Poohill Sunrise — on the Khopra Ridge trek route

Photo: Kondephy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized; shared under the same licence

Khopra Ridge

Annapurna

Annapurna's high ridge trek to a sacred glacial lake

Khopra Ridge is an 8-day trek in the Annapurna region, climbing above Ghandruk and Tadapani to a high, open ridge at Khopra Ridge (3,660m) with a day hike to the sacred Khayer Lake (4,660m). The final two days share the classic approach to Poon Hill (3,210m) before descending to the roadhead at Birethanti.

Days 8 days
Highest sleeping altitude 3,660 m highest point touched: 4,660 m
Difficulty Moderate-Hard
Price From USD 650

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Route map

Waypoints

  1. Day 1 — Ghandruk 1,940 m
  2. Day 2 — Tadapani 2,610 m
  3. Day 3 — Dobato 3,350 m
  4. Day 4 — Khopra Ridge 3,660 m
  5. Day 5 — Khayer Lake 4,660 m
  6. Day 5 — Khopra Ridge 3,660 m
  7. Day 6 — Swanta 2,270 m
  8. Day 7 — Ghorepani 2,850 m
  9. Day 8 — Poon Hill 3,210 m
  10. Day 8 — Birethanti 1,025 m

Map key

  • Surveyed trail
  • Follows the road — no separate trail mapped

Elevation profile

Khopra Ridge: sleeping-altitude profile, with SRTM terrain trace
Day Place Altitude Gain from previous night
1 Ghandruk 1,940 m first night
2 Tadapani 2,610 m +670 m
3 Dobato 3,350 m +740 m
4 Khopra Ridge 3,660 m +310 m
5 Khopra Ridge 3,660 m 0 m
6 Swanta 2,270 m -1,390 m
7 Ghorepani 2,850 m +580 m
8 Birethanti 1,025 m -1,825 m
Khopra Ridge: sleeping-altitude profile, with SRTM terrain trace Khopra Ridge — 3,660 m

Terrain elevation interpolated between waypoints by SRTM30m — not the route's sourced altitudes. May read above or below maxAltitude/maxSleepAltitude (both cited, manual figures); render or label accordingly, do not treat as the same number.

Acclimatisation

1 night on this itinerary gains more than 500 m of sleeping altitude: Dobato (+740 m). 0 of its 1 rest days follow the largest gains. The highest night is 3,660 m.

Sleeping altitude by night, with gains above 500 m marked where the night is above 3,000 m
Day Sleeping at Altitude Gain from previous night Rest day
1 Ghandruk 1,940 m first night
2 Tadapani 2,610 m +670 m
3 Dobato 3,350 m +740 m (above the 500 m guideline)
4 Khopra Ridge 3,660 m +310 m
5 Khopra Ridge 3,660 m 0 m Rest day
6 Swanta 2,270 m -1,390 m
7 Ghorepani 2,850 m +580 m
8 Birethanti 1,025 m -1,825 m

Cited to the Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines (2024): above 3,000 m, do not increase sleeping elevation by more than 500 m per day, and take a rest day every 3–4 days. WMS itself notes that terrain often makes strict adherence impossible.

This is itinerary information, not medical advice, and not clearance to trek. Acclimatisation varies between individuals.

Your trip, day by day — all 8 days, travel included

Every day of the 8-day trip in the order it happens, including the flights, drives and rest days that have no walking stage. These are trip day numbers. The next section numbers walking days instead, starting again at 1, so a day number here and a walking day number there are not the same day.

  1. Day 1 of 8

    Drive to Nayapul — Trek to Ghandruk (1,940m)

    Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul, then follow the trail through Birethanti into Gurung country. Stone-paved lanes and terraced fields climb steadily to Ghandruk (1,940m), one of the larger Gurung villages in the Annapurna foothills.

  2. Day 2 of 8

    Ghandruk to Tadapani (2,610m)

    The trail climbs through rhododendron and oak forest above Ghandruk, gaining height steadily to Tadapani (2,610m), a ridge-top stop with views back across the valley toward Annapurna South (7,219m).

  3. Day 3 of 8

    Tadapani to Dobato (3,350m)

    Above the rhododendron line, the trail opens onto ridge country, passing near the Muldai viewpoint and the high pasture at Bayeli Kharka before reaching Dobato (3,350m), a junction stop where the Khopra trail parts from the wider Annapurna Sanctuary circuit.

  4. Day 4 of 8

    Dobato to Khopra Ridge (3,660m)

    Continue along the open ridge, above the treeline, to Khopra Ridge (3,660m) — also known as Khopra Danda — a broad shoulder with unobstructed views across the Annapurna Sanctuary's southern rim toward Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Annapurna South (7,219m).

  5. Day 5 of 8

    Day Hike to Khayer Lake (4,660m) — Return to Khopra Ridge (3,660m)

    A long out-and-back day to Khayer Lake (4,660m), a sacred alpine lake set below the ridge in bare rock and scree well above the last vegetation. The trail returns the same way to Khopra Ridge (3,660m) for a second night.

  6. Day 6 of 8

    Descend to Swanta (2,270m)

    Leave the ridge and drop back down through Chitre and Phalante, re-entering forest and terraced farmland at Swanta (2,270m).

  7. Day 7 of 8

    Swanta to Ghorepani (2,850m)

    Climb back up through forest to Ghorepani (2,850m), a village built around the trail junction below Poon Hill, where trekkers moving between the Sanctuary and the wider Annapurna circuit converge.

  8. Day 8 of 8

    Poon Hill Sunrise (3,210m) — Descend to Birethanti (1,025m)

    A pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill (3,210m) for a last wide panorama, then the long descent through Ulleri's stone staircase and Tikhedhunga to Birethanti (1,025m), the roadhead near Nayapul for the drive back to Pokhara.

Walking days on the mapped route — 8 days of sourced altitudes

Numbered by walking day: walking day 1 is the first day with a mapped stage. Every altitude below is a waypoint from this route's own sources, listed at the foot of the page.

Walking day 1
  • Ghandruk 1,940 m overnight

    Drive Pokhara-Nayapul, trek via Birethanti.

Walking day 2
  • Tadapani 2,610 m overnight
Walking day 3
  • Dobato 3,350 m overnight

    Junction stop near Muldai viewpoint (3,637m). Some operators use the name "Bayeli Kharka" (~3,420m, not separately resolved in OSM) for a stop in the same stretch.

Walking day 4
  • Khopra Ridge 3,660 m overnight

    Also called Khopra Danda. OSM node name itself carries "3600m", corroborating the published figure.

Walking day 5
  • Khayer Lake 4,660 m day stop

    Day trip from Khopra Ridge, 8-10 hours round trip. A sacred lake, not an overnight stop.

  • Khopra Ridge 3,660 m overnight

    Same-day return from Khayer Lake.

Walking day 6
  • Swanta 2,270 m overnight

    Descent via Chitre and Phalante.

Walking day 7
  • Ghorepani 2,850 m overnight
Walking day 8
  • Poon Hill 3,210 m day stop

    Pre-dawn detour on the way out.

  • Birethanti 1,025 m overnight

    Descend via Tikhedhunga and Ulleri. Roadhead near Nayapul, jeep/bus to Pokhara.

Permits

Permits required for this route, with fee and verification date
Permit Fee Verified
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit NPR 3,000 Verified 2026-09-07

Cost breakdown

Permits (NPR)
NPR 3,000

Permit fees above are the only figures on this page we have re-verified against the issuing authority; the route's itinerary and altitudes are built from the sources listed further down this page, not independently re-verified with one. Other trip costs — teahouse accommodation, a guide, a porter, and flights where the route requires one — vary by season, operator and party size and are not itemised here.

When to go

Month-by-month fit for Khopra Ridge, based on this route's own best-months window.

  • Jan avoid
  • Feb shoulder
  • Mar best
  • Apr best
  • May best
  • Jun shoulder
  • Jul avoid
  • Aug shoulder
  • Sep best
  • Oct best
  • Nov best
  • Dec shoulder

Sources

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8 days in the Annapurna region, highest night at 3,660 m, from USD 650.

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