A nine-night journey that pairs two Pokhara lodges with three nights walking in the Annapurna foothills. We fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara, walk 3–5 hours a day between Australian Camp, Landruk and Ghandruk, never sleep above 2,100 m, and finish with two quiet nights on an organic farm outside Pokhara.
This is the gentlest way we know to walk among the Annapurnas without camping or real altitude. Machapuchare (6,993 m) and Annapurna South (7,219 m) stand over every day of the walk, and the trail runs through Gurung villages, terraced millet and rhododendron forest rather than moraine. Days on foot are 3–5 hours with a licensed guide and porters carrying your bags; you carry a daypack. The highest point is around 2,100 m, so altitude sickness is not a real concern, but the stone steps are steep and knees take the strain on the way down.
The lodges in the hills are simple. Australian Camp, Landruk and Ghandruk have clean teahouses and a few better-built lodges with attached bathrooms, and we book the best rooms available, but they are not luxury hotels. That is why the walk sits between Pokhara nights at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, on a ridge above the valley, and The Pavilions Himalayas, villas on an organic farm with a spa. Kathmandu comes first: two nights at Dwarika's Hotel to see Patan, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath before the flight west.
Highlights
Why this route works
Sunrise on Annapurna South and Machapuchare from Australian Camp at 2,060 m
Three days on old stone trails through Gurung villages, 3–5 hours of walking a day
Ghandruk's slate-roofed lanes and its small Gurung museum
Two Pokhara stays: a ridge-top stone cottage and a farm villa with a spa
Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Patan with a private guide in Kathmandu
Day by day
The journey
Day01
Arrive in Kathmandu
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Dinner
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive the short distance to Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali. The hotel is built around carved Newari woodwork salvaged from old Kathmandu houses, and the brick courtyards are quiet after the traffic outside. Rest, swim, or walk with your guide to Pashupatinath, about 15 minutes away, for the evening aarti on the Bagmati. Non-Hindus cannot enter the main temple and watch from the eastern bank, across from the cremation ghats, which is also the better view. Over tea your guide goes through the trek plan, the permits and the kit list.
Day02
Patan and Boudhanath
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
A full day with a private guide. The morning is in Patan, 5 km south across the Bagmati: the Durbar Square, the Patan Museum in Keshav Narayan Chowk, the stone Krishna Mandir of 1637 and the Golden Temple, then a lost-wax metal casting workshop in the lanes behind. After lunch we drive to Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in Nepal, and walk the kora clockwise with Tibetan families as the light drops. Dinner tonight is at Krishnarpan, the hotel's Nepali tasting menu of many small courses, best booked once jet lag has passed.
Day03
Fly to Pokhara and the ridge lodge
Overnight: PokharaMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
A 25-minute flight takes us west to Pokhara at 822 m; sit on the right side for the Himalaya if the sky is clear. From the airport we drive up to Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, stone cottages on a ridge above the valley with Annapurna and Machapuchare along the horizon. The afternoon is free for the pool or one of the lodge's guided walks to a nearby village. This evening we check boots and daypacks; anything you will not need on the trail goes by car to The Pavilions Himalayas, where it waits for your return.
Day04
Sarangkot, Phewa Lake and the pagoda
Overnight: PokharaMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
An early start for Sarangkot, about 1,600 m, where the sun reaches Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m) and Machapuchare in turn. Paragliders launch from the same hill later in the morning if you want a tandem flight. We then row across Phewa Lake to the island temple of Tal Barahi and climb about 45 minutes to the World Peace Pagoda at about 1,100 m for the view back over the lake and town. The afternoon is free. Your guide collects the ACAP permit and TIMS card, which we arrange in advance from your passport copies.
Day05
Walk up to Australian Camp
Overnight: Australian Camp≈ 25 km · 1 hMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We drive west of Pokhara to the trailhead at Kande and climb about 1.5 hours on a stone path through forest to Australian Camp at 2,060 m, a grassy shelf facing Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and Machapuchare. It is a short first day on purpose, to test boots and pace. In the afternoon walk about 40 minutes down to Dhampus, a Gurung village at around 1,650 m, or stay on the meadow for sunset on the peaks. The lodge is simple: clean twin rooms, hot showers, dal bhat and a warm dining room. It is not a luxury hotel.
Day06
Australian Camp to Landruk
Overnight: LandrukMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
About 4–5 hours on foot. The path follows the ridge through Pothana and over the forested Deurali saddle, the highest point of the walk at around 2,100 m, then drops through oak and rhododendron towards the Modi Khola valley. Rhododendrons flower here from March into April. Lunch is at a teahouse in Tolka before the last hour along terraces to Landruk, a Gurung village above the east bank of the river. Across the valley you can see tomorrow's goal, Ghandruk, spread over its own hillside. Tonight's lodge is again simple and clean, and we hold its best rooms.
A shorter day of about 3.5–4 hours. We drop down stone steps to the Modi Khola, cross on a suspension bridge and climb the far side to Ghandruk at 1,940 m. It is one of the largest Gurung villages in the region: slate roofs, flagged lanes, and many families with a father or grandfather who served in the Gurkha regiments. In the afternoon visit the small Gurung museum and walk the upper village, where the view opens to Annapurna South and Machapuchare. Ask the lodge for dhido, the buckwheat or millet staple of these hills, at dinner.
Day08
Ghandruk down to Pokhara
Overnight: Pokhara≈ 55 km · 2.5 hMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
Wake early for the clearest view of the trip, when the peaks are pink before the sun reaches the village. After breakfast we walk about an hour down through the terraces to meet the car on the road below Ghandruk, then drive back to Pokhara by way of Nayapul, about 2.5 hours in all. Your bags are waiting at The Pavilions Himalayas, eco-luxury villas on an organic farm outside the town, with a pool and spa. The afternoon is for a long bath and a massage, and dinner draws on produce from the farm.
Day09
A free day at The Pavilions
Overnight: PokharaMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
A day with nothing fixed. Most walkers sleep late, swim and book a spa treatment for legs that have just come down a few thousand stone steps. If you want to be out, we can arrange a boat on Begnas Lake, east of town, where there are fewer boats than on Phewa; a visit to the International Mountain Museum; or a slow walk along Lakeside with a stop for coffee. Paragliding from Sarangkot is a second chance if Day 4 was cloudy. In the evening we reconfirm tomorrow's flight and go through the timings.
Day10
Fly to Kathmandu and depart
Overnight: DepartureMeals: Breakfast
After breakfast we drive to Pokhara International Airport for the 25-minute flight to Kathmandu, timed to connect with your international departure from Tribhuvan. Allow at least three hours between the domestic arrival and an international flight, because morning cloud or wind can delay departures from Pokhara. If your onward flight leaves late at night, we can hold a day room at Dwarika's Hotel and fit in an hour at Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa above the city, reached by a long stone stairway. Your guide stays with you until check-in.
Walking days are 3–5 hours on stone steps; you should be comfortable walking 8–10 km on hilly ground.
Since April 2023 foreign trekkers in the Annapurna Conservation Area must walk with a licensed guide; check current status before you travel.
ACAP costs NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, plus a TIMS card; check current status before you travel.
Trek lodges have hot showers and patchy Wi-Fi, but rooms are simple and winter nights at Australian Camp drop to around 0 °C.
Bring broken-in walking boots, trekking poles, a warm fleece and a light down jacket.
Indian nationals need no visa; most other nationalities buy a visa on arrival in Kathmandu (check current status before you travel).
October and November give the clearest views; March and April bring rhododendron flowers and some afternoon haze.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
How fit do I need to be for the Annapurna foothills walk?
Reasonably fit, not athletic. If you can walk 4–5 hours on hilly ground with breaks, you will manage. The hard part is stone steps: the day from Landruk to Ghandruk drops to the Modi Khola and climbs several hundred metres back up. We walk at your pace, porters carry the bags, and your guide can shorten a day or change the route if a knee complains.
Is altitude sickness a risk on this trip?
Very little. The highest point is about 2,100 m on the Deurali saddle and the highest night is Australian Camp at 2,060 m. Altitude sickness is uncommon below 2,500 m. You may feel short of breath on the climbs and should drink about 3 litres of water a day, but no acclimatisation days are needed. That is why we suggest this walk to first-time trekkers.
What are the lodges like on the trek?
Simple and clean, not luxury. We book the best rooms available in Australian Camp, Landruk and Ghandruk: twin beds, attached bathrooms where they exist, hot showers that are sometimes solar and lukewarm, and a shared dining room with a stove. Food is dal bhat, noodles, eggs and pancakes. The comfort sits either side, at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge and The Pavilions Himalayas.
Which permits do we need and who arranges them?
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, NPR 3,000 for foreigners and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, and a TIMS card. We arrange both before the walk; we need a passport copy and a photo in advance. Rules have shifted in recent years, including the 2023 licensed-guide requirement, so check current status before you travel.
When is the best time to walk in the Annapurna foothills?
October and November, for the clearest skies and dry trails, followed by March and April, when rhododendrons flower on the Deurali saddle. December to February is cold but often clear, with frost at Australian Camp. From June to September the monsoon brings cloud, rain and leeches, and the views mostly disappear, so we do not run this route then.
Can children or older travellers do this journey?
Yes, with some care. Children of about eight and up who are used to walking do well, and fit travellers in their sixties and seventies manage the stone steps at an easy pace. The walking days are short enough to rest. We can also shorten the trek to two nights, or to a single night in Ghandruk reached partly by road.
How much luggage can we bring on the trek?
One soft duffel per person of about 12 kg for the three trek nights; porters carry it and you carry a daypack with water, layers and a camera. Everything else travels by car to The Pavilions Himalayas and waits for you there. Hard suitcases are awkward for porters, so pack a foldable duffel if you are arriving with one.
Why fly to Pokhara instead of driving?
Time. The flight takes about 25 minutes; the road is about 200 km and takes 6–8 hours on the Prithvi Highway, with long stretches of roadworks. We drive only when flights are grounded by weather, which happens more often in the monsoon than in autumn. A car meets you at either end, so the rest of the plan does not change.
Can we add Poon Hill to this itinerary?
Yes, by adding two or three nights. Poon Hill (3,210 m) is reached from Ghorepani at 2,860 m with a pre-dawn climb of about an hour for sunrise on Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas. Ghorepani's lodges are simple and busy, the days are longer, and the extra height means colder nights. We route it from Ghandruk via Tadapani.
Pokhara and the Annapurna Foothills9 nights · from ₹4,20,000 per personCheck dates and price
