Nepal · Annapurna
Pokhara
Nepal's lakeside base camp - rowboats on Phewa, an eight-thousander skyline over the roofs, and the Annapurna trails starting an hour up the road.
Pokhara is Nepal's second city and its softest landing: a lakeside strip of guesthouses and rowboats on Phewa Lake, with the Annapurna wall and the sharp fin of Machhapuchhre standing over it barely thirty kilometres north. It is the trailhead town for the Annapurna treks, the country's paragliding capital, and the place trekkers come back down to. Where Kathmandu is dense and hard-edged, Pokhara is slow: breakfast facing the mountains, an afternoon on the water, and a jeep to somewhere very high in the morning.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Nepali
Currency
NPR
Timezone
UTC+5:45
Why you'll love Pokhara
The mountain wall Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and the unclimbed fin of Machhapuchhre fill the northern sky from a lakeside breakfast table, close enough to read the ice on them.
Phewa Lake Hand-rowed doongas, the Tal Barahi shrine on its islet, and the whole white range doubled in the water on a still morning.
Flying The Sarangkot ridge and the thermals off the lake make this one of the world's great paragliding sites, with tandem flights running most clear mornings.
The trailhead Poon Hill, Mardi Himal and the Annapurna Sanctuary all start within a couple of hours of town, so the mountains are a decision rather than an expedition.
Best time to visit
Oct-Apr
Mild & clear · 20-30° days
28.209° N, 83.991° E
UTC+5:45 · Asia/Kathmandu
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Weather & when to go to Pokhara
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Oct-Apr
Conditions Jan Mild & clear · Feb Mild & dry · Mar Warm & clear · Apr Warm spring · May Pre-monsoon · Jun Monsoon · Jul Wettest month · Aug Monsoon · Sep Rains easing · Oct Clearing views · Nov Best views · Dec Dry & clear
Watch for Mar-Apr haze risk · May-Sep monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Pokhara
June to August is the monsoon, and Pokhara catches more of it than anywhere else in Nepal: days of rain, leeches on the trails and the mountains behind cloud for a week at a time. Even in the good months the range often clears only at dawn, so plan viewpoints for first light rather than the afternoon.
Top things to do in Pokhara
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Phewa Lake - row out to Tal Barahi Temple
scenic culture arts 👍 PopularThe lake is the town's front garden. Hire a hand-rowed doonga or take the oars yourself and cross to the little two-tiered Tal Barahi shrine on its wooded islet, where families arrive with offerings all day. Go at first light and the whole range lies upside down in the water before the wind picks up.
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Sarangkot - sunrise over the Annapurnas
scenic hiking 👍 PopularThe ridge directly above town, reached by taxi in the dark or on foot up through the villages. From the viewing deck the light hits Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre in turn while the valley below stays under mist. Crowded and entirely worth it; walking back down through Sarangkot village is the better half.
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Paragliding from Sarangkot - thermals above Phewa Lake
adventure scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedPokhara has the combination pilots chase: a launch ridge, reliable thermals, a lake to land beside and a Himalayan backdrop. Tandem flights take off through the morning, circle with the vultures over the water and land on the Lakeside shore, with longer cross-country options for anyone who wants more air time.
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World Peace Pagoda - the walk up from the far shore
scenic culture arts 👍 PopularA white Japanese-built stupa on the ridge across the lake. Row over from Lakeside and climb the forest path for about an hour, or take a taxi round. The terrace looks straight down the lake to the town and straight up at the Annapurnas, and it is the best late-afternoon view in Pokhara.
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Annapurna trailheads - Poon Hill, Mardi Himal and the Sanctuary
hiking adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedPokhara is where Himalayan trekking is easiest to start. Jeeps run out to Nayapul, Kande and Kimche in a couple of hours, putting the Ghorepani-Poon Hill loop, the Mardi Himal ridge and the Annapurna Base Camp route all within reach. Permits and a guide are arranged in town in an afternoon.
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Devi's Fall and Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave - the river that disappears
nature wildlife culture artsThe Pardi Khola drops into a slot in the rock and vanishes underground; across the road, a long stair leads down into Gupteshwor cave to the shrine and a slit where the same water roars past unseen. Kitsch at the entrance, genuinely strange once you are underground, and a short hop from Damside.
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International Mountain Museum - the Himalaya's climbing history
history culture artsA big, unhurried museum on the south side of town covering the eight-thousanders, the expeditions that took them, and the Sherpa, Gurung and Thakali people who live under them. Sections on Himalayan geology, flora and the yeti legend, plus a climbing wall outside. The best wet-afternoon option in Pokhara.
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Seti River gorge - the canyon under the city
nature wildlife off beaten pathThe Seti cuts a slot so narrow and deep that the town is built over the top of it without noticing. Look down from the K.I. Singh bridge or from Mahendra Pul and you see white water forty metres below through a gap you could almost jump. Odd, free and takes ten minutes.
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Bindhyabasini Temple and the old bazaar
culture arts historyPokhara before the guesthouses. The hilltop temple to the goddess is the town's oldest and busiest, and the lanes running north from it hold the original Newar shophouses of the bazaar. Saturday mornings bring the sacrifices and the crowds. Almost nobody from Lakeside walks up here, which is the point.
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Ultralight flights - the range from an open cockpit
adventure scenicShort powered flights leave the airfield on clear mornings and climb along the lake towards the ridgeline, with options that run close under Machhapuchhre. Noisier and more expensive than paragliding but it gets higher and does not depend on catching a thermal. Cancels readily when the cloud sits low.
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Lakeside kitchens - dal bhat, momos and fried lake fish
foodThirty years of feeding trekkers has left Lakeside with more wood-fired pizza than a Himalayan foothill town has any right to, but the good eating is Nepali: unlimited dal bhat, buff momos, Thakali sets from the Kali Gandaki trade route, and fish from Phewa and Begnas grilled whole.
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Tashi Ling and Tashi Palkhel - the Tibetan settlements
culture arts historyTwo refugee settlements founded around 1960, one south of town and one at Hyangja to the north, each with a monastery, a carpet workshop and a handicraft market. Quiet, ordinary places rather than attractions, and the clearest link in Pokhara to the trade route that runs north over the passes.
Best areas to stay in Pokhara
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Lakeside (Baidam)
First-timers & trekkers $Long lakefront strip of guesthouses
Explore hotels in Lakeside (Baidam) →
Lakeside North (Khahare and Hallan Chowk)
Quiet with the view $$Quieter top end, newer hotels
Explore hotels in Lakeside North (Khahare and Hallan Chowk) →
Damside (Pardi)
Quiet & convenient $Sleepy south end by the dam
Explore hotels in Damside (Pardi) →
Sarangkot
Sunrise chasers $$Ridge village above the clouds
Explore hotels in Sarangkot →
Begnas Lake
Rural retreat $$Farmland, fish shacks, second lake
Explore hotels in Begnas Lake →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Pokhara
Getting to & around Pokhara
Getting there
Fly into Pokhara (PKR), a 25-minute hop from Kathmandu, then about 15 minutes by taxi to Lakeside.
Flight
Pokhara International Airport (PKR)
The airport sits on the east side of town, a 15-25 minute taxi ride to Lakeside through the bazaar. Almost all traffic is the short domestic hop from Kathmandu; sit on the right for the Himalayan view. Weather delays and cancellations are normal, and there is no airport bus.
Coach
Tourist Bus Park, Mustang Chowk
Tourist coaches from Kathmandu run 6-8 hours on the Prithvi Highway and drop a short taxi ride from Lakeside. Buses from Sauraha and Chitwan take about 5 hours.
Flight
Pokhara airport
Frequent short flights from Kathmandu, plus the mountain hop north to Jomsom in the Kali Gandaki gorge, which flies early or not at all.
Drive
The Prithvi Highway from Kathmandu and the Siddhartha Highway up from the Indian border at Sunauli. Both are winding and both close for landslides in the monsoon.
Getting around
Taxi
The default for Sarangkot, the airport and the far shore. Unmetered in practice, so agree the fare first.
TBC
Ride-hailing apps
Pathao and inDrive run cars and motorbike pillion rides around the valley, with the fare settled in the app.
TBC
Scooter or motorbike hire
Rented all along Lakeside and the easiest way to reach Begnas, the pagoda road or the Tibetan settlements under your own steam.
TBC
Walking
Lakeside is one long walkable strip beside the water. Everything beyond it, including the old bazaar, is too far and too dusty on foot.
Free
Rowboat
Hired by the hour along the shore, rowed for you or by you, and the only sensible way to the temple islet and the pagoda path.
TBC
Local buses and microbuses
Crowded minibuses link the bazaar, the bus parks and Begnas. Cheap, slow, unsigned in English, and paid in cash to the conductor.
TBC
Day trips from Pokhara
Begnas and Rupa Lakes
Half dayQuiet twin lakes
Phewa without the strip: two lakes among terraced farmland, with fish shacks along the Begnas shore and a low ridge walk between the two that ends at a viewpoint over both. Swimming is better here, and a rowboat plus a plate of grilled fish is the whole plan.
Getting there
car | bus
About 40-60 min by taxi or local bus, 15 km east
Australian Camp and Dhampus
Full dayRidge walk with a view
The easiest taste of Annapurna trekking. A steady climb from the roadhead reaches a grassy shoulder that looks straight into Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South, then the path drops through Dhampus village and its stone houses to another road. Doable as a long day or split with a lodge night.
Getting there
car | walk
About 1 hr by taxi to Kande, then 1-2 hr on foot
Ghandruk
1-2 daysGurung stone village
A slate-roofed Gurung village stacked on a hillside directly under Annapurna South, with a small museum of village life and lodges facing the peaks. It sits on the Annapurna Base Camp route, so the ridge is full of trekkers, but an overnight buys a dawn most day trippers miss.
Getting there
car | walk
About 2 hr by jeep to Kimche, then an hour uphill on foot
Bandipur
Full dayHilltop Newar town
A preserved trading town on a ridge above the highway, with a car-free main street of carved Newar shophouses, a long Himalayan panorama and almost nothing to do, which is its appeal. Often stitched into the drive between Pokhara and Kathmandu rather than done as a return trip.
Getting there
car | bus
About 2.5 hr by car or bus east on the Prithvi Highway
Seti and Trishuli rafting
Full dayRiver day on the rapids
The Upper Seti gives a short, splashy half day close to town; the Trishuli, on the Kathmandu road, gives a longer run with bigger water and the option of carrying on to Chitwan afterwards. Autumn levels after the monsoon are the strongest, spring the gentlest.
Getting there
bus | tour
About 1-2 hr by bus to the put-in, then a half day on the water
A little history of Pokhara
The Pokhara valley sits on an old salt road: caravans came down the Kali Gandaki gorge from Tibet and Mustang to trade with the plains, and Thakali innkeepers grew prosperous on the traffic. The Kaski kings ruled from the ridge above the lake and invited Newar merchants to settle the bazaar, until Gorkha's expansion folded the little kingdom into a unified Nepal in the 1780s.
For most of its modern life the town was simply remote, with no road in and everything arriving on foot or by light aircraft. Tibetan refugees settled here after 1959 and built the carpet workshops that still run. Highways came up from the Indian border and then across from Kathmandu, and the trekking boom that followed turned a farming town into the country's second city, with a lakeside strip built almost entirely on people going up into the mountains and coming back down again.
Kaski kings rule the valley and settle Newar merchants in the bazaar
Gorkha annexation folds Kaski into a unified Nepal
A French expedition summits Annapurna I, the first eight-thousander climbed, approaching through Pokhara
Tibetan refugees arrive and found the settlements at Hyangja and Tashi Ling
The Siddhartha Highway links Pokhara to the Indian border at Sunauli
The Prithvi Highway connects Kathmandu by road and the trekking boom begins
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project is established, the first of its kind in Nepal
Nepal's earthquake largely spares Pokhara but empties it of visitors for a season
A new international airport opens on the east side of the city
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / D / M
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+977
Haze risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
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FAQs about Pokhara
▸ When is the best time to visit Pokhara?
October and November are the clear winner: the monsoon has washed the air and the range stands out all day. March and April are the other strong window, warmer and full of rhododendron on the trails, though the skies haze. December to February is dry and sharp but cold at dawn. June to August is the monsoon and the mountains disappear.
▸ How many days do you need in Pokhara?
Two days covers the lake, Sarangkot at sunrise, the World Peace Pagoda and a flight if the weather allows. Four lets you add Begnas, the museum and a walk out to Australian Camp, and gives you a spare clear morning in reserve, which matters more here than the itinerary does.
▸ Can you actually see the Himalaya from Pokhara?
Yes, and closer than almost anywhere else: Machhapuchhre stands about thirty kilometres away and Annapurna South is not much further. The catch is cloud. In autumn and winter the range is out most mornings; in spring it often burns off into haze by mid-morning; in the monsoon you can go a week without seeing it at all.
▸ Is Pokhara a good base if you are not trekking?
It is the reason most people stay. The lake, the pagoda walk, paragliding, the caves, the museum and Begnas fill several unhurried days, and short village walks like Dhampus give you the mountain scenery without a multi-day route. Plenty of visitors treat it purely as somewhere to sit still with a view.
▸ Where do you get Annapurna trekking permits?
In Pokhara. The conservation-area permit and TIMS card are issued at the tourism board office near Damside, and any agency in Lakeside will handle both for you along with a guide. Bring passport photos. Rules on trekking without a guide have tightened in recent years, so confirm the current requirement before you plan a solo route.
▸ Can you trek in winter from Pokhara?
The low routes yes, the high passes often not. Poon Hill, Dhampus and Mardi Himal stay walkable through December and January with cold nights and superb visibility, while snow can close the Thorong La on the Annapurna Circuit and make the upper Sanctuary risky. Treat it as an access question and ask locally, not a weather one.
▸ Is paragliding in Pokhara safe, and when does it fly?
It is one of the most flown sites in the world and the operation is well established, but standards vary between operators, so ask about the pilot's licence and the wing's age rather than shopping on price. Flights go on clear mornings roughly October to April; the monsoon months are largely grounded.
▸ Is Pokhara expensive?
No, and it is a little cheaper than Kathmandu for rooms and food. Where the money goes is the flying and the mountains: a tandem paraglide, an ultralight, a jeep to a trailhead and a guide with permits all cost far more than a day in town. Bring cash for anything outside Lakeside.
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