Poon Hill Trek Itinerary: 4 and 5 Day Options, Day by Day

Last updated 6 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars per person and match our package pages on that date. Permit fees follow the Nepal Tourism Board.

Four days is the right length for most people. You start and finish in Pokhara, you sleep at Ulleri, Ghorepani and Tadapani, and you stand on Poon Hill at 3,210 m for sunrise on the morning of day 3. If you start in Kathmandu, the same walk is our 6-day trek with the two drives built in. A 5-day version is the gentlest way to do the route. Below we show each one day by day, with the sleeping heights and the hours on foot.

We are The Everest Holiday, registered in 2016 and built on three generations of guiding in the Himalayas. We run this trek all season, so the numbers below are the ones our guides use. We sell two fixed versions, the 4-day Poon Hill trek from Pokhara and the 6-day Poon Hill trek from Kathmandu. The 5-day version is not a fixed package. It is a private departure that we shape for you, and we say clearly which is which.

How do the 4 and 5 day options compare?

Whichever length you pick, the highest night is Ghorepani at 2,860 m. Poon Hill itself, at 3,210 m, is a sunrise viewpoint about 350 m above the village. You walk up in the early morning and come back down for breakfast, so you never sleep on it.

What does the 4-day itinerary look like day by day?

This is our Poon Hill trek, 4 days from Pokhara, graded Easy. It starts and ends at your Pokhara hotel (the Pokhara hotel is not included).

Day 1. A short drive from Pokhara takes us to Nayapul, the trailhead. The path climbs the stone steps to Ulleri, a Magar village on the hillside. It is a steady climb and it is the day most people find hardest, so we go slowly. Your permits are checked at the checkpoint on the way. For the trailhead itself, see our Nayapul guide.

Day 2. The trail leaves Ulleri and climbs through rhododendron forest to Ghorepani, a trade village strung along a ridge. In spring the forest flowers on the slopes. We arrive in the early afternoon, so you have time to rest before the early start.

Day 3. We climb in the dark with headtorches. The walk from Ghorepani to Poon Hill takes between 45 minutes and an hour. At the top the sun comes up over the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges. We come back down for breakfast, then walk on to Tadapani, a day of about five to six hours. This is the longest day of the trek, and Tadapani is lower than Ghorepani, so you sleep well.

Day 4. We walk down to Ghandruk, a large Gurung village, in about four hours. Your vehicle meets us there and drives you back to Pokhara in the afternoon. For more on the village and the ridge, read our Poon Hill and Ghorepani guide.

What is the 6-day version from Kathmandu?

It is the same four days on foot with a Pokhara night at each end. Our 6-day Poon Hill trek runs like this.

If you land in Kathmandu and have six days, take this one. If you already have a few days in Pokhara, or you fly there, the 4-day trek saves you 14 to 16 hours on the Prithvi Highway.

How can you do Poon Hill in 5 days?

The 5-day version adds a night at the start by stopping at Tikhedhunga, and it finishes with a night in Ghandruk. This is a private variant we shape on request. Here is how the stages work, with the walking hours and heights.

That is about 50 km on foot in total. The long run of stone steps above Tikhedhunga is the hardest section of the route, and day 2 is the biggest climb. Splitting the route this way gives your legs a gentler first day. If your knees dislike the long walk down on the last day, we can take the vehicle from Ghandruk instead. Our distance and difficulty guide breaks down each stage in more detail.

Which option should you choose?

• You have six days and arrive in Kathmandu: the 6-day trek, with the drives and hotels sorted for you.
• You are already in Pokhara with four days: the 4-day trek. This is the one most of our guests take.
• You have five days and want to go slowly: the 5-day variant, with the extra night at Tikhedhunga.

If you are still choosing between short Annapurna treks, our Poon Hill versus Mardi Himal comparison helps. If you would rather sleep higher, look at the 5-day Mardi Himal trek from Pokhara or the 5-day Annapurna Base Camp trek from Pokhara, which are both much harder at altitude than Poon Hill.

How hard is it, and what altitude do you sleep at?

Both of our Poon Hill treks are graded Easy. Easy does not mean flat, because the stone steps to Ulleri are steady work. You do not go above 3,210 m, and you sleep no higher than Ghorepani at 2,860 m. The longest day is the third, with the sunrise climb followed by five to six hours to Tadapani. If you have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, speak to your doctor at home before you book. Our distance and difficulty guide and the main Poon Hill guide cover fitness in more depth.

What is a normal day on the trail like?

You wake in a lodge, eat breakfast in the dining room around the stove, and start walking in the morning. Lunch is at a teahouse on the trail, and the evening meal is back at your lodge. Dal bhat, rice with lentils and vegetables, is the standard and is easy to find all along the route. Rooms and meals follow the tier you choose. Budget has shared rooms and meals are not included. Standard has private rooms where the lodge has one and all trek meals. Luxury has private deluxe rooms and all meals plus fruit and nuts. On the sunrise morning you are up well before dawn, in warm layers, with a headtorch.

What does it cost?

These are the prices on our package pages on 6 October 2026, in US dollars per person.

The 5-day variant is priced when we shape it for you, so ask us for a quote. For the full tier-by-tier breakdown, see our Poon Hill trek cost guide.

What the tiers mean on the trail. Budget has no porter, so you carry your own bag, with shared rooms and trek meals not included. Standard has one porter for every two trekkers, private rooms and all trek meals. Luxury has a dedicated porter for each trekker, private deluxe rooms and all meals plus fruit, nuts and unlimited soft drinks. A solo Standard trekker has no porter, and the guide carries up to 10 kg of your bag. An extra porter is USD 25 a day plus 13 per cent VAT and a 3.5 per cent bank charge on top. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier.

Payment. The deposit is 10 per cent and it is non-refundable. If you need to move your trip, rescheduling is free with at least 72 hours' notice, to any date within one year. If we cannot run the trip, we refund what you paid, less taxes, bank or card charges and any money already spent on permits or transport. You pay the balance on arrival in Kathmandu, in US dollars or euros, in cash or by card. A card payment carries 3.5 per cent, and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign guests. Groups run from 2 to 20 people, and solo is welcome.

Do you need a guide, and which permits do you need?

A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run. A licensed guide and an agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023; the Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide. On Poon Hill you need the Annapurna Conservation Area permit, which is NPR 3,000 for foreigners, and a TIMS card at NPR 2,000. We arrange both and the price already includes them. The permit is checked at the trail checkpoints. Buy your travel insurance at home before you fly.

Who should choose the 5-day version?

Choose it if you have not walked uphill for several hours in a row, if your knees complain on stairs, or if you are travelling with older parents or teenagers. Choose it too if you want time for photographs at Ghorepani and Ghandruk. The extra night costs you one more day, and in return every stage is shorter. If you only have four days, the 4-day trek is still a comfortable walk, and we will tell you honestly which way to go.

When is the best time to go?

Spring brings the rhododendron bloom and autumn gives the clearest skies. Winter is cold in the mornings but quiet. Read our guides to Poon Hill in spring, Poon Hill in autumn and Poon Hill in December and January, then choose dates that suit your leave.

Tell us your dates, your fitness and where you land, and we will tell you which length fits. WhatsApp +977 9810351300 or write to [email protected].

Sources: Nepal Tourism Board (park and conservation area fees, TIMS card).

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.