Pokhara and Poonhill Hike

Our 25 mins flight (alternative to 8h bus ride) took us to Pokhara which is our base for our 3d 2n Poon Hill Hike to see the Annapurna Massif range.
We had a full day in Pokhara to stroll around. We didn’t want to do any sightseeing or hikes as we wanted to be prepared for our big hike the next day. So we just did relaxing walks along the Lake Phewa, went to different shops and had some good meals and drinks. We also saw a lot of dancing activities on the road from the local youth as it was still festive week in Nepal.
We met our guide and porter and finally our tour did start with a 1.5h drive in an old Hyundai in very bad roads to our starting point Nayapul on 1.070 metres. From there slowly upward to Tikhedhunga where we had amazing Dal Bhat Nepali. And then our 3.500 steps upward walk started which was accompanied by partially heavy rain. Was a tough experience. We reached our Guesthouse in Ulleri and did spend the rest of the day around the wood fire to dry our clothes and warm us up.
The second day started with sunshine. We were able to see the peak of the Annapurna South in the distance. Today’s walk was from Ulleri on 1.960 metres to Godephani on 2.860 metres hiking partially through Rhododendron forests. Nice upwards walk in the sun but at the end we just escaped the upcoming rain.
The third day did start with the 4.45am 1h walk upward to Poonhill on 3.210 metres. From there we watched the sunset and could see the Annapurna Massif Range with the Annapurna South (7.291m), Annapurna I (8.091m), the Dhaulagiri (8.167m) and the Machapuchare (6.993m). Was a great experience despite all the other people. Then down again, quick breakfast and at 8am we started our 18km downhill hike from 2.860 meter to 974 meter. Wonderful views again but painful especially the following days when we felt all our muscles in our legs.
In summary a great experience to do a hike in Nepal and would everybody recommend to do that. Landscape and people are just amazing.
Now it’s time to roll back to Kathmandu and then to Delhi for a few days to prepare for our trip to Sri Lanka.Read more