Away With The Steiners

Poon Hill Trek Day 3 – Ghorepani to Poon Hill – Ghorepani to Tadapani.

Sarah Steiner

The Poon Hill Trek Day 3 is a day of epic proportions!  A spectacular sunrise; the first serious downhill of the trek; magnificent views from Deurali Pass of the Annapurna Range and the welcomed shady jungle trail of the afternoon. 

Here is everything you need to know to be prepared for Poon Hill Trek Day 3 from Ghorepani to Tadapani. 

About the Poon Hill Trek Day 3 – Ghorepani to Poon Hill Summit – Ghorepani to Tadapani.

Note that it is also an option to shorten the trek and do Poon Hill Trek as a 3 or 4-Day trek.  On the 4-Day Poon Hill Trek you will instead stay the first night in Ulleri (at the top of THE stairs) and therefore Day 2 is the trek from Ulleri to Gorephani.  We were pleased to have allocated the stairs to Day 2 and first thing in the morning when we were fresh and unhurried. 

The other option on the shorter trek is to combine Poon Hill Trek Day-4 and 5 so that the final day is from Tadapani to Gandruk and onwards to Kimche or Nayapul. 

A cup of hot tea at the summit of Poon Hill Trek for sunrise on Poon Hill Trek Day 3.
Hot tea tastes even better at the summit of Poon Hill.

Researching Poon Hill Trek Day 3 (and why I don’t recommend it).

So last night after dinner (Day 2) I looked up the description of Day 3 of the Poon Hill Trek. 

We like to know ahead so we can best support and prepare the boys (and ourselves) for how the day and elevation and breaks are structured. 

I am not sure who else in the dining hall of the Sunny Hotel in Ghorepani could hear or tell whether my somewhat hysterical reaction was laughing or crying (it was definitely both) when the first description we found said DAY 3 was harder than DAY 2! 

We decided to stop reading and head to bed with the understanding there was 3 ‘Ups’ for DAY 3: 

But guess what? Perhaps it was best having low expectations because DAY 3 of the Poon Hill Trek was great! 

We had a beautiful lunch by the river; we loved the downhill through Rhododendron Forest and even the final 40 minutes uphill we took slowly and arrived at the top above the clouds with a warm fire and hot tea in the cosy dining hall of the Himalayan Guesthouse. 

And by that afternoon, DAY 3 was the day we started to feel sad that we only had two days left to the trek…

It’s definitely worth the early start on Day 3.

Do you want to get up at 04:00am tomorrow?

After an early dinner the night before (after all those steps – and delicious homemade apple pie at our tea house!) we asked each of the boys whether they wanted to get up for sunrise and the 1-hour walk up Poon Hill the next day…

Because we travel as a unit – as a team – and a family there are often decisions we need to make as a whole. But one thing we have learnt as we travel is the importance of involving the kids in our decisions. And about the value of giving them choices so that they have control over some decisions too. 

So we asked them both; 

“Do you want to get up at 04:00am for the 1-hour hike up to Poon Hill for sunrise?”

And Harry described his answer stating that because the trek was called “Poon Hill Trek” and that Poon Hill was the main destination of the trek – they didn’t want to come this far and not make it all the way!

And so we went to bed early and set our alarms for 04:00am. As ready as we could be for a 04:30am departure from our tea-house at Gorephani to the summit of Poon Hill…

Sunrise at the top of Poon Hill

Sunrise at the top of Poon Hill at 5:50am on the third day of the trek is one of the feelings of achievement and awe that is hard to describe. 

Awe at Mother Nature and at the opportunity to be out there so far from where we had come. 

And awe at our kids. And at ourselves(!) – that we had made it this far and summitted what was a destination we had been talking about for a long time before we arrived in Nepal. 

We left the guesthouse at 4:30am as planned and started the 1-hour walk to the top. 

Sometime around 5:00am on Day 3 (halfway to the summit!).

What is the climb like from Ghorepani to the summit of Poon Hill? 

The elevation in Ghorepani is 2860m and the summit of Poon Hill is 3210m.  It is technically only a 350m increase in elevation.  But the early start – and the post-stair-legs from yesterday – and elevation made it a slow climb. 

Harry didn’t feel well with the change in elevation but our guides so calmly and patiently waited as he needed. (And as we needed). 

Seeing the sign at the top felt amazing. And seeing sunrise and the white peaks of Annapurna Range topped it off magnificently. 

Harry perked up immediately at the summit and the boys bounced off. We ordered tea and sat back to admire sunrise from Poon Hill – and to enjoy that incredible feeling of achievement – and awe.

Moments before sunrise.

Hot tea and spectacular views at the summit

We took our time taking a few last post-sunrise photos from the top and sipped a hot cup of tea before it was time to head back down to our guesthouse in Ghorepani for breakfast. 

We have decided that this is a great time of year to be trekking as this is a popular trek suitable for a range of ages and ability and can get very busy. But we are at the start of the trekking season and even the top of Poon Hill at sunrise felt spacious and friendly – with the handful of trekkers we had been meeting for the last two days on the trail and have gotten to know already.

Breakfast back in Ghorepani and preparations for the second uphill of Day 3 – Poon Hill Trek

After breakfast back at the teahouse the boys had a rest and we packed our bags again ready for the day.  We debated a rest for longer meaning we would set off later but decided to keep going with the momentum and energy from this mornings sunrise.  We planned to leave Ghorepani around 8:30am.

The majority of Day 3 is downhill; descending from Ghorepani at 2860m to Tadapani at 2610m. BUT the first hour of the day (after the first hours of the sunrise trek) climbs back up over 3090m along the Deurali Pass – almost level with Poon Hill from this morning! 

But views from the pass are spectacular and there is a magnificent view back towards the summit of Poon Hill which made us appreciate our morning efforts even more. 

This is at the top of the pass looking back towards the Annapurna Range as we stopped for a snack and then rather gladly began the first proper downhill of the trek for today…

Sitting at the top of Deurali Pass.

About Snickers Bars and Day 3 – Poon Hill Trek

A tea stop after the first downhill (a great feeling) of the day was a welcomed rest and a chance to restock on Snickers bars…

Partway up Deurali Pass we met 4x local porters carrying bags and packs – strapped to be carried on their head – that were OVER 30KG EACH!!! 

We were going pretty slowly ourselves but to see these guys pace by pace carrying more than the weight of Oscar – on their head – was heart-breaking.  And as a foreigner it felt embarrassing to watch. 

We had overheard the tourists from their group walking without any bags on saying it was all school supplies… 

But as the porters later translated they were actually on their way to Annapurna Base Camp carrying clothes and gear for the tourists trekking. 

We caught up to the porters at the next hilltop and Harry and Gavin gave them everything we had left in our snack-bag; some trail mix, and the Snickers bars and muesli bars that we had been carrying since town. 

The cost of a Snickers bar on the mountain is over 4x what it costs in town but at that moment we wish we had more to give. 

We knew we could buy another one at the next tea house but it is definitely a different story for those porters who are paid so little and carry so much…

Snickers; and the story of porters and Snickers on the trail.

Poon Hill Trek Day 3 – Lunch on the river

How pretty are these small villages and tea-houses right on the river for a lunchtime stop?!

The majority of the downhill of Day 3 was down from Deurali Pass through the jungle and following alongside the river.  The shade was a welcomed addition to the downhill direction and it almost has us forgetting about the stairs (MORE stairs) from this morning up the beginning of Deurali Pass. 

We stopped for tea in one of the teahouses after the first descent.  

And even though we weren’t really ready for lunch it was a beautiful spot to stop alongside the river in Banthanti and we shared two plates of vegetable fried rice. 

A pause at the teahouse we had seen in the distance 

The afternoon continued blissfully downhill and all in the shade.  Some parts of the downhill were very steep and I couldn’t help but feel like the downhills really were ‘wasting’ all of our uphill efforts of the first and second days!  But we enjoyed the shade and the continued steady pace.  

We weren’t even in need of an afternoon tea break but stopped for one last pause at a guesthouse on the ridge about an hour after lunch.  From here we could see all the way back to Ulleri.  This was the guesthouse that Kushum had pointed out to us from the morning climb towards Ulleri (remember all THOSE stairs?).  

It was a great feeling to look back and see how far we had come.  

But without much more of a pause we continued on and downhill through the jungle to the base of the river.  

Arriving in Binthanti.
The contrast of lush green and rivers and forest descending towards Tadapani.
Vegetable fried rice and smiles on Day 3.

The last UP of Day 3 – Poon Hill Trek 

The base of the river had a small bridge with prayer flags blowing gently in the light breeze of the jungle.  But this point was when we knew we were ready for the last uphill of today.  Kushum had let us know if was about 40 minutes uphill from here to the village of Tadapani where we would stop for the night. 

I need to add that it was at this point that Oscar and Sobha (our Trekking Assistant) fairly suggested that perhaps a suspension bridge from one side of the ridge to the other would be a better addition to the trek! 

But we readied ourselves and set off again on those familiar-looking stone steps; slowly uphill towards Tadapani. 

Ready for the last ‘UP’ of today?

Arriving in Tadapani – Day 3 – Poon Hill Trek

It was a great feeling to arrive in Tadapani and complete the trekking portion of the Poon Hill Trek Day 3. This was the biggest day!

We dumped our bags in our room and made headway straight for a hot(ish) shower at the Himalayan Guesthouse. The hot shower was almost as good a feeling as the mornings sunrise! And after that we enjoyed the communal dining room and some sweet milk tea before our dinner.

Arriving in Tadapani at the Himalayan Guesthouse.

Day 3 Challenges

Day 3 Highlights

Sobha with a brilliant smile at the summit of Poon Hill.

What was Poon Hill Trek Day 3 like with kids? 

This was the day we were most looking forward to although after doing too much research (and slightly terrifying myself the night before after all those stairs) I decided I was looking forward to it a lot less as the time got closer.  

In actual fact it turned out to be a day of epic proportions.  We absolutely loved it.  

But I’m not going to sugar-coat the early start and the challenge of altitude with the kids at that early hour of the day.  

Harry woke up ok but after a slow 20 minutes trudging up the stairs from our guesthouse at 5:00am he said he wasn’t feeling very well.  We took a few pauses and had some water and we really weren’t moving uphill fast at all.  We were only about 10 minutes from the summit (well; it would have been 10 minutes) and he totally paused and needed to sit down and felt a bit nauseous.  Kushum was amazingly calm with him and sat with him until he felt better and they walked the last 10 minutes to the top. 

From there he perked up immediately (we all did I think!) and it was an amazingly feeling to have reached the summit and our main destination of the trek.  Both boys skipped off feeling excited at the top and we ordered some hot tea to celebrate. 

By the time we got back down for breakfast at the guesthouse it felt like the start again of a fresh day.  The early start was definitely the hardest part of Day 3 Poon Hill Trek with kids but the feeling for us all made it totally worth the early wake up and trudgingly slow uphill for that sunrise. 

Hiking Poon Hill with kids? Definitely. Do it.

The Finer Details – Poon Hill Trek Day 3 – Ghorepani to Poon Hill – Ghorepani to Tadapani.

The specific trekking and guide costs are the same as for Day 1 and Day 2 of the Poon Hill Trek. And we are very proud to share and recommend 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Agency.  We did the Poon Hill Trek with 1x Guide and 1x Trekking Assistant.  

The 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Agency specialises in training and employing female guides and assistants for treks in and around the Himalayas in Nepal.  They have a fantastic programme empowering and educating their female Guides and Assistants and ensuring they are employed under safe and fair working conditions. 

Costs – Poon Hill Trek Day 3 – Ghorepani to Poon Hill – Ghorepani to Tadapani.

Sunrise: Poon Hill Summit

Breakfast: Sunny Hotel, Ghorepani  

Snack: Yak Guesthouse, Deurali

Lunch: Hotel Sunrise Lodge

Arrive: Himalayan Guesthouse, Tadapani 

Dinner: Himalayan Guesthouse, Tadapani

Tea and a snack (and a rest) at Yak Guesthouse in Deurali.

Accommodation in Tadapani – Poon Hill Trek Day 3

Accommodation: Himalayan Guesthouse

Triple Room.
Twin Room.

Total Costs – Day 3 Poon Hill Trek

This is the total costs for Day 3 of the Poon Hill trek for 2 adults and 2 children including the cost of a Guide and Trekking Assistant.

Total NPR Day 3: 15180 NPR 

+ $60 USD Guide and Trekking Assistant 

See you on the next day! 

Read more about Poon Hill Trek Day 1 and 2

Where we stayed in Kathmandu and Pokhara

We arrived in Kathmandu and we were picked up from the airport by our hotel. 

Our room at Hotel Trip in Pokhara. 

More about travel planning for Nepal and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

Read more from travel in South Asia

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