Nepal - Pokhara, Poon Hill Trek and Yoga Retreat

Our hotel in Bandipur arranged for us to get a bus from the town nearby to Pokhara but after a hour or so of waiting we realised something had gone wrong! We found out there had been a small landslide in the road and our bus was running very late. So in true Nepalese style, while waiting on the side of the road we waved at cars to see if we could get a lift. After less than 10 minutes a car stopped and the said we could jump in! In the car was a family of 3 Indian travellers who were also going to Pokhara and were happy to give us a lift. The main road between Kathmandu and Pokhara is in an awful condition and the traffic was very bad as well. So what should have been 2 hours took us almost 5, but we filled the time by singing & dancing to Bollywood.

Pokhara is a great place and somewhere most travellers in Nepal stop at during their trip. The town is on a beautiful lake and you get amazing views of the Annapurna mountains, often considered the most beautiful mountain range in the Himalayas. Pokhara is a great combination of a super relaxed place whilst also having lots of things to do and a great food scene. Liv went paragliding and Rory loved all the curries that were on offer! We became such regulars at one restaurant that they even let Liv make a Roti in the bread oven. Pokhara is also the starting place for many treks so you can get all the required permits that are needed (we needed two). In between treks and other activities we spent a total of 4 night in Pokhara, all at the lovely Peace Eyes Guesthouse in the Lakeside area.

The Nepalese Himalayas is the trekking capital of the world so obviously you are spoilt for chose when it comes to this. The main thing you need to consider is how long you want to trek for. We thought 3 nights / 4 days would be sufficient so went for the Poon Hill trek on the Annapurna circuit. The whole circuit can take up to 17 days, depending on your pace and time you want to spend at each camp.

• Day 1: Nayapul - Ulleri. 12km distance. We started at 1070 metres and finished at 1960m.

• Day 2: Ulleri - Ghorepani. 8 km distance with a climb of 900m.

• Day 3: Ghorepani - Poon Hill - Ghorepani - Ghandruk. Ghorepani- Poon Hill round trip 3km round trip with a climb / descent 350m. Poon Hill was the highest point on our trek at 3210m. Ghorepani- Ghandruk distance of 15km and descent of 1.5 km.

One of the best things about the Poon Hill trek is the variety it gives you. During the trek you go through mountain villages, rice fields, beautiful forests, over rivers, past waterfalls, through stunning valleys and get amazing views of the snow capped Annapurna mountain range. All whilst going up and down lots and lots of stone steps. And we mean LOTS of steps!

A highlight was getting up at 4.30am to watch the sunrise from Poon Hill. The walk up the hill was tough, with about 200 other people trekking up at the same time in pitch black. It felt almost cult-like with everyone’s torches snaking up the mountain.

Rory also had his 33rd birthday on the mountains! We were in a tiny remote village and by complete chance it was someone else’s birthday in our guesthouse and he kindly shared his cake with him.

On day 4 we had originally planned to walk from Ghandruk back to Nayapul but on day 3 we arrived in Ghandruk much quicker than we thought, and decided we would try and make our way back to Pokhara that afternoon.

In Ghandruk we found a 4x4 that was travelling down the mountain which we shared with 7 other passengers. The mountain road (if you can call it a road) was pretty hairy, with a shear drop on one side and so many massive rocks to get over, but we made it!

We spent a night in Pokhara and were pretty happy to have a hot shower, some good food and a drink, all at reasonable prices compared to those up the mountain which are much higher as all supplies have to be carried up. For example a bottle of water was 25 rupees in Pokhara but 250 up the mountain (approx 16p vs £1.60)

The next day we were picked up and driven to Atmashree Yoga and Mediation retreat which was in the hills, overlooking the lake in Pokhara. The setting was really beautiful and the vibe was very zen! We had booked to stay for 3 night here. We had a clear structure for each day with 4 yoga/meditation classes per day, starting at 6am. All meals and lots of herbal tea were include and enjoyed together with all the other students & teachers. There was about 20 of us all doing the same course, some people had been there for weeks and others were only doing a few days like us. A good variety of tourists, Canadians, Swiss, French, America and a few other Brits. We both loved the experience, Rory was particularly interested in the meditation and Liv loved the more physical Vinyasa classes. There was a big variety in the classes and they ranged from Jala Neti (nasal cleansing), yoga nidra with singing bowls, yoga philosophy, breath meditation, silent walks, a fire ceremony and mantra meditation to name just a few. On one day we did a group cleanse, which started at 6am and involved drinking a lot of warm salt water with the aim of flushing our bodies from both ends. It was a very odd experience and felt strange to be talking about our body’s internal movements so openly with our instructor and group. Rory got praised for his excellent vomiting skills, which we did while lined up next to long trench.

After our time at the yoga retreat we then headed back to Kathmandu via the 10 hour bumpy bus. We worked out that our average speed was around 15 miles an hour!

Our final night in Nepal was spent at a luxury hotel to celebrate Rory’s birthday in style. We played tennis, used the spa and pool and even went to the casino that night. What an experience the casino was! We were asked to show our passports on entering as it’s illegal for Nepalese citizens to use casinos in Nepal! This casino was run by an Indian company and therefore full of Indian men who had travelled over the boarder to gamble, as it’s illegal for them to gamble in India! The casino had a free buffet & drinks as well as a stage for belly dancers, who had wedges of cash thrown at them by the men who were feeling flush!

We were so happy in Nepal and would recommend it to everyone of all ages. It’s a really magical country where the people are so friendly and the scenery is beautiful. It felt so easy to travel, with both of us feeling very relaxed and safe the whole time.