The trail from Khopra to Swanta loses around 1,450 m in 4–5 hours, first across open grazing land, then down through rhododendron and oak forest to the terraced fields above the village. In the herding season you pass shelters where families from the lower villages spend summer and autumn with their animals, making butter and cheese and drying it on racks inside. Watch your footing on the steeper forest sections, which stay damp in the shade.
Swanta is a Magar village of stone houses and kitchen gardens on the slopes above the Myagdi side. A few households run small lodges, and the area is known among trekkers for its cheese, made from yak and cow milk. It is not a factory: production is small and seasonal, and what is available depends on the time of year. Your guide can ask around and arrange a tasting with tea in one of the lodges.
From Swanta, the trail climbs about 660 m back to Ghorepani in around 4 hours, reconnecting with the main Poon Hill circuit. Many trekkers spend the night in Swanta to break the descent, which also gives you an evening in a village that sees far fewer visitors than Ghorepani. The dal bhat here is cooked with home-grown vegetables and is among the best on the route. Rooms are simple and the evening is quiet, with the lights of the Myagdi villages below.
Good for
- Families
- Couples
- Groups
- First-timers
Questions travellers ask
Where is Swanta on the Khopra trek?
Swanta is a Magar village at about 2,214 m on the slopes south-west of Ghorepani. On a loop through Khopra it is either your first stop after leaving Ghorepani or your last before returning there. It is about 4–5 hours below Khopra and 4 hours from Ghorepani, so it splits the route neatly into manageable days.
Can vegetarians eat well on the Khopra trek?
Yes, very well. Dal bhat with lentils, rice, vegetable curry and greens is available at every lodge and refilled without extra charge. Swanta's cheese and potatoes add variety. Meat is rarely on the menu on the ridge and is often not fresh when it is, so many trekkers, not only vegetarians, stick to vegetarian food above Swanta.
Is Swanta cheese available all year?
No. Cheese making is small-scale and depends on the herding season and how much milk the animals give, so supply varies through the year and between years. Late summer and autumn are usually best. If none is available, the village lodges still serve good potatoes, fresh vegetables and buckwheat bread instead.
