Permits Required for the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

This trek offers fantastic panoramic views of the Annapurna Range at a relatively low altitude.  It also offers an insight into local community life and a takes you through leafy forests of Rhododendrons and other trees.

Mountains: With the Annapurna Himal to the east, Dhaulagiri Himal to the west, and Tibet to the north, the sunrise over the Himalayas from the top of Poonhill is breathtaking.

Landscape: Aside from mountains the landscape is beautiful, leafy, and full of colour in the springtime.

People: You will be trekking through Gurung and Magar villages, the indigenous people of this region.

Overall Experience: With a maximum altitude of 3,210m this is one of the most popular short treks in Nepal.  Good for families, those without trekking experience or those who do not wish to trek at altitude.  Or for those with simply less time but who want to enjoy the mountain experience.

Protection: We want to protect this unique area for future generations of people, trekkers and flora and fauna. We also want to protect you, the trekker.  For this reason, two permits exist – ACAP which takes care of the Annapurna Conservation Area, and TIMS which takes care of you.

Trip Highlights

• Sunrise over the Annapurnas from atop Poonhill.
• Stunning views of the snow-capped Mt. Fishtail, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna South, to name just a few!
• Unique flora and fauna.  See Rhododendrons, Nepal’s national flower, in bloom.
• Visit local villages on route.
• Visit monasteries and the Gurung museum to give you an insight into local lifestyles.
• Start and finish your trip in the lakeside town of Pokhara with its interesting blend of culture, mountaineering history, and restaurants, bars, and clubs.

You need two permits for the Gorepani Poonhill Trek:

Annapurna Conservation Permit  (ACAP): Nrs3,000 per person

TIMS Trekkers Permit :

Nrs 1,000 per person for organized treks through an agency (a permit is blue in color)

Nrs 2,000 per person for independent trekkers (going without guide or porter) (a permit is green in colour)

Those people trekking with an agency will need to provide one photograph and do not need to be present in person at the permit counter. If you are trekking with Magical Nepal, we can obtain the permits for you.

Those people trekking individually need to provide two photographs and each person in your group will need to be present at the permit counter. You cannot apply on behalf of your friends, all of you must go to one of the offices below:-

• Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Exhibition Road, Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu
• Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Dam Side, Pokhara

Why do you need permits?

ACAP

Launched in 1986, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) is the largest undertaking of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). It is also the first Conservation Area and largest Protected Area in Nepal. Covering an area of 7,629km2 it is home to over 100,000 residents of different cultural and linguistic groups. ACAP is rich in biodiversity and houses 1,226 species of flowering plants, 105 mammals, 518 birds, 40 reptiles and 23 amphibians.

The natural and cultural features of ACAP have made it the most popular trekking destination in the country, attracting a majority of the country’s total trekkers. Tourism, over the years, has been firmly established as one of the most important sectors of the local economy.

There are over 1,000 lodges, teashops and hundreds of other subsidiary services to cater to the thousands of trekkers, pilgrims and their support staff. All this naturally has an impact on this beautiful environment.

For example, the soaring number of visitors has exerted immense pressure on forest resources already stressed from the growing local population. Similarly, litter, particularly the waste produced by trekkers and hoteliers, is another major concern.

It is estimated that an average trekking group of 15 people generates about 15 kilos of non-biodegradable and non-burnable garbage in 10 days trek, producing tons of garbage in mountain regions annually.

So to manage this better, to protect the environment, respect the local people’s traditional livelihoods and to ensure wildlife is unaffected ACAP was born with the goal of  “to achieve sustained balance between nature conservation and socio-economic improvement in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) thereby assist National Trust for Nature Conservation in achieving its goal.”

To help it achieve this goal, the following objectives are in place:-

• Conserve the natural resources of ACA for the benefit of present and future generations.
• Bring sustainable social and economic development to the local people.
• Develop tourism in such a way that it will have minimum negative impact on the natural, socio-cultural and economic environments.

Your contribution through the ACAP permit goes towards helping ACAP reach this goal and towards maintaining this landscape for trekkers, locals, flora and fauna to come.

TIMS

A Trekkers Information Management Systems (TIMS) Permit is for your own safety.  By showing your TIMS card at the checkpoints along the trails you will be registered on the system – vital if you go missing or have an accident while trekking.

Important Information

• Both permits are for a single entry.
• Once issued permits are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• The validity of your permit is based on your application, so read the form carefully.
• Permits are the same price regardless as to how many days you are going ie 5 days or 10 days (therefore it is a good idea to build in extra days in case of delays).
• It is required to enter the permit details at ALL counters along the trail.  This is for YOUR OWN SAFETY so please do not fail to do this at each counter.

If you require further information about the permits required for the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek please do not hesitate to ask us at Magical Nepal.