8-Day Poon Hill Trek from Kathmandu with Annapurna Sunrise Views

• Arrive in Kathmandu, where a representative will pick you up from the airport and take you to the hotel.

• You may take a rest.

• Enjoy a welcome dinner in the evening. For dinner, you will be served authentic Nepalese cuisine, introducing you to the country's food culture.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

Included meals: Dinner

• Take an early morning flight to Pokhara and enjoy amazing views of the Himalayas from the right side of your plane.

• Arrive in Pokhara, the beautiful lake city, and be rewarded with magnificent views of the Himalayas, including Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapuchhre, the five peaks of Annapurna, and others.

• Drive to Nayapul after taking a rest and start the trek. Pass through sub-tropical valley forests, sometimes on a carved trail along the side of the cliff.

• Cross the Bhurungdi Khola (river) via a bridge to the village of Tikhedhunga after lunch. The Ulleri Hill, with thousands of steps and boulders that continually go upward, will really prove a test of our stamina.

• Reach Ulleri by late afternoon.

Overnight in Ulleri.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Ascend to Ghorepani village after breakfast. The name Ghorepani in Nepali means "horse-water" because it was an important campsite for traders before it became a trekker's stop. Ghorepani is an interesting place with small shops and stalls selling local products and crafts. The town has two parts: one in a saddle and another a few hundred feet lower.

• Stop at the higher part of Ghorepani village, which offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, including Annapurna South and Nilgiri. Since Ghorepani lies relatively higher than our previous stop, we begin to feel the chilly weather, especially in the evenings.

Overnight in Ghorepani.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Catch a sunrise over the Himalayas, and make an early morning climb along the steep trail to the viewpoint of Poon Hill (3,210 m/10,529 ft), the most popular trekking destination of the Annapurna region. It is also a great viewpoint to enjoy fantastic views of Mustang, Pokhara, and more than 20 of the highest mountains, including close-up views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. The snowy peaks of the high mountains loom above and around us, glowing in the morning light.

• Return to Ghorepani after taking photographs and having some coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

• Head east and climb a nearby ridge after breakfast.

• Descend through rhododendron forests, pass spectacular waterfalls along the way, and reach Tadapani to spend the night.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Make a steep descent through the dense, dark forest from Tadapani. This part of the trek passes through a thick forest of old rhododendron trees. When the rhododendron trees bloom, these forests turn into amazing gardens. By afternoon, depending upon the season of travel, we may also get to enjoy cherry blossoms in bloom on the slopes on the other side of the ravine.

• Trek for some more minutes and enter the village of Ghandruk, a slope settlement with stone houses mostly inhabited by the Gurung people. Along with enjoying the stunningly close-up towering views of Fishtail, Annapurna South, and Hiunchuli, we also acquaint ourselves with the simple but rich cultural traditions of the Gurung people at the Gurung Museum in Ghandruk.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Trek from Ghandruk to Naya Pul. The trek will be downhill to Birethanti. We step onto a staircase paved with stone slabs, curving in and out of the village and then into terraced farms. It keeps going down almost without any breaks from Ghandruk until the Modi Khola river valley. From Birethanti, a half-hour walk takes us to Nayapul. The journey on foot comes to an end at Nayapul.

• Drive to Pokhara for an overnight stay.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• Fly to Kathmandu in the afternoon. The left side of the airplane offers some fantastic views of the Himalayas.

• Leave for your hotel and arrive in Kathmandu.

• Enjoy the day at leisure, catch up on some last-minute shopping, or explore any landmarks that we missed during our first day in Kathmandu.

• Celebrate the successful completion of our journey with a farewell dinner in the evening.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

• Say goodbye. Our journey in Nepal comes to an end today. On our way home, we have plenty of time to plan our next adventure in the beautiful country of Nepal.

Included meals: Breakfast