The enchanted Valley(pokhara)Yes it would not be wrong to say that I saw heaven with my eyes wide open - a perfect triangular mountain, capped by snow and buffeted by the icy winds of the Himalaya. A millpond calm lake, perfectly reflecting the snowy peaks and a village situated on the lakeshore with resonating sound of singing bowl and Buddhist chants 'om mani padme hum' coming out from monasteries. That's Pokhara in Nepal.
Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley. The place is surrounded by several snow covered mountains The Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, each with peaks over 8,000 m, can be seen from Pokhara. There is a lake named Phewa Tal (Tal stands for lake in Nepali language), three caves (Mahendra, Bat and Gupteswor) and an impressive Devi's Fall (“Patale Chhango”) where the water from the Phewa Lake thunders into a hole and disappears. The enchanting Pokhara valley with the dominating presence of Mt. Machhapuchhare (Fishtail Mountain) in the background is the gateway to the Annapurna region where many a trekker finds his “Shangri-la”. It is highly visited by foreign tourist for its scenic beauty due to which there are many hotels and other accommodation to serve the travelers and make their trip unforgettable.
It is easy to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu. There are few options to reach Pokhara easily either by air or by land. By bus it only takes 7 hours (in normal traffic) and by air you can reach Pokhara in 30 minutes. The tourist bus is the best option to reach Pokhara. The bus leaves from Kantipath, which is near Thamel (another tourist spot in Kathmandu). There are few airlines like Cosmic airlines, Yeti airlines, Buddha airlines, Nepal airlines and newly added Agni airlines which travel through the clouds and the snow-white peaks, thus making your journey more enjoyable.
).
It was a sunny morning, when we landed at Pokhara airport. The snow capped mountain peaks surrounding the valley were much visible making an awesome view. Our booking was in Fishtail Lodge, situated on a Peninsular with Phewa Lake on one side and a forest covered hill on the other. Pokhara is always heavily crowded by the tourists who gather to see its magnificent scenic beauty. There are many hotels, resorts, lodges of various ranges to cater the needs of the visitors. After having our breakfast we started our journey to explore the valley. The major places for sightseeing are listed here:
· Phewa Lake. One of the Nepal's most beautiful spots, Phewa Tal is surrounded by a combination of monkey-filled forests and the high white peaks. The reflections in the mirror-like water in the early mornings are something you must see at least once before you die. Hire a boat and row yourself across the lake and appreciate the beauty of nature.
· Devis Falls. Spectacular, eerie and unusual, Devi falls plunge into a cave and disappear into the earth.
· World Peace Stupa. Recently built atop a hill overlooking Phewa Tal, the Stupa offers a great place to see the sun set over Pokhara. It can be accessed by hiring a boat and rowing across the lake and climbing a sometimes leech-infested track, or by foot from the road that passes Devi Falls.
· Sarangkot. The perfect pre-trek warm-up. Head up Sarankot in the late afternoon, find yourselves a warm guest house before sunset, go up the top for sunset and again for sunrise - you won't be disappointed. You can rent a motor bike and take yourself to the top. The road is rough, but traversable. Great views, spectacular images and a great way to get a taste of what it's like to be trekking. Beware of demented water buffaloes on the way out of town!
· Seti Gorge (K I Singh Bridge). It is a mysterious wonder of Pokhara. Originated from the Machhapuchhre glacier, Seti (means white in Nepali) River runs through the main city area. Amazingly, at certain points the river appears hardly two meters wide. But its depth is quite beyond imagination - in about 40 meters depth. The river provides a perfect view of its dreadful rush before it disappears at Bagar into a deep gorge. The gorge is visible from the bridges in the city, K.I. Singh Bridge, northwest end of the city, Mahendra pool, Ramghat, and Prithvi Chowk areas. K I Singh Bridge is the proper view point of this wonderful and interesting river gorge. Looking down these bridges one can see the white turbulent flow of the Seti through an incredibly narrow canyon about 46 m. below.
· Mahendra Cave. Mahendra cave is a famous cave located in Batulechaur, the northern end of the Pokhara city.
· Chamare Gufa or Bat cave. It is another cave located some ten minutes away from the famous Mahendra cave. This cave is famous for the bats that can be seen hanging by the cave's walls.
· Gupteshawar mahedev Cave. Another cave famous for its religious importance located in the southern end of the city, Chorepatan. This cave has a famous Hindu god Shiva.
· International Mountain Museum. Apart from the above places, the valley is full of its natural resources. Pokhara is pleasant in the winter and has a rich flora and fauna making it ideal for bird watching.
The best time to visit Pokhara is during Spring and October.
The valley is also having an old market place known as traditional bazaar of Pokhara, which is colorful and so are its ethnically diverse traders. Located about four kilometers from Lakeside, the market's original charm is alive and thriving. Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole are the old markets (bazaar) of Pokhara and these provide a glimpse of the traditional ambience of art and architecture of the Pokhara valley. This area with the red brick walls, carved windows and tile roof harbors some interesting temple also. The old bazaar is also home to one of Pokhara's most important temple locally called the Bindyabasini Mandir.
Pokhara once lay on the important trade route between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains arrive and set up camp on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods from remote regions of the Himalaya including Mustang. The people of this region are predominantly Magars and Gurungs - the hardworking farmers, known for their valor and earned world-wide fame as fierce Gurkha warrior soldiers. The other well-known ethnic group found here are the Thakalis. Known for their entrepreneurship, they run many tea houses along the trek routes in the Annapurna region.
There are many visitors who love adventure and try their hand in mountain trekking, paragliding, fishing, river rafting, and mountain biking etc to make their trip memorable in this magnificent valley.
Not only Pokhara, entire Nepal is full of colorful souvenir which you can collect for your home and for your near and dear ones. Pokhara is one of the main tourist places; you can find vendors prowling the streets, selling everything from “tiger balm” to clothing, jewelry, and beads. Travelers interested in souvenir shopping will see shops that virtually explode with the colors of fabric, jewelry, thangka paintings, rugs and masks.
The souvenirs that I bought for my home include a colorful mask of lord Ganesha, a singing bowl, two bead necklaces, a wooden Nepali king and queen pair with a lot of hand-carvings on them. Apart from all these, I took home some ever-cherishing memories and a wish to visit God’s own homeland once again.
Pokhara is situated in the northwestern corner of the Pokhara Valley, which is a widening of the Seti Gandaki valley. The place is surrounded by several snow covered mountains The Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, each with peaks over 8,000 m, can be seen from Pokhara. There is a lake named Phewa Tal (Tal stands for lake in Nepali language), three caves (Mahendra, Bat and Gupteswor) and an impressive Devi's Fall (“Patale Chhango”) where the water from the Phewa Lake thunders into a hole and disappears. The enchanting Pokhara valley with the dominating presence of Mt. Machhapuchhare (Fishtail Mountain) in the background is the gateway to the Annapurna region where many a trekker finds his “Shangri-la”. It is highly visited by foreign tourist for its scenic beauty due to which there are many hotels and other accommodation to serve the travelers and make their trip unforgettable.
It is easy to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu. There are few options to reach Pokhara easily either by air or by land. By bus it only takes 7 hours (in normal traffic) and by air you can reach Pokhara in 30 minutes. The tourist bus is the best option to reach Pokhara. The bus leaves from Kantipath, which is near Thamel (another tourist spot in Kathmandu). There are few airlines like Cosmic airlines, Yeti airlines, Buddha airlines, Nepal airlines and newly added Agni airlines which travel through the clouds and the snow-white peaks, thus making your journey more enjoyable.
).
It was a sunny morning, when we landed at Pokhara airport. The snow capped mountain peaks surrounding the valley were much visible making an awesome view. Our booking was in Fishtail Lodge, situated on a Peninsular with Phewa Lake on one side and a forest covered hill on the other. Pokhara is always heavily crowded by the tourists who gather to see its magnificent scenic beauty. There are many hotels, resorts, lodges of various ranges to cater the needs of the visitors. After having our breakfast we started our journey to explore the valley. The major places for sightseeing are listed here:
· Phewa Lake. One of the Nepal's most beautiful spots, Phewa Tal is surrounded by a combination of monkey-filled forests and the high white peaks. The reflections in the mirror-like water in the early mornings are something you must see at least once before you die. Hire a boat and row yourself across the lake and appreciate the beauty of nature.
· Devis Falls. Spectacular, eerie and unusual, Devi falls plunge into a cave and disappear into the earth.
· World Peace Stupa. Recently built atop a hill overlooking Phewa Tal, the Stupa offers a great place to see the sun set over Pokhara. It can be accessed by hiring a boat and rowing across the lake and climbing a sometimes leech-infested track, or by foot from the road that passes Devi Falls.
· Sarangkot. The perfect pre-trek warm-up. Head up Sarankot in the late afternoon, find yourselves a warm guest house before sunset, go up the top for sunset and again for sunrise - you won't be disappointed. You can rent a motor bike and take yourself to the top. The road is rough, but traversable. Great views, spectacular images and a great way to get a taste of what it's like to be trekking. Beware of demented water buffaloes on the way out of town!
· Seti Gorge (K I Singh Bridge). It is a mysterious wonder of Pokhara. Originated from the Machhapuchhre glacier, Seti (means white in Nepali) River runs through the main city area. Amazingly, at certain points the river appears hardly two meters wide. But its depth is quite beyond imagination - in about 40 meters depth. The river provides a perfect view of its dreadful rush before it disappears at Bagar into a deep gorge. The gorge is visible from the bridges in the city, K.I. Singh Bridge, northwest end of the city, Mahendra pool, Ramghat, and Prithvi Chowk areas. K I Singh Bridge is the proper view point of this wonderful and interesting river gorge. Looking down these bridges one can see the white turbulent flow of the Seti through an incredibly narrow canyon about 46 m. below.
· Mahendra Cave. Mahendra cave is a famous cave located in Batulechaur, the northern end of the Pokhara city.
· Chamare Gufa or Bat cave. It is another cave located some ten minutes away from the famous Mahendra cave. This cave is famous for the bats that can be seen hanging by the cave's walls.
· Gupteshawar mahedev Cave. Another cave famous for its religious importance located in the southern end of the city, Chorepatan. This cave has a famous Hindu god Shiva.
· International Mountain Museum. Apart from the above places, the valley is full of its natural resources. Pokhara is pleasant in the winter and has a rich flora and fauna making it ideal for bird watching.
The best time to visit Pokhara is during Spring and October.
The valley is also having an old market place known as traditional bazaar of Pokhara, which is colorful and so are its ethnically diverse traders. Located about four kilometers from Lakeside, the market's original charm is alive and thriving. Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole are the old markets (bazaar) of Pokhara and these provide a glimpse of the traditional ambience of art and architecture of the Pokhara valley. This area with the red brick walls, carved windows and tile roof harbors some interesting temple also. The old bazaar is also home to one of Pokhara's most important temple locally called the Bindyabasini Mandir.
Pokhara once lay on the important trade route between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains arrive and set up camp on the outskirts of the town, bringing goods from remote regions of the Himalaya including Mustang. The people of this region are predominantly Magars and Gurungs - the hardworking farmers, known for their valor and earned world-wide fame as fierce Gurkha warrior soldiers. The other well-known ethnic group found here are the Thakalis. Known for their entrepreneurship, they run many tea houses along the trek routes in the Annapurna region.
There are many visitors who love adventure and try their hand in mountain trekking, paragliding, fishing, river rafting, and mountain biking etc to make their trip memorable in this magnificent valley.
Not only Pokhara, entire Nepal is full of colorful souvenir which you can collect for your home and for your near and dear ones. Pokhara is one of the main tourist places; you can find vendors prowling the streets, selling everything from “tiger balm” to clothing, jewelry, and beads. Travelers interested in souvenir shopping will see shops that virtually explode with the colors of fabric, jewelry, thangka paintings, rugs and masks.
The souvenirs that I bought for my home include a colorful mask of lord Ganesha, a singing bowl, two bead necklaces, a wooden Nepali king and queen pair with a lot of hand-carvings on them. Apart from all these, I took home some ever-cherishing memories and a wish to visit God’s own homeland once again.
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