Ghorepani Trek – Grace Trekking

Ghorepani Villages Trek (12 Days)

This trek is relatively easy. It is called “The Family Trek“ which means there won’t be much difficulty during the trek, and we’ll experience breathtaking scenery and amazing views.

From Ghorepani, we’ll hike up Poon Hill before dawn and be there for sunrise. Words cannot capture the excitement of the first rays, the descent of light from the tips of the high mountains down the triangle of snow on each peak. You’ll see fourteen peaks from Poon Hill, including Daulagiri, Annapurna I, II and III, Machapuchare, and Gangapurna.

Day 1 Kathmandu Arrival in Kathmandu and meet up at the airport, check in at the hotel, and enjoy a Nepali style dinner.

Day 2 Kathmandu

We’ll enjoy a tour of the city of Kathmandu with our city guide. This will be personalized depending on adults with a penchant for history and children who love the crazy stuff.

Day 3 Flight to Pokhara and drive to Ulleri (1,950m)

Early morning flight to Pokhara, and drive to Ulleri, renowned for its iconic stone steps. The stone staircase consists of approximately 3,000 steps, making it a challenging but rewarding part of the trek. Climbing these steps provides a sense of accomplishment and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes.

Ulleri is primarily inhabited by the Magar ethnic community. You can interact with the locals, observe their way of life, and learn about their unique cultural practices.

Day 4 Ghorepani (2,860m)

Ghorepani used to be a water stop for traders’ horses, thus pani is water and ghore means horse. The trade road by-passes Ghorepani now. It is recommended that you rise early and walk to Poon Hill, about an hour’s hike, for the sunrise. You should be able to identify a wide range of mountains from the viewing platform. It’s stunning.

Day 5 Tadapani (1,190m)

This is a long bus ride, 7-8 hours, on rough mountain roads. It is exciting with scary edges to the valley below and awesome scenery. You’ll love it! We will stop for a break and refreshments, and then arrive in the afternoon in the wonderful village of Tatopani. If you fancy, you should enjoy a dip in the hot spa.

Singa Tatopani Kunda in Myagdi district is known as having a natural remedy. There is a belief that if you take regular bath in a pool of hot water of 50 degree Celsius for a week, you will be cured of diseases like joint, skin, gastritis, nerves, bath, back pain, limb swelling, stomach swelling and goitre. The water in the pool smells like birch bark.

Day 6 Ghandruk (1,940m)

On this day we’ll have a relatively easy walk through the forests and village of Ghandruk. The village is a major recruitment center for the famous Gurkha soldiers.

The local museum houses a collection of traditional wares from earthenware and kitchenware to clothing, jewelry and iron weaponry and hand-tools, which allow you a rare glimpse into the age-old lifestyle and culture of this ethnic community.

Day 7 Tolka (1,700m)

This is a day of undulations, though fairly easy walking. You’ll see terraces of rice, onions, garlic, cauliflower, corn, wheat and rice hugging the mountainside. It’s worth pausing to admire the latticed work of the terraces, and reflect on the back-breaking manual effort, the hundreds of years it has taken to build all these terraces. This is subsistence living from brutal labour, and yet the people always seem to be smiling, appreciating the trekkers’ contribution to their meagre economy.

Day 8 Dhampus (1,650m)

The walk from Tolka to Dhampus is relatively short and mostly flat and you’ll see spectacular views of snow-peaked mountains.

As this is a short day, take time to observe the locals carrying heavy loads for their livestock, strong, resilient people. Look out for local activity, such as men and women cutting stone by hand with chisels and mallets, sitting in the same hunkered position for hours pounding away. Everyone seems relaxed, even the donkeys standing in the middle of the only road through the village. Dhampus feels more like a farm with chickens and animals wandering about, and you may see smiling women leading buffaloes to new pastures.

As it is the last day of the trek, we’ll have a farewell dinner with all the Nepali staff.

Day 9 Phedi to Pokhara

We’ll walk for a few hours to Phedi, and then drive to Pokhara. Afterwards we’ll drive to Pokhara and drop the porters in town. Expect a fun, relaxing evening in an excellent hotel with a Nepali dance and music show later. You’ll have earned it.

Day 10 Pokhara

After breakfast we’ll visit the city of Pokhara, go sightseeing and visit several landmarks. Pokhara is the capital of Gandaki Province, once an important staging post on the route between China and India. It is considered the tourism capital of Nepal. For all that, it is delightful with its beautiful Phewa Lake and quiet back streets. A walk around Phewa Lake is recommended if you haven’t done enough trekking by now!

Day 11 Flight to Kathmandu

We fly from Pokhara’s modern airport to Kathmandu and enjoy a final view of the Annapurna circuit of mountains. We’ll relax in a high-quality hotel and enjoy our final Nepali dinner.

Day 12 Kathmandu and flight home

You may have time for final sightseeing and, if so, The Garden of Dreams is within walking distance of the hotel and the perfect quiet place to reflect. Today we transfer to Kathmandu airport and fly home.