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Pokhara is a piece of heaven on the earth
About Pokhara: Pokhara is a remarkable place of natural beauty. Situated at an altitude of 827m from the sea level and 200km west of Kathmandu valley, the city is known as a center of adventure. The enchanting city has several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panoramic views of Himalayan range.
Pokhara is part of a once vibrant trade route extending between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of Magars and Gurungs, hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their entrepreneurship.
The activities of foreign visitors to Pokhara focus around two districts known as Damside and Lakeside (or Pardi and Baidam, in Nepali, respectively). These two areas, with their strips of hotels and restaurants, are a few kilometers south-west of the main Pokhara bazaar.
Some Places to visit in Pokhara
Phewa Lake: Phewa Lake, the second largest lake in the kingdom, roughly measuring 1.5 km by 4 km, is the center of all attractions in Pokhara. The enchanting lake is an idyllic playground. Brightly painted wooden boats and sailboats can be rented on reasonable cost around lakeside.
The eastern shoreline of the lake, popularly known as Lakeside or Baidam, consists of seemingly endless strip of lodges, restaurants, bookshops and souvenir shops. One of the fascinating parts of lakeside is the splendid view of the mountains, especially when the still water reflects the peaks, creating a double image.
Begnas Lake and Rupa Lake: The lakes are located about 15km from Pokhara at the end of a road that turns north from the highway to Kathmandu. Divided by the forested hillock called PanchabhaiyaDanda, the lakes offer the perfect nature retreat because of their relative seclusion. Splendid boating and fishing can be done here.
Barahi Temple: This is the most important religious monument in Pokhara. Built almost in the middle of Phewa Lake, the two storied pagoda is dedicated to the boar manifestation of Ajima, the protectress deity representing the female force Shakti. Devotees can be seen, especially on Saturdays, carrying male animals and fowl across the lake to be sacrificed to the deity.
World Peace Pagoda: The pagoda is a massive Buddhist Stupa and is situated on top of a hill on the southern shore of Phewa Lake. Besides being an impressive sight in itself, the shrine is a great vantage point which offers spectacular views of the Annapurna range and Pokhara city. You can get there crossing the lake by boat and then hiking up the hill.
Seti Gandaki: Flowing right through the city, the boisterous river runs completely underground at places. Amazingly, at certain points the river appears hardly two meters wide. But its depth is quite beyond imagination - over 20 meters! MahendraPul, a small bridge near the old Mission Hospital, provides a perfect view of the river's dreadful rush and the deep gorge made by its powerful flow.
Devi's fall: Locally known as PataleChhango (Hell's fall), Devi's fall (also known as Devin's or David's) is an awesome waterfall lying about 2 km south-west of Pokhara airport on the highway to Tansen. An interesting modern legend says that a foreigner named David was skinny-dipping in the PardiKhola (river) when the floodgates of the dam were opened, sweeping him into an underground passage beneath the fall, never to be seen again.
Gupteswar Gupha (Cave): GupteswarGupha, a sacred cave, lies 2 km from Pokhara airport on the Siddhartha Highway leading southwest from the city. The entrance is right across from Devi's fall and the cave is almost 3 km long. It has some big hall-size rooms and some passages where you have to crawl on all fours. This cave holds special value for Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved here in the condition it was discovered.
Mahendra Gupha (Cave): MahendraGufa, locally called ChameroOdhaar ("House of Bats"), is the large limestone cave. Shepherd boys are said to have discovered it around 1950. A two hour walk to the north of Pokhara, it is best to bring your own torch to see the stalactites and stalagmites, although most of them have been carved out by souvenir hunters.
The Old Bazaar: Pokhara's traditional bazaar is colorful and so are its ethnically diverse traders. In its temples and monuments can be seen ties to the Newar architecture of the Kathmandu Valley. Located about 4 km from Lakeside, the market's original charm is alive and well.
Bindbyabasini Temple: Bindhyabasini temple is the center of religious activity in the old bazaar. It is dedicated to goddess Bhagwati, yet another manifestation of Shakti. Worshippers flock here to perform sacrifices, and especially on Saturdays the park like grounds take on a festive fair.
Pokhara Museum: Located between the airport and MahendraPul, reflects the ethnic mosaic of western Nepal. The lifestyles and history of ethnic groups such as the Gurung, Thakali and the Tharu are attractively displayed. Open daily, except Tuesdays and holidays, from 10 am to 4 pm.
Annapurna Museum: Also known as the Natural History Museum, is located at Prithvi Narayan Campus east of the old bazaar. Managed by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the museum has an exceptional collection of butterflies, insects, birds, and models of wildlife as well as samples of various precious and semi-precious stones and volcanic rocks.
Nightlife and Entertainment: There is not much of nightlife in Pokhara other than dining. The town shuts down by about 10:30 in the evening. Until you can hang out some of the bars and pubs that are becoming trendy in the Pokhara area. Fishtail Lodge puts up an hour long nightly Nepali cultural show with dances and such.
About Around Pokhara: Pokhara is the starting and ending point for many of the popular trekking routes in Nepal. Longer treks (one to three week long) such as the Jomsom trek, Annapurna Circuit, and Annapurna Sanctuary begin here. Check a book on Nepal trekking for more details on this. Otherwise, you can also visit this site www.nepaleasytrek.com for information on trekking books of Nepal.
For those with less time, Pokhara also provides shorter (one to seven days) more leisurely treks around the neighboring hills and villages. The popular ones are:
About Ghachowk Trek: Two days, a circuit through Lhachowk to Ghachowk and down to Batulechaur, north of Pokhara, close up view of Fishtail Mountain.
About Naudanda Trek: two days, to Naudanda from Suikhet and then back through Kaski, west of Pokhara.
About Ghorepani Circuit: five days long, up to the Gurung village of Ghandruk village, great views of the Annapurna range, north-west of Pokhara.
About KahunDanda: day trip, north east of Pokhara, 1560m altitude.
About Sarangkot: Day trip, great view of the Mountain range including Dhaulagiri, north of Fewa Lake, 1592m altitude.
Bandipur Village, Mountain View & Special Local Village Easy Tour
About Bandipur: Bandipur is one of the famous tourist village located in the Tanahu district. Bandipur was established as a funneling point of trade by Newar traders from Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu valley after it had been conquered in 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah. They took advantage of its malaria free location to develop it into an important stop along the India Tibet trade route. With them they brought their cultural heritage and architecture which basically has remained unchanged to this day.
Originally a simple Magar village in the early 19th Century, Bandipur developed into prosperous trading center and a community with town-like features: substantial buildings, with their neoclassical façades and shuttered windows and streets paved with slabs of silverfish slate.
