What kind of food is available in Ghorepani PoonHill Trek?

The majority of treks in Nepal offer great food along the trails!  And somehow meals taste even better after a day of hiking and surrounded by stunning scenery.  So what exactly are we talking about here?  You will find familiar food such as pasta, fried potatoes and pancakes, and perhaps the less familiar such as dal bhat.

Dal bhat is the staple food of Nepal and definitely, you will come to love it by the end of your trek, but what is it exactly?  Lentil soup (to pour over), rice and a variety of vegetables made into a curry.

A healthy and filling meal at the end of the day.  Drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic are available, as are tea and coffee.  You also find snacks such as energy bars, nuts, chocolate etc along the trail.

But these will be quite expensive, so perhaps bring some along with you from Pokhara where your trek both starts and ends.

Below is a breakdown of what is available for different meals, along with an indication of how much to expect to pay. We also point out that most of the vegetables along the trek are organic and there are plenty of vegetarian options.  Nowadays there are also a few vegan options on treks in Nepal! Please ask us your guide or teahouse owner about vegan options.

Breakfast on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek

Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Definitely, when trekking in the Himalayas a good breakfast will keep you going as you hike the trekking routes.  Even on rest days, sitting viewing the surrounding snow-topped mountains while tucking into a hot dish brings a whole new meaning to breaking your fast.

People ask, what time is breakfast on the PoonHill  trek?  To get the most out of the day, we usually start trekking around 8 am. When the skies are clear and the air is crisp.  So breakfast around 7 am is just perfect.  On days with shorter trekking times, or on rest days, feel free to enjoy your breakfast between 8 and 9 am when the teahouse will be empty of trekkers.

The next question usually is – what is available for breakfast on my trek?  Most of the teahouses on the Ghorepani  Trek have very similar breakfast menus.  The usual bread/toast, eggs, potatoes, porridge, and pancakes.  Soup is also a very popular item for breakfast.  Most likely as trekkers crave more salt after walking all day or just like something really piping hot in the cold mountain air!

One point we would like to make.  On the day you climb to see the sunrise over Poon Hill, it’s a good idea to take a packed breakfast with you.  You will leave the teahouse too early to eat beforehand and, as we said earlier, there is nothing better than breakfast surrounded by mountains. And don’t worry, tea and coffee are served on Poon Hill for that caffeine kick!

Here is your basic breakfast items on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek:

Bread and Chapatti

• Plain toast
• Plain toast with jam, honey or peanut butter
• French toast
• Cheese toast
• Tibetan bread
• Plain chapatti
• Chapatti with honey, peanut butter or jam

Eggs

• Boiled eggs
• Scrambled eggs
• Fried eggs
• Plain omelette
• Vegetable  omelette
• Cheese omelette

Pancakes

• Plain pancake
• Pancake with jam or honey
• Apple pancake
• Chocolate pancake

Porridge and Cereals

• Oatmeal porridge
• Tsampa porridge
• Apple porridge
• Honey porridge
• Porridge with cinnamon and raisins
• Muesli with hot milk
• Cornflakes with hot milk
• Rice pudding
• Chocolate pudding

Soup

• Garlic soup
• Tomato soup
• Mushroom soup
• Mixed soup

Others

• Fried potatoes
• Baked beans

Lunch on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek

You will be glad to know that lunch on the Ghorepani  Trek is eaten in one of the teahouses on the trek.  No need to carry cold toast from breakfast!  Depending on the length of the day, normally lunch is eaten around 11 am or noon.

What to expect:  Being that the teahouses on the Ghorepani  Trek have relatively easy access to market towns further down the trail, there is a large variety of food available for lunch (and dinner).

Dal Bhat is, however, very popular as it is high in carbohydrates and very filling and easy for the teahouse owners to make ahead of time (they know every guide and porter will take this option).  Western food is available though, such as pasta, spaghetti, noodles, and pizza!

We suggest if there is a large group of you, to keep your lunch orders similar. This avoids having to wait a long time for your meal, after all, you still have a way to trek before stopping for the day!

Here are some of the items on the lunch menus.  And, no need to worry about the calories – you will use them up!

Rice

• Dal bhat (vegetarian )
• Dal bhat (non-vegetarian)
• Rice with chicken curry
• Rice with vegetable curry
• Cheese fried rice
• Vegetable fried rice
• Egg fried rice
• Tuna fried rice
• Mixed fried rice

Noodles

• Vegetable fried noodles
• Egg fried noodles
• Fried noodles with cheese
• Mixed fried noodles

Pasta and Macaroni

• Vegetable fried pasta
• Cheese fried pasta
• Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce
• Macaroni with vegetables, cheese, and egg
• Mixed macaroni

Spaghetti

• Spaghetti with tuna, cheese, and tomato sauce
• Cheese spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Spaghetti with vegetables and  tomato sauce

Momos

• Vegetable  momos
• Buff momos
• Chicken momos
• Cheese momos
• Potato momos

Pizza

• Chicken pizza
• Mushroom pizza
• Mixed pizza

** please ask about vegan options

Dinner on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek

At the end of an exciting day’s trekking, finally reach the teahouse where you will stay the night.  A great night’s sleep is ahead of you, but first a good dinner with hot food and warm, social company!

Normally dinner is served around 7.30pm till 9 pm (early nights are usual in teahouses).  You can enjoy tea, coffee, beer and other alcoholic or soft drinks before and during dinner.

The dinner menu in all the teahouses along the PoonHIll  Trek is very similar to the lunch menu.  To remind yourself, see below.

Rice

• Dal bhat (vegetarian )
• Dal bhat (non-vegetarian)
• Rice with chicken curry
• Rice with vegetable curry
• Cheese fried rice
• Vegetable fried rice
• Egg fried rice
• Tuna fried rice
• Mixed fried rice

Noodles

• Vegetable fried noodles
• Egg fried noodles
• Fried noodles with cheese
• Mixed fried noodles

Pasta and Macaroni

• Vegetable fried pasta
• Cheese fried pasta
• Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce
• Macaroni with vegetables, cheese, and egg
• Mixed macaroni

Spaghetti

• Spaghetti with tuna, cheese, and tomato sauce
• Cheese spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Spaghetti with vegetables and  tomato sauce

Momos

• Vegetable  momos
• Buff momos
• Chicken momos
• Cheese momos
• Potato momos

Pizza

• Chicken pizza
• Mushroom pizza
• Mixed pizza

Dessert

• Pancakes
• Apple pie
• Chocolate pudding
• Rice pudding

** please ask about vegan options

Water on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek

It is very important to stay hydrated during any trek in the Himalayas.  With the energy used through hiking and the higher than usual altitude, water is the key to avoiding health issues.

In order to keep their plastic footprint low, teahouses in Ghorepani, Tadapani, and Ghandruk no longer sell mineral water (in plastic bottles).  What they sell now is safe, purified water which you can decant into your own (reusable) water bottle.  The cost of this is Rs100 per lt.

Lower down the trail in Ulleri and Tikhe Dhunga you can still buy mineral water in plastic bottles at Rs100 per lt.

We suggest instead of buying mineral water on the lower trail you carry your own water bottle and using tap water from teahouses or water from natural sources along the trail.  But of course, don’t forget your water purification tablets or purifying bottle before you drink! The cost of this is zero, plus extra points towards reducing your plastic footprint.

Drinks on the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek

Aside from tea, coffee, chocolate – pretty essential hot drinks while trekking the Annapurnas – teahouses also offer a range of soft and alcoholic drinks.  And we believe there is nothing better than a refreshing beer at the end of a long day.  BUT!

Yes, there is always a but at this altitude, too much alcohol or caffeine dehydrates you.  Although the Ghorepani  Trek is a relative (for Nepal) low-altitude trek, you might want to alternate alcoholic drinks with water throughout the evening.

Here is a basic list of drinks you will find on the Ghorepani  Trek:

Tea

• Black tea
• Milk tea
• Ginger tea
• Lemon tea

Coffee

• Black coffee
• Milk coffee

Other Hot Drinks

• Ginger honey lemon
• Honey lemon

Cold Drinks

• Coke/ sprite/ fanta/ soda

Alcohol

• Local wine
• Marpha apple brandy
• Beer
• Rum
• Vodka

How Much will the Food Cost along the Ghorepani  Poon Hill Trek?

With good access to markets lower down the trek and within a short road distance to Pokhara, the prices on the Ghorepani  Trek as not as high as the areas further up the Annapurna trail or in remote parts of the country.  Having said that, do expect to pay more than you will in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

On average, expect to pay $5 for breakfast, $6-7 for lunch, and $6-7 for dinner.

And remember, aside from the added cost of bringing goods to these trekking areas, where else are you going have this once-in-a-lifetime dining experience?  Please don’t haggle over $0.50!

Is the Food on the Trek Healthy?

Yes!  Vegetables are normally organic and (with the high turnover) packaged goods (such as spaghetti) are fresh.  Safe drinking water is used.  The teahouse owners want you to enjoy your visit to Ghorepani. Besides, sick trekkers are bad for business!

Staying healthy is not just down to hygienic food.  It is your responsibility to ensure your drinking water is safe (use purifiers if using tap water), and to ensure your hands are clean before eating.  We recommend you bring hand sanitizers with you as well as washing your hands frequently.

Conclusion

As you can see, along the Ghorepani  Trek the food and drinks vary in variety and each plateful (take it from us) is enough to feed hungry trekker.  Sometimes it may be hard to eat after an arduous day but it is important to try to take in as many calories as possible.  And stay hydrated.

If you have any questions on the food along the Ghorepani  Trek, or on any aspect of this or any other trek, please contact Magical Nepal.