MYAGDI: Poon Hill has recently emerged as a popular tourist destination for viewing the sunrise, sunset, and majestic mountain ranges including Gurja Himal, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Machhapuchhre, and Nilgiri.
The best months to visit Pun Hill in Ghodepani, Ward 6 of Annapurna Rural Municipality, are September, October, February, March and April. According to the Tourist Police Post in Ghodepani, around 30,000 tourists visit the area annually.
Sudip Purja Pun, a businessman contracted to collect entry fees and operate the tea shop, said that tourist numbers have been lower this year due to adverse weather and political conditions. In previous years, around 400 tourists visited daily during autumn.
Visitors staying in Ghodepani typically walk uphill for about 40 minutes to reach Poon Hill in the morning and witness the sunrise along with the mountain range.
Ghodepani currently has 23 well-equipped hotels with the capacity to accommodate more than 1,000 people daily. The area can be accessed via Ghandruk in Kaski, Bhurung Tatopani, and Mohredanda in Myagdi.
Trekking routes are also available from Birethanti-Uleri-Ghodepani, Nayapul-Ghandruk-Ghodepani in Kaski, and Nagi-Mahere-Phulbari-Ghodepani and Tatopani-Ghar-Sikh in Myagdi.
Ghodepani can be reached by road through Pokharebgar, the center of Annapurna Rural Municipality. Ward Chairman Ram Bahadur Khadka stated that the road connecting Pokharebgar to Ghodepani is being upgraded with support from the federal and provincial governments.
The road via Nayapul in Kaski has also been opened. “We are investing some income from the Pun Hill contract into developing tourism infrastructure in the area,” he said. “We aim to attract both foreign tourists who prefer trekking and Nepali tourists seeking vehicle access.”
In the current fiscal year, Annapurna Rural Municipality earned about Rs 4.6 million from Poon Hill. A contract worth Rs 4.59 million was signed for collecting entry fees from tourists and operating a tea shop.
Hotel Shikhar Pvt. Ltd., which submitted the highest bid, received a 10 percent discount as per rules by depositing an advance amount, said Bhagwati Khadka, the rural municipality’s information officer. Last year, the revenue from Pun Hill was Rs 4 million.
The municipality collects entry fees at Rs 150 per foreign tourist and Rs 50 per domestic tourist for visiting Poon Hill, located at an altitude of 3,210 meters, and for operating the tea shop.
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