Trekking partner in Pokhara: finding a group for ABC and Poon Hill

Pokhara is the best place in Nepal to find a trekking partner on short notice, because three of the best-known Annapurna treks start within a few hours of Lakeside: Poon Hill (4 days in our route data, highest point 3,210 m), Mardi Himal (5 days, 4,500 m) and Annapurna Base Camp (7 days, 4,130 m). The Annapurna Conservation Area permit is NPR 3,000 for foreigners on the NTNC e-permit page, with a 2.9 percent online charge and double at a check post, as of October 2026. Our cost tables put a local bus to Nayapul at about NPR 270 to 670 per person. Under the Nepal Tourism Board rule of April 2023, a licensed guide through a registered agency is required in conservation areas, where 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna (checked 19 October 2026). A partner lets you split that guide. We are not an agency.

How do you find a partner in Pokhara?

Work in two layers. Before you arrive, look at open trips in the Annapurna region and the Annapurna Base Camp partner page; if no trip fits, post one for free so people who land later can find you. The same goes for Poon Hill and Mardi Himal. Our general guide to finding a trekking partner for Annapurna Base Camp goes deeper on route-specific matching.

Once in Pokhara, the traditional route is word of mouth: guesthouse common rooms and cafes in Lakeside, the gear shops where people rent jackets and sleeping bags (see renting gear in Pokhara Lakeside), and the permit counters, where everyone is doing the same paperwork. Where to sleep before you start is covered in where to stay in Pokhara before and after your trek. We cannot tell you how many people are looking on a given day; autumn and spring are the busy seasons.

Which trek fits a group formed in a day or two?

Poon Hill is the easiest to organise quickly. It is short and low, so a mismatch in pace costs you a day, not a week. See the Poon Hill itinerary, the area guide and the cost breakdown. Mardi Himal reaches 4,500 m in five days in our route data, so read Mardi Himal day by day and Poon Hill versus Mardi Himal before choosing. Annapurna Base Camp needs a week and a buffer day; the ABC itinerary and ABC versus Mardi Himal help you decide. Route pages: Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill.

Where do you get permits in Pokhara?

The ACAP permit is issued in Pokhara and Kathmandu, or online through the NTNC e-permit site. As of October 2026 the e-permit page lists NPR 3,000 for foreigners; online payment adds 2.9 percent, and a permit issued at a check post costs double. Our searches found sources that disagree about the Pokhara counter: one places the Nepal Tourism Board office in Damside and another points to Lakeside and the TAAN Pokhara office. We could not confirm which is correct, so ask your guesthouse or check the current address before you go. Bring your passport and photos; see the permit paperwork checklist and where to buy permits.

TIMS is disputed. TAAN's page says the card is needed in all trekking areas and tells independent trekkers to get it from the TIMS checkpost or the Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara, while a late-2025 operator guide says it is not mandatory in the Annapurna region. We could not tell which is current. Read our TIMS explainer and confirm at the counter.

What do buses and jeeps cost to the trailheads?

The figures we can support are modest. In our cost tables, a local bus from Pokhara to Nayapul (Poon Hill, Ghandruk) costs about NPR 270 to 670 per person, and the return from Kimche or Ghandruk by jeep or bus about NPR 540 to 670. A booking site lists Pokhara to Nayapul at about USD 1.92 and roughly 3 hours by bus, with a single daily departure shown; it may not reflect every local bus, so ask in Pokhara. We found no published private jeep or taxi price for this short leg, so treat any quote as something to compare with two other quotes and agree before you get in. See Pokhara to Nayapul and the Annapurna trailheads and jeep and bus costs to Nepal trailheads. A jeep costs the same for one person or four, so partners cut the per-person price: the point is explained in shared jeep, private jeep or bus, and safety on the road is in road and jeep safety.

How does sharing a guide work?

Under the Nepal Tourism Board rule of April 2023, a licensed guide through a registered agency is required in national parks and conservation areas; 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna, but not in Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026). Read the guide rule page before you plan. If two or three of you hire one guide, the wage and the porter are split, as share a guide in Nepal and splitting guide and porter costs fairly describe. Check the licence using how to verify a guide licence, and see the sample ABC budget split. Agree the day rate, the tip and what happens if one person turns back, as in what to agree before you book.

What does a day-by-day Pokhara plan look like?

A workable sequence for a group formed in Pokhara is simple. On day one, arrive, rent missing gear and post or answer a trip. On day two, meet your shortlist for coffee, take a short hike, and decide. On day three, buy permits, confirm the guide and the split in writing, and pack. Day four is the road to Nayapul and the first walking day. That gives you three nights of lead time, which is enough for Poon Hill and often for Annapurna Base Camp, though it is a plan and not a promise that the right person turns up. If you want a safer margin, start the process before you fly: partners who respond to an online trip can be vetted by message first, and you can meet them at the airport or your guesthouse. Keep your return flight loose, because a delayed bus or a day of bad weather can shift the whole schedule, and the walk back from the high point is not the place to hurry. Also decide who carries what; our post on backpack size, daypacks and duffels for porters helps with that.

How do you vet someone you met in Lakeside?

Meet in a public place, ask for a reference, and walk a short hike together first; our Pokhara day hikes are good for that. Use the vetting checklist, watch for red flags, and check pace and fitness. Share your itinerary with someone at home, keep your own insurance and keep the numbers from rescue and emergency numbers. Annapurna Base Camp reaches 4,130 m, so altitude sickness basics is worth reading together, and the Himalayan Rescue Association publishes advice for trekkers. On the platform, contact details stay private until you share them; see the safety page.

What should you check the day before you leave?

Look at the weather and the trail. In late September 2026, ekantipur reported that snow and rain led the local administration to suspend high-altitude trekking in Upper Manang, which is a different valley from the Sanctuary but shows how quickly conditions change. Read checking trail status after landslides and snow and mountain weather forecasts. Leave a buffer day (see buffer days) and keep your onward plans flexible. The full pre-departure list is in the Nepal trek logistics checklist.

Where sources conflict or are silent

• The Pokhara permit counter location: one source says Damside, another says Lakeside; we could not confirm.
• TIMS: TAAN says compulsory; a late-2025 operator guide says not mandatory in Annapurna. Unresolved.
• Bus fares: our cost table (NPR 270 to 670) and a booking site (about USD 1.92) are in the same order of magnitude but not the same figure, and neither is an official tariff.
• We found no published jeep or taxi fare for Pokhara to Nayapul and no count of partners available in Pokhara in any week.

Find your group before you leave Lakeside

Browse open trips for Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill and Mardi Himal, or post your own trip for free with your dates and pace. Our trekking partner page explains how matching works. We do not sell treks or handle money; you agree costs directly with your partners and your guide.