Poon Hill in three days: the honest beginner's trek

Three thousand stone steps, a village full of rhododendron, and a sunrise that has been photographed a million times and still works. Who it suits, and who should skip it.

By Dawa Gurung · 7 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

Poon Hill is the first Himalayan trek for more people than any other route in Nepal, and there is a reason it has held that position for forty years. It tops out at 3,210 m, so altitude is not really a factor. The teahouses are warm, the food is good, and you are never more than a day from a road.

It is also, on an October morning, extremely popular. If your image of trekking is solitude in the mountains, you should know that you will share that sunrise with a few hundred people and a lot of tripods.

What we tell first-timers is this: come for the walking, the villages and the forest, and treat the sunrise as a bonus rather than the point. Judged that way it is close to a perfect three days.

The three thousand steps

The climb from Tikhedhunga to Ulleri is the defining feature of day one — a stone staircase that goes up for around two hours with very little relief. Locals put the count at 3,300 steps. Nobody has ever verified this and nobody wants to.

It is hard if you have not trained, and fine if you go slowly. The mistake is treating it as a challenge to be attacked. We walk it at a pace that feels almost absurdly slow for the first twenty minutes and then feels exactly right for the next hundred. After Ulleri the gradient eases and the forest takes over — oak, then rhododendron, moss on everything, langur monkeys if you are lucky and quiet. Ghorepani at 2,874 m is a proper village strung along a saddle, blue roofs, wood smoke, and the first real view of Dhaulagiri.

The sunrise itself

Headtorches on at about half past four, forty-five minutes of uphill in the dark, and then standing around getting cold while the sky goes from grey to orange. Dhaulagiri catches the light first, then the whole Annapurna wall, then Machhapuchhre off to the right.

It lasts about twenty minutes and it is legitimately excellent. There is also a tea shop at the top selling hot lemon at Himalayan prices, and it is worth every rupee.

In peak season, leave ten minutes before your guide suggests. The viewing platform gets crowded and the difference between arriving early and arriving on time is whether you get a clear foreground.

If you want the same trek with fewer people

Muldai View Point gets you a comparable panorama with a fraction of the crowd, at the cost of one more day. Khopra Ridge goes further and higher again into quiet country and is our pick for anyone who says the words 'off the beaten track' and means them.

Ghandruk on its own is the other alternative — a three-day loop through the most photogenic Gurung village in the region without the pre-dawn alarm. For travellers who want culture more than summits, it is often the better trip. We will steer you toward one of these if you tell us crowds bother you. It costs us nothing to send you somewhere quieter and you come back happier.

Season notes

Late March into April is the rhododendron window and it is the single most beautiful time to walk this route — whole hillsides in red and pink, particularly between Ulleri and Ghorepani.

October and November give the sharpest mountain views and the largest crowds. December to February is cold, clear and quiet; Ghorepani sometimes gets snow, which is lovely and makes the steps slick.

In monsoon the forest is spectacular and green and the mountains are behind cloud. Leeches are real from June to August. Bring salt and a sense of humour.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

Poon Hill Sunrise Trek3 days · 3,210 mRs 46,800 · See dates →Ghandruk Gurung Village Trek3 days · 2,012 mRs 30,700 · See dates →Muldai View Point Trek4 days · 3,637 mRs 52,100 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

Is Poon Hill suitable for children?

Yes — we take families regularly and kids from about eight upward handle it well, often better than their parents. The stairs are the crux. A porter for the family bags changes the whole day.

Will I get altitude sickness at 3,210 m?

Very unlikely. Some people notice mild breathlessness on the sunrise climb. That is normal and passes as soon as you stop moving uphill.

Can it be done in two days?

It can be forced into two with a long drive and a very long first day, and we do not recommend it. The three-day version is the one people enjoy.

How crowded is it, really?

In peak October, expect a couple of hundred people at the viewpoint at sunrise. In February or late May, expect twenty. The trek is identical; the experience is not.

I have never trekked before and I am nervous. Is this the one?

Almost certainly yes. Low altitude, short days, warm lodges, and a road never far away. The honest warning is the Ulleri staircase on day one — walk it slowly and it is fine. Most people finish this trek and immediately ask what the next one is.

Is it safe for a woman trekking alone?

Yes, and it is the route we most often suggest to first-time solo travellers. Busy trail, family-run lodges, your guide with you throughout. Ask in advance and we will do our best to arrange a female guide.