Annapurna Base Camp via Poonhill

Our day starts with a drive to Nayapul from Pokhara covering a distance of 45 km to reach the point where we start walking and begin our trek. The drive to Nayapul, has beautiful views of the Annapurna range with terraced landscapes. As we start walking we see the Modi River accompanying us upstream Birethanti. Not to forget the Bhurungdi Khola following you towards the east with the beautiful and breathtaking scenery of the waterfalls. Lunch shall be done in between. These amazing views lead us to Hille then we start ascending through a steep path for a couple of hours to reach Ulleri village. Ulleri will be our stop for the day.

Today, we head towards Ghorepani, a busy village on the ridge in the midst of the rhododendron forest. As we move forward from Ulleri, we start climbing uphill on a winding trail. We walk through the cool shades of the giant rhododendron forest and finally reach the Ghorepani Deurali. At Ghorepani you are surrounded by the splendid views of the Annapurna in the north and Dhaulagiri range in the west. We spend the night at Ghorepani.

Today will be an early morning for you as we hike for an hour towards Poonhill even before the moon sets off and the sun rises. Make sure you carry a flashlight along as the moonlight may not be enough to guide you through. Named after the inhabitants of the hill tribe the Puns, Poon Hill is a perfect spot for a panoramic view of mountains and peaks like Dhaulagiri, Tukuche, Dhampus, Nilgiri, Machhapuchhre, Hiunchuli, Manaslu and Annapurna. A single spot covering approximately 600 km of the mountain range and a mesmerizing sunrise at the midwestern Himalayan range. After witnessing such a beautiful morning we head back to Ghorepani for breakfast and continue our trek. We walk along the ridges through pine and rhododendron forest to Deurali that is elevated at 2,960 m. from where we descend to Banthanti, turning off to Tadapani, which will be our stop for the night.

Today’s destination will be Chomrong, hence we start descending towards our destination through the dense dark forest. We walk through the mixed forest of rain and alpine descending towards the Chuile after walking for about 30 minutes. As we reach Chuile we move towards Chomrong that is situated in the laps of the majestic Annapurna. We start walking along a descended trail stone staircase through the terrace field towards the Chomrong river. Chomrong will be our stop for the night.

Adding a little fun adventure to the trek, we start our day by crossing the Chomrong river through the swaying suspension bridge and follow the trail that gets gently uphill through the forest of bamboos and rhododendron. The trail from here is all uphill. However, the scenic view of the rhododendron and the peaceful and beautiful surrounding of the oak tree sets your moral high to reach the Himalaya.

To start off the day, we will trail along a muddy path towards the Himalayan Hotel from where our trail steeply ascends towards the Hinku cave. Hinku cave is actually a lump of rocks overloading the area, giving it a cave-like impression. We again ascend uphill to reach Deurali and cross two avalanches that stand as hurdles up against the cliff to reach Bagar. We trail along a few more to reach the Machhapuchchre Base Camp which awaits for you with its ever breathtaking views of  Mt. Hunchuli(6441m), Annapurna South(7229m), Annapurna I (8091m), Annapurna III(7555m), Gangapurna(7454m) and Machhapuchhare (6997m). We then head towards the ABC trailing along the Annapurna Sanctuary that is surrounded by mountains everywhere, giving you a spectacular views of Himalayas like the Annapurna I (8091 m), Annapurna South (7219 m) and Barah Shikhar (7800 m), Machhapuchhre - Fishtail (6997 m/ 6993 m) and more snowcapped peaks in addition. ABC is our stop for the night.

After having spent a wonderful time in the laps of the Annapurna range, we head back to Bamboo leaving the heavenly place behind. The trek from ABC to Bamboo is a 5 hours walk.

We start descending towards the Jhinu Danda today as we head back to complete our trek. We start walking towards Chomrong from Bamboo. As we reach Jhinudanda, you would surely not resist to dip and relax into the hot spring here. This natural hot spring will definitely help you relax and take away all your tiredness and would be the best way to reward yourself upon accomplishing your trek up to the camp. We will be spending the night at Jhinudanda.

After a wonderful relaxing hot spring bath last evening, we look forward to wrapping the whole trek and head towards Nayapul from Jhinu Danda from where you will be driven back to Pokhara to end a memorable trip.