4 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
A few kilometres' walk from Phedi
When to go
October to November and February to May
Minimum stay
One day
Pothana (Nepal)
©
Hoffmann Simon
Practical information on Pothana
Reviews of Pothana
Pothana is one of the first stops (or one of the latter, depending on the direction you take) on the trek that leads from Phedi to Annapurna Base Camp.
My suggestion:
Though Pothana lies quite close to the start of the trek, the views of the mountains you get from this little village make it well worth stopping off here; in fact you could stay overnight, or perhaps longer even.
My review
After a short walk of about an hour from Dhampus, Pothana finally came into view. The village lies at an altitude of 1,890 metres and is located on the side of a hill: the Nepalese people don't consider something of that height to be a mountain. It all depends on your point of view I suppose.
And talking of points of view, the village of Pothana benefits from quite superb panoramic views of Mount Machhapuchchhre and the other mountains in the local area. When the sky is clear, which it usually is at the beginning of the afternoon, the views are quite simply incredible, and you'll have the opportunity to take some very beautiful photos at such times. You'll notice that the village has forests of rhododendrons around it. If you happen to be here in the right season, you'll see these in bloom with enormous red flowers. Pothana is a lovely place to go and see when visiting Nepal.
*Following the powerful earthquakes that struck Nepal in April and May of 2015, the country is gradually being rebuilt. This article was written before that natural disaster occurred.
©
Hoffmann Simon
The last stop on the Annapurna balcony trek, Pothana is a small and charming village which marks the end of the Annapurna conservation area.
My suggestion:
I advise you to choose a guesthouse at the entrance to the village to enjoy the best view of the mountains.
My review
As you approach Pothana, you gradually get back into civilization: the trail from Landruk winds among beautiful cultivated terraces and turns into a muddy track where you cross a few motorbikes and 4x4 in the day.
On the way don't miss the little watermill that enables the inhabitants of the nearby villages to grind their grain.
When you arrive in Pothana, the view on the Machapuchare mountains is magnificent. I spent the afternoon admiring it from the garden of my guesthouse and had breakfast facing this spectacular view at sunrise: the perfect way to draw a close to an Annapurna balcony trek!
Are you ready to set out on this magnificent trek during your stay in Nepal?
©
Gaëlle Vincent
157 travelers' photos
