Khopra Ridge trek captivates you with its raw beauty, unravelling its awe-inspiring mountain vistas and rich and diverse Nepali culture.
Nepal is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking treks, offering magnificent mountain views beyond just the world’s highest peak. While the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp treks are well-known trails, this Himalayan country also houses less explored and offbeat trails. One such offbeat trail is the Khopra Ridge Trek, explored by a handful of trekkers. Khopra Ridge or Khopra Danda, a newly explored trail, provides intimate encounters with some of the tallest peaks.
Although less popular compared to its contemporaries, the classic trekking experience is abundant on this route, with gigantic mountains, cosy tea houses, alpine forests, bustling villages, and panoramic mountain vistas. The best part is that Khopra Ridge Trek remains untouched by the maddening crowd. The trail offers you seclusion to be enchanted by the grandeur of the Greater Himalayas. You come face to face with not just one but 22 big mountains. You witness two of the world’s fourteen highest peaks on this Nepal trek.
The towering peaks of Mount Dhaulagiri I and Mount Annapurna I appear gigantic right before you. Machapuchre, Hiuchuli, Nilgiri North, Annapurna Dakshin, Annapurna II, and Annapurna IV appear enormous. Trekkers witness a myriad of these mighty mountains glowing magnificently.
When we say Khopra Ridge is an amalgamation of distinct experiences, we mean mountains, alpine Lakes, and ridge walks with astounding landscapes throughout the trail. When you walk along the Khopra Ridge for two days, you discover the true pleasure of ridge walk. Crisp and clear mountain views on both sides of the ridge seem dreamy. Imagine walking along the ridge with such grandeur views for two whole days.
You will be in for a surprise when you climb to the alpine lake of Khayer. Khayer Lake is at an altitude of 15,300 ft. Experiencing the alpine lake at this height adds a thrilling element to your adventurous journey.
For the Khopra Ridge Trek, you have to reach Pokhara. OWLS organises pick-up from Pokhara city to the starting point of the trek in Kimsee.
To reach Pokhara, you can book your air ticket directly to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, or Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur is a border town between India and Nepal. If you plan to travel by road, reach Gorakhpur before 1 p.m.
This is the quickest option to reach Pokhara. Take a flight to Kathmandu and then another flight to Pokhara. It takes 40 minutes to reach Pokhara. Flights fly daily on this route between 8.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m.
To your surprise, the distance between India’s and Nepal’s capital is covered in just 1 and a half hours. If you plan early, flying to Kathmandu from Delhi costs between 10K and 12K. Your airfare depends on the season as well. The fare tends to soar during the peak climbing season in Nepal. Indigo, Air India, and Vistara have direct flights from Delhi to Kathmandu.
If you plan to cover travel costs within a budget, we recommend you fly to Kathmandu and then take a bus/shared cab to Pokhara.
As Pokhara is a renowned tourist hotspot, regular buses leave from Kathmandu every 15 minutes. The first bus starts as early as 7.00 AM. Tourist buses cost between NPR 800-1200 per person and a ticket in a local minibus costs between NPR 400-600 per person. Nepali Rupee is cheaper than Indian Rupee. One Indian rupee equals 1.60 Nepali Rupee. The duration of the drive is between 6 and 8 hours.
One of the cheapest ways to reach Pokhara from India is to take a train to Gorakhpur. From Gorakhpur, take a cab to Sonauli and then a bus to Pokhara. The journey will be more hectic than the first two options but will be economical for your pocket.
There are tourist buses that leave in the morning. Buses ply only from 7 am to 10 am. So you stay at Sonauli a day before the trek for this. Online bookings are not available. After this, you will find buses only during the evening time.
Reach Pokhara on Day 1( Refer to itinerary), not Day 2. Staying at Pokhara gives you a well-deserved rest for the night before you start climbing the next day. If you miss the OWLS pickup from Pokhara, you can get to Lower Ghandruk yourself. Once you reach Pokhara, take a bus or a shared cab from Prithvi Chowk. The distance of 55km takes 4-5 hrs and costs Rs 500/- till Lower Ghandruk/Kimche.
What if you miss the OWLS pickup? – Reach out to the OWLS team. Call us at 7838421725 or email us at contact@gooutwithowls.com. We will help you to reach.
