A night in Ghandruk under Annapurna South

Ghandruk spreads across a steep slope above the Modi Khola valley, its houses stacked in tiers and joined by stone stairways. From Pokhara we drive about 1.5 hours to Nayapul, then continue on a rough jeep road towards the village; depending on the condition of the track, the final approach is 1 to 3 hours on foot, climbing through terraces of millet and rice. Porters carry the bags, and our guide, who grew up in these hills, sets an easy pace with tea stops.

In the afternoon we walk the village. The small Gurung museum displays farm tools, bamboo baskets, copper vessels and traditional dress, and the lanes pass houses with carved window frames and courtyards drying corn and chillies. Many Ghandruk families have sent sons to the Gurkha regiments for generations, and older men sometimes wear their medals on festival days. We arrange tea, and where a family is happy to host, a cooking session for dal bhat or buckwheat pancakes. Please ask before photographing people or homes.

The reason to sleep here, rather than pass through, is the evening and the dawn. As the sun sets, Annapurna South (7,219 m), Hiunchuli and Machapuchare turn orange and then red, while the village below falls into shade. In the morning the peaks are usually clearest from 6 to 8 am. Lodges are simple, so we book the best rooms with attached bathrooms well ahead. From Ghandruk you can return to Pokhara the same day or continue up through forest to Tadapani and Ghorepani.