Hike to Ghandruk

*The trip was made from Kathmandu to Pokhara, then a hike to Ghandruk. (Jan 20 - 23 , 2016)

Difficulty: Medium

Total time: 2 hrs bus ride + 5 hrs walk (for amateur hikers)

Trail type:

Accommodation available? : Yes

Accommodation type: Ranging from to luxurious guest houses to homestay (still clean and livable)

It is a very short hike, so you could plan your visit to Ghandruk accordingly. You could either spend a night at Pokhara first and then hike to Ghandruk the next day or hike to Ghandruk on the very first day. Well, we did the former one.

You can take a bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Available buses are local bus (approx. Rs 300), Tourist bus (Rs. 600+), a Micro bus (Rs. 500). If you hate travelling in an overcrowded bus, full of noisy people, local bus is not for you. You could try a Tourist bus or a Micro bus. Both of them are comfortable. Tourist bus is filled with fancy people while Micro bus might have some local people. Tourist bus drives safe while Micro bus drivers drive like they are Fast and Furious actors. So, you make the choice.

It takes about 5 hours for a Micro, 6 hours for a Tourist bus and god knows how many hours for a local bus to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu.

Most of the tourists who visit Pokhara fancy staying at Lakeside (the only place I love in Pokhara). We did the same.

If you take a local bus or a Micro from Kathmandu, you will be dropped off at Prithvi chowk and you could take a local bus from there to Lakeside; costs approx. Rs. 20. Or, if your wallet is loaded, you could easily take a taxi; costs Rs. 200+.

However, if you take a tourist bus, you will be dropped off at Tourist bus park which is about 20 minutes’ walk from Lakeside. I recommend walking. You will be walking by the Lake, which is an experience in itself.

And again, accommodation at Lakeside ranges from Starred hotels to cheap guest houses. Average guest houses are good enough which cost us Rs. 1000 per room (3 beds). The price will be hiked during seasons like New year and all. You could get guest houses cheaper than that as well.

There are a lot of things you could do around Pokhara if you reach earlier. However, I don’t fancy any such. So, please refer a separate blog or a travel trip advisor for things you could do in Pokhara.

We just went by the lake, had some tea and muffins.

If you are on a short trip and have to return back to wherever from Pokhara soon, I recommend you start off for Ghandruk early the next day. If you have plenty more leaves and none bothering you every hour about where you are and why you are, you could start a little late, keeping 7 hours travel time.

You can find a local bus or a taxi to Baglung Buspark from Lakeside. From there you can either take a bus to Baglung and then get off at Nayapul or take a jeep (which is faster, and expensive, of course).

You do have two options from Nayapul. If you want to hike till Ghandruk, just start there. However, if you prefer a short hike (about 45 minutes only), take a jeep till base of Ghandruk and start walking from there. If you prefer the latter, why the hell are you reading this blog? :O

The hike trail has been overshadowed after a road was made. There are shops and small eateries almost all the way. So you needn’t pack any extra food and water.

The trail is disappointing as you start. For about an hour, it is just the jeep track that you will be hiking. Then after Syauli Bazar, you could take a hike trail or the same jeep track.

After few hours walk, you reach at the base of Ghandruk (till where the jeeps go). 45 minutes from there, you will reach the Ghandruk gate, welcoming you. The guest houses start from there. Feel the heat of your wallet and choose the stay. There are lots of choices to choose from. This is one of the best thing about Ghandruk, lots of good places to stay.

We stayed at a home stay type (not exactly a homestay) guest house. It cost us Rs. 750 per person; for bed, dinner and breakfast.

If you reach early, go around the village. Ask the owner of your place about the places you could go. We didn’t have time to roam around. So, I have no idea. Sorry! :D

If you are lucky, you will get to see beautiful Himalayan range early in the morning. Try getting up at midnight too. If it’s a well moon lit night, you will see the Mountains shining white.

When you plan to leave Ghandruk, hike down till the base which will take you about half an hour. Then, take a bus (Rs. 200) or a jeep (Rs. 240) to Pokhara. The jeeps leave only when the jeep is full. Buses leave on their preset time.

Recommended:
I recommend this trek specially for first time hikers for the following reasons:

1.       First, this is a very short hike.

2.       Second, Ghandruk has awesome places to stay. For the first time hikers, a comparatively uncomfortable place to spend the night after a hike might be turning off. A bad night might discourage the first timers for the next hike.

3.       The trail has lots of eateries on the way. You needn’t worry of being hungry or thirsty all the way.

Few more snaps from the trip.