Pokhara

Area Code: 061
Pokhara is a big tourist spot because it has the beautiful Phewa Tal Lake, great mountain scenery, and is the gateway to the most popular treks in Nepal. It is one of the most beautiful places in Nepal. There are several excellent one day trips and short works in the area. Some of the best river rafting tours in Nepal begin nearby. It is a pleasant laid-back, relaxed place to stay for a while. Located at just 800m above sea level, it is close to the 8000m Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges and there some outstanding views to the north. Machhapuchhare (Fishtail Peak), which is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, is right next to the city. Pokhara is 200km west of Kathmandu. It is a great place to relax after a long trek.

Pokhara has an excellent selection of good hotels and restaurants. Hotels are clean, well-maintained and often have a pleasant garden. Restaurants have a wide selection of Western, Chinese, and Italian and have a pleasant atmosphere. Hotel views sometimes get blocked by newly built ones, so thing can change often in Pokhara.

There are three large lakes, Phewa Tal right next to the city, and Rupa Tal and Begnas Tal, which are a little east of town.

The road between Kathmandu and Pokhara (Prithvi Highway) was built in the early 1970s with the help of the Chinese. The road from the Indian border town of Sanauli was built with the help of the India also in the 1970s. The first tourists to find Pokhara were hippies in the 1970s. Since then Pokhara has become a major tourist town.

It is not as cold here in the winter as Kathmandu, because it is at 884m elevation, while Kathmandu is at 1500m. It can get pretty hot in May and June.

The rainfall can be heavy during the monsoon and the humility can be really bad. It receives about twice as much rain as Kathmandu yearly/
The Pokhara Valleys is mainly Chhetris and Bahuns, while the hills surrounding Pokhara are mainly inhabited by Gurungs. The Gurungs make up a good percentage of the Gurkhas regiments in India and other places.

Orientation
Pokhara is a spread out city that runs north–south for about 5km. The oldest section of the city is the bazaar area in the north of town. Most of the shops for the locals and the post office are near Mahendra Pool in the area of the bazaar. Pokhara University is in the area of the bazaar.
The bus station is south of the bazaar, and south of this is the airport. The tourist office and three of the more expensive hotels are near the airport. The immigration office and tourist bus park is between the airport and Phewa Tal, at the north end of Damside.

West of the bus station and airport is the Phewa Tal lake and the Lakeside or Baidam area on the east side of the lake. The main tourist area is the Lakeside area where most of the foreign tourists stay. Along the road on the lake there are many hotels, restaurants and tourist shops. If you go from south to north it is uphill. The southeast end of Phewa Tal Lake is known as Damside or Pardi. There are many hotels in this area.

Information
The Tourist Office (20028), near the airport, has maps and information (Sunday to Thursday, 10 am to 5 pm, Friday 10 am to 3 pm). It is closed Saturday and public holidays. There is not reason to come here.

There is a tourist counters at the airport.

There is a typical tourist map of Pokhara sold in most bookshops. The Kato Atelier’s Pokhara Town and Valley is a better map. Best is the detailed map published by HMG/FINNIDA, but it can be hard to find it in Pokhara.

Money
You can change money at Nepal Grindlays in Lakeside (Sun to Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm, Friday, 10 am to 1 pm). They also take MasterCard and Visa cards. Rastriya Baniya is open 8 am to 7 pm.

There are several legal money changers at Lakeside, Damside, and the airport that are open daily usually from 8 am to 6 pm. Some hotels change money.

Post, Phone and Internet
The main post office is in the bazaar near Mahendrapul Bridge, a good distance from the main tourist areas (open Sunday to Thursday, 10 am to 5 pm (closed 4 pm winter), Friday 10 am to 3 pm). The telecommunications is near the post office. This may not be such a reliable post office.
Book and postcard shops usually sell stamps. Some shops and hotels will bring your postcard or letters to the post office, but you should trust them.
There are many places to make phone calls in the Lakeside and Damside areas. International calls usually range between Rs 175 and Rs 200 per minute. A call to Kathmandu costs around Rs 20 per minute.

There are many places to connect to the internet in Lakeside. The normal rate is Rs 10 per minute while on-line. You can write your letters off-line for Rs 2 or Rs 3 per minute. The rate is about Rs 20 per kilobyte to send. Often the network can be slow, so connections may not be so reliable. Usually early morning and late at night are the best time for connections. Places often allow you to send letters. Two places are Global Net Communication (globenet@chet.com.np) and Office Depot Communication & Travels (odc@mos.com.np).

Immigration Office
The Central Immigration office, just north of Damside, gives visa extensions and issues trekking permits for the Annapurna region (not other areas). Open for applications Sundays to Thursday 10.30 am to 1 pm, and to noon on Friday. You can pick them up in the afternoon from 3 to 4 pm and from 2 to 3 on Fridays. There is a Rs 1000 fee to enter the Annapurna Conservation Area. Travel agents can arrange the permits for Rs 150 to Rs 300. Passport photos can be gotten from the photo places near the office (about Rs 200 for four photos).

ACAP Information Centre
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) has an Information Centre, at the immigration office, has excellent information about trekking. They can give latest information on the trails and weather conditions. You pay the Rs 1000 entry fee for the Annapurna Conservation Area. They also sell some useful books and maps. Open daily except Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm.

Practical Information
There are cultural Music and Dance programs at nightly during the season at the Fish Tail Lodge and the Hotel Dragon.
Pokhara Sports and Fitness Centre (20707), has a good gym, a sauna, a tennis court and aerobic classes (6 am to 8 pm).

Pokhara Holiday Inn, MustangChowk, has a pool that can be used from 9 am to 12 pm and 1 to 4 pm (Rs 100).

In a health emergency there is the Western Regional Hospital (20066), which often has Western doctor working there. It is also known as Gandaki Hospital. It is best to have your hotel call in advance to make sure there is a doctor there.
There is a sightseeing bus operated by the Pokhara travel agencies that goes daily to sites in the area.
There are many bookshops on Lakeside road selling new and used books.

There are many rental shops for trekking equipment. The selection is not as good as Kathmandu. Rental for a sleeping bag is Rs 10 to Rs 20 per day.

Sanja Lama at the Natural Health Clinic, across from the Hotel Snow Land in Lakeside, does good therapeutic massages using different methods (Rs 750 per hour). Massages usually costs around Rs 300 per hour.

Trekking
Wayfarers (24052), in Damside
Chhetri Sisters Guest House (24066; email: sisters3@cnet.wlink.com.np)

Rafting and Kayaking
Equator Expeditions (20688; email: equator@mos.com.np)
Ganesh Shop (22657)
Himalayan Encounters (22682; raftnepl@himenco.wlink.com.np)
Ultimate Descents (23240; rivers@ultimate.wlink.com.np)

Other Action Activities

Mountain Views
From the lake you get a fantastic view of the Annapurna Mountains. The mountains that can be seen are the Annapurna peaks: Annapurna I to IV and Annapurna South, and the outstanding Machhapuchhare. Other mountains that can be seen are Hiunchuli, Tarke Kang, Lamjung Himal, Gangapurna, Varahashikar and Khangsar Kang. West of the Annapurna mountains is Dhaulagiri at 8167m, which at one time was considered to be the highest mountain in the world, before more precise systems of measurement were discovered.
There is an interesting story about the climbing of Annapurna I at 8091m. It is not easily seen from Pokhara because it a good distance to the north. After a French led expedition in 1950 led by Maurice Herzog made it to the top of this peak, it became the peak above 8000m to be climbed. The story of the climbing of this mountain is told in Herzog’s classic book Annapurna, which makes very interesting reading. After a severe mountain storm caught the expedition, Herzog got a frostbite in which he lost most of his fingers and toes.
Machhapuchhare stands out because it is nearer to Pokhara than any of the other peaks. At 6997m it is the lowest of the mountains. Machhapuchhare means “fish tail.” From Pokhara, Machhapuchhare looks like a singular mountain peak. If one walks several days towards Jomsom, at this point you can see that the mountains has a second peak and at that place is resembles a fish tail.

No one is allowed to climb this mountain, because it is considered holy. An expedition in 1957, led by the late Colonel Jimmy Roberts got to within 50m of the top, before turning back after the Sherpas refused to go any further.

At Sarangkot you can get an excellent view of the mountains. To get here you take a taxi for around Rs 700 and from where it lets you off is a half-hour walk. From Pokhara it is a beautiful three hour walk.

Phewa Tal (Lake)
This beautiful lake, along with the mountain views are the main attractions of Pokhara. It is the second largest lake. Rara Lake, in the west side of Nepal, is the largest.

You can take a boat ride on the lake for Rs 100 to Rs 200 per hour. You can hire your own boat and hire a boat with someone to row you around. A sail boat can be rented at the Hotel Fewa for 300 per hour. For longer period there are discounts. Boats are most expensive opposite the Varahi Temple, and are cheaper going towards Damside.
While boating it is advised to stay away from the dam, because the currents can be rough and therefore dangerous.

There is a small island in the lake, which has on it the Varahi Temple dedicated to the goddess Varahi Bhagwati, the Shakti energy.

Lakeside (Baidam)

Damside (Pardi)
There is a great class view of the mountains from a small Vishnu temple in the piece of land between the lake and the spillway.
Pardi Dam is next to the Damside area. It can not be walked on.

Seti Gandaki River
The Seti Gandaki River flows through the east part of Pokhara. In some places it flows completely underground and can not be seen. Seti means white and the water is turned a milky color by the limestone in the soil.

You can get a good view of the river at the north end of the bazaar, from the bridge near the old Mission Hospital and just north of the main bus station. From the bus station you go north past Shanti Batika Park which then pasts some jungle and you make a right at the path.

You can also get an even better view of the river on the footbridge, on the other (east) side of the airport runway. You can also see the river from the Mahendrapul Bridge in the area of the main bazaar.

Tibetan Places
There are several Tibetan settlements in the area of Pokhara. Many Tibetans sell crafts in the area of the lake.

From the hill-top Tibetan Buddhist Monastery there are good views of the Pokhara Valley. It has a large statue of Buddha and some nice wall paintings. To get here you cross the Mahendrapul Bridge from the bazaar area and then follow the road to here.

The Tashiling Tibetan Village is a few km southwest of the airport. They make Tibetan carpets there.

There is a good-size Tibetan settlement called Tashipalkhel at Hyangja, which is a short drive away. It is an hour or two walk northwest of Pokhara along the Pokhara to Jomsom trek.

Places to See
North of town is Mahendra Gufa, which is a cave with several tunnels. You need a flashlight. A taxi is Rs 200. Admission Rs 10.

Devi Falls
It is also known as Patale Chango and Devin’s. The Pardi Khola is the river that flows from the Phewa Tal Lake. At Devi Falls the river falls down into a hole and disappears. The Pardi Khola flows underground for around 200m and then re-emerges again and flows in the Phusre Khola which later meets the Seti Gandaki River.
It is also known as David’s Falls because one story says that a tourist names David and his girlfriend fell into the hole and were never seen again.

Devi Falls is just before the Tashiling Tibetan Village on Siddhartha Highway, about 2km southwest of the airport.

Museums
There are three museums in Pokhara, but neither is so interesting.

Pokhara Museum has local history exhibits, crafts and costumes. The exhibits are good. It is on the main road, north of the bus station. Open daily except Tuesday, 10 am to 5 pm, closes 3 pm on Friday. Admission Rs 10.

National History Museum has a natural history section that has a good butterfly, moth and insect exhibit. It is also called the Annapurna Regional Museum. There is an ACAP exhibits showing the environmental problems of the area. Open daily except Saturday, 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4 pm. Admission is free, but it would be nice to give a donation.

Near the museum is the Information Center for the Annapurna Conservation Area Project which has some good cultural exhibits in the ACAP region.

Tamu Kohibo Museum has exhibits relating to the Gurung culture and shamanic traditions. It is on the east side of town near the Seti River. Admission Rs 25.

Temples
There are not many temples in Pokhara

The double-roofed Newari-style Bhimsen Temple is located in the northern part of the bazaar on the main road. It has some erotic carvings on its roof struts.

In the north part of town, on a small hill, is the Binde Basini Temple. In this temple is Durga (Parvati) manifested in the form of a shalagram. It is located in a pleasant location and there are good mountain views. There are animal sacrifices at this temple, the main day being Saturday and the ninth day of Dasain in October.

Entertainment
At the Fish Tail Lodge there is an excellent daily cultural program featuring Nepali dance. From 6.30 to 7.30 pm. Admission: Rs 175. There is also a cultural music and dance show at the Hotel Dragon.

Most of the night spots close at 11 pm. Some night spots are Maya Pub, Club Amsterdam, and Old Blues Night Pub.

 

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides