Pokhara is the perfect place to start your once in a lifetime trekking venture in Nepal. On top of that, a perfect place to witness the beautiful Phewa lake dotted with colorful rowing boat, and the breathtaking view of 8000+ meters high snow-covered Annapurna mountain range during sunset and sunrise. In my opinion, If you are interested to see Nepal from a different perspective, then a trip to Pokhara is a must.
Driving or Trekking To The World Peace Pagoda
One of the most popular activities in Pokhara is visiting the World Peace Pagoda on top of Anadu Hill, also known as Shanti Stupa. The hill is located adjacent to the Phewa Lake with a beautiful view overlooking the Pokhara city, the lake, the Sarankot, and the Annapurna range, including the Fishtail mountain.
There are different ways to get there. By Taxi, renting a scooter, by local bus or the most popular way is to cross the lake by a boat and then hour-long moderate hiking up to the summit. From the hilltop parking lot, we needed to climb up the stairs to get to the stupa. There many restaurants and souvenir shops on both sides of the stairs so if you get tired of climbing, just catch your breath shopping or having a drink in one of those restaurants. If you are trekking, then early morning is the best time to do it otherwise for the excellent photo opportunity visit during the sunset.
Visit Kahun Danda View Point, Pokhara
Kahun Danda is a lesser-visited viewpoint that offers spectacular views of the northern side of Fewa (Fehwa) Lake and the reflections of the Mt. Fishtail and the beautiful snow-capped Annapurna range on the lake water. Great panoramic photographic opportunity on a clear day. At the top, there are two restaurants good for lunch or dinner with a great view.
The easiest way to go up to the View Tower at the elevation of 4740 ft (1444 m) is by taxi. Renting a motorbike is cheap in Pokhara, so that is another option. But the most adventures one is trekking, this is one of the shortest and enjoyable treks in Pokhara. The 2 hours trekking is ideal for the people who do not have the time to go for week-long trekking. Also, this is much comfortable mountain hiking through the pretty villages and getting to know locals and their lifestyles.
Visit Matepani Monastery
On your way back from Kahun Dada, another place worth visiting is the Matepani Gumba (Buddhist Monastery) located on a small hill. Aside from its spiritual importance, the monastery has outstanding scenic beauty, and on a clear day, perfect vantage points to observe the valley, Annapurna range and Mt. Fishtail. Interestingly I saw a few visitors were trekking to get up there.
Boat Ride in Phewa Lake (Fewa Lake)
Boating in Phewa Lake is one of the best things to do in Pokhara, Nepal. Especially in the evening during the sunset or morning sunrise, the entire environment surrounding the lake becomes spectacular. The view of Fishtail mountain and Annapurna mountain range reflects in the lake, the world peace pagoda on the hilltop, and the Tal Barahi temple in the middle of the lake, and the paragliders near Sarangkot makes the scene absolutely beautiful to watch. One of the popular places for trekking.
Spend an Evening By The Lake
Apart from rowing your boat in the lake and enjoy the surrounding while trekking, you can also take the picturesque Phewa lakeside walking trail. This is a clean and most enjoyable walk is in the morning and evening. The lakeside sidewalk is dotted with cafes, restaurants, pubs, and a few of the makeshift joints worth checking them out. This place is a perfect spot in Pokhara for chilling out in the evening. There are many restaurants, and food joints lined up by the lake where people spend their evenings chilling out. I would recommend to get an outdoor table in one of the restaurants facing the lake, have a cold beer and enjoy live music.
Early Morning Trip To Sarangkot Viewpoint
Sarangkot Viewing Point is, without a doubt, the best place to observe the Annapurna range during the sunrise. The early morning view is spectacular while the sun rises slowly in the horizon, and the first light hits the 8,000+ m peaks of the Anapurna range in the distance.
Getting up there is easy, but if you want to see the spectacular sunrise, then definitely need to start early from your hotel. Around 5 am give or take a few minutes depending on the time of the year.
The ride to the top at the elevation of 5,500 ft (1592 m) takes about 45 minutes from lakeside hotels. Then visitors need to climb up steep steps for 15 – 20 minutes, from the parking area, which requires good health for sure. Even the sunrise is at 6:50 at the time of our visit, but we needed to be up there at 6:00 am because as the sun rises slowly in the horizon, and the first light hit the snow-covered 8,000m peaks of the Annapurna range and fishtail mountain peak way before that. The view is magnificent, as snow shines so bright as if they are on fire.
There are a number of chai stalls and tea houses just near the viewpoint which serve fresh tea or coffee, perfect for the early morning view tower visitors but they need to come down a little to get there.
Visit Devi’s Falls
Devi’s waterfalls in Pokhara, located right across the Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, about 5 km from Lakeside road. The 500 feet long and 100 feet deep fall is best viewed during the rainy season between June to September. It is also known as “Patale Chhango” which means “Underworld Waterfall.” as it falls down some rocks before disappearing into an underground tunnel heading to Gupteshwar Mahadev cave. We went there in winter, so it was not that exciting for us.
Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, Pokhara
From Davi’s Falls, Gupteshwor Mahadev cave is just across the street. We had to go down the stairs to get inside. I did not find something impressive but came to know that it is Nepal’s most famous cave. As usual, the cave was wet all over, needed to protect my camera in places. I saw visitors wearing a helmet to protect their head from dripping water and the low ceiling also using their own head torch as some of the areas were dark. I think it worth visiting if you are in that area and combining your trip with some other attractions like World Peace Stupa hike, Tibetan settlement, and Devi’s fall.
Checking Out Bindabasini Temple, Pokhara
Bindabasini Temple is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Pokhara, Nepal, well known for its shrine dedicated to Goddess Durga, the sacred place for Hindu worshippers. It is located near Bhimsen tole Bazaar at the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful view of Pokhara city and surrounding mountains in the far distance. It is worth visiting Bindabasini while in Pokhara. The temple is crowded on Saturdays, and during Durga Puja, thousands of devotees pore in to worship Goddess Durga and sacrifice animals and birds.
Nepalese food and drinks worth trying
Nepalese food is typically a bend of Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese ingredients. Dal Bhat is a popular item throughout Nepal, available for vegetarians and non-vegetarian. This dish will keep you full for a while a combination of lentil soup, rice, vegetables.
Nepalese momo (Tibetan style dumplings) is one of the most popular foods in Nepal. It is usually fried or steamed dumplings filled with steamed vegetables or meat, served with local dippings sometimes spicy.
I also loved Newari food, tried a variety of Newari indigenous dishes and found them delicious. Donut like crunchy sweet-flavored puffy Sel Roti is made of rice flower usually popular for breakfast or snack. There are a few local beers I liked, including Gorkha, Everest, and Namaste.
Lunch at Nepasa Bhojan Restaurant
Just next to our hotel, we found a Newari food joint called Nepasa Bhojan, well known for the indigenous taste of Nepal. An excellent choice to have our lunch over there before heading to the lake for a boat ride. The Tibetan style cooking was delicious, mostly meat items and we loved them all.
Where Did I Stay In Pokhara
Glacier Hotel & Spa, Lakeside Road, Pokhara
The location of this hotel could not be better, right by the beautiful Phewa Lake, and the rowing boat pier is across the street. Walking distance to many attractions in town.
Hotel rooms are spacious and clean with a beautiful view of the snow-covered Annapurna mountain range. Breakfast at the hotel was delicious. The complimentary airport pick-up and drop-off was an added service we appreciate. I would stay there again.
Helpful Information
It will always be an excellent time to visit Nepal, even in winter, depending on your interest. When norther part of the country coated with snow and the landscape becomes unbelievably beautiful. Despite the fact that temperature may drop to freezing and high altitude mountainous areas may experience heavy snowfall still winter is a great season to visit Nepal.
In my opinion, Spring (March to May) and Autumn (October to Mid December) is the best time to visit Nepal. Weather remains pleasant for hikers, and rain disappears, makes it a great time for outdoor activities. This season is also perfect for photographers, as Nepal exposes it’s total beauty to the world during this season. Summer (June to August) may get very hot, and your travel itinerary may get impacted by monsoon rain.
Getting to Nepal
Since Spring (March to May) and Autumn (October to Mid December) is peak tourist season, so expect pricy accommodation and fully booked flights to Kathmandu, the only international airport in Nepal. Airfares vary depending on the time of the year from several major regional hubs such as Kolkata, Dhaka, Bangkok, Delhi, China and more. There are no direct flight to Kathmandu (KTM, Tribhuvan International Airport) from Europe, America, Africa, and Australia.
By Air
The majority of visitors travel to Nepal by air from international destinations, and I saw direct flights from Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, Dubai, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, and India, to name a few.
By Road
Apart from taking a direct flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and other times from Bangkok to Kathmandu, I have also taken a road trip once from Shiliguri, India to Kathmandu. The road trip was time-consuming but very exciting; on my way, I was able to see things that I would haven’t seen otherwise. There are other adventurous road trips from China via Tibet which is very popular among tourists. For a guided tour from Tibet to Kathmandu by road, check this link.
I found that Nepal is one of the most affordable countries in the world to travel. Getting around in the capital city Kathmandu and the 2nd largest city Pokhara is not expensive. Taxis are cheap; all you need to do is negotiate the price before the trip as no one uses the meter.
To and From The Airport in Kathmandu
At the airport, you will find a taxi counter, pre-booked taxi from KTM airport to your hotel in Thamel (a famous tourist district) would cost you around 800 NRS (US$ 7). If you flag down a taxi from Thamel to the airport, it would cost you less about 600 NRS just to give an idea.
Lot of people ask me this question how many days is good for Nepal. Actually, it depends, I usually think the other way around, like how many days do I have to spend, and based on that, I do tailor my itinerary. Even though Nepal is geographically small, but the mountainous region and bumpy spiral roads make it feel like a much larger country, and moving from one place to another may take longer than usual.
During this trip, I had only seven days to spend, so I did plan accordingly without any serious trekking in the Himalayan picturesque terrain, which requires an additional 8 to 10 days minimum.
To cover Kathmandu valley and surrounding attractions, you need at least 3 to 4 days. An additional 3 to 4 days is enough if you want to visit Pokhara. Here I have put together a detailed seven days activities in this post.
Visa on arrival
Many nationals are eligible for visa on arrival. I applied online eVisa that made the entire visa process much quicker and allowed me to avoid the long queue at the airport. All I had to do is pay US$ 25 (for US Citizens) at one of the cashier counters.
For US citizens visa fee is US$ 25 for 15-days, US$ 40 for 30-days, and US$ 100 for 90-days.
If you did not apply online eVisa before your arrival, then there is nothing to worry about because as soon as you land, you will find many visa machines, fill out the required informations, print out a copy and then head to the cashier.
Local Currency
The Nepalese currency is called “Rupees” at the time of this writing; the value was 1 US$ = 114 Rupees. There are ATMs available all over. I used one of the ATM at the airport with a minimum charge, which helped me pay the taxi fare and also buy the SIM card for my cell phone.
SIM Card for Cell Phone
Buying a SIM card at Kathmandu Airport is easy. I bought a Ncell SIM, the most popular one in Kathmandu. All you need is a photo, your passport, and fill out a form. I paid 300 rupees for the SIM and 250 rupees for 7 days 4GB data plan. A 3-days with 2GB data plan will cost you 150 rupees, and a 30-days with 16GB is 1050 rupees.
My Opinion and Last Word
Have you been to Pokhara, Nepal? Any cool tips to share?
I loved being in Pokhara and want to go back again. I hope my story has motivated you to plan your visit.
Please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you to improve my knowledge.
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