1.Fewa Lake
2.Barahi Temple
3.Annapurna Museum (Butterfly Museum)
4.Bindebashani Temple
5.Regional Museum
6.Tibetean Refugee Camp
7.Devis Fall (Patale Chhango)
8.Gupteshor Mahadev Cave
9.Seti Gorge (K I Singh Bridge)
10.Bhadrakali Temple
11.Old Bazar
12.Matepani Monastry
13.International Mountaineering Museum (IMM)
14.Chameri Cave (Bat Cave)
15.Mahandra Cave
Phewa Lake
The Fewa (or Phewa) Lake 1.5 kilometer long, second largest lake in Nepal, offers an excellent view of the mountains and their reflections on the lake. Many tours and trekking operators and hotels are located on the lakeside. One can easily find a place to sit back, relax and enjoy great meal while enjoying scenery here. You will also enjoy boating on the lake. Most hotels and guest houses have traditional designs and layouts which match with the surrounding views. The photo on the right is of Rara Lake, another popular lake located in Pokhara.
Phewa lake is the second largest lake of Nepal and the largest lake of Pokhara Valley. IT is situated at an altitude of 784m at the western edge of Pokhara city near Baidam. It covers an area of about 4.43 sq km with an average depth of about 8.6m, maximum water depth is 19m. The maximum water capacity of the lake is estimated to be 46 million cubic meters. It lies in the valley of Harpan Khola which feeds the lake. On the southern mouth of the lake, at the crown of Pardi River, a dam is built which has nearly doubled the water level. The water of the lake is used for irrigation and electricity generation.
The lake is surrounded by Sarangkot and Kaskikot hills on the northern side. The hill running along the lake is Raniban (Queen of Forests) which is very rich in flora and fauna. Mammals like Common leopard, Bengal fox and Barking deer are common in this forest. It is a home of abundant avifauna also.
The first main attraction is the pagoda style temple in the lake which is the shrine of Barahi (Water Goddess). The next main attraction is the mirror image of mount Machhapuchhre and Annapurna range on the crystal clear water of the lake. The south -eastern side of the lake offers the best view. THere is facility of canoeing and fishing.
Phewa originally used to cover an area of 9 sq km but now has been reduced to 4.43 sq. km. Geologically the rocks of either side of Phewa are slate and quartzite and make anticline structure along the axis of the lake.
The lake is the home of 17 species of native fish and 4 exotic species. The forest and lake is the habitat of 6 species of amphibians, 14 species of reptiles, 34 species of mammals and 104 species of birds. Out of 104 species of birds, 14 are migratory species. The lake is linked with pitched vehicle road and boating facility is available.
Barahi TempleThis is the most important religious monument in Pokhara. Built almost in the middle of Phewa lake, just offshore from the lakeside. It takes less than 10 minutes to reach there by boat. The atmosphere is so tranquil that one can enjoy the green forest scenery just beyond the south end of the lake, full-scale scenery of the lake and amazing reflection of the Annapurna and Fishtail Mountains on the surface of
the lake. There is a major celebration during Dashain, the biggest Nepali festival
in the month of October. Especially in Saturdays carrying male animals and fowl
across the lake to be sacrificed to the deity.
Annapurna Museum (Butterfly Museum)
Annapurna Museum, also known as the Natural History Museum, is located at Prithvi
Narayan Campus compound east of the old bazaar. Managed by the Annapurna
Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the museum has an exceptional collection of
butterflies, insects, birds, and models of wildlife as well as samples of various preciousand semi-precious stones and volcanic rocks. Open daily, except Saturdays and holidays,from 9 am to 4 pm. Entrance is free.
Bindebashani TempleBindebashani Temple is located on the top of a small hill at the north end of the
old bazaar. This is believed as one of the oldest temples in the valley, and is most famous in Pokhara On lucky days one may get to witness a Hindu wedding ceremony taking place, in the premises of this temple.
Regional Museum
Regional Museum is located between the airport and Mahendra Pul & reflects the ethnic mosaic of Western Nepal. The lifestyles and history of ethnic groups such as the Gurung, Thakali and the Tharu are attractively displayed. Opens daily, except Tuesdays and holidays, from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance fee is Rs. 5 and there is an extra Rs. 10 for cameras.
Tibetean Refugee CampSince 959, a group of Tibetan refugees have been living in Nepal. One such is Tashiling Tibetan Refugee Settlement at Chhorepatan, which is located near two popular Sightseeing sites i.e. Davi’s Fall and Gupteshwar Mahadev Cave. One may visit Tibetan monastery, hand-made carpet factory, schools etc. in this community
Devis Fall (Patale Chhango)The water flowing from Phewa Lake shows a wonderful fall. We find hollow sandy part
and a heavy fall of water within its natural trench. It looks really amazing scene of
rainbow with sunlight when a volume of water falls in the deep rocky gorge and produces the water vapour especially in summer. Gupteshwar Mahadev cave is just opposite sides of Davi’s Fall where the Hindu religion people worship a temple of their great god Mahadev inside the cave and it is cave is almost 3 km long. This cave holds special value for Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved here in the condition it was discovered. Cave has the connection
with the Davis fall gorge. It is quite interesting for exploration; it has some big hall-size rooms and some passages where you have to crawl on all fours.
Seti Gorge (K I Singh Bridge)It is a mysterious wonder of Pokhara. Originated from the Machhapuchhre glacier, Seti
(which 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.
Bhadrakali Temple
Hindu Temple and Karma Kagyu Chhonkerling Buddhist Monastery has situated
Harmoniously on nearby small hillock, surrounded by rich luscious forests, 4 km away
from the Pokhara airport at Matepani. The location is superb for the Mountain View and the view of the whole Pokhara City. It is also a proper place for bird and butterfly watching and for a half day hike too. Old Bazar Pokhara's traditional bazaar is colorful and so are its ethnically diverse traders. In its temples and monuments can be seen ties to the Newar architecture of the Kathmandu Valley. Located about 4 km from Lakeside, the market's original charm is alive and well.
The old bazaar of Ram Krishna Tole and its vicinity provides a glimpse into the
traditional ambience of art and architecture of the Pokhara valley. This area with red brick walls, carved windows and tile roofs harbours some interesting temples also.
Matepani Monastry
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.
International Mountaineering Museum (IMM)
The museum is situated just .5km south from the Pokhara airport. The spot is rightly selected as we can enjoy the unique view of 3 massive mountain peaks; Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu which are above 8000 meters with our single eyesight and no place in the world offers us such a panoramic view. provides information on mountaineering, the world's mountain system, mountain cultures, environments, prominent people in mountain history, mountain geography, ecology, exhibition of mountaineering history and implied methods. Opens daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Managed by the NMA. www.mountaimuseum.org
Chameri Cave (Bat Cave)This cave is located a little far form the Mahendra cave in the west .This cave was also discovered by the owner of the land – a farmer in the year 2040.Though the entrance is quite narrow but the inner part of the cave is wide enough. The images of the elephant tusk, gods and goddess have been craved on the inner walls of the cave. This cave is 150 meter long, 25feet high and of the shape of “U”. This cave is famous for the bats and gives shelter to more than 15 thousand bats of different species. This cave needs to be advertised more for its development. It can be a nice picnic spot.
Mahandra Cave
Mahendra Cave located at Batulechaur. It’s a 10 minute drive from Chipledhunga the central market place of the Pokhara city. Mahendra cave has been named as per the Late King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. This is also one of the most demanding tourist attraction center here in Pokhara. It resides in the northern settlements of the valley. This snap here features a visitor within the interior of the cave. This cave is a natural tunnel which is provided with artificial lighting systems. Bulbs are used by the cave incharge so that the visitors can visit it without any difficulty. But do take a torch light with you just in case the electricity goes off. Mahendra cave is rich for its rock types and different stones that glitters when a beam of light is striked in it. This natural formation is to see not to strike with sharp digging objects. This snap features the internal natural tunnel of the Mahendra Cave. This cave consist of big boulders of rock and the tunnel leads to different places like Kali Khola (River) but at present many of the tunnels are blocked by huge boulders of rock. A 10 minute walk from the Mahendra cave leads to Bat's Cave which is also known as the Chameri Gufa in Nepali. Pokhara has several caves and all these caves are home to the nocturnal flying Dracula known as the BAT.
Introduction
