When we were traveling in Nepal, one of my goals was to take a trek.
Being with my wife, I wanted a trek that wasn't extremely strenuous or too high in elevation, but that provided great scenery.
So we choose to do the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek, a 5 days hike through the lower Annapurna range.
From the very first day, the views were incredible. We passed through many small villages and farms, hiking along both dirt and stone trails.
We took it pretty easy, only hiking for 6 - 8 hours per day. But even so, there were some pretty steep climbs and descents that got our hearts racing.
The national meal of Nepal is dal bhat, a plate of rice served with a side of dal soup, and often a few curried or fried vegetables.
It sure felt good after a strenuous hike to be able to chow down on a hearty fresh meal.
Catching the first glimpses of the snowy Himalayan peaks was breathtaking.
There are a number of main Annapurna peaks, the highest reaching over 8,000 meters.
The climax of the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek is waking up for the sunrise at the top of Poon Hill.
At 3,200 meters in elevation, it's not extremely high, but it provides a picturesque panoramic view of the full Annapurna mountain range.
Again, the view was beyond spectacular.
In the town of Ghorepani, a small mountain village is where I found what has to be one of the world's most beautiful basketball courts.
Our 5-day trek offered an incredible glimpse of the Himalayas on a well-maintained trail that wasn't too difficult. The scenery was breathtaking!
Rebecca says
This is amazing! Was this done with a tour guide or alone? I would love to take this trek
Mark Wiens says
Hey Rebecca, we didn't go on a package tour, but we did hire a private guide to accompany us. It worked out well!
Sorin says
its impossible not to shot the perfect picture in Nepal. I really like the sunrise photo..
OliverJack says
Really wonderful blog with photos. Necessary information which i needed personally we get from these. Its too much help for me in my future.
Matthew Fine says
I have always wanted to visit Nepal and see the Himalayas, I mean after seeing these photos how could you not. One thing that has always been off putting though is the costs of such treks? In your opinion, is this sort of thing manageable without breaking the bank?
Dave says
Absolutely Matthew. Lots of backpackers go to Nepal on a tight budgets. In 2008, I met some who would do treks without a guide or porter to save money. And this includes people who've never done a trek before, let alone one to over 5,000 meters in altitude (Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit).
And even if you do want to hire a guide, and/or a porter, it can be done cheaply (but you just want to make sure they're still earning a fare wage for their work).
It's much cheaper if you go on your own and book Nepali guides/porters yourself, which is super easy to do from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The cost of booking a similar trek through an international company can be thousands of dollars, which may give the impression only rich folk can do these treks when that's not the case.
In April/May 2008, I spent 42 days total in Nepal, and averaged $54 per day, or $2,275 total. This is on the high end, it certainly can be visited for less. According to my notes, I paid $360 to hire a guide and porter for my Annapurna Base Camp trek, and this included transport, accommodation, and food for 11 days.