurali!

Unlike Chhomrong, Sinuwa, and Ghandruk in the Annapurna region, Deurali doesn’t have a history or culture, nor is it an ancient settlement of an ethnic group. In the Himalayas, there are certain cultural practices for sustaining, villages are always built around the hills close to the Himalayas but not too far either, and houses are made in higher and more open lands, while farming is done in the lower regions, below the villages till the river. And aside from farming, every village heavily depends on its cattle as well: sheep, buffaloes, cows, hens, and bulls, etc. Since the main source of income was from farms, every household had hundreds of cattle. Sustaining them at one place was impossible, and the most reliable and practical solution was seasonal herding, which is also deeply tied with trekking seasonal practices.

Since the upper parts of the Annapurna were not suitable for farming, it was mainly used by shepherds as seasonal pasture lands. The higher regions had abundant pasture lands, and shepherds used them for their way of living. And they probably used places like Deurali as a resting spot before heading to Annapurna Base Camp, which later in modern times became an important transit point.

Photo: Stone stair trail to Deurali

The trekking days from the seventh day are the reward for your hardships. For the past three days, the trails were mainly inside dense rainforest, but starting from Deurali, you truly enter the Himalayas itself and not just admire it from afar.

With the scheduled time, you will trek to Annapurna Base Camp, the destination of the whole itinerary and highlight of the trek.After the morning breakfast, the trail from Deurali is truly memorable; after a minute of walk you will notice large rock spires on both sides of the trail, with Hiunchuli right above you on the left side. From Deurali, most trekkers also notice a large Buddha-like figure on one of the rock spires on the right side; you will not want to miss that as well.

Continuing the trek, the trail now passes through riverbeds of the Himalayas mostly full of rocks and lower glaciers. Leaving Deurali behind, you will cross the river from MBC and trek in the shade of bare trees and bushes and once again cross the river to the old trail. Since there was an avalanche on the old trail, the new trail is now diverted from the river, so you will cross the same river twice. Once you cross the river, you will walk straight for hours along the trail, and it won’t bore you with the scenery that is surrounding you. After an hour or so, you will start to trek a gradual uphill from where the streams of ABC flow through MBC. From Machhapuchre Base Camp, it is another hour of uphill to ABC; along the way is also the popular seasonal lake of Annapurna Base Camp, and behind you is the most globally known Machhapuchre mountains, which is not even a hill far. Before reaching the Annapurna Base Camp, there is the billboard with prayer flags marking the area, and on the left side you can see the majestic Annapurna South, with a stream separating you and the mountain. Overnight at Annapurna Base Camp.

About Annapurna Base Camp!

We have previously mentioned the lifestyle of shepherds travelling from one pasture to another as a seasonal cattle migration, and Annapurna South Base Camp was also a pasture land for Shepherds. During the September season, the snowy base camp turns into large grass fields for seasonal grazing. And before the massive popularity of the base camp, the trail was used for expeditions to Annapurna South, with the first ascent from the Kyoto University Alpine Club, in 1964. Today, the base camp is more popular for a close-up view of Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre, Hiuchuli and Annapurna I on clear days.

Photo: Annapurna Base Camp in September trekking season.

The eighth day of the trek is also the last day of your trek in the Annapurna Base Camp, and not the region but the base camp itself. Before departure, you can spend the fabulous base camp with breakfast and photo sessions. A quick tip: you might wanna wake up early in the morning to spend more time in that heavenly place.

Anyway, after breakfast ends, you trek down from the Annapurna Base Camp towards the Machhapuchre Base Camp with Machhapuchre facing directly towards you. Following the stream from ABC downhill, you retrace your steps back to Deurali from the same trail of rock spires. From Deurali, you once again enter the dense rainforest of Annapurna, and trek towards Bamboo, where you previously stopped for lunch break. Overnight at Bamboo.

About Bamboo!

Located deep in the forest of the Annapurna region, Bamboo is an important transit and resting point before heading to Annapurna Base Camp. The place is covered with thick bamboo forest, with locals settling there for seasonal foreign income; trekkers use Bamboo mainly for a lunch stop due to its geographical importance and the distance between nearby camps.

Photo: Lunch break at Bamboo

Unlike circuit treks, a typical base camp trek always retraces the same trail back and doesn’t diverge to other trekking trails. So, from Bamboo you will again retrace the same trail of the fifth day to Jhinu Danda, which sits right below the Chhomrong village. But why choose Jhinu instead of Chhomrong?

The main reason is the natural hot spring of Jhinu Danda, which lets trekkers recover their bodies and relax after a tiring day. Also, Jhinu Danda has more comfortable and luxury hotels aside from typical trekking lodges. You can spend the last days of the trek in more comfortable rooms.

About Jhinu Danda!

Originally, a part of Chhomrong village, Jhinu Danda is the lower half where the locals of Chhomrong used to do terraced farming and had small huts to look after the farms. Today, Jhinu Danda is the main transit point and not like Bamboo or Sinuwa, but the main starting point of the Annapurna Base Camp. With rapid development of the road infrastructure, expanding through the Annapurna region, trekkers can now directly access the New bridge of Jhinu Danda, which saves acclimatization time and shortens the itinerary.

Photo: A typical teahouse and lodge in New Bridge

There is road access to Jhinu Danda, or more like the New Bridge, which is across from Jhinu Danda and connected with a long suspension bridge. But the road through the hills always faces landslides and dangerous, slippery, wet, and muddy roads. So, jeeps are mainly available from Siwai, which is an hour or two away from Jhinu Danda.

A local jeep will be arranged from Jhinu Danda and transfer you to the local jeep station in Pokhara. From there, your guide will arrange another transfer to your hotel, or sometimes, the jeep will take you to the hotel itself. With a farewell, your trek will end at your hotel in Pokhara.

Photo: Local bus station in Pokhara