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Pokhara |
Pokhara an enchanting city nestled in the tranquil
valley (827m), is the starting point for many of Nepal's
most popular trekking and rafting destinations. The
serenity of Phewa Lake and the magnificence of the
fifth-tail summit of Machhapuchhre (6977m) rising behind
it creates an ambience of peace and magic. Situated 200
km west of Kathmandu, Pokhara is connected by air as
well by road from Kathmandu and Bhairawa, a border town
near India. Pokhara is the land of the Magars and
Gurungs who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha
soldiers. Brahmins, Chhetris and Thakalis are other
major communities here.
Getting There
Pokhara is located roughly 200 km west of Kathmandu. The
journey between these two famed cities is certainly part
of the Pokhara experience. Flying over the snow-capped
Himalaya to the north and green Mahabharat range to the
south is thrilling, while the overland journey past
sparse rural settlements nested along the Trisuli river
provides a view of life particular to Nepal's middle
hills. There are daily flight between Kathmandu and
Pokhara.
Discover the Heritage of Nature's Beauty and History:
The Pokhara valley is situated at an elevation of 915m
above sea level and 200m west of Kathmandu, the capital
city of Nepal. The rich ness of valley in pure natural
beauty is indeed one of the main attractions to the
visitors from all over the world. Just imagine the joy
of observing the majestic Himalayas, three peaks above
8000m. from an elevation of below 1000m. within a very
close aerial, distance. The valley are equally superb
giving as they do elevated close-ups to the snowy peaks.
Going pony riding is yet another way of enjoying Pokhara.
Every evening the Phewa lake area hosts numerous culture
programmes which affirm Pokhara’s folk culture “most of
the folk songs and dances that enliven Pokhara’s nights
evolved in the surrounding hills. The good cheer and
fellow feeling of the songs are reflected in the people
of Pokhara, sunny smiles and happy faces.
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Some of the Monuments to be seen Pokhara are :- |
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Phewa Lake
The second largest lake in the kingdom is the center of
all attraction in Pokhara. It is the largest and most
enchanting of the three lakes that add to the
resplendence of the resort town. The eastern shore,
popularly known as Lakeside or Baidam, is the favorite
home base for travellers and is where most of the
hotels, restaurants and handicraft shops are located.
Begnas Lake & Rupa Lake
These lakes are located about 15km from Pokhara at the
end of a road that turns north from the highway to
Kathmandu. Divided by a forested hillock called
Panchabhaiya Danda, the lakes offer the perfect nature
retreat because of their relative seclusion. Splendid
boating and fishing opportunities can be had here.
Barahi Temple
Built on an island in Phewa Lake, this two-storied
pagoda is decated to the boar manifestation of Ajima,
the protectress deity representing the female force.
Devotees can be seen, especially on Saturdays, carrying
animals across the lake to be sacrificed to the deity.
Devi's Fall
Locally known as Patale Chhango, Devis Fall is an
awesome waterfall lying about 2 km south- west of
Pokhara airport on the highway to Tansen. Legend has it
that a trekker (Devin, David...) was washed away by the
Pardi Khola and disappeared down into an underground
passage beneath the fall.
Gupteswor Gupha
This is a sacred cave located near Devi's fall. The cave
is almost 3 km long. It has some gin hall- size rooms
and some passages. This cave holds special value for
Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved
her in the condition it was discovered.
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- over20
meters! Mahendra Pul, a small bridge near the old
Mission Hospital, provides a perfect view of the river's
dreadful ruch and the deep gorge made by its powerful
flow.
Seti Gorge & Green Canyon
The viewpoint of the Fulbari Resort offers an unrivaled
panorama of the Annapurna range with Lamjung Himal,
Annapurna II, Annapurna IV, Machhapurchhre, Annapurna
III, Annapurna I and Annapurna South extending from
right to leave. A splendid vista of the Seti Gorge, a
deep and narrow gorge cut by the Seti River, and the
Green canyon spreads out below.
Mountain View
The moment you step into any part of Pokhara the first
thing that takes you to a spontaneous delight is the
gorgeous view of the gigantic mountains.
Pokhara is, in fact, the first and foremost convenient
point for mountain-oriented sightseeing. Mt. Annapurna,
literally meaning the Goddess of Abundant Harvest, lies
at a horizontal distance of 40 kilometers from the
valley of Pokhara which remains at an elevation of just
900 meters above the mean sea-level. Here is a clear
clue for the identification of mountain peaks visible
from Pokhara. At the extreme left isolated from the
massif is visible the peak of Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167 m.).
In order to have a clearer view of this peak, however,
it is advised to proceed to the south-east direction of
the valley past the airport. On the extreme left of the
massif, the bumpy peak in the foreground is Annapurna
South (7,219 m.). A little beyond the South Peak in the
background lies Annapurna I (8,091 m.). The most
imposing pyramidal peak in almost central fore-ground is
Mt. Machhapuchhre (Fish-Tail 6,997 m.). Slightly east
and back of this peak lies Annapurna III which almost
looks like the back of a camel.
Between Annapurna III (7,556 m.) and the nest mountain
with a characteristic rocky right flank which is
Annapurna II (7,937 m.) lies Annapurna IV (7,535 m.).
Separated from the main massif of the Annapurna, one
mighty mountain appears on the right; Lamjung Himal
(6,983 m.). Finally in the east Manaslu and Himalchuli
can be well spotted. For a long panoramic view of the
mountains from Dhoulagiri in the west to Ganesh Himal in
the distant east, you can drive as far as Titunga behind
the Institute of Forestry, Ram Bazaar in the
south-eastern part of the Pokhara Valley. This view
point can also be approached from Pokhara airport by
heading south-east parallel to the narrow gorge of the
Seti River and finally crossing the river over a natural
stone bridge called Dhungesanghu on the left side of the
Mahat Gaunda village
Mahendra Cave
It is another interesting natural site across the Seti
River past Batulechour village in the north of Pokhara
Valley. It is one of the few stalagmite-stalactite caves
found in Nepal. The cave has not yet been fully explored
and it conceals more than the present first galleries. A
flashlight is worthwhile to explore the interior.
Sarangkot
Bindabasini Temple along a ridge road to Sarangkot.
Annapurna range and overlook the valley of Pokhara to
enjoy the eye fast of the east. A view tower has been
built on the top of Sarangkot hill at an elevation of
1,600 meters.
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Picture of Pokhara |
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Current Tourism News |
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Nepal trekking /
travel related business was booming until 1999. After that, the
incessant conflict scared off tourists from visiting
Nepal and we are feeling the pinch of the fall in
tourist arrivals. There was a time when we recorded such
a huge flow of tourists that we used to turn back some.
As a professional Nepal tour operator we did not have sufficient
staff and equipment to handle all of them...
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