Pokhara: 3-Day Poonhill Trek & Annapurna Sunrise

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Duration3d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Sunrise Over Annapurna: The 3-Day Trek to Poon Hill

You drive to the trailhead, walk for two days through forests and villages with a guide and porter support, then wake before dawn on day three to hike to Poon Hill and watch the Himalayan sunrise. All meals, lodges, permits, and transport are included; you return to Pokhara by evening. The trek takes three days total and suits anyone with basic fitness who wants the main Annapurna views without a longer or more technical climb.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Drive and trek to Ulleri

Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul
Trek from Nayapul to Birethanti
Hike to Tikedhunga
Continue trek to Ulleri
Overnight at lodge in Ulleri

Day 2 — Trek from Ulleri to Ghorepani

Breakfast at Ulleri
Trek to Banthali
Pass oak and rhododendron forests
Reach Nangathanti
Climb uphill to Ghorepani
Overnight at lodge in Ghorepani

Day 3 — Poon Hill sunrise and return

Early hike to Poon Hill
Watch Himalayan sunrise
Return to lodge for breakfast
Trek from Ghorepani to Hille
Drive from Hille to Pokhara
Drop off at hotel in Pokhara

The Experience

Picture yourself standing at 3,210 meters as the sky turns from black to deep blue, and the snow peaks of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Machhapuchchhre emerge like a slow-motion reveal. That's the moment the Poonhill trek builds toward — and it arrives on the morning of day three, after two days of walking through rhododendron forests and small mountain villages. The trek starts early on day one with a one-hour drive from Pokhara to Nayapul, where you leave the road behind and begin walking alongside the Modi Khola river. The trail passes through Birethanti and climbs steadily to Tikedhunga before reaching Ulleri, a Magar village where you'll sleep in a mountain lodge. It's not a brutal day — five to six hours of walking — but it sets your body into the rhythm of altitude and effort.

Day two takes you from Ulleri up through oak and rhododendron forests, with the trail climbing through Banthali and Nangathanti before the final push to Ghorepani at 2,870 meters. Your guide — an English-speaking trekker who knows the route and the villages — will point out where the forest changes, where the air gets thinner, and which lodge serves the best dal bhat (lentil rice) at lunch. The walking is steadier than day one, four to five hours, and by evening you're settled at a lodge in Ghorepani, eating dinner and preparing for the pre-dawn wake-up. Most people don't sleep much that night, partly from the altitude and partly from anticipation.

The alarm goes off around 3 or 4 a.m. on day three. You walk for about an hour in darkness to reach Poon Hill, where dozens of other trekkers are already standing with headlamps and thermoses of tea. Then the sun comes up, and the mountains appear. It's not a secret — this is the most popular viewpoint in the Annapurna region for a reason — but the scale of it still catches people off guard. After breakfast back at the lodge, you trek down to Hille (a three to four hour descent), where a vehicle picks you up for the three-hour drive back to Pokhara and your hotel. Your legs will feel it, but you'll be back by evening.

The trek includes everything except your own water bottle and snacks: a private vehicle for the drives, all permits and fees, an experienced guide and porters, three meals a day, and accommodation in mountain lodges. You don't arrange transport, negotiate with guides, or figure out which lodge is safe — that's already handled. If you've never trekked before or haven't been to altitude, this is the route that teaches you what you're capable of without asking you to summit something technical or spend a week in the mountains.

What’s included

Private vehicle transport from Pokhara to Nayapul and from Hille back to Pokhara, Annapurna Conservation Area entrance permit and TIMS card, all government taxes and service charges, an experienced English-speaking trekking guide and porters with their wages, accommodation in mountain lodges for two nights, and all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) throughout the trek.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problems

Operated by Breakfree Adventures Pvt. Ltd.

Is this one for you?Book this trek if you want to see the Annapurna sunrise from a famous viewpoint without arranging transport, permits, guides, or meals yourself — the three-day structure and included logistics mean you show up and walk, with everything else handled.