Pokhara is a famous city in Nepal. It is full of natural beauty with it’s surrounding gentle and clean. Pokhara is located in the west part of Nepal which is 200 km from the Capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. We can say 200 km far from Tribhuvan International Airport. Pokhara is a part of the Annapurna Region as well as the land of Gurung people which is a big valley surrounding by Mountains and Hill.
Learn why Pokhara is the best hub for tourists and why it welcomes so many tourists in Nepal?
How to reach Pokhara?
It’s a common question, so read the simple answer here. Once you land in Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu), if you have booked your Pokhara trip with Travel Agency then they will assist you, if not and you have planned yourself then here some tips.
1) By Airplane:
From Kathmandu to Pokhara, you can go by airplane.
How to get Tickets for flight?
You can buy tickets online or if you are in Kathmandu city, then there are many travel companies where you can buy a ticket easily. Also, you can get help from your hotel staff while you are in Kathmandu. Once you have got a ticket, take a taxi to domestic airport which is the same airport (Tribhuvan International Airport) but different terminal (Taxi driver will help you) or you can use a tourist vehicle from a travel agency to reach the airport. Once you are in the airport, get boarding pass then fly to Pokhara. Once you have landed at Pokhara airport take a taxi from there to reach the hotel which you have booked.
2) By Private vehicle:
The other option to reach Pokhara is by private vehicle.
How to get private vehicles for your Pokhara Trip?
Nowadays, you can book private vehicles online. If you have already booked and once you are in Kathmandu, do contact the company, if not booked then it is very easy to book. You can book from your hotel where you stay or there are many travel and vehicle companies. If you have your own private vehicle to get Pokhara then it takes around 6 hours. The benefit, if you use private vehicle is, you can stop on the way for a lunch break, take pictures and look scenery. After 6 hours journey, you will be in Pokhara. The driver will drop you to your booked accommodation place.
3) By Tourist Bus and public bus:
There is another way to reach Pokhara and that is by Tourist Bus or Public Bus.
How to get Tickets?
You can get a tourist bus ticket in Kathmandu from your hotel through the travel company. Tourist Bus park is in Sorakhutte which is very near to City Center (Thamel ). From Thamel, you can walk to Bus Park and get a bus. If you stay out of the city center then take a taxi to Bus Park and catch your bus.
If you love to travel by public bus then take a taxi to New Bus Park for Pokhara public bus counter, buy tickets and start your journey to Pokhara. Kathmandu to Pokhara bus journey takes around 8 hours. You can see nice scenery on the way.
Tourist bus goes very near to lakeside where many Hotel, Restaurant, and travel company resides. It means, most of the traveler stays on the lakeside. From tourist Bus Park to lakeside you can walk with a beautiful lake view. If you travel by public bus then they will stop in Prithvi Chowk, once you get there then take a taxi to your destination where you booked your Hotel.
Where to stay and eat?
If you are traveling to Pokhara then at first you need to find out where to stay.
How to find accommodation?
To find accommodations in Pokhara is very easy. There are some specific places to accommodate and they are Lake Side, Baidam, Pirthivi Chowk, Pame and other places. Lake Side is more famous because most of the tourist Hotels, Resorts, lodges, and Hostels are there. Lakeside is more near from Pokhara Airport and Tourist Bus Park.
Where to eat?
In lakeside, there are many categories of the hotel based on services and budgets. Most of the hotels are listed on Google, Booking.com, Agoda.com and other booking sites, so you can book very easily before you reach Pokhara. If you have not booked yet, go there and check you’re self and choose which is good for you. About food, you can find many restaurants (Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai and Mexican) as well as popular Nepali foods. In Lake Side and other parts of city, you get that restaurant where you can get your desired taste. If you want to try Local taste then there are many local restaurants and street food places.
5 best places to visit in Pokhara
Pokhara is a dream city for domestic and international travelers, who loves Nature and landscape. Travelers like to visit Pokhara and spend their holidays in the shade of the Mountains and residing in the lap of Phewa Lake. Here are the things that need to be visited during Pokhara Trip.
1)Phewa Lake:
Phewa Lake is the second biggest lake in Nepal. Which is located between the valley of Sarankot Hills and peace stupa. The lake is big and clean with Hills on one side and Lake Side accommodations on the other side. The gentle air from the hills, creating free-flowing tides with greenery reflecting in those lake water is just magnificent to see. You will just remain stalemate when you reach lakeside and see the beauty incorporated by this big green lake.
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In the middle of the lake, there is a famous temple called Tal Barahi, which can be reached by boating only. Phewa Lake is famous for everybody because of boating with a great mountains view. You can spend your time very easily when you are riding a boat. During boating, you can see the beauty of nature with Pokhara city as well as famous mountain views.
Note: Remember there is a walking trail created just near whole Phewa Lake to get close with this Lake. Pokhara Lakeside is just a better, safer and cleaner place to walk in the whole Nepal.
2)International Mountain Museum:
It’s another best place to visit in Pokhara. From your Hotel, you go by taxi or walking. This is one of the places to visit in Pokhara, where you can see about Nepal Himalayas symbols with climbing gears, trekking gears(check the ultimate packing list for trekking in Nepal) as well as people’s lifestyle and culture in the Mountains. If you are a mountain lover then I recommend you to visit once during your Pokhara trip…
3)Davi’s Falls and Gupteshwor cave:
It’s very near to the lakeside, you can reach on foot or by local bus or by taxi and private vehicle. Both places are very near. Davi’s Falls is a famous waterfall in Pokhara and in entire Nepal. The water comes from Phewa Lake and drops down deep into the land. The name remained after a Swiss woman(she was with her husband, swimming in the pool) who was drowned into the sinkhole due to the overflow of water in July 1961.
Also, there is a nice wishing pool and garden which is calling for travelers. After visiting Davi’s falls, you should visit Gupteshwor Cave which is exactly opposite of the road to Davi’s fall. It’s a very long 120m cave. The half part of the cave is a bit wide where there is a statue of the god Shiva and other gods. Religious people worship for good, as called good karma. The ending half part is very narrow and difficult to walk. Once you been in the bottom, you can see the water which is from Davi’s Falls. The rocks on the roof of the cave while descending down to the cave is another thing to watch. So, we have listed this as place to visit in Pokhara.
4)Peace Stupa:
The most highlight of the visit to Pokhara includes Peace Stupa. It is located on the southwest hills from Pokhara. Here you can see big white stupa with Buddha’s eye which is 115 feet tall and 344 feet in diameter. It is a beautiful place which provides mountain views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, fishtail and many other Mountains as well as views of Pokhara valley with Lake View. It’s very famous for meditation and the best place to visit in Pokhara for exploration as its name suggests.
5)Sarankot Hills:
It is a fascinating place to visit during a trip to Pokhara is Sarankot. It’s located on the north part of the Pokhara hill. The height of Sarankot is 1592 m which is more famous to see sunrise Himalayas view with nice landscape. From Sarankot, you can see Mt Dhaulagiri 8167m, Mt. Annapurna 8091m with a Fishtail, Annapurna 2nd , Gangapurna with many other famous mountains. From Pokhara, you can do a day hike to Sarankot or can go by taxi to Sarankot Hill which is a famous place for Paragliding. If you have some extra day, you can stay some days over there where you can find accommodations easily.
Some other places to visit in Pokhara and activities to do :
Besides these places to visit in Pokhara, you can visit many other famous places like Tibetan refugee Camp, Bindabasini Temple, Seti River, Mahendra Cave. In Pokhara, you can do other very famous sporty adventure like Paragliding, Seti River Rafting, Zip Flying, Ultralight flight, Hot balloon fly with day Hiking too.
Because of those things, it’s very famous for domestic travelers like Student for Educational Tour, Honey Moon Tour, Family Tour, Holiday Tour, Research Tour, and many other Tour. Once you are in Pokhara you can spend your holidays very enjoyable and happily without knowing how many days it has been spent.
After visiting those places in Pokhara you can do some other activities such as trekking in Annapurna Himalaya, if you have still time, if not back to Kathmandu and fly back to your next destination.