Overview

Pokhara is 200km west of Kathmandu Valley. It can be expressed as the adventure capital of Nepal. Most of the adventure treks and rafting trips lead or start from here. It is a serene valley with beautiful landscapes and has a tropical feel to it. The fantastic view of Machhapuchre (Fish Tail Mountain) 6,977 meter is mesmerizing and looks on the valley as its guardian, this mountain rising behind it creates an ambience of peace and magic. On a clear day the mountains seem very close from the valley. The Annapurna range holds the tourist in awe and makes Pokhara the most sought after destination after Kathmandu. The serenity of the lake cannot be expressed in words and leaves the tourist spellbound. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalayas.

Pokhara has a number of options for short or long treks and beautiful villages around the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri region. You can select from a variety of packages or decide your own short or long outings and make yourself feel the peace and magic in the midst of the famous hospitality of the Nepali people.

Pokhara offers other various adventure experiences including zip flyer, Paragliding, Bungee Jumping, ultra light flight, rafting etc. Apart from it, beers and live music are cool company in the pubs at Lakeside. Kathmandu Pokhara tour is undoubtedly best tour for the domestic and international tourists.

Trip Highlights

Phewa Lake – is the second largest lake in the Kingdom, is the center of all attraction in Pokhara.  Phewa Lake is Lakeside or Baidam, a thriving resort town of hotels, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops popular among travelers. Phewa Lake is a great place to relax with various leisure and water activities. Boaters usually also make it a point to visit Taal Barahi Temple dedicated to Ajima or Shakti, on a little strip of island in Phewa Lake. Equally popular are the Begnas and Rupa lakes which are a little out of town and offer refreshing breaks from the city humdrum. Boats can be hired in the lake vicinities.

Barahi Temple – is the temple in the middle of the lake. It is a two – storied pagoda and is dedicated to the boar manifestation of Ajima, the protectress deity representing the female force Shakti.

Old Bazaar & Bindhyavasini Temple: It is located four kilometers from Phewa Lake, this is very different from Lakeside. It is a traditional bazaar and a colorful meeting place for traders from different ethnic backgrounds. The temples and buildings here are very similar to the Newari architecture in Kathmandu. In the old bazaar you can also find one of the most important shrines in Pokhara, the Bindhyabasini Mandir. It is set on a shaded plinth and its white dome dominates a vast courtyard paved with stones.

Seti River Gorge – Seti Gandaki flows right through the city, in some places the river runs totally underground.  The river gorge can be seen from several spots in the city ie Mahendra Pul, K.I. Singh Pul and Prithvi Chowk Pul. From these spots, the river can be seen in all its ferocity gushing down the deep gorge that it has carved over millennia. Seti which literally means the White River originates from the Annapurna Massif. You can visit the gorge to see the boisterous river in its massive strength.

Devi’s fall – Locally known as the Patale Chhango (Hell’s Fall). Devi’s fall is a lovely waterfall. The water comes from the Phewa Lake and fall into a gorge. You could take a short adventure to a cave across the fall and can walk to an underground level below where you can see the beauty of the fall from the foot of the fall.

Gupteshwar Mahadev cave on the other side of the fall is one such cave carved by Devi’s Fall. The sacred shrine dedicated to Shiva is popular among the local residents and is seldom missed by tourists to Davi’s Fall.

Mahendra Cave: The limestone caves of Mahendra Gupha full of interesting features of stalactites and stalagmites are believed to have formed during the Pleistocene epoch (the Great Ice Age).  Located about 8 km north of Pokhara and locally known as the House of Bats, the caves were accidentally discovered in 1950s by young shepherds. Named after Late King Mahendra, the caves were studied for the first time by a team of speliologists from the United Kingdom in 1976.

Sarangkot is a popular tourist destination for those who arrive in Pokhara. It is located a hill on the western side of Pokhara with an altitude of 1600m. Sarangkot is known for panoramic Himalayan views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu. It also provides an expansive view of the city of Pokhara, from the extreme north to the south including the Phewa Lake. Tourists drive up the hill to watch the sunrise from the view tower at the top. In recent years, Sarangkot has been called one of the best paragliding locations in the world. The hike up from Pokhara Baglung highway at Miruwa to Sarangkot takes 90 minutes to 1.5hours.

World Peace Stupa: The World Peace Pagoda can be seen on top of a hill on the southern fringe of Phewa Lake. It has four images of the Buddha facing the four directions. The dome-shaped pagoda is an impressive sight, and its hilltop location commands a great view. It is a great vantage point which offers spectacular views of the Annapurna. Near the Peace Pagoda are Pumdi and Bumdi, two villages above Phewa Lake’s southern rim for exceptional views of the mountains.  They have the old style oval-shaped, red clay houses.

Along with Pokhara tour, you might be interested in going for Ghandruk, Ghorepani Poonhill Trek, etc. Also the recommended places to visit after Pokhara can be Muktinath tour where you can reach there with in same days from Pokhara by vehicle.

Itinerary