Khopra Danda Trek – 8 Days

The Khopra Danda Trek is the answer for trekkers who want the Annapurna region without the Annapurna crowds. It branches off the Poon Hill trail at Ghorepani and climbs a long grassy ridge to Khopra Danda at 3,660m — a single community lodge sitting on an exposed spur with an uninterrupted view straight into the south face of Dhaulagiri, one of the great mountain walls of the Himalaya. The Khopra ridge is unusual because you are not looking at mountains across a valley; you are level with the ridgelines, walking a spine with Annapurna South and Hiunchuli on one side and the Kali Gandaki gorge dropping four thousand metres to the west. On clear mornings the whole Dhaulagiri massif fills the horizon from Dhaulagiri I through Tukuche Peak. From Khopra, strong trekkers can make the demanding day return to Khayer Lake at 4,660m — a sacred glacial lake beneath Annapurna South, visited by Hindu pilgrims each August. It is a 1,000m ascent and back in a single day, and it is the hardest thing on this itinerary, but it takes you higher than Annapurna Base Camp. The lodges along this route are run by the Community Lodge management committees of the villages themselves, meaning your money stays in Swanta, Chistibung and Khopra rather than leaving the valley. For trekkers who care where their spending lands, this is one of the best-structured routes in Nepal.