The best short treks from Pokhara, from day hikes to Sarangkot and the World Peace Pagoda to two-day Australian Camp, four-day Ghandruk and Poon Hill, and five-day Mardi Himal and Mohare Danda. With a comparison table, sunrise picks, family and winter options, permits and how to reach each trailhead.
18 min read
The best short treks from Pokhara are the two-day walk to Australian Camp and Dhampus, the four-day Ghandruk loop, the four-day Ghorepani Poon Hill trek, and five days on Mardi Himal or Mohare Danda. All start an hour to four hours' drive from Lakeside, stay in teahouses and face the Annapurna range. With only a day, hike to Sarangkot or the World Peace Pagoda.
We are based in Pokhara and these are the routes we walk most. Below we compare them in one table, then go through each by number of days, with the best picks for sunrise, families, winter and the monsoon, and the practical details: permits, trailheads and what the drives are like.
For most people with two to five days, our picks are Australian Camp for a single night, Ghorepani Poon Hill for a first proper trek, and Mardi Himal if you are fit and want height. Ghandruk suits families and slower walkers, and Mohare Danda suits anyone who wants Poon Hill's views without Poon Hill's crowds.
Pokhara is the best base in Nepal for short treks. The Annapurna range rises straight above the city, roads run up into the foothills in several directions, and the trailheads at Kande, Nayapul and Phedi are an hour or so from Lakeside. You can land in Pokhara one afternoon and sleep under Machhapuchhre the next night.
If this is your first trek anywhere, our best treks in Nepal for beginners guide covers short routes from Kathmandu too.
The routes run from two easy days below 2,100 m to five moderate days reaching about 4,200 m. All of them start and finish in Pokhara, include road transfers both ways and sleep in teahouses or community lodges. The figures below come from our own itineraries.
Trek | Days | Highest night | Highest point | Grade | Trailhead and drive | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 2,060 m (Australian Camp) | 2,060 m | Easy | Kande, about 1 hour | One night out, families | |
Days run from your Pokhara hotel back to it.
The three classic day hikes are Sarangkot for sunrise, the World Peace Pagoda across Phewa Lake, and Panchase, the highest hill around Pokhara. None of them is in the Annapurna Conservation Area, so no trekking permit is needed. We don't run these as trips, but they are worth knowing about if you have a spare day before or after a trek.
Yes. Sarangkot is a ridge at about 1,600 m on the west side of Pokhara, with a sunrise view from Dhaulagiri across the Annapurnas to Manaslu, and Phewa Lake below. Most people drive up before dawn to the viewing tower. You can also walk up the stone steps from the lake side in about an hour or more, or take the cable car up from the lake shore.
It is busy at sunrise in October and November, and it is also where Pokhara's paragliders launch, so mid-morning is lively. The mountains are farther away than from Australian Camp or Poon Hill, but for a single morning it is hard to beat.
Take a boat across Phewa Lake and climb the forest trail for about an hour to the white stupa on Anadu Hill, about 1,100 m. There is also a road up from the Chhorepatan side, about 25 minutes by taxi. The pagoda is open from early morning to early evening and entry is free.
The view is of Pokhara and the lake with the Annapurnas behind, best in the early morning before cloud builds. The trail is steep and slippery after rain, and in the monsoon it has leeches. Walking down to the dam side and taking a taxi back makes a good loop.
You can, but it is a long day; Panchase works better as an overnight. The summit is about 2,500 m, with a wide view of Dhaulagiri, the Annapurnas, Machhapuchhre, Lamjung Himal and Manaslu. Most people sleep at Panchase Bhanjyang, around 2,100 m, and climb the stone steps to the top before dawn, about 400 to 500 m above the village.
As a day hike, you drive towards Bhanjyang and walk up and back, which leaves little margin if the morning starts cloudy. The forest is lovely in spring and full of leeches in the monsoon. If you want a night in the hills without a long drive, we usually suggest Australian Camp instead.
The Australian Camp and Dhampus trek is the best two-day trek from Pokhara: a short climb to a grassy ridge at 2,060 m for sunset and sunrise over Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. You walk under two hours on the first day and four to five hours, mostly downhill, on the second. Altitude is not a factor.
We drive about an hour from Pokhara to Kande on the Baglung road and climb stone steps and forest paths to Australian Camp, in an hour and a half to two hours. The afternoon is free. At sunset you walk to the edge of the meadow and watch the light go pink on Machhapuchhre straight ahead, with Mardi Himal, Annapurna II and the Lamjung Himal to the east on a clear evening.
The next morning you are up for sunrise from the same spot, then walk to Pothana and along the old trail through forest and terraced fields to the Gurung village of Dhampus for lunch. A long flight of stone steps takes you down to the road at Phedi, where the vehicle picks you up. Those steps are the hardest part of the trek, and you feel them the next day if you have not walked downhill for a while.
Can you do Australian Camp in a day? Yes, as a day hike from Kande, but you miss sunset and sunrise, which is when the view is clearest. One night makes all the difference. See the Australian Camp and Dhampus trek.
With four days, choose Ghorepani Poon Hill for the big sunrise view, or Ghandruk for gentler days and more time in villages. Both start at Nayapul, about an hour and a half from Pokhara, and both pass through Ghandruk. Poon Hill climbs higher and has longer days; Ghandruk stays near 2,000 m throughout.
The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek is the classic short trek from Pokhara, with a sunrise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas from Poon Hill at 3,210 m. The highest night is Ghorepani at 2,874 m, low enough that altitude rarely causes more than slight breathlessness. Expect five to six hours of walking on each of the first three days.
Day one is the hard one. From Birethanti the trail follows the Bhurungdi Khola to Tikhedhunga, then climbs the long stone staircase to Ulleri (2,070 m), over 500 m of steps in a couple of hours. Take it slowly and stop often; nobody is timing you. Day two eases through oak and rhododendron forest to Ghorepani, which you reach by early afternoon.
On day three you leave around 4.30 am by headtorch for the 45-minute climb to the Poon Hill tower. It is cold and crowded in autumn, and then the sun hits Dhaulagiri and the whole line of peaks to Machhapuchhre lights up. After breakfast you walk the forested ridge to Tadapani (2,630 m), and on day four drop through forest to Ghandruk and drive back to Pokhara. See the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek.
The Ghandruk village trek is an easy four-day loop through Gurung villages, with Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre in front of you, staying no higher than 2,080 m. You sleep in Ghandruk (2,010 m), Landruk and Australian Camp. Days are four to five hours, with the last day just an hour's walk.
You walk up from Nayapul to Ghandruk, one of the largest Gurung villages in Nepal, and spend the next morning in its stone lanes and the Gurung museum. Then you drop steeply to the Modi Khola, cross the suspension bridge and climb to Landruk. Day three climbs through forest above Tolka to the ridge at Bhichok and drops to Pothana and Australian Camp for the evening view. The climbs are short but steep, all on stone steps.
A jeep road now reaches Kimche and lower Ghandruk. If you would rather skip the road walking in the lower valley, we can drive to Kimche and walk the last stone steps up to the village. See the Ghandruk village trek.
Mardi Himal is the best five-day trek if you are fit and want to get high and close to Machhapuchhre; Mohare Danda is the best if you want quiet trails, village lodges and Poon Hill as a bonus. Both reach the open ridges above the forest, and both are a clear step up from the four-day treks.
The Mardi Himal trek follows a forested ridge north towards Machhapuchhre, sleeping at Forest Camp (2,550 m), Low Camp (2,970 m) and High Camp (3,580 m), then climbs before dawn to the Upper View Point at about 4,200 m. It gains height fast, from Pokhara to High Camp in three days, so mild headaches at High Camp are common.
The first day is the longest climb, six to seven hours from Kande past Australian Camp and Pitam Deurali into thick rhododendron forest. Above Low Camp the trees thin, Machhapuchhre appears close overhead and you may meet grazing yaks. From Badal Danda, the "cloud ridge", the trail follows an open grassy crest to High Camp.
Summit morning starts at about 5 am. You climb the ridge by headtorch for two and a half to three hours and reach the Upper View Point as the sun lights Machhapuchhre, Mardi Himal and Annapurna South. Mardi Himal Base Camp, about 4,500 m, is roughly an hour further and only added if everyone is well and the weather is settled. The last day is a long, steep descent of around 1,800 m to Siding, then two to three hours by jeep to Pokhara.
From December to February the ridge above High Camp can be icy, and in cloud or wind your guide may turn round at the Lower View Point. Our Mardi Himal vs Poon Hill comparison helps if you are torn between them. See the Mardi Himal trek.
The Mohare Danda trek climbs through Magar villages on the community eco-lodge trail to a ridge-top lodge at 3,300 m, then follows the forested ridge to Ghorepani for sunrise on Poon Hill. You stay in community lodges at Banskharka (1,525 m), Nangi (2,300 m) and Mohare Danda, owned by the villages, with profits going to schools and health posts.
The drive is the longest of these treks, three to four hours via Baglung and Beni to Galeshwor on the Kali Gandaki. Day one is a short walk up to Banskharka. In Nangi your guide shows you the school and the workshop where paper is made from lokta bark. Day three is the big climb, about 1,000 m through oak and rhododendron, and you reach the ridge in time for sunset over Dhaulagiri.
Next morning you watch the sunrise from the door of the lodge, then walk the ridge to Ghorepani, and on the last morning climb Poon Hill too. That makes two of the best sunrises in the foothills in one trek. The descent from Poon Hill to Tikhedhunga is about 1,700 m of stone steps. See the Mohare Danda trek.
With a week or more, Khopra Danda is the natural step up: eight days to a 3,660 m ridge facing Dhaulagiri, staying in community lodges away from the main trails. It shares its first and last days with the Poon Hill area but spends four nights on quiet ridges, and it finishes with sunrise on Poon Hill.
You drive to Ghandruk and climb to Tadapani, then leave the main trail for Dobato (3,420 m) and the Muldai Viewpoint at 3,637 m, one of the widest panoramas in the region. Khopra Danda's community lodge looks straight across the Kali Gandaki gorge at Dhaulagiri. An optional day hike reaches the sacred Khayer Lake at about 4,660 m, an eight- to ten-hour day you can swap for a rest. See the Khopra Danda trek.
Beyond that, the ten-day Annapurna Base Camp trek is the obvious next step, and our Annapurna Base Camp trek guide covers it day by day.
Poon Hill has the classic panorama, Mardi Himal's Upper View Point has the closest view of Machhapuchhre, and Mohare Danda gives you two sunrises on one trek. Australian Camp is the easiest: you watch from the meadow outside your lodge.
Poon Hill (3,210 m): Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak and Nilgiri to the west and north, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machhapuchhre to the east, with the Kali Gandaki gorge between the two ranges. Crowded in October and November.
Mardi Himal Upper View Point (about 4,200 m): Machhapuchhre feels almost overhead, with Mardi Himal, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli. The hardest sunrise to earn.
Mohare Danda (3,300 m): a similar view to Poon Hill with only the people from the lodge, plus Poon Hill itself the next morning.
Australian Camp (2,060 m): a closer, more frontal view of Machhapuchhre than from Pokhara, with no pre-dawn climb.
Khopra Danda (3,660 m) and Muldai (3,637 m): the widest views, if you have eight days.
Clear mornings are most likely from October to December. In spring, mornings are often clear but haze and cloud build by mid-morning, so sunrise matters even more.
Australian Camp and Dhampus is the best family trek from Pokhara, followed by the Ghandruk village loop. Both stay below about 2,100 m, have short days and sleep in friendly lodges with space for children to run around. Children who are used to walking usually enjoy them, and the under-tens do not pay the ACAP fee.
Australian Camp: under two hours up on day one, mostly downhill on day two. Smaller children may need a hand on the long steps down to Phedi.
Ghandruk: four to five hours a day with short steep climbs, but plenty to look at: the museum, stone lanes, a big suspension bridge, buffaloes and terraces. We can slow the pace or add a night in Ghandruk.
Poon Hill: fine for active children used to hill walking, but the Ulleri staircase and five- to six-hour days are a lot for younger ones.
We would not take young children to Mardi Himal, because of the quick gain in height and the exposed ridge. Tell us your children's ages and how much they walk at home, and we will suggest the right trek.
In December, January and February, the low treks are best: Australian Camp and Ghandruk stay below the snowline in most years, and skies are often very clear. Poon Hill works too, with frosty mornings and occasional snow at Ghorepani. Mardi Himal and Mohare Danda are colder and can have snow and ice on the high ridge.
December is one of the best months of the year for short treks around Pokhara: dry, clear and quieter than autumn. In January and February, nights at Ghorepani, Mohare and Mardi High Camp drop well below freezing. On Mardi Himal the ridge above High Camp can be impassable without microspikes, and your guide may turn back early. Lodges stay open, and we lend you a down jacket and sleeping bag on all these treks.
You can, but the June to September monsoon brings daily rain, leeches, slippery steps and cloud that hides the mountains on most days. Pokhara is one of the wettest cities in Nepal, with about 3,900 mm of rain a year, and Lumle on the road to Nayapul and Kande is wetter still. Short, low treks are the most manageable.
If you are in Pokhara in the monsoon and want to walk, keep it short and flexible: Australian Camp or a day hike, with leech socks and a rain cover. For a real trek with views, go north behind the Himalaya. Our six-day Jomsom and Muktinath trek starts with a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom in the rain shadow, where it stays dry while Pokhara pours. Our best time to trek in Nepal guide covers each month.
Go in these months
Think twice in these months
Every overnight trek in this guide is inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so you need an ACAP entry permit: NPR 3,000 for foreign nationals, free for children under ten. A TIMS card is not checked on Annapurna routes at present. Since 1 April 2023, foreign trekkers in conservation areas must walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency.
On our treks the ACAP permit is included. We get it in Pokhara before you start, so we need a scan of your passport photo page and one passport photo. Your guide carries it and shows it at the checkpoints, such as Birethanti on the Poon Hill and Ghandruk routes. The day hikes to Sarangkot and the World Peace Pagoda need no permit. Our Nepal trekking permits guide covers every region.
All the trailheads are reached by road from Pokhara, in an hour for Kande up to three or four hours for Galeshwor. On our treks a private vehicle picks you up from your Pokhara hotel and brings you back at the end, so you don't need to deal with local buses.
Trailhead | Used for | Drive from Pokhara |
|---|---|---|
Kande (Baglung road) | Australian Camp, Mardi Himal | About 1 hour |
Phedi | End of Australian Camp and Dhampus | Under an hour |
Nayapul and Birethanti | Ghandruk, Poon Hill | About 1.5 hours |
Kimche and Ghandruk (jeep road) | Khopra Danda, Ghandruk option |
To reach Pokhara from Kathmandu, it is a 25-minute flight or six to eight hours by tourist bus. Arrive the day before your trek: most of these routes leave Pokhara in the morning. Australian Camp is the exception, as day one is short enough to start after a morning arrival.
Not on the overnight treks in this guide. Since 1 April 2023, foreign trekkers in Nepal's national parks and conservation areas must walk with a licensed guide arranged through a registered agency, and all these routes are in the Annapurna Conservation Area. Day hikes to Sarangkot and the World Peace Pagoda are outside it and fine on your own.
Mohare Danda, by a distance. You meet more villagers than trekkers until you join the Poon Hill trail at Ghorepani on the last evening. Khopra Danda is similarly quiet if you have eight days.
Poon Hill is easier, lower and better for a first trek, with a wider panorama including Dhaulagiri. Mardi Himal is harder and reaches about 4,200 m, but you get much closer to Machhapuchhre and the ridge is quieter. Our Mardi Himal vs Poon Hill article compares them in detail.
Yes. Poon Hill links to Ghandruk and on to Landruk and Australian Camp, Mohare Danda links to Khopra Danda, and Mardi Himal starts past Australian Camp. Tell us how many days you have and we will join the pieces into one route.
Route guides
How the Annapurna Circuit works now that jeep roads reach Manang and Muktinath: where to drive and where to walk, the road-free NATT trails, acclimatising in Manang, Thorong La day from the 4 am start to the long descent to Muktinath, ACAP permits, seasons and teahouses.
4 |
2,060 m (Australian Camp) |
about 2,080 m (Bhichok) |
Easy |
Nayapul, about 1.5 hours |
Gurung villages, children |
4 | 2,874 m (Ghorepani) | 3,210 m (Poon Hill) | Easy | Nayapul, about 1.5 hours | A first trek, the classic sunrise |
5 | 3,300 m (Mohare Danda) | 3,300 m | Moderate | Galeshwor, 3–4 hours | Quiet trails, community lodges |
5 | 3,580 m (High Camp) | about 4,200 m (Upper View Point) | Moderate | Kande, about 1 hour | Fit walkers, close mountain views |
8 | 3,660 m (Khopra Danda) | about 4,660 m (Khayer Lake, optional) | Moderate | Ghandruk by road | A step up, Dhaulagiri views |
2–3 hours
Siding | End of Mardi Himal | 2–3 hours by jeep, rough road |
Galeshwor (via Baglung and Beni) | Mohare Danda | 3–4 hours |
Tikhedhunga and Ulleri | End of Mohare Danda and Khopra Danda | 2–3 hours |
They help a lot on the stone steps, especially going down from Dhampus to Phedi, from Ghorepani to Tikhedhunga and on the long descent from Mardi Himal to Siding. A pair of poles takes real strain off your knees.
For Australian Camp, anyone who can walk a few hours on hills is fine. For Ghandruk and Poon Hill, you should manage four to six hours of up and down on steps for several days. Mardi Himal needs good fitness: long climbs, a pre-dawn summit day and a descent of about 1,800 m.
Yes. Hotels in Lakeside store bags for trekkers, usually free if you stay with them before or after. Take only what you need on the trail; on our treks a porter carries for two trekkers, up to about 20 kg in total.
Low on Australian Camp, Ghandruk and Poon Hill, where you sleep below 3,000 m. Mild headaches are common at Mardi Himal High Camp (3,580 m) because you gain height quickly; tell your guide about any symptoms, and descend if they get worse.
Australian Camp and Dhampus, because it is only two days with one night in a lodge and a short drive. Ask us for a quote for any of these treks through our plan-your-trip page.