Overview
The Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill trek from Kathmandu is an eleven-day teahouse trek that pairs the famous Poon Hill sunrise with the Annapurna Sanctuary at 4,130 metres. After the transfer to lakeside Pokhara you drive up to Banthanti, climb to Ghorepani for a dawn over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna massif, then cross through Tadapani and Chhomrong and up the Modi Khola valley to base camp, ringed by Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Hiunchuli. It is graded moderate, walked on well-worn trails with comfortable lodges each night, and finishes with a soak in the Jhinu Danda hot springs before the drives back through Pokhara. This from-Kathmandu version includes the transfers both ways, so it suits trekkers basing themselves in the capital.
The itinerary
- Scenic 6 to 7 hour drive along the Prithvi Highway through river valleys
- Check in near Pokhara's Lakeside and relax by Phewa Lake
- Optional 25-minute flight in place of the drive
- Around 4 hours by road via Nayapul to Banthanti (2,250 m)
- Climb through rhododendron and oak forest to Ghorepani (2,874 m)
- Evening views of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna massif from the ridge
- Pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill (3,210 m) for sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna
- Return to Ghorepani for breakfast
- Trek through forest and Deurali to Tadapani (2,610 m)
- Descend through forest and terraced fields, then climb the stone stairway
- Arrive Chhomrong (2,170 m), a Gurung village and gateway to the Sanctuary
- Views of the Annapurna South face and Machhapuchhre ahead
- Drop down stone steps to the Chhomrong Khola, then climb into the Modi Khola valley
- Enter the Annapurna Sanctuary as the valley narrows past Sinuwa
- Overnight at Bamboo (2,310 m)
- Climb through Dovan and Himalaya alongside the Modi Khola
- Forest gives way to higher-altitude shrub near the sanctuary entrance
- Overnight at Deurali (3,230 m)
- Climb via Machhapuchhre Base Camp across glacial moraine
- Reach Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 m
- A 360-degree amphitheatre of Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre
- Sunrise over the Sanctuary from base camp
- Long descent retracing Machhapuchhre Base Camp and Deurali
- Overnight at Dovan (2,505 m) or Bamboo
- Retrace through Sinuwa and Chhomrong, then descend to Jhinu Danda (1,760 m)
- Short walk down to the natural hot springs beside the Modi Khola
- Relax in the warm riverside pools
- Walk down to Nayapul, then a short transfer to Pokhara (820 m)
- Afternoon free for Phewa Lake, the World Peace Pagoda or Lakeside cafes
- Return drive to Kathmandu, or an optional 25-minute flight
- The trek concludes on arrival
Things to carry
- Layered clothing including a warm down jacket for base camp
- Broken-in trekking boots and warm socks
- A sleeping-bag liner, hat, gloves and a buff
- Sunglasses, sun hat, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm
- A refillable water bottle with purification, a daypack and a power bank
Good to know
Complete guide
This trek gathers two of the Annapurna region's best-loved walks into one journey: the sunrise ridge at Poon Hill and the glacial amphitheatre of Annapurna Base Camp. Doing it from Kathmandu means the capital's transfers to and from Pokhara are built in, so you start and finish where you land. Here is how the trek works and what to know.
What the Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill trek from Kathmandu covers
The route runs Kathmandu to Pokhara, up to Ghorepani for the Poon Hill sunrise, then through Tadapani and Chhomrong and up the Modi Khola valley to base camp at 4,130 metres, returning past the Jhinu Danda hot springs before the drives home. The two ends are travel days by road or optional flight; the heart of the trip is eight days of teahouse walking. If you want the Sanctuary without the Poon Hill add-on, the shorter budget Annapurna Base Camp trek reaches the same amphitheatre with jeep support.
How hard it is and how the altitude feels
This is a moderate trek, not a technical one, but the days are honest: long stone staircases, an early Poon Hill climb and a top night at 4,130 metres. Spread over eleven days the height gain is gradual, so serious altitude sickness is uncommon, though you may feel the thinner air near base camp. Walk slowly, hydrate well, and treat any headache seriously. A few weeks of hill walking before you come makes the biggest difference to how much you enjoy it.
Permits, guides and teahouses
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area permit and a trekkers' information card, and since April 2023 a licensed guide is mandatory in the region; we arrange all of this. Nights are spent in teahouses, family-run lodges with simple twin rooms and a warm dining room, so you carry only a daypack. Bring a sleeping-bag liner, a power bank and small cash for charging, Wi-Fi and hot showers.
A gentler alternative
If the full loop feels like a lot, you can take just the sunrise half. The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek reaches the same famous viewpoint over Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in a fraction of the days, on shorter walking hours and lower altitude, and pairs naturally with a later return for the full Sanctuary.
