Pokhara is number 1 adventure and leisure city, a trekking gateway to the Annapurna region trekking with plenty of entertainment for individual travellers as well as families with kids. In Pokhara you can experience the best in trekking, boating, hiking, mountainbiking, paragliding or simply relax at one of the lakes near the city with the stunning Annapurna mountain range at the background. For best of leisure and adventure or simple relaxation with stunning the Annapurnas as backdrop, pokhara is the best city in Nepal.
Pokhara will overwhelm you with one of the greatest photo spots in the world. While you walk along the shores of the Fewa lake you will be surrounded by a panoramical view over the Himalayan peaks of the Annapurna Massif that reflect in this lake. A beautiful color combination that is created by the wooden boats and paragliders that are sailing, flying and rowing over the lake is probably going to be one of the highlights of your travel experience in Nepal.
Pokhara is well-known as a starting point for various trekking trail and expeditions in the Annapurna . Most of the hikers and trekkers for Annapurna and Ghandruk,respectively, build Pokhara as their first stop, or as relaxing station before they head out for serious walking. So, one may enjoy boating and reading books observing the serenity of the nature, or enjoy a couple of drinks, either in local restaurants or at a blues bar, or may simply enjoy sightseeing or cycling around the city.
There are plenty of souvenir shops in the market section of the city. Pokhara produces some of the finest handicrafts in the country. There are many activities to do in the city like, short hike to Sarangkot is highly recommended, which offers the magnificent sight of the sunset, sunrise, and of the whole city beneath. Davis Waterfall, a sublime waterfall in the city is another excursion not to be missed.
Pokhara has also developed as an adventure destination in the last decade, offering everything from ultralight flying to paragliding, and from skydiving and ziplining to bungee jumping, Pokhara is a complete holiday package for a perfect vacation.
World Peace Stupa Pokhara
World Peace Stupa is located on the southern side of Phewa lake in the top of the mountain. It is one of the best and popular hiking destination in Pokhara.
Its obvious reason is from the top of the hill you’ll get the spectacular mountain views of the Annapurna range. The Peace Pagoda has four main Buddha statues. All these statues reflect four prominent stages of Buddha’s life. First where he was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Second where he become enlightened in Bodhgaya, India. Third where he taught most of his lifetime in Sarnath, India and lastly where he reached nirvana at Kushinagar, India.
Sarangkot Hill Staion for Sunrise
Make hiking plans with your best buddy when you’re in Pokhara. A short hiking trip will be irresistible once you’ve visited Sarangkot. It is popular tourists’ destination lies at an altitude of 1600 meters, northwest of Pokhara. To reach the top of the hill, you can hike for two or three hours from Pokhara lakeside. If you don’t like to hike then you can also take a taxi from Pokhara and walk for one hour to reach the main viewpoint. Sarangkot is also a popular paragliding launching point. If you’re planning visit Pokhara then you shouldn’t miss Sarangkot sunrise view. I bet if you experience this moment then it is going to be a tremendous experience of your life. From the top of the hill, you’ll get some fantastic views of massive peaks like Mt. Machhapuchhre, Dhaulagiri, Ganesh, Manaslu, and Annapurna.
Phewa Lake
Phewa lake is the second largest lake of Nepal and the largest lake of Pokhara valley. It is located in the south of the Pokhara at an altitude of 742 m/2,432 ft above sea level. It covers an area of about 5.23 square kilometer and it has an average depth of about 8.6 m (28 ft). The Phewa lake is one of the major attraction for foreign and national travelers as well. As in the middle of the lake, there is a temple of Barahi in the Island. A number of visitors visit the temple and take boating experience on this lake. Barahi temple is the religious monument built in the middle of the lake. Besides this, you can also get a great view of Mt. Macchapucchre from the Phewa Lake, the next attraction of the lake.
Begnas Lake
After Phewa Lake, Begnas Lake is another popular lake in around Pokhara valley. The lake is one of the favorite sites of the tourists where you can see many tourists visiting here. Begnas lake is a magnificent sight to behold. You’ll see how the lake is flowing in between the clean, green, and peaceful environment. It is the second largest lake among the eight of the lakes that are found in Pokhara valley. The lake is 10 meters deep (max) has covered a surface area of 3.28 sq. Km. As the name implies city of lakes it has wonderful lakes where you can do boating and drown your all stress. In addition, you can do something interesting like fishing. Enjoy the pristine natural setting of the placid lake surrounded by lush greenery and overlooked by Himalayan peaks.
Mahendra Cave
Mahendra cave is one of the attractive cave in the city of Pokhara and is situated close to Bat’s cave. This cave attracts a huge number of tourists. In the mid portion of the cave, you’ll see a statue of the Hindu Lord Shiva. The cave has been named after the Late King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The natural tunnel of the cave is illuminated by artificial lighting systems. This cave is rich with different types of rock, glittering stones, and big boulders of rock. The interesting fact of this cave is the different stones glitter when a beam of a light strike in it.
Bat’s Cave
Pokhara has several caves and all these caves are home to the nocturnal flying Dracula known as the Bat. This cave is located a little far from the Mahendra cave in the west. Though the entrance is narrower but the inner part of the cave is wide enough. This cave is home to bats as it gives shelter to more than fifteen thousands of bats of different species. You’ll find the inners wall of the cave is carved with different images of elephant tusk, Gods, and Goddess.
Gupteshwor Temple
Gupteshwor temple is a sacred place for the Hindu pilgrims. As a symbolic Shivalinga is preserved in the cave. It is believed the Shivling inside the cave is in the same position since it was explored. It lies 2 km away from an airport on the Siddhartha Highway leading southwest from the city. The cave has been divided into two sections. One part of the cave is 40 meters in length with natural caves and the Shivalinga. To reach the shrine you’ve to climb a thousand stairs.
The second part begins after this temple and leads to Davis Fall. The entrance is 2 meters high and 3 meters wide. You’ve to pass few hall rooms which have many passages. Some passages are so small that you might need to crawl.
Bindabasini Temple
It lies at 3,000 ft above from the sea level. It is Hindu based religion temple built in a Pagoda style. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga also known as Shakti or Kali and many manifestations. Many Hindu people come to this temple for worshipping and marriage ceremony. From this temple, you can also enjoy the fabulous views of the city and the mountain ranges including Machhapuchhre and Annapurna.
David’s Falls
It is one of the major tourist attraction spots in Pokhara. Pokhara is the city of Nepal famous for its waterfalls and Davids fall is one of them. This marvelous waterfall cascades down at the south side of the Phewa lake in Pokhara. It is in the gorge of the Seti river. It is an area known for its beauty and tranquility and the legend of Devi’s fall add a touch of mystery to this site. You can visit this site at any time at it is open on daily of the week. The mysterious fact of this waterfall is water of this fall comes from the Phewa lake, which eventually rushes down the waterfall and disappears. The best time to visit this site is during monsoon season as the volume of the water increased significantly.
International Mountaineering Museum
International Mountaineering Museum is another destination for a day’s visit. It is located in the tranquility of the city Ratopahiro Pokhara Submetroplis-17.
Here, you can explore past to present of mountaineering in Nepal, Japan, Slovakia, and other countries as well. The museum features an excellent collection of flora and fauna collected from the Himalayas and other regions. You can see a mountain model of Mt. Manaslu, Mt. Everest, and a complete 3D model of mountains from the Himalayas here. This museum lets you know beyond Everest and introduces other mountains of the Himalayas too. Exploring this museum will be fun and interesting which highlights the climbing of some of the world’s highest and most difficult ascents. You can also see gear from several decades ago, what people used to climb some of the highest mountains in the world. You’ll find the visit to International Mountaineering Museum informative too.
Paragliding in Pokhara
Paragliding in Nepal is one of the exciting adventure sport. Nepal forms a rectangle on the southern slopes of the Himalaya and is without exception, the most stunning country imaginable. The main area for paragliding is the Pokhara valley recently another spot is open in Kathmandu that is in Nagarkot for paragliding lovers. From Pokhara you can have commanding views of 3 of the worlds 8000m peaks with friendly and constant conditions for your paragliding holiday.
You have breathtaking depth of 700 meter or higher for the unparalleled Shangri-La that lies beneath the Himalayan range offering a scenic ecstasy of the valleys and lush green jungles combined with an infinitive visibility of clear Himalayas all around you, all ready to add another dimension in your flight adrenals. November, December and January are the best three months for Paragliding in Nepal. Superb weather and excellent mountain visibility during those months. Annapurna region, also known as the arms of Pokhara valley, is the best location for paragliding in Nepal. Sites around the Phewa Lake are popular, one such is the Sarangkot hill, which provides a breathtaking viewpoint of 700m above the Pokhara.