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Do you love natural beauty: lakes, mountains, and trees? Then visit Pokhara, a beautiful city situated in central Nepal on the west of Kathmandu valley. From sealevel, Pokhara is 827m high. The city is famous for its natural beauty and lakes and mountains. It is also the most favorite city of the Nepalese.

The population of Pokhara is around 200,000. Various ethnic groups : Newar, Magar Gurung, Chettri, and Thakali and some Tibetan refugees live in this area. The Magars and Gurungs are very good farmers and warriors. Soldiers for the world famous Gurkha regiment are recruited from here.

In ancient times, Pokhara functioned as a trading post. The city of Pokhara is comparatively new. Before the 1960’s there was no road. The present day Pokhara is 8 km from north to south and 6 km from east to west. A river named Seti Gandaki runs through the city.

Below are given some of the major tourist sites of Pokhara:

Phewa Lake: Lakes are the major features of Pokhara. There are seven lakes in this area. Phewa Lake is the second largest lake of Nepal. This lake is 4 km long and 1.5 km wide. The eastern shore of the lake has restaurants and shops. The water is warm and swimming in the lake is really exciting. Boat trips can be made by wooden boats.       

Begnas Lake and Rupa Lake: These two lakes are divided by a small forest named Panchabhaiya Danda, offers natural beauty, boating and fishing.

Barahi temple: The religious center of Pokhara, dedicated to Ajima, the female goddess of Shakti. This temple situated in the middle of Phewa Lake. 

World Peace Pagoda: A huge Buddhist stupa situated on the south of Phewa Lake. The pagoda is situated in a hilly area from where tourists can enjoy the beautiful landscape.

Seti Gandaki: The river that runs through Pokhara is another source of beauty. In some places the river is only two meters wide but its depth is twenty meters.

Devi's Fall: A beautiful waterfall situated on the South-west of Pokhara Airport is also known as Patale Chhango.

Gupteswar Gupha: It is a sacred cave situated near the Devi’s fall. This three kilometer long cave contains hall size rooms. A symbol of Lord Shiva was discovered when it was found.         

Mahendra Gupha: Another cave locally known as Chamero Odhaar (House of Bats). This limestone cave was discovered by a shepherd boy in 1950. 

This description of Pokhara would remain incomplete without the mountains. Annapurna, the world famous mountain range can be seen from here. Annapurna I-IV and Machhapuchchare can be seen from Pokhara. Among other major peaks, there are Himchuli, Varahashikhar, and Gangapurna. Half of all the foreign tourists mainly come here for trekking to Annapurna.  

Other major tourist attractions include: Pokhara Museum, Annapurna Museum, and the old market. 

Pokhara has many shops situated by the side of the lakes and dams. These shops have local handicrafts: batiks, wooden flasks, ethnic dolls, and Shalgram stones.