Ghorepani / Poon Hill Trek
This trek was done in the last half of March in 2015 with my granddaughter – a very special trip for both of us! It is actually the lower part of the trek to Annapurna base camp (ABC) or sanctuary. We started at Phedi, a short drive from Pokhara and finished at Naypool, also not too far from Pokahara. The trek is a relatively low elevation trek (no higher than 3,210 meters) and took 7 days in total. Poon Hill is a famous location to observe the sunrise. We left Ghorepani with headlamps on at 4:00 AM to climb Poon Hill in time to see the the rising sun strike Dhaulagiri. It was very cold and windy but we were extremely fortunate to have a perfectly clear view!
Rhododendron forests were in full bloom and consisted primarily of rhododendron arboreum, a tree form, with some specimens reaching 25 meters tall and 1 meter in diameter. Rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal. Native magnolias and many orchids were also blooming. The fragrance of an unidentified shrub filled the forest. In the distance was the magnificent massif of Dhaulagiri. It was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had. Needless to say, I would highly recommend this trip for someone wanting a fairly easy trek and one where accommodation is in teahouses not tents.
All of our treks have been organized and operated by Happy Feet Mountaineers Pvt. Ltd.
We are pleased to recommend them to anyone interested in a trip to Nepal.