Poon Hill trek cost breakdown

Poon Hill is the cheapest classic trek with a Himalayan view: four days, three nights, one permit and a sunrise over Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. Using our dated cost data (as of October 2026, at NPR 134 to the dollar), lodging, food and the permit come to about USD 80 to 120, while a guided version costs about USD 240 to 370 for one trekker with a porter, USD 170 to 260 each for two sharing and USD 150 to 230 each for four. The taxi to Nayapul has no published fare and the TIMS card is listed at NPR 2,000 for foreigners (SAARC nationals NPR 1,000) by the Nepal Tourism Board, so neither is in the totals.

One caution before the tables. Our cost model lists the guide as optional for the budget style on this route, but the guide rule in the Annapurna Conservation Area means a guide is part of a realistic plan, so read the budget figure as the cost of lodging and the permit, not as a finished budget. The numbers come from the "What it costs" section of the Poon Hill route page and the Annapurna cost file behind it.

What the 4-day plan assumes

Day 1 drives from Pokhara to Nayapul, passes the permit check at Birethanti and climbs the Ulleri stone steps to Ulleri (2,070 m). Day 2 reaches Ghorepani (2,860 m) through oak and rhododendron forest. Day 3 starts with the sunrise climb to Poon Hill (3,210 m), then walks to Tadapani (2,630 m). Day 4 descends via Ghandruk and drives to Pokhara. For costing the plan counts:

• 3 nights: 1 below 2,500 m (Ulleri) and 2 between 2,500 and 3,800 m (Ghorepani and Tadapani).
• 4 guide days and 4 porter days, for the guided styles.
• One ACAP permit.
• A Pokhara to Nayapul taxi or bus, out and back, flagged "to check".

The day-by-day itinerary covers each stage, and Poon Hill versus Mardi Himal helps you choose between the two short Annapurna routes.

Lodging and food

For the Annapurna region, as of October 2026, a night including a room and meals costs:

One night low and two mid gives NPR 7,900 to 11,900 for the budget style (about USD 59 to 89), NPR 10,500 to 15,900 for mid-range and NPR 13,800 to 20,300 for comfort. Dal bhat is NPR 500 to 1,000 below 2,500 m and NPR 700 to 1,200 above. Ghorepani is a large pass village with many lodges, so choices are wide; our teahouse price guide explains how prices are built.

The permit

The ACAP permit is NPR 3,000 for foreigners (SAARC nationals NPR 1,000), tax included, about USD 22, per the NTNC e-permit page. It is checked at Birethanti on day 1. Paying online adds a 2.9% gateway charge and a permit issued at a check post costs double, so buy it in Pokhara or Kathmandu before you go. Children under 10 are free; our permits for children and families guide covers family treks. The permit rules in full are in the ACAP permit guide.

The guide rule, and why the budget column is a floor

Poon Hill is not a restricted area, but it is inside the Annapurna Conservation Area. The Nepal Tourism Board announced in April 2023 that foreign trekkers must use a licensed guide in national parks and conservation areas. We found no separate Department of Immigration or park-authority notice, but 2026 operator reports say checkpoints enforce it in Annapurna (ACAP) and Langtang, the strictest, and most other parks, though not in Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026). Our guide rule explainer has the full picture.

To make the numbers honest, here is the budget style with a guide added and no porter, using our own lines (lodging, the permit and the guide at NPR 2,700 to 4,000 a day):

That is our own arithmetic on the lines above, not a separate quote. It shows that the real cost of a legal budget Poon Hill trek is about USD 100 to 230 per person, depending on how many share the guide.

Guide and porter

Annapurna rates in our data are NPR 2,700 to 4,000 a day for a guide and NPR 2,100 to 3,400 for a porter, from market ranges in 2026 operator guides, with no official minimum found. For the mid-range and comfort styles:

For a four-day walk with a day pack, most people do not need a porter; the guide is the line that matters. See guide versus porter roles.

Transport

The plan's only transport line is a taxi or bus from Pokhara to Nayapul, out and back, and our sources publish no fare, so it is flagged to check and left out. The drive is short, so it is a small number against the rest, but get a fixed price from your guide and split it. If you are travelling from Kathmandu first, our region note gives a tourist bus of NPR 800 to 2,500 each way. The short treks from Pokhara guide compares other starting points.

The totals

Per person, rounded outward to the nearest USD 10:

Going from alone to a group of four saves about USD 90 to 140 at mid-range, entirely from the guide and porter, while the budget floor does not move at all. Keep in mind that a route this cheap is sensitive to small extras: hot showers, charging and a second pot of tea add up over three nights.

What is not counted

International flights, insurance, Pokhara hotels, gear, tips, snacks, showers, charging, the taxi and the TIMS card are not in the totals. The highest night is Ghorepani at 2,860 m, below the 3,000 m mark above which the CDC Yellow Book advises no more than 500 m of extra sleeping altitude a day, so altitude illness is unlikely on this plan. Poon Hill itself, at 3,210 m, is a pre-dawn walk with a headlamp. The Ulleri steps are steep and slippery when wet, according to our Annapurna region page, so good shoes matter more than gear in this budget.

How it compares, and what an extra day costs

Poon Hill is the cheapest of our six costed routes. From our dated data, as of October 2026, the per-person ranges for one trekker are:

The floor column is our own arithmetic on lodging and the permit, so it excludes the guide that the rule makes part of a realistic plan. A spare day at a mid-altitude village costs a budget night of NPR 2,900 to 4,300 plus a share of the guide, so about NPR 5,600 to 8,300 (USD 42 to 62) for one trekker and NPR 3,575 to 5,300 (USD 27 to 40) each for four. Many people use a spare day to add Ghandruk, where the Ghandruk village guide describes a stone-roofed Gurung village, or to keep a margin for weather.

Using the numbers

Ask for an itemised price and compare it with the tables. A cheap quote should tell you whether it includes the guide, the permit and the transfer. For people to share with, use the Poon Hill partner page, and extend the trip with the Ghandruk village trek or other routes in the Annapurna region. More budgets are in the costs and budget hub, and the Nepal trekking cost guide explains every line.