Hiking at the verge of Anapurna: Dhampus and Chitre village

I hiked to Dhanpus and back in a day. Its quite easy as there's a bus track you can follow or there's a more direct route from the village of Phedi more suited to mountain goats lol. Like you, I'm not that keen on long treks. I found the views of mountains from Dhanpus quite satisfying. The village its self is quite charming too. There is a bus upto Dhanpus sometime around 4pm otherwise Jeeps ply the track. Dhanpus is about as far as one can get without paying the fees, about $40. I was told there is a checkpoint but I didn't see it. Bus from Pokhara is about 20 minutes and the hike up from Phedi took me about 1 1/2 hours at a slow pace.

here's my blog and photos of the trip.
https://asiajottings.wordpress.com/ dont forget to scroll down.

PS I saw very few other trekkers. I hope this answers some of your original post. Happy hiking.

Dhampus: you can take a taxi to here from Pokhara. Not "untouristy" but also not hectic (pretty quiet). IF not too hazy (March-June can be very hazy), good views of Annapurnas. Some hikes (but venture the "wrong", but main way, and you will need TIMS and ACAP permits). Hike up from Phedi (a road stop, not a village) is up many many steps.

Chitre: If you mean Chitre above Tatopani and below Ghorepani, road (I believe, need confirmation) still does not reach here. Lots of hikes. (Some would require TIMS and ACAP)

A better, more authentic 2 day 1 night trek without any permit near Pokhara is the Panchase trek.

Thanks for the replies!

Paul, does the bus to Dhampus goes from old bus park in Pokhara? Do jeeps go from the same place? Did you see many guesthouses in Dhampus? What is an avarage cost for a room per night? By the way nice photos. I especially like the first one with mountain ranges. I guess that would be taken from Dhampus, no?

Landfall, yeah I know what you mean with unclear views. I am in Begnas and have not yet seen a Himalayan range from here :-/
When you say that hike from Phedi is up many steps, are you referring to that one hour hike that is advertised as Nature Walk from Dhampus? I would like to do that one.
I meant Chitre which is a bit southwest of Dhampus, above Panchase and bellow Salyan.

If there is a thick haze, you will not see anything from those altitudes either, you may need to go to 3000 or 4000 meter.
I, and others, have written warnings in this forum about the haze since the poor visibility last year.

"Paul, does the bus to Dhampus goes from old bus park in Pokhara? Do jeeps go from the same place? Did you see many guesthouses in Dhampus? What is an avarage cost for a room per night? By the way nice photos. I especially like the first one with mountain ranges. I guess that would be taken from Dhampus, no?"

Hi, SpaciousEarth,

I'm not sure about where the Dhanpus bus go's from but since all the other buses in that direction are from the Baglung bus park, i'd bet its from there too. Again, I don't know where the jeeps go from. I spotted about 3 guesthouses, there maybe more further along the track towards the checkpoint, I didn't explore all that way. To get the best views I'd suggest you stay overnight and get up at the crack of dawn. Clouds will start to form about 1/2 hour after sunrise at this time of year as the air begins to warm. I dont know the average cost but I'd say looking at the buildings it wouldn't be expensive. Food though is twice the price of what you can get in Pokhara. All those photos are from Dhanpush. I used a canon sx610

regards,
Paul

Hi Paul
Bus will go to Dhampus so no need to walk.It also not need permit and if you like to see mountain it is the nice location and if you are interested to stay with local people it may another new experience for you there.
Regards
UnlimitedKB

I returned today from Dhampus villlage and was indeed very nice. As evening as approaching (at around 5pm), the haze started clearing and the Himalayan range was visible in the distance. Worthwhile seeing that if you don't have an opportunity to come closer to the mountains or don't want to do trekking.

Buses to Dhampus go from Hari Chowk, and the price is 200 RS for tourists, 100 for locals. I stayed in Excellent View guesthouse, which indeed has an excellent view and the price is 200 RS for one person.

I found the views of mountains from Dhanpus quite satisfying. The village its self is quite charming too.

here's my blog and photos of the trip.

https://asiajottings.wordpress.com/

That’s a bunch of great photos from around Pokhara!