Pleasing Pokhara

The Trip

The Pokhara Valley, which is crowned by the majestic Himalayas, offer many beautiful places worth visiting for an one day complete sightseeing tour. As it is a city of much natural beauty, we enjoy visiting amazing caves, lakes, waterfalls and also some Hindu Temples. We see Devi’s falls, mysterious caves, temples, a Tibetan refugee camp and Tibetan Art, a mountaineering museum and finally take a boat to the small island in Fewa lake.

Pokhara is not only famous being first starting point for various Annapurna Circuit Trekkings route and Mustang Treks, but also because it offers some short trekkings like Ghandruk, Sarangkot, Naudanda and Dhampus. If you like to enjoy splendid views of Himalayas in a single day, then early in the morning you can drive to Sarangkot fora short walk up and see a beautiful sunrise as well as views of snow capped Mountains. For this,  Himalayandreamteam has another short programs in Pokhara.

Day by Day Program

After breakfast we will pick you up from your hotel in Pokhara for a whole day sightseeing tour. First we drive to the famous Devi Falls and end in the afternoon at the Fewa lake.

Devi’s Falls (Patale Chhango)
Patale Chhango or Devi’s Fall is one of the deepest caves in Asia. According to the book, the Patale Chhango measures 48 meters deep and 1479 meters long. The gushing waters of Phewa Lake travel through a rougly one kilometer long tunnel to converge with the Phusre Khola. During the monsoon season,the water level in Patale Chhango rises to an amazing height.

Want to know how it got the name Devi’s Falls?
A swiss couple was on a sightseeing tour of Pokhara. They went to visit Patale Chhango. On seeing the crystal clear water, the couple could not resist taking a swim. While they were engrossed in swimming, completely unaware of the impending danger, an unexpected surge of the river changed the calm water into a furious torrent showing no mercy. The couple fought for their lives but nothing. None dared to attempt to rescue them from the raging torrent. During this terrible ordeal, Mrs.Devi finally fell into the pit and died, while her husband miraculously survived.

Three days later, her body was found in the Phusre Khola(river). The Police informed her father and he immediately rushed to Pokhara. Devi’s father loved her very much and wanted to commemorate her memory. He donated a sum of money to the City Development Committee Kaski in 1961 to construct a park around Patale Chhango and requested that the name be changed to Devi’s fall. The committee agreed.

The Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
Located in the southeast at Chhorepatan, Pokhara, the Gupteshwor Mahadev cave is considered 500 years old. The local people had an idea of the cave at the site. However, no one ever dared to go near the dark narrow hole in the ground. One day a group of brave local youths decided to go in. Since the mouth of the cave was covered with nettle bushes, it was almost impossible to reach the mouth of the cave. They cleared the nettle bushes and other plants and saw the wide-open mouth of the cave. This happened in 1992. In reality, the cave is one of the outlets of the Patale Chhango(Devi’s Fall). Going deeper into the cave, the youths found out that an idol like object resembling Lord Shiva had naturally formed on the spot. So they started worshipping as Lord Shiva. After the Temple of Shiva you have to bend your head to reach the point from where you see the waterfalls coming from Devi’s Fall. During Monsoon it is not allowed to enter that point.

Bindabasini
Bindabasini Temple is located in the center part of Pokhara city. This temple is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Durga (blood thirsty goddess). Animal Sacrifices take place specially on Saturday. Bindabasini is believed to be the chosen deity of Pokhara and temple is believed to be constructed in 18^th century. Here, one can also see temples of other gods like Ganesh (elephant headed God), Shiva (God of destruction and reconstruction), Krishna (the one of the incarnations of protector God Vishnu). If the weather is clear, this is also the best place to see Mount Fishtail of the Annapurna Range.

Seti Gorge
Seti Gorge is a real wonder because water goes underground and disappears from route in many places. The best place to view this is from Mahendra Pool (Bridge) at the center of Pokhara city. Here, from the top of bridge you can throw a coin if you have, you see it disappearing when it goes down and it is really enjoyable to do and watch.

Tibetan Refugee Camp
The Tibetan Refugee Camp is situated across the road from Devi’s Fall. After the Chinese occupation of Tibet thousands of Tibetans left their homeland and took shelter in the Nepalese mountains and elsewhere. Many such refugees are living in Pokhara and sell jewelry and souvenirs. Wool is also dyed and spun for making carpets. So, we can also see handmade carpets gallery and also the process of making these carpets.

International Mountain Museum
The founding of the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara is a tribute to mountains and mountaineers.The Nepal Mountaineering Association has taken an important pioneering step to highlight and preserve the history of mountain climbing and the cultural diversity under one roof. The museum has five huge halls: 1) Hall of the Himalaya, 2) Hall of International Mountains, 3) Hall of Expeditions, 4) Hall of Fame and the, 5) Exhibition Hall.

Fewa Lake is a freshwater lake that  includes Pokhara city. The lake is stream-fed but a dam regulates the water reserve, therefore, the lake is classified as semi-natural freshwater lake. It is the second largest lake in Nepal,  located at an altitude of 742 m (2,434 ft) and it covers an area of about 5.23 km² (2.0 sq mi) with an average depth of about 8.6 m (28 ft) and a maximum water depth of 24 m (79 ft). The Taal Barahi Temple is situated on an island in the lake which we will visit by boat. A temple on a small island of Goddess Durga (worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus). The spot is a popular site for visitors – local and outsiders.

At the end of our program we transport you back to your hotel in Pokhara.

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