What this trek is
Mohare Danda is a ridge at 3,300 metres on the west side of the Annapurnas, above the Kali Gandaki, and the trail to it was built by the villages it passes through. The lodges at Bans Kharka, Nangi, Mohare and Tikot are owned by the village committees, not by families or companies, and the money you spend on a bed and a meal goes into the school, the health post and the farm projects. Nangi is the village of Mahabir Pun, the man who brought wireless internet to this part of Myagdi and won the Magsaysay Award for it. You will see the school he built, the organic farm and the paper-making, because you sleep in the middle of it. From the ridge you get Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Nilgiri and Machhapuchhre in one line, with few other people on the hill. We finish at the Tatopani hot spring on the Kali Gandaki, which is the best way I know to end four days of walking. Eight days from Kathmandu, four nights in the villages, one at the hot spring, two in Pokhara.
Is this trek right for you?
Yes if you want a short trek where the villages are the point, not just the view. The walking is three to six hours a day on village trails and stone steps, with one long climb to the ridge. You never sleep above 3,300 metres, so altitude is rarely a problem, and the lodges are simple but clean, with proper beds and blankets and food grown around them. It suits first-time trekkers, families with teenagers, and people who have done Poon Hill and want the quiet version. It is not the one if you want ensuite bathrooms every night or a base camp at the end.
How high, how hard
The high point is Mohare Danda at 3,300 metres. The climb from Nangi is the long day, about six hours through oak and rhododendron forest, and the descent to Tikot the next day is steep on the knees. Everything else is a normal village walking day. Graded moderate.
The route
We drive to Pokhara and the next morning up the Kali Gandaki to Beni and the Galeshwor temple, where the walking starts. Three hours up to Bans Kharka for the first night. The second day climbs through Danda Kateri to Nangi, and there is time in the afternoon to see the school, the farm and the workshops. The third day is the long one up to the ridge, with the lodge at Mohare Danda and the sunset over Dhaulagiri. Sunrise from the ridge, then down through the pasture at Danda Kharka to Tikot, a Magar village where the terraces start again. On the last walking day we drop to Tiplyang on the river road and drive to Tatopani for the hot spring and a night by the Kali Gandaki. Drive back to Pokhara, and to Kathmandu the day after. If you have two more days I would link Mohare to Khopra ridge instead of coming down to Tikot, ask me about it.
Best time
October and November are the clear months. March and April bring the rhododendrons, and the forest between Nangi and the ridge is red with them then, with some afternoon cloud. December to February is cold on the ridge but clear and the lodges keep a fire. We do not run it in the monsoon.
Mohare or Poon Hill?
Poon Hill is a day shorter and you share the sunrise with a crowd. Mohare is the same range from the next ridge west, in lodges run by the villages, and you will often have the ridge to yourself. Poon Hill has more lodges and hot showers everywhere. If you want the view with the least effort, Poon Hill. If you want to meet the people who live under the mountains, Mohare.
Mohare Danda Trek at a glance
| Duration | 8 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Mohare Danda, 3,300 m |
| Region | Annapurna foothills, Annapurna Conservation Area |
| Difficulty | Moderate; a quiet community trek beside the Poon Hill trail |
| Permits | Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) and TIMS card |
| Best months | October to November and March to April |
Permits
This is an ordinary Annapurna route, so there is no restricted-area permit. You need the two below, and we arrange both and include them in your trek price.
| Permit | Foreigner | SAARC |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) | NPR 3,000 | NPR 1,000 |
| TIMS card | NPR 2,000 | NPR 1,000 |
Trekking as a group?
Bring your own group — friends, family, a club, a university society, your workplace, or a cause you are raising money for — and any of the three comfort levels can run as a private group on your own dates. Private or group, the price per person is the same; we never put strangers in your group. The more of you there are, the less each person pays:
| Group size | Budget (per person) | Standard (per person) | Luxury (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | US$1,075 | US$1,585 | US$3,215 |
| 2-4 people | US$645 | US$1,290 | US$2,015 |
| 5-8 people | US$450 | US$1,100 | US$1,775 |
| 9-12 people | US$435 | US$1,065 | US$1,570 |
| 13-20 people | US$390 | US$1,050 | US$1,510 |
The organiser travels free. Get fourteen or more paying people together and whoever organised the group joins the trip free. The one thing the organiser still pays is their own flights and permits, since those are fixed costs we pay out for every person and cannot absorb, and we cover the rest. Your departure is guaranteed on your own dates — from a solo traveller up to a group of twenty, and we never merge you into another trip.
Planning a group? Message me on WhatsApp with the trip, roughly when, and how many of you, and I will send you a price and a plan.
Compare our three packages
| Feature | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | USD $645 | USD $1,290 | USD $2,015 |
| Meals on trek | Not included (order and pay at the lodges) | Three meals a day, tea or coffee with each meal | Three meals a day with fruit and nuts, soft drinks, tea, coffee and boiled water; hot showers and charging paid |
| Pokhara hotel | 2 nights, tourist hotel with breakfast | 2 nights, tourist hotel with breakfast | 2 nights, good hotel with breakfast |
| Room on trek | Shared rooms in the community lodges, simple lodge at Tatopani | Twin rooms, good lodge at Tatopani with hot spring entry | The best rooms, private with attached bathroom where one exists, best lodge at Tatopani with hot spring entry |
| Porter | Not included, you carry your own bag | 1 porter per 2 trekkers (up to 20 kg between two) | 1 porter per trekker |
| Guide | 1 guide up to 8 trekkers (assistant from 9) | 1 guide up to 8 trekkers (assistant from 9) | 1 licensed guide up to 8 trekkers, plus an assistant guide from 9 |
| Transport | Local shared vehicle to Pokhara and on the trek roads | Shared tourist vehicle to Pokhara, shared jeep | Private luxury vehicle to Pokhara, private jeep |
| Free gear | Sleeping bag and down jacket | Sleeping bag, down jacket and duffel bag | Sleeping bag, down jacket and duffel bag |
| Best for | Independent trekkers happy to carry their own bag | Couples, friends and small groups | Trekkers who want the most comfort |
Why book this with us
We are a Kathmandu company, registered in 2016, TAAN member 1586, three generations of family guides, and we run this route ourselves with guides from the Myagdi side. Prices are per person and drop with your group size, ten percent deposit and the rest in Kathmandu. Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center.
Secure payment by Himalayan Bank.
