Day 19: Ghorepani to Naya Pul
Approximate Trekking Time: 5 ½ – 6 ½ hrs.
Distance: 20.6k / 12.8 miles (inc Poon Hill)
Overnight Elevation: NA (continue on to Pokhara)
Our last day on the Circuit began with a very early morning hike up Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the massive Himalayan giants, a trip that made the long climb to Ghorepani worth every step. Leaving our guesthouse around 5am, we joined the throngs of trekkers that were making their way up Poon Hill. If you don’t know where you’re going, just follow the headlamps!
After the first 10 minutes or so, which climb past some of the higher up lodges, we reached a ticket booth, where we paid 50 NRs/person for entrance. Beyond this we continued upward in a long, slow cue of trekkers walking the stairway to the top, finding opportunities to zig and zag around slower hikers where possible. The trip the top takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on your speed (or the number of people you get stuck behind).
After 30-40 minutes of climbing, we reached the top. The sun’s first light already casting a dull glow over the mountains and hilltops to the east, the haze of the cloud layer we stood above softening the light. To the north, the peaks of the massive Annapurnas and other Himalayan wonders were in clear view. After weeks of skirting the Himal ranges, sometimes getting amazing views and sometimes little more than glimpses of snow covered peaks through swaths of cloud cover or fog, here they were, all of the peaks lined up before us at the top of Poon Hill.
The top of Poon Hill holds a tall lookout tower, small tea-shack, and the best view of the Himalayas on the entire Annapurna Circuit. A labeled panoramic picture below the lookout tower shows the mountains that you can see from Poon Hill. From left to right (looking northwards), these include: Gurja Peak, Dhaulagiris IV, V, III, II, Dhaulagiri, Tukche Peak, Dhampus Peak, Nilgiri, Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna, and Machhapuchhre.
The most massive peaks on the horizon are Annapurna I and Annapurna South. While Annapurna I (8091m/26,545ft.) is the highest of those listed above, from our vantage point on Poon Hill, Annapurna South (7219m/23,684ft.) towered above them all. Each peak on the horizon has its stories – summit attempts, conquests, death – successes and sorrows. And a good slew of these tales can be picked up in the bookshops in Pokhara and Kathmandu.
After getting our fill of the stupendous views, we made our way back down the trail to our guesthouse, packed, breakfasted, and hit the trail for our final trek into Naya Pul. If the trek uphill to Ghorepani was demoralizing, the corresponding descent into Naya Pul on the other side of the pass was equally so.
The first bit of the trail was pretty, descending through the hillsides past waterfalls and over streams on hard-packed dirt and rocky shaded trails. However, eventually the route became seemingly endless stone steps – some shaped into steps better than others. Some a more haphazard arrangement of stones, allowing the trekker to pick and choose their own way down the path. Short and tall stones; wide and narrow; straight, angled, curved. There were so many choices to break your ankle. While Shawn bounded down the path, I gingerly selected each step, each of us attempting to save our legs/knees in our own way.
The steps continued on-and-on through small villages and groupings of restaurants, lodges, and snack stalls – through beating sun and rarely shade – over bridge, river, and waterfall. All and all, there is claimed to be over 3300 steps from around Ulleri to just past Tikhedhungga, where we took a break to drain sugary sodas and our water bottles.
Not far past Tikhedhungga, the steps ended and the trail became paved with stone, surrounded by terraced fields. This beautiful path eventually gave way, dumping us onto a jeep road, an enterprising restaurant and jeep at the ready for weary travelers: “jeep to Pokhara?”
We continued down the road, a hot and painfully rocky path to the end. Other than a few small trail sections that skirted the road, the remainder of our trip to Naya Pul was along the road, though it was a pretty stroll among farmland, river, and mountains.
Eventually, we reached Birethanti, a nice village that had the last ACAP checkpost on the circuit (or first, if you’re trekking clockwise). We got the last stamps on our permits, crossed the steel bridge over the Madi Khola, and continued up the road to Naya Pul.
Naya Pul is mostly a bazaar, with a long street of shops. Walking to the far end of town, you will find taxis lined up atop the hill. We negotiated a ride to Pokhara for 1800 NRs, unwilling to face a bus ride on such a long day. Buses to Pokhara are also available from Naya Pul.
Pokhara is a great place to relax post-trek, and we stayed for three days before making our return to Kathmandu. Guesthouse owners or travel agencies can help to arrange buses or flights back to Kathmandu or other destinations. Many travelers also continue further southward to Chitwan National Park or Lumbini.
