Ghorepani is the gateway to the Annapurna Conservation Area. Clinging to the sides of the main trekking route that leads up to some of the most iconic summits in the Dhaulagiri Zone, it's a hive of activity during the hiking season, awash with porters and Sherpas, cooks and yaks, and hikers of all nationalities.

A stay in one of the local teahouses is what many travellers are after, their boots pointed towards the challenging path up to Annapurna Base Camp. Passers-through are well taken care of by the clutch of traditional Nepalese lodgings and eateries.

But it's the nearby Poon Hill that draws a bulk of the crowds. Loads of Ghorepani tour guides are at hand to lead expeditions to the summit of that one. They regularly leave early in the morning, to complete the 45-minute trek before the sun glints across the ice sheets and glaciers of Annapurna II and its massif on the horizon – it's truly an imposing sight.