Tips for the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

Ghorepani Poonhill Trek

The Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek is a hiking tour for 4-5 days in the Annapurna Mountain range located in Nepal. It actually needs a moderate level of fitness to complete this trek and the maximum elevation of this trek is 3,210 meters. Part of this trek is a natural trail that heads through the rhododendron forests with some rainforest-like flora all around. Other parts of this trek include stone staircases, which head from one village to another and therefore this route is used by both visitors and locals.

The Poon Hill Trek is really popular as the costs are low, packing is easy and permits are also really easy to obtain. These are also the reasons why this mountain trail remains congested during the peak season.

Best things about the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

The trek is pleasant and it also follows a part of the earlier Trans-Himalayan Salt Trade Route. The views during the trek change from terraced rice fields, farms to gorges, waterfalls, and forests. There are also some amazing views of mountains along the way through clouds. The entire trek is hardly on the flat ground.

Sunrise from the Poon Hill:

The main highlight of this trek is the trip to Poon Hills. There at the elevation of 10,230 feet, one can get to see 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains. Besides, one can get to see the peaks like Annapurna, Tukuche, Dhaulagiri, Hiunchuli, Nilgiri, Gangapurna, Annapurna South and Macchapucchre or the Fish Tail from here. The views are amazing to justify the strenuous climb.

Travel itinerary:

  1. Drive to Nayapul and hike to Tikhedhunga: The Ghorepani trek starts with a few minutes’ drive to Nayapul through a beautiful landscape. This route mainly follows a lush green jungle and terraced grasslands along the rushing river. During the trek, the tourists have to walk through the Birethanti village (1,015m), therefore the north side of the Bhurung Khola and therefore up to the side area of the valley to Hille to reach Tikhedhunga at the height of 1570mm.
  1. Trek to Ghorepani: This day mainly includes a sudden ascent. On this day, the tourists need to go across the Tikhedhunga Khola through a cable bridge, therefore go downward and then go across the Bhurung Khola. After that, they have to climb a steep and long chain of stone footsteps to Ulleri. On the way to Ulleri, travelers can enjoy an amazing view of the snow-white peaks of Hiunchuli, Annapurnas, and Machhapuchhare. After that, the tourists have to climb more gently to Nanghethani through the rhododendron forest. It takes another hour of time to reach Ghorepani . It is a beautiful settlement situated on the ridgeline.
  1. On the next day, the tourists have to hike to the Poon Hill Viewpoint. From where they can enjoy a breathtaking view of sunrise. After watching the beautiful views, tourists can follow a wonderful forest trail through the oak and rhododendron woods to Deurali. Next, they have to climb through the steep woods for around twenty minutes to arrive at Tadapani.

Best time to go for Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek:

Although trekking is possible all around the year, every season has some different advantages as well as attractions. The temperature in this hill also depends on the basis of the altitude range- lower the temperature, higher the altitude.

 

  1. December-February: These are the coldest times of the year and the temperature can often drop to -5°C at the higher altitudes. Despite being so cold, the sky remains really clear and the mountain views look the best. Because of the snowy weather, these months are not perfect for the beginner hikers, but the experienced hikers can continue.

 

  1. April-May: The trekking season mainly starts from April and the route becomes more beautiful with full blossom rhododendron of different colors like white, pink and red. Although the temperature remains cool at this time, the temperature starts rising. The sky remains really clear at these months, therefore the tourists can enjoy a great view of the mountains.

 

  1. September-October: This is the favorite time of trekking for the tourists due to the perfect climate and favorable weather condition. The sky remains really clear at these months, therefore the tourists can enjoy a great view of the mountains. These months are also the best time for the daytime trek. During this period, the weather also ranges from mild to warm.

 

  1. November: This is another popular season of trekking with a sparkling and crisp sky. The daytime temperature of this month is most stable from cool to mild conditions. But the nights remain cold. Therefore, the travelers need to be a bit careful.

 

How many days does it take to complete the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek?

For the fit and young hikers, 4 days are perfect for completing the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek. Guides often split the entire route into some manageable chunks and also explain the highlights of this trail along the way. But for the hikers, who have any physical limitations or who are not acclimated to the altitude, completing the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek in 5 days works as a smarter bet.

 

Why choose a Nepal Tours website for the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek?

It is better to choose a Nepal Tour website for the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek as this type of company mainly offers an adventurous, successful and memorable experience to all the hikers. With the devoted and excellent management team of this company, the main aim of this company is to offer a friendly, safe and sound environment where the hikers can enjoy their experience while being completely secured.

So, by choosing the company like “Nepal Tours”, you can get the best hiking experience while getting complete information about the cultures, tradition, flora and fauna and customs of the trekking area.

Nepal Holidays Ideas

Natural Beauty of Nepal

The Himalaya form Nepal’s backbone and provide a rugged backdrop to a variety of trekking options. Our specialists have spent much of their time exploring the region on foot and can advise on the best trails to follow depending on your ability and preferences.

Our itinerary ideas are inspired by routes that we have particularly enjoyed and that showcase the true spirit of Nepal. These holiday suggestions also work as an informed starting point and can be used as a springboard for your own holidays ideas.

Children of all ages, from babies to teenagers, will love the sights and activities of Nepal. It can be a chaotic and challenging country to travel around in some respects (the busy cities, the traffic, the long travel distances), but with good planning, you can have a best holidays ideas that will keep every member entertained. Here are some top picks.

Best Tips & Local Advice

  • Take domestic flights to save valuable time. The flights are scenic, too!
  • If traveling during the monsoon (June to Aug), stick to the cities and cultural sites
  • Trekking and water sports are best from March to May & September to November
  • Focus on one region: although Nepal’s a small country, poor roads & mountainous terrain can lead to longer travel times and unexpected delays

Besides these classic tourist attractions, the Durbar Square in Patan, the grand Stupa in Boudhanath and the typical mountain life in Gorkha are equally sensational landmarks for those looking to discover the profound, typical and authentic aspects of Nepal. A trip to Kathmandu is the ideal opportunity to follow the trails of a tiger in Chitwan National Park as well as in Bardiya National Park.

So, it’s now up to you to decide which of these ideas will inspire your upcoming trip to Nepal!

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Nepal Holidays and Festivals

Nepal holidays and festivals concentrate on religious and cultural events on the Hindu and Buddhist calendars and involve traditional rituals, music and dance. Due to the number of diverse ethnic and tribal groups making up the population, the variety of celebrations is fascinating for visitors. Dashain in early September is the most important, surrounded by many other events, and the Tihar Hindu festival of lights is one of the loveliest.

Shree Panchami

This celebration of Saraswati, the goddess of learning and sister of the elephant god Ganesh, takes place in Nepal in January. Temple images are garlanded, presented with gifts and seven grains of rice are eaten by worshippers in order to gain wisdom. It’s the most auspicious time for weddings with countless processions on the streets, as the marriage is blessed by the goddess herself.

Ghode Jatra

Held in mid-March, Ghode Jatra is the horse race event of Tundikhel, with a grand horse parade honoring a victory over a dangerous demon crushed by the hooves of local fillies. Legend has it, the event keep the demon’s spirit from returning. Another race involves an intoxicated horse and drunk rider, with Nepalese townspeople cheering on the unsteady twosome. The rider desperately tries to hang on for as long a he can, causing universal merriment.

Holi

The joyous spring festival of Holi takes place in March, and is known as the feast of colors. Based on a victory over the female demon Holika, the celebrations last a week and are a time of eating, drinking and rejoicing in the streets to welcome the warmer weather. Citizens smear themselves with brilliant, powdered colors and throw the colors over passerby’s. Bonfires and more revels end the celebration.

Mata Tirtha Puja

Closely-knit families are a long-established tradition in Nepal, with the early May festival of Mata Tirtha Puja the Nepalese ‘Mothers Day’. Honored for their love and support with gifts, adult sons and daughters return to their family home to show appreciation.

Buddha Jayanti

Buddhist temples are packed with worshippers on Jayanti, the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday. Held in June on a full moon day, the Nepalese festival honors the Buddha’s birth, death, and attainment of enlightenment. Huge images of the god are displayed and parades of devotees praising his life and teachings take place.

Gaijatra

Every year in late August/early September, Gaijatra honors the god of death, Yamaraj. It’s one of the most popular festivals for its procession of cows led by every person who has lost a relative during the previous year. For Hindus, cows are holy and it’s believed the parade will help the souls of the departed journey to heaven.

Indra Jatra

Taking place in late August/early September for eight days, the combined Hindu and Buddhist festival of Indra Jatra happens in Kathmandu. A celebration of traditional Nepalese classical dance, each community performs its own unique sequences in honor of the king of heaven, Lord Indra. On the third day, the living goddess Kumari is paraded through the city on a chariot, the processional ending at Durbar Square.

Krishna Janmastami

Across Nepal, Sri Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is celebrated on his birthday in September especially in Patan, home of the ancient Krishna Temple. Citizens huddle together all night long, keeping vigilant and chanting the various names of the god or singing traditional hymns. Flowers, food and money are offered to Krishna’s image in the gloomy main temple.

Dashain

Held over two weeks at the end of September, Dashain is Nepal’s most important festival, celebrated across the land and ending on the day of the full moon. Dashain honors the victory of the gods over a host of demons, based on tales in the Ramayana, after invoking the powers of the goddess Durga. Tantric rites are conducted as mother goddess temple offerings are made and specific rituals take place in all homes, towns and cities every day of the event.

Tihar

Tihar is the Nepalese version of the Hindu Festival of Lights, dedicated to the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and is the most dazzling of Nepal’s festivals. It takes place for five days in October, during which every home is lit up with sparkling oil lamps. The second day is known as ‘dogs’ day’ and every four legged friend is adorned with a floral garland, given a delicious meal and worshipped for its protection of the home. Cows are given similar treatment on the third day, as representatives of wealth.

Nepal tourism makes spectacular rebound

Nepal Tourism

Nepal tourism experienced a dramatic turnaround last year after being hit by the twin disasters of a devastating earthquake and crippling trade embargo in 2015. Foreign tourist arrivals to Nepal jumped 39.71 percent to 753,002 in 2016, boosted by robust visitor growth from India, China, the US, the UK and Sri Lanka, according to the statistics of the Department of Immigration.

However, 2016 arrivals are still 4.69 percent down from 2014 when the country welcomed 790,118 foreign visitors. The tourism boom is expected to continue in 2017 and remains a major growth driver for the economy even as the industry sees low overseas promotional activities. October, November and December have been the most productive months for the industry, accounting for nearly one-third of total arrivals.

“It’s a dramatic growth. The industry is returning rapidly to its pre-earthquake growth level,” said Kedar Neupane, director general of the Department of Immigration. “The tourism boom is expected to continue in 2017 given a level of promotion by Nepal in the major source markets.” He said that if the government, Nepal Tourism Board and private sector conducted aggressive promotional activities, this year could be an extraordinary year. “We can expect 1 million tourists in 2017 considering the current environment.”

Neupane said that Nepal could see a boom in Chinese arrivals this year following the move by the Chinese government to encourage travel to the country. China has announced Nepal Tourism Promotion Year 2017 in a bid to encourage its citizens to visit the Himalayan republic, according to the Nepal Embassy in Beijing.

“The industry carried out massive marketing activities in major source markets after the earthquakes, leading to a massive recovery,” said tourism entrepreneur Basant Raj Mishra. “The arrival of foreign volunteers as well as conferences held by I/NGOs in Nepal last year propelled growth.”

Suman Pandey, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter, said that 2017 looked promising; but the crumbling Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal’s only international aerial gateway, could be a major setback.

“The hospitality industry in Nepal can accommodate more than 3 million tourists, but the airport is already choked with capacity constraints even though arrivals are way short of the one million mark,” he said.

TIA is currently served by 28 international carriers, and it has announced that it cannot accommodate more flights. “What does this statement mean? Of course, Nepal has become an attractive holiday destination for travellers, but TIA will remain the main obstacle to the growth of the industry.”

Nepal received a lot of media exposure following the earthquake which has aroused tremendous interest among potential travelers. The world’s leading travel guide Lonely Planet has named Nepal the world’s ‘best value destination’ for 2017. Likewise, Nepal’s Langtang region has been featured in The New York Times ‘52 places to go in 2017’ list.

Nepal has also appeared in the January travel issue of chinadaily.com.cn. “Nepal remains a fabulous choice for budget-conscious travelers, whether it’s the country’s world famous trekking routes or the wildlife in the southern region. Travel costs per day are as low as $50 on average,” it said.

A breakdown of arrivals by market shows Indian travellers at the top of the list. Arrivals from the southern neighbour reached 118,249 last year, up 57.40 percent. Chinese tourist arrivals jumped 55.26 percent to 104,005. Travel trade entrepreneurs said that Chinese arrivals did not increase as expected last year as the key entry point,

Tatopani Customs in Sindhupalchok, was closed after the earthquake. However, Rasuwagadhi has emerged as an important surface route with 23,452 Chinese visitors entering the country through this point last year.

Meanwhile, visitors from the US, Sri Lanka and the UK jumped 25.67 percent, 29.64 percent and 55.71 percent respectively.

Lonely Planet crowns Nepal as world’s ‘best value destination’ for 2017

Nepal has been named on top ‘Best Value Destination’ and 5th on the top 10 countries in the world to visit in 2017, according to Lonely Planet’s annual best in Travel list released on Tuesday.

Nepal is the only destination in South Asia that has been featured in Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Destinations Guidebook.

The world’s leading travel guide Lonely Planet says, “Even natural disasters can’t keep Nepal down for long. The 2015 earthquakes caused devastation, but what is most striking from a traveller’s perspective is not how much was lost but how much remains.”

“Landmark temples crumbled, but others came through with just the odd tile out of place, and whole swathes of the country escaped serious damage, including most of the popular trekking trails.”

It added, “Nepal has all the skills required to repair monuments and infrastructure, but what it does need is income. By visiting Nepal now and supporting local culture and people, you could help a nation rebuild and bounce back even stronger.”

Among the top ten countries, Canada is number one followed by Colombia, Finland, Dominica, Bermuda, Mongolia Oman, Myanmar and Ethiopia.

On its selection process, Lonely Planet writes, “Amid fierce debate, the list is whittled down by our panel of travel experts to just 10 countries, 10 regions and 10 cities that travellers must visit in the year ahead. Each destination is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences and ‘wow’ factor. We don’t just report on the trends, we set them—helping you get there before the crowds do.”

As per the meeting held between Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board and Lonely Planet Team in Delhi on October 24, both parties have agreed to work in  partnership by signing agreement in near future for promotion of Nepal’s tourism.

“It is a great honour for Nepal to get a place in such a prestigious guidebook. I do believe that it will give positive message to the international travel community and inspire them to visit Nepal in 2017,” said Joshi.

Over the past four decades, Lonely Planet has cultivated a dedicated traveller community. More than 130 million Lonely Planet books—to almost every destination on the planet—have now been printed in 14 different languages.

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