Poon Hill & Mardi Himal Trek

We leave Pokhara after breakfast and drive up the Modi Khola valley by private jeep, past Nayapul and Tikhedhunga and up the switchbacks below the Ulleri staircase, all the way to Ulleri at 1,960 metres. The road now covers ground that older itineraries used to walk over two days, staircase included, so the trek proper starts higher and fresher than it used to.

From Ulleri the trail climbs through dense rhododendron and oak forest, passing Banthanti and Nangethanti with the canopy thick enough that the sun comes through in patches. In spring this is one of the best stretches of rhododendron forest in the whole Annapurna region, the trees in full red and pink bloom. We reach Ghorepani at 2,860 metres by mid afternoon, a busy ridge village of blue-roofed lodges straddling the pass. Early dinner, because the sunrise climb starts in the dark.

The first sunrise. We leave Ghorepani around 04:30 with headtorches for the 45-minute climb to the Poon Hill viewing tower at 3,210 metres. On a clear morning the panorama is one of the great Himalayan views: Dhaulagiri to the west, the whole Annapurna wall in front, and Machhapuchhre off to the right, all lit up as the sun lifts. This is the wide, classic photograph that draws people to Ghorepani, and it comes on Day 2 rather than as a separate side trip.

Back down to Ghorepani for breakfast, then we continue over the ridge and through more rhododendron forest to Tadapani at 2,630 metres, a small cluster of lodges in a forest clearing with Annapurna South filling the view to the north.

A long descent day, and the hinge of the trek. The trail drops steadily through oak and rhododendron forest and past terraced farmland, losing height for most of the day as the Annapurna wall slips out of view behind the ridgeline.

Lower down we reach the Modi Khola, cross the river, and climb a short rise into Landruk at 1,565 metres, the last proper village before the Mardi route. From here the path turns up and away from the busy Ghorepani side onto the quiet Mardi ridge.

The trail climbs steeply out of Landruk through cloud forest of oak, maple, and rhododendron to Forest Camp at 2,550 metres. The contrast with the Poon Hill side is immediate: fewer people, smaller lodges, and the trail closing in to a single forested spine.

Langur troops are common in the canopy on this stretch, and the birdlife picks up as the forest thickens. Forest Camp itself is little more than a handful of lodges on a ridge shoulder, but it is the gateway to the open ground above.

The main altitude day on the Mardi side. The trail climbs steadily through the upper forest to Low Camp at 2,985 metres, where the trees thin and the full Annapurna massif comes into view. We stop here for an early lunch and a pulse-oximetry check before continuing.

Above Low Camp the route breaks onto the open ridge and crosses Badal Danda at 3,210 metres, then climbs to High Camp at 3,580 metres. Because Poon Hill came first, you reach this point already part-acclimatised, which is the quiet advantage of doing the combo in this order. Pace is deliberately slow above Low Camp, and anyone showing early symptoms is held lower rather than pushed on. If altitude is new to you, read our altitude sickness guidance before you commit to the pace.

Arrive High Camp in the afternoon with time to rest. Machhapuchhre stands directly ahead across the valley, and the sunset from the dining hall is the moment most trekkers remember.

The second sunrise, and the highest point of the trek. We leave High Camp around 04:30 for the pre-dawn ridge climb to the Upper Viewpoint at 4,200 metres. This is the close-up to Poon Hill's wide shot: Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South rise almost overhead, near enough to feel rather than just photograph, with Dhaulagiri far to the west. Two sunrises, two completely different kinds of mountain view, in one trip.

Back to High Camp for a late breakfast, then we descend the same ridge past Low Camp for the night, giving the body an easier drop after the highest point of the trek rather than pushing straight down to the valley.

A steep forest descent from Low Camp toward the Gurung village of Sidhing, on fresh ground rather than retracing the inbound trail. Trekking poles matter here; the last big descent of the trip is hard on the knees.

The jeep meets us at Sidhing for the rough but scenic road back to Pokhara at 820 metres, passing through Lwang and its tea gardens on the way. We reach the lakeside by early to mid afternoon: hot shower, a real bed, and a celebration dinner by Phewa Lake. After a week on the trail through two sunrises and one quiet ridge, the contrast is the point.