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The Annapurna range at dawn from Poon Hill

Poon Hill guide

How hard is the Poon Hill trek?

An honest look at the difficulty of the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek, the stone steps to Ulleri, the pre-dawn climb, and who it suits.

Poon Hill is the easiest of our treks, and a good first taste of Himalayan trekking. It is still real walking: steep stone steps, several hours a day, and an early start for the sunrise.

The hard parts

  • The steps to Ulleri. The climb from Tikhedhunga to Ulleri is on thousands of stone steps. Take it slowly and use trekking poles.
  • The Poon Hill sunrise. You climb about 350 m from Ghorepani to Poon Hill (3,210 m) in the dark, by headtorch, to arrive before sunrise.
  • Downhill days. The descent towards Ghandruk is long and hard on knees.

Altitude

The highest point is 3,210 m and you sleep at 2,860 m in Ghorepani. Altitude sickness is uncommon at these heights, but not impossible. If you feel unwell, tell your guide.

Who it suits

First-time trekkers, families with older children who walk regularly, and anyone short on time. If you can walk for four to six hours with breaks, you can do this trek.