The Best Itinerary Of Nepal's Khopra Ridge Trek
In my previous article on the Khopra Ridge Trek of Nepal, I have discussed the major highlights of the trek but now I will emphasize on why I chose to explore it from the Nayapul side and not to proceed with the conventional route from Ghandruk which leads to magnificent Khopra Ridge.
Let me just give you an idea on how a pre-planning of a trek works which in other words is known as a recce (reconnaissance). Personally, double check the already established trail and how feasible it is to follow that specific trail for an operator to run this trek.
During mid – April 2019 when I decided to explore this trail, I came to know that there are a few local operators who operate this trek with a certain itinerary but it is always advisable to do a bit of fact-finding before getting into any exploration. After getting hands on the itinerary and the map of this region of Annapurna Conservation area I decided to do it in the reverse order, thus deviating from the standard itinerary.
In this article, I am going to justify my reason for why the Khopra Ridge Trek must be done in the reverse order and hopefully, it will make sense to you in the end.
Conventional vs. Explored
Technically speaking, let me give you an idea of the standard itinerary and the itinerary explored and followed by us at Bikat Adventures.
Conventional Itinerary as followed by other operators:
Day 1: Ghandruk (6,654 ft) to Tadapani (9,020 ft); 5 hours, 8 km
Day 2: Tadapani (9,020 ft) to Dobato (11,826 ft); 5 hours, 7 km
Day 3: Dobato (11,826 ft) to Khopra ridge (12,581 ft); 7 hours, 10.8 km
Day 4: Khopra ridge (12,581 ft) to Khayar Lake (15,640 ft) and back to Khopra ridge; 8 hours, 15.5 km (Optional)
Day 5: Khopra ridge (12,581 ft) to Swanta (7,786 ft); 5 hours, 9.6 km
Day 6: Swanta (7,786 ft) to Ghorepani (9,775 ft); 4.5 hours, 9 km
Day 7: Ghorepani (9,775 ft) to Ulleri (6,400 ft); 3 hours, 7 km
Itinerary as per Bikat Adventures:
Day 1: Pokhara to Hile (52 km drive). Hile (4,921 ft) to Ulleri (6,578 ft); 2.5 hours, 2.5 km
Day 2: Ulleri (6,400 ft) to Ghorepani (9,775 ft); 5 hours, 7.5 km
Day 3: Ghorepani (9,775 ft) to Poon Hill (10,532 ft) and back to Ghorepani; 1 hour, 1.5 km. Ghorepani to Swanta (7,786 ft); 4 hours, 4.6 km
Day 4: Swanta (7,786 ft) to Sistibung (9,843 ft); 5 hours, 5 km
Day 5: Sistibung (9,843 ft) to Khopra Ridge (12,581 ft); 3 hours, 3 km
Day 6: Khopra Ridge (12,581 ft) to Dobato (11,240 ft); 7 hours, 11 km
Day 7: Dobato (11,240 ft) to Muldai Top (11,932 ft) and back to Dobato; Dobato to Ghandruk (6,654 ft); 7 hours, 12 km. Ghandruk to Pokhara (60 km drive).