Ghandruk: Trekking through Asia’s top tourist destination

• HB Thapa

If you have arrived in Kathmandu with a hectic schedule and you don’t want to miss one of the most remarkable and spectacular scenic trekking destinations of Nepal, your best and the first option would be trekking to the Ghandruk- a naturally stunningly aesthetic ancient village of Gurung people- surrounded by bewitching hills.

This is a short trek of nearly 6-7 days that you can enjoy in the Annapurna region. The Ghandruk also is known as ‘Ghandrung’ sometimes is a hill station elevated to a minimum height of around 2000 meters. The Ghandruk is only 32 km away from Pokhara, the major hub of the tourists from almost all countries, and around 169 km far from the capital city of Kathmandu.

You may just choose to reach Pokhara by flight from Kathmandu or take a highway route to reach Pokhara in about 4-5 hours and then embark upon your trek to Ghandruk village which falls in the Kaski district of Nepal. This short trek starts and ends at Phedi/Tikhendhunga area. Tea houses are available for you to take rest in during your trek. You can reach Phedi from Pokhara in just one hour’s drive.

The trekking trail usually passes through the ancient and scenic Gurung village, dense rhododendron, green forest, paddy fields, and steep stone slab steps and offers you the very exciting and striking sight of the Gurung’s lifestyles, cultures, and traditions being practiced even in this modern age.

Since the Ghandruk village lies in the Annapurna region, mesmerizing panoramic views of snowy peaks including 8000 meters high Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri Machhapuchhare, Manaslu and Hiumchuli can be seen from this village which can undoubtedly fill your heart and mind with utter ecstatic feelings about the profound aesthetic value of the nature and culture after arriving in this village where an ancient culture and lifestyle continues to throb and thrive in the hearts of the people which whereby testifies the paramount significance of ancient cultures which remains untainted by the modernity.

Ghandruk according to the international media-CNN is one of the top best tourist destinations in Asia. So, staying in Ghandruk means reveling in the most wonderful and rare experience of viewing the snowy mountains, beauty of nature and culture.

The Ghandruk trek can also be done in 3-4 days too during which you can personally meet with the local people and talk about their way of life. The additional flavor of your trek through Ghandruk would be to mix and mingle in the cultural festival of the locals which will give you unforgettable imprints to be part and parcel of your life experience.

The trekking trails also pass through bamboo forest and pleasing sights of murmuring waterfalls that tempt you to plunge into them for a swim. The trail passes across the Modi Khola River, Chhomrong village and Gurung villages of Phedi and Dhampus. The trek is friendly for all ages and even children.

The Gurung people here incredibly continue to sustain their stone made roofs and a regional museum for outsiders to view it. The warm welcome hospitality of the local people at the tea houses and homestays are incredibly appreciable here. The locals offer tourists with horse riding and local organic foods that are delicious enough.

Best season

The months of September and May

Review

An external tourist named Isha Bhalla, who reportedly trekked through this beautiful Ghandruk village on April 30, 2018, says, “Ghandruk is a beautiful village and is mostly inhabited by Gurung people. The best part of our entire trip was getting to learn about the rural, lifestyle of Nepal. Everything about this place had a traditional and rural touch to it.”

Bhalla further adds by saying, “Throughout our stay, we felt like we entered a different part of the world, apart away from the hustle and bustle and rush of the city life. It was indeed a great way to relax. Unfortunately, it was too foggy for us to see the mountains. There is always next time though.”