Pokhara is one of the most remarkable sceanic beauty of the mother nature. This sub-tropical valley is nestled at the foot of the majestic Himalayas and is full of emerald lakes, gushing rivers and dense green forests. It is the only valley in the world from where one can have the stunning panaromic views of the snow-capped mountains higher than 8000m. from below 1000m. Located at an altitude of 827m from the sea level and 200km north-west of Kathmandu valley, the city is also known as "The center of adventure of Nepal".

The city is second biggest in Nepal and the most popular tourist site after Kathmandu. This beautiful valley is also the most famous gate-way for the world famous trekking areas such as Fishtail, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. More than 70% of the total trekkers of Nepal trek in the Annapurna region.

There are three lakes including the second biggest one of the country in this valley, where one can enjoy the crystal clear reflection of snow capped mountains down over the blue water, right next to the city center. The serenity of lakes and the magnificence of the majestic Himalayas rising behind them create an ambience of peace and magic. This is why it has also become a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature beside the trekking and rafting adventures.

Pokhara is the land of Gurungs, Magars, hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are well known for their entrepreneurship.

The climate of Pokhara is slightly warmer than Kathmandu with day-time temperature hovering around 15 degrees Celsius in winter and 35 degrees in summer. The monsoon season which lasts from mid-June to mid-September is very wet; in fact Pokhara records the highest rainfall in the country. Best time to visit is between October and April.

Points of interests in Pokhara

Phewa Lake:
Phewa lake, the second largest lake of Nepal is one of the major tourist attraction sites in Pokhara. Situated at the western edge of the valley at an altitude of 748m above sea-level, the largest lake of Pokhara covers an area of 4.43 sq km (original area was 9 sq km) with the maximum depth of 19m.

There is a famous shrine of Barahi (goddes) over a small island of the lake, which is another attraction of the valley. One can have a crystal clear reflection of Mt. Machhapuchhre (Mt. Fish Tail) and the famous Annapurna range over the blue water of the lake, which is surrounded by beautiful hills with dense subtropical forests full of flora and fauna. This jungle is also the home for 6 species of amphibians, 14 species of reptiles, 34 species of mammals and 104 species of birds. Out of 104 species of birds, 14 are migratory species. Some of the common mamals are Leopards, Bengal foxes and Barking Deers.

Rupa lake:
Rupa lake is separated from Begnas lake by the dense forested hillock called Panchabhaiya Danda. These two lakes are also well known as the "Twin Lakes". The lake runs from north to south and covers an area of 1.12 sq km with a maximum depth of 4.79m, where-as the average depth is about 3.0m.

Mahendra Cave:
Mahendra cave is named after the late king Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, which was discovered arround 1950 by some local shepherd boys. The locals call this cave as Chamero Odaar (house of bats) and is one of the most famous tourist site in Pokhara. This natural lime stone cave is located at a distance of couple hours walk in the northern settlements of the valley.

Visitors are advised to bring torch lights with them to have the wonderful views of the glitterring stones like stalactites and stalagmites inside this dark cave.

Bat Cave (Chamero Gupha):
The Bat Cave is located at a small distance from Mahendra Cave and was discovered by the owner of the land (a farmer) in the year 2040 B.C. The entrance of the cave is a bit narrow but it is wider inside and the inner walls are full of carved images of gods and goddess. This 150 m long and 25 ft high cave is also the home for over 15000 bats of different species.

Gupteshwor Cave:
Gupteshwor cave is a holy cave, which is at a distance of 2 km from Pokhara Airport at the south-west from the town. This sacred cave for Hindus is almost 3 km long, where a phallic symbol of lord Shiva is preserved in the same condition as it was discovered. The entrance of this cave is just above David's Fall. Some of the inner passages are bigger (hall-sized) while some need to be crawlled on all fours. Taking pictures inside is strictly prohibited since this is a holy cave.

Barahi temple:
This two storied pagoda of the Hindu goddess is one of the most sacred site in Pokhara, which stands almost in the center of the Phewa lake over an small island. Beside it's religious values, it is also a very famous tourist spot in the lake area.

Seti Gandaki:
Gushing right through the city, the gorge runs completely underground at some places. Most interesting part is, at certain points it appears hardly 2m wide with an unimagining deapth of 20m. The best location to view the dreadful rush of this white-water is from over a small bridge near the city, called as "Mahendra Pul".