Poon Hill

Poon Hill is Nepal's best-known short-trek viewpoint: a 3,210m summit on the Myagdi-Kaski border reached by a pre-dawn climb from Ghorepani, opening onto a sunrise panorama across Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Annapurna I (8,091m), Annapurna South, Gangapurna and Machhapuchhre (6,993m). Its low elevation and short approach make it accessible to trekkers who never go higher, while others use it as the acclimatisation high point before continuing to Annapurna Base Camp.

There is a viewing tower and a tea stall at the top, and a small fee is collected on the path up. What makes the view unusual is the pairing: Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I, two 8,000m peaks, stand on either side of the Kali Gandaki gorge and are both in sight from the one spot, which is not true of many viewpoints anywhere. The climb from Ghorepani takes forty five minutes to an hour in the dark, so a head torch is needed.