Day 1 of ABC Trek

Nayapul (3,510ft) to Ulleri (6,726ft)
10km / 6.2 miles

10/21/25

After 25+ hours of travel to Kathmandu, 2 days in the city to sightsee, a short flight to Pokhara and one night there, we finally arrived at the start of our trek. We woke up before the sun and had breakfast at 7, then back up to the room to pack the porter bag.

ABC Day 1 packing

At 8 we loaded into the car with our guide Raj our porter Sumon and began the 1.5 hour journey from Pokhara to Naya Pul over narrow, rocky roads marred by landslides, passing motorbikes and more-cautious cars along the way. Today I am thankful for Dramamine! Nearing our destination, we looked up the cliff to our right to see a turned-over truck that had veered off the cliff, taking out a water line on the way. A symbol of caution to drivers. At last we crossed a narrow bridge and emerged into a crowd of hikers waiting to begin their trek. At 9:40, we began!

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With the sun beating down so hot, it wasn’t long before we de-layered. We wound our way up a gravel road with the occasional car, bike, and even bus squeezing past us. For nearly 3 hours we trod up a very gentle ascent with small hills interspersed with flat sections.

Rice paddies and the smell of homemade wine are everywhere. I note the plentiful banana, guava, and zucchini plants growing on the hillside.

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We pause frequently in the shade to cool off, drink water, and once to try a guava that Sumon had bought from a woman outside a teahouse.

At around noon we decide it’s a good idea to stop for lunch at one of the many tea houses interspersed along the road – a feast of vegetable fried rice and a cool sprite to give us energy for the second half of the trek.

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Lunch took about an hour. It felt so nice to have my shirt and pants dry from the sweat. Then we grabbed our bags and carried on.

We continued for maybe 30 minutes more on the road before we turned off the road and onto an actual hiking trail – that’s when the stairs began (oh how naive we were on day 1, we had no idea the STAIRS in store for us). It was gentle though at first – up a few steps, then flat walking past some tea houses, then a few more steps.

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Another 30-45 minutes later, we crossed a suspension bridge and we could see Ulleri on the opposing hillside. I didn’t think it looked too far but the look on Raj’s face said otherwise.

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One more suspension bridge over the gorge and we were officially on the other side, starting the climb to Ulleri. The steps were relentless – just never-ending.

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We got a brief respite when, from up ahead around a curve, I could hear the clanging of a bell. When I turned the corner, I saw a big momma cow right on the trail and a bunch of goats clearing the weeds from the hillside next to it. I shouted down to my sis to give her some motivation to get up there and when I turned back around, 3 youngsters had also emerged to follow mom. We sat at the edge of the trail to watch them go and give them space, but one little one took great interest in my shoes and even licked my leg!

At some point we got our first glimpse of the massive peaks looming behind the hills.

We spent hours climbing these stairs with nothing much to note. It was mostly a test of mental endurance. At some point I took my sisters backpack to help relieve her a bit – at least I’m used to climbing up and up for hours, but she doesn’t have any mountains around where she lives so this was a new experience. Her motivation for the day of getting to Ulleri was simply a shower. So I encouraged her by telling her all about the shower waiting for her at the top. I have no idea if it helped.

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We reached Ulleri and our tea house exactly 8 hours after starting, at 5:45pm just before sunset. We were quick to get changed, have a shower, eat dinner, and pass right out in bed immediately after.

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