Pokhara is in an ideal position situated around the beautiful Lake Phewa. The Pokhara valley occupies a central location in Nepal. It is dominated by the peaks of Annapurna range that tower above the town.

Pokhara has argueably the finest mountain backdrop in the world.The land sweeps from an altitude of 600 mtrs to reach over 8000 mtrs within a distance of 50 kms which provides spectacular views of the mountains from the town . The prominent peaks from east to west are Annapurna South (7,219 metres), Fang (7,647 metres), Annapurna 1st (8,091 metres), Rock Noir (7,454 metres), Glacier Dome (7,193 metres), Gangapurna (7,455 metres), Annapurna 3rd (7,755 metres), Machhapuchhre (6,993 metres), Annapurna IV (7,525 metres), Annapurna 2nd (7,937 metres) and Lamjung Himal (6,983 metres). In addition to these, Dhaulagiri to the north-west and Manaslu-Himalchuli peaks to the north-east are also visible.The town serves as a gateway for many treks in the Annapurna region.

Sightseeing around Pokhara :-

Devi’s Fall: Locally known as Patale Chhango, Devi’s Fall is the most famous waterfall in Pokhara ,it lies 2km southwest of Pokhara. During the summer rainy season, the water travels swiftly through the underlying rocks to enter the fall. The name Devi originates from a situation which occurred on the 31st July 1961. A Swiss couple were having a bath in the stream just above the waterfall at the time . In the afternoon, a sudden flood from the Fewa

Dam swept one of the couple, Mrs. Devi to her death.Since that time the fall was named after them. The source of the fall originates from Fewa lake,the nearby Mahendra cave forms part of the Devis fall complex, it contains many stalactite and stalagmite formations.

Chhorepatan (near Devi’s Fall), is one of two Tibetan settlements near Pokhara where it is possible to see traditional Tibetan hand knotted carpets being weaved.They use typical designs and methods handed down for generations. Hyangja is the other settelement situated on the Baglung road, 8 kms from Pokhara. Both these settlements are well known for traditional Tibetan handicrafts and souvenirs.

The Peace Pagoda: The World Peace Pagoda is situated on the top of a hill on the southern shore of Phewa Lake . It is reached by a half hour boat ride followed by a fourty minute hike to the top of the hill . The journey up to the pagoda makes for a pleasant morning , it is not a difficult climb as it winds its way up through wooded forest,there are one or two stops for refreshments along the way. Situated in a perfect hill location the Pagoda clearly shows the four images of Buddha from each of its aspects.

The pagoda occupies an impressive hill top position, providing a panoramic view of lake Phewa along with extremely clear views of the both the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges.

Lakes: The valley contains many lakes. Phewa, Rupa and Begnas are the most famous ones while Khaste, Dipang and Mardi are smaller lakes situated further away from the city.Sporting activities include boating, canoeing and swimming.

Fishing is also possible ,there are few species in the lake , carp in particular. On a small island a temple dedicated to Varahi has been constructed , devotees travel to the temple by boat for worship. The underlying geological structure of the valley is made up of a huge layer of gravel which over the years has been eroded in places by the Seti river.This process has led to intricate deep gorges that run north to south throughout the town.

People: The Annapurna region is the most diverse protected region on earth with over seven major ethnic groups working the land, from Hindu farmers in the south to Tibetan Lamas on the borders of Tibet.The tropical plain and low hills are home mainly to Newars, Brahmins and Chhetris, while the temperate highlands are mainly inhabited by tribal Gurungs and Magars. At higher altitudes through the higher Kali Ghandaki valley there are some major Thakali settlements .Tamang people and those of Tibetan / Gurung descent inhabit the settlements of the higher hills.

Mini Treks: Pokhara is the main base for many treks in the Annapurna region, several short treks are available from Pokhara ranging from a day trek to Sarangkot to treks of two weeks and beyond. If you are not planning to go trekking, an early morning twenty minute drive to the top of Sarankot for sunrise over the mountains, is well worth the wake up call. Sunrise offers fabulous views along the entire Annapurna range.Trekking back from Sarankot to Pokhara provides a fantastic bird’s eye view of Phewa lake and the town below.

A one night easy trek to Naudanda and Ghachowk is popular for those with less time .The trek provides some splendid views of the Annapurna Himal including the holy mountain of Machhapuchre, (Fish Tail Mountain). Treks further afield entail a one hour drive to Nayapul, followed by a 30 minute trek to the beautiful village of Birenthanti which is situated at the confluence of two rivers.There are a number of treks available,the most popular of these is a six night seven day trek to Poon hill for sunrise over both the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Himal.This trek in effect is a mini circuit that takes in some very interesting Gurung villages.
Connections: Pokhara is connected by many daily flights to Kathmandu, it can also be reached by an extremely scenic drive (six hours) by highway.There are also highways from Kathmandu to both Chitwan and Lumbini, four hours and seven hours repectively.

Climate: The prevailing climate of the Pokhara valley is humid sub-tropical with heavy rains during the summer June to Sept, spring, autumn and winter are ideal seasons for visiting and trekking around Pokhara valley.