Overview
This Sarangkot and Dhampus tour is the four-day version of our Dhampus trip, and the extra day buys you two mountain sunrises and no rushed evenings. You drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara on day one and settle in by the lake. Day two starts with sunrise at Sarangkot, about 1,600 m, then heads to Dhampus, a Gurung village at about 1,650 m, either by road or on foot from Phedi if you want a walk. After a second sunrise over Annapurna and Machhapuchhre, day three brings you down for Pokhara sightseeing, and day four is the drive home. It suits families, older travellers and anyone who wants village life and mountain views at an easy pace.
The itinerary
- Morning departure by private vehicle on the Prithvi Highway
- Six to nine hours on the road, depending on traffic and roadworks
- Check in near Phewa Lake by late afternoon or early evening
- Quiet evening at Lakeside
- Pre-dawn drive of 30 to 45 minutes up to Sarangkot, about 1,600 m, for sunrise
- Breakfast in Pokhara, then on towards Dhampus
- Drive up in about an hour, or walk 2 to 3 hours uphill from Phedi if you prefer
- Evening in the village lanes, then dinner and overnight at a lodge or homestay
- Sunrise over Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Lamjung Himal from the village
- Drive back down to Pokhara after breakfast
- Davis Falls, Gupteshwor Cave and the World Peace Pagoda on Anadu Hill
- Evening free at Lakeside
- Breakfast by the lake, then check-out
- Six to nine hours by private vehicle on the Prithvi Highway
- Lunch stop at a highway town such as Mugling
- Drop-off at your Kathmandu hotel in the evening
Things to carry
- Warm jacket for two early sunrises
- Walking shoes with good grip
- Small overnight bag for the village
- Headlamp or small torch
- Light rain jacket
Good to know
Complete guide
This four-day trip puts a Gurung village between two nights in Pokhara and gives you the Sarangkot sunrise as well. It is our Dhampus overnight at a slower pace, with nothing rushed and no day that combines the long drive with an early start. We arrange the vehicle, a licensed guide, the ACAP entry permit, your village stay and your Pokhara hotel.
What the Sarangkot and Dhampus tour covers
Day one is the drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara, about 822 m (2,697 ft). Day two starts at Sarangkot, about 1,600 m (5,249 ft), for sunrise, then you go on to Dhampus at about 1,650 m (5,413 ft) by road or on foot from Phedi. Day three brings sunrise over the Annapurna range from the village, then Davis Falls, Gupteshwor Cave and the World Peace Pagoda back in Pokhara. Day four is the drive home.
What the extra day adds
Our three-day Dhampus tour drives you straight from Kathmandu to the village in one long day, which in winter can mean arriving after dark. This version splits it. You reach Pokhara with the evening free, see the sunrise at Sarangkot, and arrive in Dhampus in daylight with time to walk the lanes before dinner. You also get the option to walk up from Phedi, which the three-day trip does not have time for. And because the Pokhara sightseeing comes after the village night, the last full day ends by the lake rather than in a vehicle.
Sarangkot and Dhampus: two mornings, two moods
Sarangkot is the classic Pokhara viewpoint, 30 to 45 minutes by road from Lakeside. On a clear morning it takes in Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Manaslu, with the lake below. It is busy, and that is part of its character.
Dhampus is the opposite. It is a Gurung farming village where the morning starts with livestock and wood smoke, and the view of Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Lamjung Himal rises behind the terraced fields. You can stay with a family in a homestay or in a small lodge; both are simple, and both are quiet.
Getting up to Dhampus: road or walk
The road from Pokhara reaches Dhampus in about an hour, and that is how most guests arrive. If you want a proper walk, we drop you at Phedi and you climb 2 to 3 hours on stone steps and village paths, with the vehicle taking your bags. It is steady rather than hard and needs no experience, but it is uphill all the way, so decide on the day according to how you feel. On the way down, we drive.
Back in Pokhara, Davis Falls is where the outflow from Phewa Lake drops into a gorge and runs underground, reappearing in Gupteshwor Cave across the road, a Shiva shrine reached by a damp stairway. The World Peace Pagoda, a white Buddhist stupa on Anadu Hill at about 1,100 m, looks back over the lake to the mountains.
Permits, seasons and who it suits
Dhampus is inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so you need an ACAP entry permit, and since 2023 foreign visitors there must be accompanied by a licensed guide. We arrange both; Sarangkot and Pokhara need no permit. October and November give the most reliable views, which usually hold through February, and winter mornings are cold. Spring is hazier, and the monsoon from June to September hides the peaks.
The trip suits families, older travellers and first-time visitors who want village life without trekking. If you would like a village trip that starts with a flight, the Ghandruk village tour by flight is a two-day alternative, and if the night in Dhampus makes you want to go higher, the Mardi Himal trek from Pokhara is the next step up.
