Hiking & Biking

Pokhara, besides being one of the major city of the Himalayan kingdom, NEPAL, is the place from where one can start the most exciting treks to the Annapurna region, which is seen hanging out in front of you as you enter the Pokhara. These mountains are just 30 - 40 km away from Pokhara...

Trekking in Pokhara is very new and started only three decades ago. Annapurna was the first mountain in Nepal to be climbed in 1950, before Everest, which afterwards attracted the people from all over the world. After the successful climb of the Annapurna the attention of the world came to Pokhara as its scenic beauty couldn't be overlooked. Pokhara was soon the destination of all tourists who visited Nepal and within three decades it has become the major tourist attraction after Kathmandu. One of the major attraction that fetch tourists is trekking. Since Pokhara is the best place to set out to the rural villages that are lying in the mountains, many tourist visit Pokhara each year for this purpose. From Pokhara you can enjoy one day trips, short trips and long trips. Under one day trips, you can travel to the place around the valley and enjoy the natural beauty with very friendly people. Short trip means the trek lasting for about a week and the treks that take more than a week are categorized as long trips.

Sarangkot This small village, perked on top of a hill just 5 kilometers from Pokhara's Lakeside seems to be making something of a comeback, after falling from tourist favor about fifteen years ago. In those days the start of trekking in the Annapurna region usually started at Bindabasini Mandir, north of Pokhara, and took the trekker through Sarangkot and along the ridge to Nayapul. The completion of the Pokhara-Baglung road changed all that! This year the only good news in a dismal tourist season has been the explosion in numbers of people trying their hand at paragliding and the place from where to launch oneself into the air is Sarangkot. Lodges and restaurants are reporting a better business. But you might also want to come here for wonderful mountain views, quite enjoyable walking along the ridge top or simply to escape the heat of Pokhara. At 1592 meters above sea level, Sarangkot is a good five degrees cooler than Pokhara. Pokhara –Sarangkot-Pokhara The Sarangkot hill is very popular for its best Mountains and sunrise view. We start our trip early morning around 5-5:30 am by car .Normally sun rises at 6 am. After the sunrise and Mountain View we walk down from sarangkot along with the pokhara city view and the Fewa lake view with green forest. We walk around 4-5 hours. Note:-The length of the time depends on your choice of route.

Dhampus Pokhara- sarangkot- Naudanda- Dhampus – Pokhara (2 days) This route is popular both for mountain and sunrise view and to experience the Nepalese village life. The view point, Sarangkot offers the excellent panoramic view of Annapurnas and the sunrise while Naudanda offers the dramatic view of the twin tails of Machapuchhre (Fishtail) and the massif Dhaulagiri view. We walk through the Kaskikot village ,Naudanda village and the culturally rich Dhampus village where the view of Annapurnas seems very close and we can feel the cool and fresh air of the mountains. Pokhara-Dhampus –Naudanda-Pokhara (1 day) The main focus of the hike in this area is the scenic beauty of Naudanda and the ancient traditional culture and the great panoramic view of mountains from Dhampus village. While walking we pass through the diverse forest with the rhododendron and wild orchid flowers. We walk through the terraced rice fields and through the stone houses with thatched roofs.

Pokhara-Lahachowk - Ghahachowk-Pokhara (2 days) This route offers the scenic beauty and the oldest settlement rich in culture; we start our walk from the Hemja village, famous for orange garden. We cross Seti and Mardi River to reach this typical Gurung village. Pokhara - Chapakot-Pokhara (1 day) After the 45 minute drive from Pokhara, we start walking from Pame west of Pokhara. We follow the Harpan River, the source of Phewa Lake then climb the hills with small villages. We walk through paddy field with the mountain and lake view. Pokhara-Ramche Danda- Pokhara (1-2 days) After 45 minutes drive south of Pokhara, we start our 7 hours hike climbing the hills, passing through villages and cultivated land. We walk through the forest of religious Chandan and oak tree. The smell of mountain can be sensed when we walk through the extensive forest of Rhododendron. Pokhara - Foksing-Pokhara (1-2 days) Around 10 minutes of drive south of pokhara we climb the hill passing the suspension bridge. The Foksing hill is popular for its fascinating mountain view. The Orange garden and the terraced rice fields and the typical Nepali houses with thatched roof can be experienced. The length of stay could be prolonged if you are interested to stay overnight with the villagers. Pokhara-Kalikasthan-Pokhara (1-2 days) This is the best view point to view the serene 7 lakes around Pokhara. The panoramic view of Annapurnas and the experience of village life is the highlight of the hiking.

Pokhara- World Peace Pagoda -Pokhara (1 day) World Peace Pagoda, a massive Buddhist stupa is situated on the top of a hill on the southern shore of Phewa Lake. Besides being a impressive sight in itself, the shrine is a great vantage point which offers the spectacular views of the Annapurna range, Phewa Lake, and the Pokhara city. We Climb the Raniban forest crossing the suspension bridge. After the 2 hours of walk we reach stupa and enjoy the spiritual and scenic beauty. Climbing down from Pagoda is more enjoyable with the view of Phewa Lake and the mountains. We cross the lake after the 20 minutes of boating with the visit to island temple (Barahi temple) in the middle of lake.

Kahun Dada It is another enchanting hill north of Pokhara and takes about two and a half hours to reach from Mahendrapul. The trails starts from near the army barrack at Phulbari across Mahendrapul and climbs slowly up a slope. The essential view from top of this hill is the panoramic view of the Annapurna range and the flat span of Pokhara valley. Pokhara-Kahun Danda – Pokhara (1-2 days) Normally, this is one day hiking route but if you are interested to spend some time with the villagers you can make it for 2 days. The Khaun Danda (1520 m) to the northeast of Pokhara has a ruined fort on the summit as well as a view tower with spectacular scenery. The dramatic change of colors after the sunrise on the Annapurnas gives you the experience of natural beauty.

Trekking Permit ( This Section is extracted from the Nepal's Multimedia CD ) A foreigner intending to trek in any part of the Kingdom of Nepal shall have to obtain a trekking permit from the Department of Immigration, Tridevi Marg and permits are issued for trekking in any part of the country except in areas restricted for the foreigners by the government regulation. Trekking permit is not essential for the general trekking areas such as the Everest, the Annapurna and the Langtang. This Photo features a trekking route to Muktinath. Muktinath is a 5 hrs trek from Jomsom. The snap here also shows caravan of yaks within the bank of Kaligandaki river. This is one of the most popular river here in Nepal. Jomsom is a 20 minute flight route from Pokhara and about 75% of the tourist who visit Pokhara decides flying to Jomsom.

Trekking permit should be obtained for the following places: Lower Dolpa and Kanchenjunga – Equivalent to US$ 10 per person per week for the first four weeks and US$ 20 per week thereafter. Manaslu – US$ 90 per person per week for trekking during Sept-Nov and US$ 75 per week during December-August. Humla – US$ 90 for the first seven days and US$ 15 per day thereafter. Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpa – US$ 700 per person for the first ten days and US$ 70 person per day thereafter. Note: Trekking to Dolpa, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Upper Mustang can be undertaken through registered trekking agencies only. For trekking through National Park Areas and entrance fee of Rs. 650 is levied. Likewise, an entrance fee of Rs. 2000 is levied for trekking at the Annapurna Conservation Area by the ACAP (POKHARA). Trekking permits are obtained from the Department of Immigration, New Baneshwor and permits are issued for trekking in any part of the country except in areas restricted for the foreigners by government regulation. Climate: Nepal has a typical monsoonal two – season year . There is dry season from October to May and there is the wet season , the monsoon , from June to September .September – November the start of the dry season , is in many ways the best time of the year in Nepal . When monsoon just ends , the countryside is green and lush . Nepal is at its most beautiful and during this season there are plenty of colorful festivals to enjoy.

Temperature Chart (in Celsius) There is a splendid Buddhist Monastry on the top of the small forested hill above Matepani east of Mahendra pool. It overlooks a large section of the Pokhara city and once there on find oneself lost in time amid the chanting Ramas, there colossal guardian images of the Buddha accompanying two other gurus and a prayer house with exquisitely carved columns and friezes.

Rainfall Chart: (in mm) Months Kathmandu Pokhara Chitwan January 25 15 10 February 25 15 10 March 75 30 10 April 50 50 15 May 100 300 200 June 225 575 300 July 375 800 500 August 360 700 450 September 175 575 400 October 50 220 100 November 10 20 5 December 10 5 5