Trekker's Journal

A speed-trek to Poon Hill

By: Blanca Costa December 25, 2015

Next up on Trekker’s Journal is an account from Spanish traveler Blanca Costa who found herself on the fast track to Poon Hill. If you’re in Nepal for only a short time, this could be the trek for you. 

topWhen I returned from my trip to Nepal I shared my experience with my friends and family. Surprisingly, everyone I know who has been to Nepal has different stories, opinions and understanding of the country that differs from everyone else’s.

When you travel, you see things through your own special lens, and when you travel to Nepal there’s one thing you can be sure about: your lens will be completely unique and different from all the others. Here is mine:

Driving from Kathmandu to the mountains is on its own an experience worth a movie or a novel. Getting to the mountains, hiking along the Great Himalaya Trails crested by cliffs and giant mountain tops will leave you speechless.
Having only 5 days to experience Nepal our friends who reside in Kathmandu, suggested a hike to Poon Hill in the Annapurna mountain range. The Ghorepani – Poon Hill trek is a 4-day stairmaster session at a reasonable pace, that our thoughtful hosts decided we should complete it in 2 days (up and down, yes, both ways).

After an exciting 6-hour motorcycle drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara, we took a taxi the remaining way to Nayapul where we were to to start our adventure by foot with our trekking permits in hand, bottles of water and backpacks. The scenery is breathtaking from the very first moment. Walking past small farming villages, terraced rice fields, green hills and cold rushing rivers I thought “it can’t get any better than this”. However, our friends assured us that the views from Poon Hill (that we wouldn’t see until the next morning) were even more stunning.

Poon Hill Trek

Suspension bridge on the way to Poon Hill. Photo by Blanca Costa.

After an hour or two of walking we hit the beginning of the long stairway climb. The kilometer upon kilometer of tall stairs that wind through small settlements and forested landscapes took our attention away from the scenery for a while, but still the path is unique. It’s hard not to appreciate the effort that someone has put into creating this steep stone path. The biggest effort of our life seemed very small compared to those who had carved the stone slabs and carried them up the hills to their current resting place.

All along the way there are small tea houses which offer accommodation, drinks and food which was very fortunate for us as we found it necessary to stop a few times to fill up on water and energy to carry on. The majority of Nepalis we met along the way spoke only a few words of English, but all the menus were in English and if you ever visit this country you’ll soon discover that their kindness is universal and transcends all linguistic barriers. With a mix of Nepali, English and body language, they would do their very best to makes us happy at all times.

After the labor-intensive stairs the path got easier again and under the shade of trees and along the breezy rivers we soon cooled down. At this point though we had to pick up our pace if we wanted to make it to Ghorepani by sunset. You’ll find very few signs on this trek, so a map is essential if you’re trekking independently. Something that we learned the hard way was that not all maps are accurate so having some extra time to backtrack is always useful.

Completely exhausted we stumbled into Ghorepani right before the sky went completely black. We found a few rooms at a nice little tea house with lovely food and hot water showers, which is not always easy to find and a pleasure to enjoy after a long day hiking at an elevation gain of over 1,800 meters. The plan was to turn in early, get up early and hike the remaining 350 meters to watch the sunrise from Poon Hill.

When we woke up early the next day our legs were in so much pain and so tired that we strongly considered staying at the tea house and let our hosts push on up to Poon Hill on their own. But facing our weakness, we struggled out of bed, laced up our trekking shoes (holding back tears) and with torches and iphone flashlights lighting up the dark trail we set off to Poon Hill.

Despite our struggles the day before, we could still appreciate the stunning scenery surrounding us and so we could only imagine what was waiting for us at the top of the mountain at 3,210m. Finally getting up to the top we discovered we were not the only ones there, at least 50 people were scattered around the hill sipping hot tea and waiting for the sun to reveal the views. Beyond the crowds the sight of Annapurna South (7,219m) raising in front of us, accompanied by the majestic Machhapuchhre (6,993m) was out of this world. We were lucky to see both mountains in between the forever changing cloud formations and the first sun rays of the day.

Trek to Poon Hill

The clouds parted to reveal the stunning Machhapuchhre. Photo by Blanca Costa

Feeling tired but happy and on top of the world from sharing this breathtaking beauty with the best company one can possibly have – great friends and the best partner in this world – was just a moment I will always treasure.

Poon Hill trek

Enjoying the views with good friends. Photo by Madeleine Dolling.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, it was time to unwalk what we have walked, back to Nayapul, accompanied this time by some sure -footed donkeys in colorful blankets with gas cylinders strapped to their sides, and from there back to Pokhara for a calm night at a local hotel which offered massages and great food. The perfect recovery after a strenuous trek.
It was time to go back to cars, motorbikes, crowds, cows and big city noise. It was time to return to Kathmandu where I soon came to realized that the same brief peace you can find in hidden gardens, cafes and temples in the big cities is always found up there, awaiting for the traveller, up in the mountains.

 

 

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