Pokhara

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal with about 520,000 people in 2021. It is the starting point for most of the treks in the Annapurna area. It is a very popular location with most people staying around the beautiful Fewa Lake. Dozens of hotels and restaurants are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, and today it is much easier to find modern amenities not common to other locations in Nepal, but Pokhara is losing its small town charm and the lakeside now feels more like Khao San Road (with all the usual: yoga, reiki, massages by blind people, overpriced souvenirs and disingenuous locals).



Pokhara is still beautiful and many great and genuine people can be found, but it takes some work on the traveler's side. If you intend to stay on the lakeside road, para-glide, and trek to Annapurna, you will be getting a very inauthentic version of Nepal. If you make an effort to get out of the tourist areas, you will find amazing scenery, great people, and unforgettable experiences.

From Kathmandu
Tourist buses (Rs700-800, 6-7 hr) and crowded local buses/microbuses (Rs400-600, 6-7 hr) travel the 200-km journey between Kathmandu and Pokhara almost every 15 minutes from 07:30 until late afternoon. Night buses are available, but the ride is painful. Greenline operates a convenient bus every morning between the popular tourist areas of Thamel in Kathmandu and Lakeside in Pokhara (US$20, lunch included). Swift operates comfortable tourist buses for US$15 per ride. The bus runs twice daily, leaving in the morning and in the evening. Swift buses offer comfortable, reclining and extra-wide seats (three per row).

The road is winding with many switchbacks but offers wonderful views of hills and rural Nepalese lifestyle. The drivers will generally not drive too fast but some will calmly weave in and out of the stream of opposing traffic and slam on the brakes when a stop is required, making for a scary ride if you look out the front window. During the rainy season, there may be problems with the roads, and flying may make more sense.

If your bus leaves you at the "old bus station" near the old airport, just take a city bus from the road to lakeside (Rs20).

Update May 2023: There's construction on a new road between Kathmandu and Pokhara and many parts of the route have been broken up or narrowed to only one lane, making for traffic snarls and an extremely bumpy ride. Plan on spend at least 8 and possibly 9 or 10 hours on the road now, with frequent nauseating and bone-rattling sections. Air travel may be more advisable while construction is underway. Locals say it's been going on for a year, and estimate construction will likely go on for another two.

From Sunauli and the Indian Border
Buses are available from the border town of Sunauli (Rs500-700, 10 hours). If you can travel to the nearby town of Butwal, you will have more options for travelling to Pokhara. A 12-seater vehicle will cost around Rs5500 from Butwal to Pokhara.

From Siddharth nagar rail station to Kakrahwa border - Kakrahwa border to Bhairahawa Bus Park - Pokhara
Shared Tempo Rs 50 Indian on shared tempo/ bus from Siddharth Nagar rail station to Kakrahwa border approx 50 mins if no jam on road (Last bus around 6 pm all via Lumbini). Kakrahwa border to Bhairahawa Rs 130/- Nepali by bus. Rs 25/- per person by shared auto to Bhairahawa Bus Park. Bus park to Lumbini Rs 750/- Nepali Non AC bus. (Added this route on Sept 2023 after travel)

From Kathmandu
Yeti Airlines, Buddha Air and Air Viva are reputable airlines that operate regular flights (US$102-106, 40 minutes) that can be purchased online and at the last minute. The flights offer the benefit of a bird's eye view of the countryside and of the panoramic mountains themselves. Flights are almost always delayed and afternoon flights run the risk of cancellation as delays from the morning compound.

A taxi from the Pokhara airport to Lakeside should cost Rs250 if negotiated in advance, but the city bus passes the airport and costs Rs20.

By foot
Pokhara is a mid-sized city and can be traversed on cycle or car or bike. Walking is necessary to get to places where vehicles or bicycles can't reach.

By bus
Buses and minivans operate on most of the popular routes. These are crowded and uncomfortable but the fare is cheap and student discounts may be offered. Fare is Rs20–40 per way (as of March 2023).

By taxi
Comfortable taxis are available to be hired. You may also use InDrive app to hail a taxi or motorbike.

By bicycle
Bicycles can be hired in a lot of shops in Lakeside (Rs300-2,000/day). Make sure the seat is not too hard, and try realigning the seat if it is set uphill way, instead of sloping down.

By motorbike or scooter
It is also possible to hire a scooter or a motorbike in Lakeside (from Rs550/day). You will have to buy petrol (Rs120/litre). It is not possible to reach Sarangkot or the World Peace Pagoda with an automatic motorbike or scooter due to the steep uphill road, so get a manual gear model if you intend to travel to those places.

Adventure sports

 * Hiking and trekking — for information on trekking in the Pokhara region, including popular treks and suggested itineraries, see Trekking in Nepal
 * Boating and canoeing — hire a boat or canoe for a day out on the water. Canoes can be difficult to steer on the flat lakes.
 * Whitewater rafting, kayaking, and canyoning - 1- to 10-day adventure expeditions on beautiful Nepali rivers. There are many operators offering trips, such as
 * Rapidrunner Expeditions,
 * GRG's Adventure Kayaking,
 * Adrenaline Rush and
 * Paddle Nepal.
 * Ultralighting
 * Avia Club Nepal specializes in airborne adventure sports.
 * Mountain Biking. Consider these fun bike rides:
 * Around Phewa Lake
 * Sarankot/Naudada/Hemja loop — 3 hours hard from Lakeside is a fast time. Go towards downtown (Mahendrapul) from Lakeside, turn north at "Zero Kilometre" along the main road to Baglung. Be careful as it's crowded. Ride about 5–6 km north, slowly up, past the nasty old bus park, to the Sarankot Road junction, turn left (west). The climb time starts at the fork 50 m further. Follow paved road up incredibly steep climb, 1st gear almost all the way. Good pavement mostly, climb zigs past houses and ends at a small village on a saddle. It takes around 40 min from bottom. From here you can park bike and hike up old ridge trail to Sarankot, but for this loop continue west along rocky jeep road along mountains south slopes, past parasail place and onwards, rolling ascent to Kalipani village and after and hour or so jeep road hits the "hi-way" at Naudada village on ridgetop. From here good pavement zigs steep down to valley bottom, then its a long gradual descent to Hemja village, and back into Pokhara.
 * Dobindy Pass ride — A fun up and back hillclimb to a pass on pavement southwest of Damside. Take paved road south from Damside to Birota area then turn right (west) along main road, the "hi-way to Syangja and Tansen, gradually down towards Devi's Falls, continue west to the Chorepatan area to base of climb. The steep bends begin here, road climbs steadily, though not too steep, along south side of Peace Pagoda ridge, up to a few villages, then after a short steep descent into a forest for last climb up to the pass at Dobindy village. At least, it'll take just under an hour from Lakeside. From here you can continue west through scenic rolling country towards Syangja town, but it's usually possible to zip back down to hotel in about 35 min. Beware; this road is getting more crowded, and sometimes with lots of buses & trucks in the wrong lane.
 * Tibetan Refugee Camp — go for a bike ride down to the airport way, on the way to the Tibetan settlement where there is a nice little monastery, a school, and refugee-made jewellery and craft stalls. Be prepared to ride all the way uphill on the return trip to Lake area and it is wise to take a rest halfway if you want to avoid suffering from cramps and weariness the following day, from the long ride.
 * Rock Climbing, 3 Sisters, an organisation dedicated to the empowerment of Nepali women, runs a rock climbing course near Lakeside.
 * Himalayan Golf Course offers a unique golfing experience.
 * Tibetan Refugee Camp — go for a bike ride down to the airport way, on the way to the Tibetan settlement where there is a nice little monastery, a school, and refugee-made jewellery and craft stalls. Be prepared to ride all the way uphill on the return trip to Lake area and it is wise to take a rest halfway if you want to avoid suffering from cramps and weariness the following day, from the long ride.
 * Rock Climbing, 3 Sisters, an organisation dedicated to the empowerment of Nepali women, runs a rock climbing course near Lakeside.
 * Himalayan Golf Course offers a unique golfing experience.

Education

 * Cooking classes - Stay on a farm and learn to cook Dal Baht from scratch!

Reiki, yoga, meditation & massage
Pokhara is Nepal's top yoga destination and there are over a dozen yoga retreats. Many of these retreats also offer massage, reiki and water/honey therapy. Some also organise 1- to 20-day treks that combine hiking with classes in yoga and meditation.


 * Annpurna Yoga Ashram (Lakeside), run by guru Narayan Prasad Dhakal, offers daily yoga classes at 08:00 and 17:00 (US$8.50), massage, reiki, honey/water therapy, as well as one-day or multi-day spiritual/meditative hikes to small villages in the area that foreigners rarely get to visit. The guru also offers the opportunity for a homestay, with traditional organic meals cooked by his wife.
 * Jiva Cafe & Spa offers yoga, meditation and zumba classes, therapeutic messages, acupuncture, beauty therapies in private cottages. On Phewa Lake walking path behind Busy Bee. 09:00-19:00.
 * Om Family (Lakeside Road) offers daily drop-in yoga and meditation sessions, as well as holistic treatments costing Rs500.
 * Jiva Cafe & Spa offers yoga, meditation and zumba classes, therapeutic messages, acupuncture, beauty therapies in private cottages. On Phewa Lake walking path behind Busy Bee. 09:00-19:00.
 * Om Family (Lakeside Road) offers daily drop-in yoga and meditation sessions, as well as holistic treatments costing Rs500.
 * Om Family (Lakeside Road) offers daily drop-in yoga and meditation sessions, as well as holistic treatments costing Rs500.

Live music
With the ever-present backpacker atmosphere, there is no shortage of live music. Lakeside is certainly the best place to find it. A walk along the shore reveals many little pubs and bars with bands and overpriced libations. Often there are busking musicians who can actually be quite talented and add real local flavour.

Most clubs are sausage-fests of local guys or "girl dance" bars where the only women are the staff, paid to 'dance' on the stage and then come ask male patrons to buy them drinks (with no possibility of anything else).


 * Catwalk Club Beside the amusement park in North Lakeside, seems to be the only club that actually has female patrons. It is only "electronic" music (EDM), with local or Nepali DJs playing every night. A very impressive theatre, and totally unexpected in a place like Pokhara, with a really powerful sound-system, and ludicrously expensive (but effective) drinks (over 1000 Rs for a Long Island) – western style, western prices.
 * Busy Bee Cafe in Lakeside frequently has a live local band playing, and usually a hotspot for local tourists (even in 2024), although probably the most overpriced drinks on the Lakeside strip.

Festivals

 * Dipawali — the Hindu festival of lights and worshipping of Laxmi, celebrated in either October or November, is a great time to be in Pokhara.
 * Full Moon Trance Parties are held in the surrounding hills during the warmer months. Ask around for details and schedule. There have been several instances of festivals publishing fake line-ups so check with the artists.
 * Holi — the festival of colour is heavily celebrated. Concerts and musical events are held on Pokhara, Lakeside.
 * Street Festival — is celebrated every year from 27 December to 2 January. Thousands of people gather and celebrate the festival on Lakeside street. It is one of the biggest festivals in the Pokhara valley.

Buy
There are several ATMs in central Lakeside and all over Pokhara. All charge a withdrawal fee of Rs500 per transaction. Nabil Bank and Standard Chartered Bank ATMs have the highest withdrawal limit of Rs35,000 per transaction.


 * Jewels and trinkets from the lovely Tibetan women who ply the streets with their wares in backpacks or blankets. Sit and enjoy the atmosphere, and make sure you bargain as starting prices generally are highly inflated.
 * Kriayt Social Business is a marketplace in central Lakeside with the mission of empowering Nepali women to earn a living. You can buy beautiful handmade items and even design your own, all while supporting a good cause.
 * Hemp products. There are numerous stores in the Lakeside area where you can get clothing, bags, and other accessories made from hemp. Hemp fibre is superior to cotton in durability, breathability, and environment impact. There are different quality (e.g. fibre density), so compare ahead.
 * General shopping can be done cheaply in new Town, a large bazaar selling clothing, fruit, vegetables and general items is located across the road from the old bus station
 * Though relatively cheap, hiking gear sold in lakeside is of notoriously poor quality — often not even surviving one trek.
 * General shopping can be done cheaply in the bazaar across the road from the old bus station.

Eat
The cheapest (and often the best) food is found at the street stalls, selling momos/dumplings, samosas or fried noodles. Early in the morning, children walk the streets with trays of pastries; chocolate croissants, cinnamon rolls and other cakes.

The bazaar across from the old bus station has basic Nepali dishes from Rs60, and a nice atmosphere amongst the bustle of vendors.

Drink
Try the local beer (Gurkha/Everest), and if you are brave the home brew which comes in several forms "Chang": A rice or millet beer that's slightly sour and earthy. "roxi" a stronger fermentation of Chang, And "three panni roxi": very strong and tastes awful.
 * Gorkha Bar One of the famous outlets of the Fulbari resort this bar offers all kinds of drinks, cocktails and mocktails.
 * Pema Tibetan Restaurant offering Thukkpa (Tibetan Soup Noodles), Mo Mo (Tibetan style dumplings), with sukuti, sekuwa and locally brewed alcoholic drinks.
 * Busy Bee Great spot on the lake in the heart of Pokhara. Late night, with live music from 20:00. Pool tables, decent food, local beers and imported spirits.
 * Busy Bee Great spot on the lake in the heart of Pokhara. Late night, with live music from 20:00. Pool tables, decent food, local beers and imported spirits.

Sleep
Virtually all tourist accommodations are in Lakeside and Damside, near Phewa Lake. In addition, there are around 12 guesthouses uphill in Sarangkot which offer better views and less air pollution, but are much more expensive for both accommodation and food. Note that these hotels are not accessible by car - they are a 20-minute walk uphill on gravel from the taxi stand in Sarangkot (Rs500 for a taxi, less for a microbus).

Work-aways and farm stays are common, many will ask for money to cover volunteers food.

Long-term
It is possible to find medium or long-term accomndation in Pokhara. Best by far is to ask locally. Anything geared exclusively for tourists in the Lakeside area will start at about US$250/300 per month for a probably new but not really special place. It takes some time but if you scout around you can find good deals for US$100-150 per month. Keep in mind that most locals make a very meager salary usually under US$200. When they say that US$300 is "local price", it is of course not true. Many local options lack furniture, Internet, etc., so you will have realistically have to pay a bit more if you want something where you can immediately move into. Just take a few days and you will find a more genuine and nicer place and it will cost half price than the tourist apartments that are springing up all over Lakeside.

Budget

 * Hotel Lake Side, one of the oldest hotels in the town, overseeing Phewa lake.
 * Jasmine Guest Home. Small and friendly hostel with dorms for 200, private rooms available, Wi-Fi, hot water, a dog and cat. Laid back and had a second hand exchange, close to the lake but far from city centre
 * Penguin Guest House, towards the more relaxed end of Lakeside, almost opposite the Royal Lake House. Budget rooms, Rs500 a night for double or twin room, with shared bathroom. Great cheap food, and smoke friendly. Owner is fluent in Japanese, and so it is popular with Japanese visitors.
 * Pushkar Guest House, a relaxed and comfortable guest house. Has a variety of rooms at various prices, hot showers and a rooftop restaurant. Overlooks the lake.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Hotel Lake Side, one of the oldest hotels in the town, overseeing Phewa lake.
 * Jasmine Guest Home. Small and friendly hostel with dorms for 200, private rooms available, Wi-Fi, hot water, a dog and cat. Laid back and had a second hand exchange, close to the lake but far from city centre
 * Penguin Guest House, towards the more relaxed end of Lakeside, almost opposite the Royal Lake House. Budget rooms, Rs500 a night for double or twin room, with shared bathroom. Great cheap food, and smoke friendly. Owner is fluent in Japanese, and so it is popular with Japanese visitors.
 * Pushkar Guest House, a relaxed and comfortable guest house. Has a variety of rooms at various prices, hot showers and a rooftop restaurant. Overlooks the lake.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Jasmine Guest Home. Small and friendly hostel with dorms for 200, private rooms available, Wi-Fi, hot water, a dog and cat. Laid back and had a second hand exchange, close to the lake but far from city centre
 * Penguin Guest House, towards the more relaxed end of Lakeside, almost opposite the Royal Lake House. Budget rooms, Rs500 a night for double or twin room, with shared bathroom. Great cheap food, and smoke friendly. Owner is fluent in Japanese, and so it is popular with Japanese visitors.
 * Pushkar Guest House, a relaxed and comfortable guest house. Has a variety of rooms at various prices, hot showers and a rooftop restaurant. Overlooks the lake.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Pushkar Guest House, a relaxed and comfortable guest house. Has a variety of rooms at various prices, hot showers and a rooftop restaurant. Overlooks the lake.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Pushkar Guest House, a relaxed and comfortable guest house. Has a variety of rooms at various prices, hot showers and a rooftop restaurant. Overlooks the lake.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.
 * Sweet Dreams, lakeside, very small relaxed hotel with a small bar/cafe/garden attached which is great for escaping from the noise of the main road. Rooms from Rs300, next door to Billy Bunters.

Go next

 * Annapurna is a mountainous region just outside of Pokhara, famous for trekking. Two popular longer treks are the Annapurna Sanctuary and Annapurna Circuit.
 * Lumbini is the birthplace of the Buddha, reachable from Pokhara by bus (Rs150, 3-4 hours).
 * Kathmandu is reachable from Pokhara by crowded local minibus (Rs400–600, 6–7 hours), tourist bus (Rs800–2000, 6–7 hours), and by plane (US$102-106, 40 minutes). Tickets are sold at all travel agencies.
 * Chitwan National Park is a World Heritage site with tigers, rhinos and jungle animals which offers elephant rides, jungle canoeing, nature walks and bird watching, as well as more adventurous tiger and rhino-viewing.
 * India is enterable at Sunali from the Nepalese border town of Bhairahawa, reachable by crowded local minibus (Rs545, 8 hours) or by tourist bus (Rs700, 8 hours). The buses leave very early in the morning (06:00, 07:00 and 08:00 for local bus, 06:30 for tourist bus). Beware being a sold a ticket for a tourist bus that is actually for a crowded local minibus. Upon reaching the bus station in Bhairahawa, take a rickshaw to the immigration office/border control station (Rs250).