It would be crazy to go to Nepal and not experience the Himalayas. With much excitement, we made our way to Pokhara, where we would begin our 5-day hike on the Ghorepani Poon Hill trail.

The trek is a very popular one to do. There are a lot of hiking routes to embark on, however we found most of these were 2-3 week trips which is quite a commitment!

Sadly we only had one week, so the moderate 5-day Poon Hill hike with views of the Annapurna Himalaya range from 3210m seemed like the perfect option.

The journey to begin with, from Kathmandu to Pokhara, was eventful in itself! After sitting for hours in the very ‘rustic’ local airport, we managed to squeeze ourselves in to the tiniest of planes. We whizzed along the plane track eager for take-off, before having to hurl to a stop and with our tail between our legs, get off the plane and return back to the airport again. Turns out the thick clouds/fog is notorious in Pokhara making it unideal to fly, so this was apparently quite a common occurrence!

Now packing for this trip does take some effort, trust me. I spent days frantically searching around London for the perfect gear since I left it until the last minute. The key is layers. It’s all about the layers!

This trip was in the winter so it was pretty darn cold. Actually freezing. If you go during this time, a Northface jacket will be your best friend.

Our first day started from Nayapul (a short drive away from Pokhara) to Tikhedunga.

It’s highly advised to have a guide, where most people will book through a trekking guide company. Our guide actually met us in Kathmandu first. He talked us through each day of the trip and what we were to expect. They’re normally such lovely, charismatic people who can teach you a lot about Nepal and the Himalayas along the way.
We took the top route from the image below, from Nayapul, through Ghandruk, Tarapani and finally up to Ghorepani.I knew that we would be staying in ‘tea-houses’ each night of the trip, but they certainly weren’t what I was expecting at all. They were lovely guest houses that all had hot water (yipee!!), like the Chandra Guesthouse below where we stayed the first night.

What surprised me the most was the food. I was ready to be eating dal baht each night (a traditional, comforting dish in Nepal that’s basically steamed rice with dal). Instead, almost every single guest-house served the same menu which consisted of pizza, spaghetti, burgers, fries, fried rice, noodles, salads, soups you name it!

I was impressed that they all manage to serve such a range of dishes. However it does seem a shame to be eating pizza in the middle of the Himalayas. It takes the authenticity out of the experience, so we made sure we ordered dal baht and lots of Nepali dishes instead.

I loved trekking through different villages throughout the whole trip, where donkeys carry a lot of goods up and down the hills too.

Now these aren’t just any ordinary villages. The brightly coloured lodges make them incredibly picturesque, especially with beautiful flowers and greenery weaving through them.

Each village has a cafe with breathtaking views, where you can stop for a tea/coffee break and snack. There’s even sometimes little shops where the villagers are selling jewellery, clothes and books.
The hikes each day ranged from 4-8 hours. Most of the trails are actually steps, winding their way through villages and gradually up the Annapurna Himalaya range.

We did think that steps seemed unnatural and sore on the knees after a few days. We weren’t sure the reason why the usual criss-cross paths weren’t created instead.
The last night was spent in a lodge in Ghorepani, where lots of hikers rest before the final hike to Poon Hill.

The views are absolutely stunning! Rugged, snow-capped peaks that you just can’t stop admiring and taking photos of.After an early wake-up in the middle of the night, we crept out of our snug rooms wrapped in the thickest scarves, gloves and hats we could find. With our torch lights clutched in our hands, we followed our guide up the trail with much anticipation.We made it!   We were rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. It was worth every single step up that trail to see this view.We watched in awe as the suns light gradually shimmered its way across the mountain range, highlighting each dramatic peak and crevice. The next morning we had possibly the best breakfast view possible. Omelette, toast and deliciously sweet masala chai with a view like this? It was a slow start that morning that’s for sure.Below is another gorgeous guesthouse we stayed at for the last night, complete with Northface jackets, slippers and robes! Admittedly this was a much more ‘expensive’ and ‘luxurious’ guesthouse. We loved every second of it :). We slept wonderfully that night with smiles on our faces and such a great sense of achievement.

You don’t have to be super fit to do this, anyone with moderate fitness can certainly do it. It’s one of the most special travel experiences for me so far and I highly recommend it!