Sights in Pokhara
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Phewa Tal
Spreading majestically westwards from Pokhara, Phewa Tal is the second-largest lake in Nepal. On calm days, the mountains of the Annapurna Range are perfectly reflected in the mirrored surface of the tal. Away from the shore, the water is clean and deep and the dense forest along the south side of the lake provides shelter for brilliant white egrets. The best way to appreciate Phewa Tal is by rowboat.
Many people walk or cycle around the lakeshore - the trek up to the World Peace Pagoda affords breathtaking views over the tal and the mountains beyond.
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Devi's Falls
Devi's Falls marks the point where the Pardi Khola stream vanishes underground. When the stream is at full bore, the sound of the water plunging over the falls is deafening, but the concrete walkways don't add much to the atmosphere. According to locals, the name is a corruption of David's Falls, a reference to a Swiss visitor who tumbled into the sinkhole and drowned, taking his girlfriend with him!
The falls are about 2km southwest of the airport on the road to Butwal, just before the Tashi Ling Tibetan Village.
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World Peace Pagoda
Balanced on a narrow ridge high above Phewa Tal, the brilliant-white World Peace Pagoda was constructed by Buddhist monks from the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji organisation. There are three paths up to the pagoda and several small cafes once you arrive. Sadly, there have been muggings on the trails in the past. Check the latest situation before you head off.
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Sarangkot
The view of the Annapurna Himalaya from Sarangkot is almost a religious experience. From here, you can see a panoramic sweep of Himalayan peaks, from Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the west to the perfect pyramid of Machhapuchhare (6997m) and the rounded peak of Annapurna II (7937m) in the east. At dawn and dusk, the sun picks out the peaks in brilliant colours.
The main village is just below the ridge, but a set of concrete steps leads uphill to a dramatic viewpoint in the ruins of an ancient kot (hill-fort).
The fort is currently occupied by the Nepali army, but photography is fine, as long as you don't take pictures of the soldiers.
There's another ruined fort at Kaskikot (1788…
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Seti River
The roaring Seti River passes right through Pokhara, but you won't see it unless you go looking. The river has carved a deep, narrow gorge through the middle of town, turning the water milky white in the process. At points, the gorge is less than a metre across and the river gushes by more than 50m below street level. The best place to catch a glimpse of the Seti River is the park near the KI Singh Bridge, just north of old Pokhara on the road to Batulechaur.
If you peer down through the darkness, you can just see the water churning through the gorge. Nearby is a small Buddhist gompa with friendly novice monks.
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Tashi Palkhel
The largest Tibetan settlement is Tashi Palkhel, a few kilometres north of Pokhara on the road to Baglung. The colourful Jangchub Choeling Gompa in the middle of the village is home to around 100 monks and masked dances are held here in January/February as part of the annual Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebrations. To reach the gompa you have to run the gauntlet past an arcade of persistent handicraft vendors.
Nearby is a chörten piled with carved mani stones bearing Buddhist mantras and a carpet weaving centre, where you can see all stages of the process and buy the finished article.
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Himalaya
Most people come to Nepal for the Himalaya and Pokhara is one of the best places to get an up close view of the peaks. From west to east, the peaks are Hiunchuli (6441m), Annapurna I (8091m), Machhapuchhare (6997m), Annapurna III (7555m), Annapurna IV (7525m) and Annapurna II (7937m). The dramatic Annapurna Massif looms over the city and the lake. There are few places in town where you can't see one or other of the snow-capped peaks jutting up into the clear blue sky.
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Gurkha Museum
Situated just north of Mahendra Pul, near the KI Singh Bridge, this well-curated museum displays the achievements of the famous Gurkha regiment. Accompanied by sound effects of machine-gun fire, it covers Gurkha history from the 19th-century Indian Mutiny, through two World Wars to current-day Afghanistan. There is a fascinating display outlining the stories of the 13 Gurkhas who’ve been awarded the Victoria Cross medal.
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International Mountain Museum
The newest cultural offering in Pokhara, the International Mountain Museum is devoted to the mountains of Nepal and the mountaineers who climbed them. Inside you can see original gear from many of the first Himalayan ascents, as well as displays on the history, culture, geology and flora and fauna of the Himalaya. The museum is south of the airstrip near the Himalaya Eye Hospital - a taxi from Lakeside will cost around NPR400 return.
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Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave contains a huge stalagmite worshiped as a Shiva lingam. The standard ticket only covers the temple, but you can pay extra to clamber through a low tunnel behind the shrine, emerging in a damp cavern behind the thundering waters of Devi's Falls. If you look at the ceiling of the cave, you can see branches and other detritus, forced into cracks by the force of the waters when the cave floods every monsoon.
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Tamu Kohibo Museum
This small but intriguing Tamu Kohibo Museum is dedicated to the culture and customs of the Gurung (Tamu) people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Pokhara Valley, who follow a mix of animist, Shamanistic and Bonist beliefs, brought here from Tibet in the days before Buddhism. To get here, cross the river via the small bridge just south of Mahendra Pul and head for the cluster of white towers on the side of the gorge.
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Bat Cave
You won’t find Adam West or Christian Bale lurking in the dark and spooky Bat Cave, but instead thousands of live horseshoe bats, clinging to the ceiling of a damp and slippery chamber and occasionally chirruping into the darkness – claustrophobics beware. Daredevils can continue to the back of the vault and wriggle out through a tiny chute to the surface.
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Phusre Khola Gorge
In the same area, you can get a dramatic view of the much larger Phusre Khola Gorge from the Phewa Power House - the track to the power station leaves the Butwal Hwy just south of Pardi Birauta Chowk, near the small road bridge. Locals come here in the afternoons to watch planes performing giddying turns as they come in to land at Pokhara's tiny airport.
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Mt Machhapuchhare
The Himalaya skyline is dominated by Mt Machhapuchhare ('Fish Tail' in Nepali) - at 6997m, it's actually one of the smaller peaks of the Annapurna Range, but it looks taller as it's closer to Pokhara. If you walk for a few days along the Jomsom Trek you'll see the second summit that gives the mountain its name, hidden away behind the main peak.
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Devi’s Falls
Also known as Patale Chhango, this waterfall marks the point where the Pardi Khola stream vanishes underground. When the stream is at full bore, the sound of the water plunging over the falls is deafening, but the concrete walkways don’t add much to the atmosphere.
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Karma Dubgyu Chokhorling Monastery
Overlooking Pokhara on the east side of the Seti River, the huge Karma Dubgyu Chokhorling Monastery is worth visiting just for the views. The main prayer hall has a gilded statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) and there are more Buddhist statues in the monastery gardens.
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International Mountain Museum
This museum is devoted to the mountains of Nepal and the mountaineers who climbed them. Inside you can see original gear from many of the first Himalayan ascents, as well as displays on the history, culture, geology, and flora and fauna of the Himalaya.
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Pokhara Regional Museum
North of the bus station on the road to Mahendra Pul, this interesting little museum is devoted to the history and culture of the Pokhara Valley, including the mystical shamanic beliefs followed by the original inhabitants of the valley.
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Bhimsen Temple
Head north on Bhairab Tole to reach the small two-tiered Bhimsen Temple, a two hundred-year-old shrine to the Newari god of trade and commerce, decorated with erotic carvings. The surrounding square is full of shops selling baskets and ceramics.
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Varahi Mandir
Pokhara's most famous Hindu temple, the two-tiered pagoda-style Varahi Mandir. Founded in the 18th century, the temple is dedicated to Vishnu in his boar incarnation, but it's been extensively renovated over the years.
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Tashi Ling Tibetan Village
Heading southwest from Pokhara on the road to Butwal, you'll come to. There are several shops selling momos and Tibetan carpets and handicrafts, plus the small Shree Gaden Dargay Ling Gompa.
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Mustang Eco Museum
At the south end of town a concrete stairway leads to the Mustang Eco Museum, which is worth a visit for its displays on herbal medicine and its recreated Buddhist chapel.
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Bindhya Basini Temple
Founded in the 17th century, the Bindhya Basini Temple is sacred to Durga, the warlike incarnation of Parvati, worshipped here in the form of a saligram (ammonite fossil).
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Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is devoted to the natural history of the Pokhara region. Local wildlife is represented by preserved specimens and some kooky-looking concrete models.
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Park
The best place to catch a glimpse of the Seti River is the park just north of Old Pokhara near the Gurkha Museum.
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