Three days to Ghandruk, the handsomest village in the Annapurnas
Slate roofs, stone lanes and Annapurna South closing off the end of the street. This is the gentlest way to see a Gurung village properly.
By the Lakeshore team · 6 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Ghandruk is the village that ends up on the cover of books about Nepal, and for once the cover is fair. It sits at about 2,012 m on a shoulder above the Modi Khola, in tiers of stone houses with slate roofs, and Annapurna South and Hiunchuli stand at the end of the main lane like a painted backdrop.
It's also a working Gurung town of a couple of thousand people, not something built for trekkers. There's a school, a museum, farms and a long history of Gurkha service.
Three days gets you there, gives you a full day in the village and brings you back. That's enough, and it asks very little of you.
Why three days and not a day trip
A road now runs most of the way to Ghandruk, so you can drive up, look at the village for two hours and drive back. Plenty of tours do just that, and you get a poor version of the place.
The village runs on its own clock. Cloud usually clears off Annapurna South early in the morning and sometimes again at sunset, the animals come in at dusk, and the lanes empty of visitors after the day-trip jeeps leave around four. Stay the night and you see Ghandruk. Drive in and out and you've only photographed it. Walking in from Kimche or Nayapul, instead of driving to the top, also puts the village in its landscape. You arrive from below, the way people always have, and the moment it appears as you climb the last stairs is the reason to walk.
What to do with the full day
Before breakfast, walk up to the upper village and the viewpoint above it, because that's when Annapurna South is most reliably out. The climb is short and you'll have it mostly to yourself.
Then walk the lanes, paved and stepped in stone, with carved windows and slate everywhere. Ghandruk is unusually well kept, partly because money sent home from generations of army service has gone into the houses.
In the afternoon, walk out toward Kimche or down toward the river for the view back at the village stacked on its shoulder. That view, the whole settlement with the mountains behind it, is the one people remember.
Where it leads
A lot of the Annapurna region opens up from Ghandruk. The trail to Annapurna Base Camp carries on from here via Chhomrong. Muldai and Tadapani are a day up the hill, and Poon Hill loops round through Ghorepani.
That makes it a good first leg if you're not sure how much trekking you want to do. Walk to Ghandruk, see how you feel, then turn around or carry on. You can decide on the second morning instead of when you book. We build a lot of trips this way for people who have never trekked and aren't sure they'll enjoy it, and almost all of them carry on.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Is Ghandruk suitable for someone who has never trekked?
It's close to the ideal first trek: low altitude, three days, good lodges and food, and a road within reach if anyone needs to bail out. Children and older walkers manage it comfortably. A licensed Gurung guide from Pokhara walks with you.
Can I just drive there?
You can, and we'll arrange it if walking isn't possible. You'll see the village but miss the arrival, which is half of it. If you can walk in from Kimche, about two hours, do that instead.
How does it compare to Poon Hill?
Ghandruk is about the village and Poon Hill is about the sunrise. Ghandruk is easier and warmer, with no pre-dawn alarm. Most people with four or five days do both in a loop.
Is it crowded?
In October it's busy in the middle of the day with jeep arrivals, and quiet by evening. It copes with visitors better than most places on this trail, because it's a working town and not a row of lodges.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether Ghandruk Gurung Village Trek is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830