Trip Facts
Country:
Nepal
Duration:
11 Days
Max Altitude:
4,660 m
Activities:
Trekking and driving
Region:
Annapurna region
Starting Point:
Kathmandu
Ending Point:
Kathmandu
Grade:
Moderate
Group Size:
2 to 10 pax
Accomodation:
Teahouses, 3-star hotel in Pokhara & KTM
Best Season:
Mar-May & Sep-Nov
Notice
This is a quiet, off-path trek. So you get huge views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna with very few other trekkers.
The high points are Khopra Ridge (3,660 m) and the sacred Khayer Lake (4,660 m). Both are highlights, and the lake hike is the toughest part.
You sleep in community-run lodges. So your money goes straight to the local villages. A licensed guide is required in the Annapurna region, and Spade Himalaya sorts your guide and permits.
Overview of Khopra Danda Trek 11-Days
Quick answer: Khopra Ridge is where guides go when they want the Annapurnas to themselves. For 11 days you walk a quieter shelf of trail above the Poon Hill circuit, sleeping in community lodges run by local families. The side trip to the sacred Khayer Lake (4,660 m) is the hardest and finest day. Prices start at US$ 850, permits and guide included. In clear weather, Dhaulagiri fills the western sky.
The Khopra Danda Trek is a quiet, off-the-beaten-path trek in Nepal’s Annapurna region. People also call it the Khopra Ridge Trek. The trail climbs to Khopra Ridge (3,660 m), a high grassy ridge that faces a giant wall of mountains. So you get close, clear views without the crowds of Annapurna Base Camp.
The big draw is the scenery. From the ridge, you look straight at Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), the world’s seventh-highest mountain. You also see Annapurna South, Nilgiri, Annapurna I, and Machhapuchhre. The views feel huge, and they feel close.
The trek also visits Khayer Lake (4,660 m). This is a holy lake that sits below Annapurna South. Both Hindus and Buddhists come here to pray. So the trek mixes great mountains with real culture. The hike to the lake is the highest and hardest part of the trip.
Along the way, you walk through forest, meadow, and farmland. First, you pass the famous sunrise hill of Poon Hill. Then you cross quiet ridges to Khopra. After that, you loop down through Dobato, Tadapani, and the Gurung village of Ghandruk. So the trail keeps changing, day after day.
Spade Himalaya runs this trek with licensed Nepali guides. So your guide sets a safe pace, watches the weather, and checks your health each day. Best of all, you sleep in community lodges run by local families. Because of this, your spending helps the villages directly. The trek suits fit beginners and keen trekkers alike. It is harder than the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, but easier than the Annapurna Circuit Trek. In short, it is a perfect choice if you want big mountains, real culture, and peace and quiet. It also works well as a calmer alternative to the Annapurna Base Camp Trek.
Planning the trip? Read our Khopra Danda Trek guide on cost, difficulty, and Khayer Lake. New to the region? Then compare it with the easy Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek or the quiet Kori Trek. For the wider area, see our Annapurna region guide.
Trips Highlights
- See Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) up close from Khopra Ridge (3,660 m).
- Hike to the sacred Khayer Lake (4,660 m) below Annapurna South.
- Watch sunrise over the peaks from Poon Hill (3,210 m).
- Enjoy huge views of Annapurna South, Nilgiri, Machhapuchhre, and Barah Shikhar.
- Trek a quiet trail with very few other people.
- Sleep in warm, community-run lodges and eat fresh local food.
- Catch the hidden Muldai viewpoint near Dobato.
- Meet Gurung and Magar families in villages like Ghandruk and Tadapani.
- Spot yaks, pheasants, and langur monkeys along the way.
- Cross three zones in one trek: forest, meadow, and farmland.
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → drive to Pokhara (822 m) → drive to Nayapul, trek to Ulleri (2,050 m) → Ghorepani (2,860 m) → Poon Hill (3,210 m), Bayali Kharka (3,450 m) → Chhistibung (3,000 m) → Khopra Ridge (3,660 m) → Khayer Lake (4,660 m), Dobato (3,420 m) → Tadapani (2,630 m) → Ghandruk (1,940 m) → Nayapul, drive to Pokhara → drive to Kathmandu.
In short, you climb from Ghorepani up to Khopra Ridge. Then you hike to Khayer Lake. After that, you loop down through Dobato, Tadapani, and Ghandruk back to Pokhara.
Trips Itinerary
You drive west from Kathmandu to Pokhara, arriving after six or seven hours, and spend the evening beside the lake checking your gear over before the trail starts tomorrow.
The road follows the Trishuli river past green hills and farm terraces, dropping from 1,400 m to 822 m. Pokhara is a calm lakeside city and the last comfortable night before the lodges, with the Annapurna skyline behind the water on a clear evening.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast Included
- Accommodation: Shared 3 Star Hotel
A short drive takes you to Nayapul, where the walking begins. You trek past farms and Magar villages to Ulleri, finishing on a long stone staircase that is the hardest hour of the day.
Ulleri sits at 2,050 m and those steps are the steepest part of the whole route. Nobody agrees how many there are, only that there are thousands, so take them slowly and let the porters pass.
From the village you already get clear views of Annapurna South and Hiunchuli standing above you. The stone houses here are Magar, one of the larger hill communities of central Nepal.
- Duration: 5 to 6 hrs Driving & Trekking
- Max Altitude: 2,050 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
You climb through cool oak and rhododendron forest all morning and reach the ridge village of Ghorepani in the afternoon, gaining height steadily rather than in any brutal push.
Ghorepani sits at 2,860 m, so the evening turns cold early and the lodges light their stoves. The name means horse water, from the mule trains that stopped here on the old trading route. Annapurna and Dhaulagiri come into view as you climb, and you may spot langur monkeys in the forest.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 2,860 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
You climb to Poon Hill for sunrise, walk back down to Ghorepani for breakfast, then leave the crowds behind entirely and head off toward Bayali Kharka for the night.
Poon Hill is 3,210 m and Bayali Kharka 3,450 m. From this afternoon on the trail is genuinely quiet, and you will meet a fraction of the people you saw at sunrise.
At the top of Poon Hill the sun lights Dhaulagiri first, then Annapurna, then Machhapuchhre. It is the last busy viewpoint of the trek and the contrast afterwards is striking.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 3,450 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
The path dips and then climbs into thick oak and rhododendron forest, reaching the small settlement of Chhistibung after a few hours of quiet walking with nobody else around.
Chhistibung sits at 3,000 m and is little more than a handful of buildings in the forest. Watch for yaks grazing and for bright pheasants in the undergrowth, including the danphe, which is Nepal’s national bird.
- Duration: 4 to 5 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 3,000 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
Today you climb steadily out of the trees onto open grazing land and reach Khopra Ridge in the afternoon. This is the day most people remember from this trek.
Khopra Ridge is 3,660 m and the lodge here is run by the community rather than a private owner, with the profits going back into local schools and services.
Dhaulagiri at 8,167 m stands huge and close from the ridge, with Annapurna South and Nilgiri beside it. There is nothing between you and it, which is unusual even in Nepal.
Take a slow afternoon and simply look at it. There is nothing else you need to do up here and nowhere else to be, which is rather the point of the place.
- Duration: 5 to 6 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 3,660 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
The highest and longest day of the trek. You start early for Khayer Lake, then come back down the same way and walk on to Dobato, which makes a very full day on your feet.
Khayer Lake sits at 4,660 m below Annapurna South, and Dobato, where you sleep, is back down at 3,420 m. That is a lot of up and down in a single push.
The lake is a sacred site and feels genuinely remote, with almost nobody there. The hike depends entirely on the weather, so your guide will check conditions before you set off.
- Duration: 7 to 9 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 4,660 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
You can climb to the nearby Muldai viewpoint for sunrise first, then drop through quiet forest to Tadapani, which makes for an early start and an easy afternoon.
Tadapani is at 2,630 m, back below the treeline and noticeably warmer than the ridge you have come from. The name means distant water, after the walk villagers once made to fetch it, and from the lodges Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre fill the skyline.
- Duration: 5 to 6 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 3,637 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
You walk down through thick woodland to Ghandruk, arriving with plenty of time to look around the village properly rather than passing straight through it.
Ghandruk sits at 1,940 m and is one of the largest Gurung villages in Nepal, built in tiers of old stone houses with slate roofs facing Annapurna South across the valley.
There is a small museum showing how people here have lived, and the village has sent generations into the Gurkha regiments. Monkeys and birds are common in the woods on the way down.
- Duration: 4 to 5 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 2,630 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
- Accommodation: Guest House
On the last trekking day you walk down past terraces, waterfalls and small villages to Nayapul, where a vehicle picks you up and drives you the short distance to Pokhara.
You finish at 1,070 m and the air grows warm and heavy again as you lose the last of your height. The evening is free beside the lake, it is your first hot shower in ten days, and Lakeside has plenty of places to eat properly.
- Duration: 5 to 6 hrs hike
- Max Altitude: 1,940 m
- Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Included
- Accommodation: Shared 3 star Hotel
You drive back to Kathmandu along the same road you came in on, six or seven hours climbing back up to 1,400 m. The trek ends when we reach the city in the evening, and we drop you at the accommodation you have arranged, so book your own room for this night and for any nights you stay on afterwards. It is the last time the group is together, which makes it the natural moment for goodbyes and tips with your guide and porters.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs drive
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast Included
Trips Include
Your package covers transport, permits, a licensed guide and porter, all teahouse stays, and all meals on the trek. So almost everything on the trail is sorted for you.
- All hotels and transport, plus airport pickup and drop-off.
- 2 nights in a 3-star hotel in Pokhara, with breakfast.
- Tourist bus between Kathmandu and Pokhara, both ways.
- Private and local transport from Pokhara to the trek start and back.
- All community teahouse stays during the trek.
- All meals on the trek (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), plus a farewell dinner.
- A licensed, English-speaking, first-aid trained Spade Himalaya guide.
- A porter to carry your bags (1 porter for every 2 trekkers).
- Pay, food, lodging, gear, and insurance for all staff.
- Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and TIMS card.
- A first-aid kit with an oximeter to check oxygen levels.
- Sleeping bag and down jacket on loan if you need them.
- Spade Himalaya trip-completion certificate.
- All local taxes and office costs.
Trips Exclude
A few things sit outside the package. So please budget for these too.
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
- International flights and airport taxes.
- Nepal entry visa (US$30 for 15 Days, US$50 for 30 days, US$125 for 90 days).
- Extra nights from early arrival, late departure, or itinerary changes.
- Travel and medical insurance with helicopter rescue cover (this is a must).
- All drinks, hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging, and snacks.
- Tips for your guide, porter, and driver.
- Personal gear and any personal expenses.
- Anything not listed under Cost Includes.
Trips Altitude
Trips Map
Packing List
General
- Daypack (25 to 35 litres) with a rain cover.
- Sleeping bag rated to about minus 10°C (we lend you one if needed).
- Reusable water bottle and a hydration bladder.
Upper Body
- Warm hat or beanie.
- Buff or neck warmer.
- Sunglasses and a sun hat.
- T-shirts and base layer tops.
- A warm fleece and a down jacket (we lend one if needed).
- A waterproof, windproof rain jacket.
Lower Body
- Trekking trousers (2 pairs).
- Thermal base layer for cold mornings.
- Light trousers for the lodges.
- A waterproof shell for rain or snow.
Hands
- Light liner gloves.
- Warm outer gloves for the high ridge.
Feet
- Trekking boots that you have worn in.
- Warm socks (4 pairs).
- Sandals or light shoes for the evenings.
- Micro spikes if you go in winter.
Undergarments
- Quick-dry underwear.
- Sports bras (women).
- Sleeping clothes.
First Aid Kits
(Your guide carries a full kit and an oximeter. Still, a small personal kit helps.)
- Sunscreen and lip balm.
- Blister plasters and basic painkillers.
- Altitude medicine if your doctor advises it.
- Water purification tablets.
Others
- Passport and a few passport photos.
- Headlamp with spare batteries.
- Power bank, because charging is limited and costs extra.
- Toiletries, a quick-dry towel, and toilet paper.
- Snacks like nuts, dried fruit, and energy bars.
- Trekking poles (very useful on the steep parts).
Optional
- Camera or phone for photos.
- Binoculars for peaks and birds.
- A book or cards for the evenings.
Good to Know
Khopra Danda gives you big mountains without big crowds. You stand close to Dhaulagiri, you visit a holy lake, and you sleep in village lodges. So it feels real and quiet. In short, it is one of the best off-path treks in the Annapurna region.
Spring and autumn are the prime seasons. In spring, the forests bloom red and pink. In autumn, the air is clear after the rains, so the views are sharp. Winter works too, but snow makes the high ridge tricky, and nights are very cold. The monsoon is wet and slippery, so it is the least popular time.
This trek is moderate, and it is harder than Poon Hill. You walk 5 to 7 hours a day on uneven trails. The Khayer Lake day is the toughest, because it is long and high. So train before you come. Walking, jogging, and stair climbing for a few weeks make a big difference.
Khayer Lake sits at 4,660 m, right below Annapurna South. It is the highest point of the trek. Local people treat the lake as holy, and pilgrims visit during festivals. The hike is long and weather-dependent. So your guide checks the conditions before you set off.
You sleep in lodges run by local communities. Because of this, your money supports the villages directly. The rooms are simple, with twin beds and shared bathrooms. The food is fresh and local. Dal bhat is the best value, and you often get free refills.
You need two permits: the ACAP and the TIMS card. Both are checked along the trail. Also, foreigners must use a licensed guide in the Annapurna region. So Spade Himalaya handles your guide and permits. You only need your passport and photos.
Go slow, drink 3 to 4 litres of water a day, and rest when you need to. Skip alcohol and limit coffee up high. Also, check the weather, because mountain conditions change fast. Carry a few snacks for energy, and stay on the marked trail. Your guide carries a first-aid kit and an oximeter for safety.
The trail runs on cash, so carry enough Nepalese rupees from Pokhara. Hot showers, Wi-Fi, and charging all cost a small fee. The fee rises as you climb higher. So keep small notes handy and bring a power bank.
You can shape this trek to fit your time. For example, a short 7 to 8 day version skips Poon Hill and Khayer Lake. A longer version links Khopra with Mardi Himal or the quiet Mohare Danda trail. So just tell Spade Himalaya your dates, and we plan the right route for you.
Trips Reviews
A Hidden Gem with Stunning Views and Peaceful Trails
Trips FAQs
Permits, Guide & Insurance
It is possible, because Khayer Lake is above 4,500 m. So the risk is real on Day 7. Still, the trek climbs slowly, which helps your body adjust. Drink plenty of water and walk at a steady pace. If you feel unwell, tell your guide right away.
Yes, comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended. Your policy should cover trekking at altitudes above 4,500 m, emergency medical treatment, and helicopter evacuation if required.
Yes. You need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and a TIMS card. Also, foreigners must trek with a licensed guide in the Annapurna region. So Spade Himalaya arranges your guide and both permits before you start.
Trek Difficulty & Altitude
This trek takes 11 days from Kathmandu and back. The walking part is 9 days. You can make it shorter or longer too. For example, a quick 7-day version skips Poon Hill and Khayer Lake. But the full trip gives you the best of the route.
The trek is graded moderate. Khopra Ridge sits at 3,660 m, and Khayer Lake reaches 4,660 m. So the lake hike is the toughest day. You walk about 5 to 7 hours most days. There is no climbing skill needed. But a good level of fitness helps a lot.
Best Time to Trek
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are best. In spring, the rhododendrons bloom. In autumn, the skies are the clearest of the year. Winter is cold but quiet, with snow up high. The monsoon (June to August) is wet and slippery, so most people skip it.
Accommodation & Facilities
You sleep in simple community teahouses with twin beds and shared bathrooms. The food is fresh and filling. Dal bhat (rice, lentils, and vegetables) is the local favourite. You can also get noodles, soup, momos, and eggs. Vegetarian meals are easy to find.
There are no ATMs on the trail, so carry enough cash from Pokhara. Some lodges offer Wi-Fi and charging for a small fee. But both get slow and weak up high. So bring a power bank and treat the trek as a chance to switch off.
Trek Highlights & Views
Khayer Lake is a sacred glacial lake at 4,660 m, below Annapurna South. Both Hindus and Buddhists treat it as holy. Many pilgrims visit during festivals. So the hike is both a big mountain day and a cultural one.
Both treks have huge views. But Khopra Danda is far quieter. You also sleep in community lodges, so your money helps local families. In short, choose Khopra for peace and culture, and choose Annapurna Base Camp for the classic amphitheatre of peaks.
The trek features:
- Panoramic views of Annapurna South, Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and Machhapuchhre
- The scenic Khopra Ridge (3,660 m)
- The sacred Khayer Lake (4,660 m)
- Traditional Gurung and Magar villages
- Rhododendron forests in spring
- Community-run teahouse experiences
- A quieter alternative to the more crowded Annapurna trekking routes
