Phewa Lake
Our Pokhara Day Tour will start early in the morning with a tour to Phewa Taal. It is one of the largest lakes in Nepal. Dense forests surround the lake, with little tea shops, cafes, and bookstores on the shores in the eastern part. It is the most famous destination in Pokhara.
The views of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri can be seen clearly from here. The calm and glistening waters show the perfect reflection of the mountains in the lake. The PhewaLake mirrors the mountains in such a beautiful way that one can sit there forever and stare at the lake.
We’ll take a boat ride in the Phewa Lake on our Pokhara Day Tour. Transversing through the freshwater via a colorful boat, we will reach a small island in the middle of the lake.
Barahi Temple
The island in the middle of the Phewa Lake is Tal Barahi Temple. The holy temple is one of the most important and renowned in Nepal, and it holds deep significance among its devotees. The island temple, Taal Barahi, is dedicated to the goddess Ajima, who is known as the grandmother of the universe.
It is believed that goddess Ajima is the protector, has a deep manifestation of goddess Shakti, and represents female force. The temple on the island, surrounded by a freshwater lake, is a great sight for the eyes.
The great goddess of Barahi Temple, Ajima, is worshipped most distinctively, by sacrificing animals for her. This ritual is known as Bali Prata in Nepalese.
Talking about the story behind the formation of the sacred Tal Barahi temple, it is said that once the god disguised himself as a common traveler and visited the place at night. He was looking for a place to spend the night, but no one in the village was ready to welcome him into their house.
A poor couple saw him in trouble and invited him into their home. The couple were so poor that even they did not have enough food to offer to the god, who disguised himself as a traveler. They offered him their own and only food. That night, the traveler stayed at the old couple’s small house with them.
The very next morning, when the couple woke up, they found that the entire village was submerged in the water except for their small house.
Therefore, in honor of the compassion of the poor old couple, the holy temple of Tal Barahi was built in the middle of the lake.
We will spend some time here at Barahi Temple during our Pokhara Day Tour. We will visit the temple, explore the little island, click some photos, and enjoy the beauty of the place. We can see reflections of the mountains in the water and thick forest on the edges of the lake.
Sarangkot
Our next destination on the Pokhara Day Tour will be the picturesque hill station of SarangkotDadha. SarangkotDadha is a former fort of Kaski King and has an altitude of 15000 meters. We will have a scenic drive from Lakeside to the Sarangkot Hills.
Sarangkot is one of the most famous places in Nepal for its stunning sunrise view. The sun slowly rises from behind the Annapurna mountains, and hundreds of people gather here to witness it every morning. The Sarangkot Hills are also very famous for paragliding.
The magnificent panoramic view seen from the top of the hill is something that you can’t enjoy in any other part of the world up close. You will experience the vibrant sky above the Sarangkot, which is breathtaking, and there will be a refreshing atmosphere as well. You will be in a dilemma whether to witness the beauty or capture it with your camera as an amazing memory.
The place offers you a tremendous amount of joy as you will be offered the greatest view starting from Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) in the extreme left, and the view also includes Mt. Annapurna South (7,219 m), Annapurna I (8,091), Annapurna II (7,937 m), Annapurna III (7,555 m), Annapurna IV (7,525 m), Mt. Machhapuchhare (Mt. Fishtail) (6,993 m), and Mt. Lamjung (6,983 m).
The next destination of our Pokhara Day Tour will be a massive Buddhist stupa on a hilltop—the World Peace Pagoda, also known as the Shanti Stupa. The World Peace Pagoda is situated at the top of the hill on the southern shore of Phewa Lake and the Annapurna Range. The stupa has an elevation of 1100 meters.
It is one of the major tourist-attracting destinations in Pokhara. Visitors experience a unique environment that provides peace of mind and a positive vibe when visiting Peace Pagoda.
The World Peace Pagoda is constructed in Buddhist architecture. It represents peace and harmony between people of different cultures and religions.
The stupa will also provide you with the beauty of nature, as the panoramic view of Pokhara City and Phewa Lake is awe-inspiring. You can see the entire city from the top. The glistening lake, the city view, and the towering mountains are the major offerings of this place.
Not just natural beauty, but this place also offers inner peace to the mind and soul. As the place is at a higher elevation, the noise and hustle and bustle are very low, making the place peaceful.
Davi’s Fall
Not only the hilltops and lakes, Pokhara also offers you an awesome waterfall, David’s Falls. It is a picturesque waterfall located 2 km southwest of Pokhara airport on the highway to Tasen.
Davis Falls is another tourist destination. There is a huge waterfall at this place that carries a legend. It is said that in July of 1961, a Swiss couple were chilling in the stream called Pardi Khola, just above the waterfall. There was a flash flood all of a sudden from Phewa Dam, and that swept away Mrs. Devi. She disappeared mysteriously in the underground passages of the waterfall. From there, it got its name, Davi’s Fall.
The gushing waters of Phewa Lake come down the rocky streams and then rush down the waterfall and mysteriously disappear. It is a sight to see the white water gushing down the rocks.
We can take lots of pictures at this place because it is very photogenic. We will spend some time here peacefully, seeing the water of Pardi Khola flow into a mystery, leaving no trace of its existence.
After that, we’ll move to another destination on our Pokhara Day Tour.
The Old Bazaar and Bindyabasini Temple
Our next stop on the Pokhara Valley Tour is the destinations that hold immense cultural, religious, and traditional significance. We will visit the old bazaar of Pokhara and Bindyabasini Temple.
Pokhara doesn’t just have new city planning and buildings; 4 km north of Lakeside is the old bazaar of Pokhara, where the history and cultures of Pokhara remain. This is the least-explored area in the city.
Pokhara was also a part of the trading route linking Tibet to Nepal in the 17th century. After the roads connected to Tibet, the Newars of Kathmandu Valley shifted to Pokhara, introducing their culture, architecture, and design.
The area now is very different from the main streets of Lakeside or any parts of Pokhara. It has the typical Nepalese atmosphere with less busy roads, no vehicles on the streets, old mud houses with architectural marvels, and people in front of the houses selling goods or interacting with one another.
This place makes its visitors feel like time has paused here. We can see how Pokhara has grown in economy and infrastructure from this place. We will spend some time strolling the sleepy roads of Old Bazaar and then move to our next destination the Pokhara Day Tour, Bindyabasini Temple.
The Bindyabasini temple is located on a hill. We’ll climb up some stairs and then reach the temple.
This temple is dedicated to the goddess Bhagawati, the other manifestation of Shakti. It is believed that the stone image or idol of the Goddess of the Bindyabasini Temple was taken to the kingdom north of Annapurna from Binda in India. The carriers were tired, so they rested in Pokhara for some time.
When they tried to carry the stone image after resting for some time to continue their journey to the north of Annapurna, the stone image could not be lifted. It was very heavy and not moving. So, people established the Bindyabasini Temple for the stone idol.
People sacrifice animals every Tuesday and Saturday in this temple. They believe that Goddess Bhagawati will fulfill their wishes and desires through their sacrifices.
We can see the entire mountain range from the Bindaybasini Temple. We can also watch the Pokhara from here. The visit to this temple is one of the major highlights of the Pokhara Valley Tour.
Gutpteshwor Guffa (Cave)
After exploring the OId Bazaar and Bindyabasini Temple, we will move on to visit Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave. It is located near Davis Falls, on the other side of the World Peace Pagoda Stupa.
It is very attractive and mysterious. It is said that this cave is more than 5,000 years old. The Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave is the longest in Nepal.
The translation of Gupteshwor Cave in Nepali is the hidden God. This cave was found in 1991 by five people in the dense bush. They found Shivalingam, the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva, inside this cave. They also found elements indicating the presence of Goddess Parvati, Nagaeshwor, and Sarasawati in the depths of the cave.
The entrance of the cave is the man-made spiral stairs leading down the cave. There are many statues and plaster work on the walls of the stairs, showcasing many Hindu gods and goddesses. The stairs are colorful and very fun to watch.
Once inside the cave, everything is dark. There are small light bulbs hung on the walls, yet they are not quite sufficient. As we descend, we will see a cow shed. It is a tunnel-like shed, but there is no live cow in there. You can go inside and see it for yourself.
Continuing the descent, we will see many other shrines, statues, and idols. After approximately 40 meters of descent, we will reach the main temple of Lord Shiva. Please keep in mind that taking pictures of this temple is strictly prohibited.
After another 140 m of descending, the walls open up, and there is a big hall-like structure with walls with very mesmerizing colors. Further descending, we’ll reach a metal staircase that leads more into the cave. We can hear the sound of a waterfall here. It is said the Davis Fall falls inside of this cave.
Walking further into the cave in the rock and uneven grounds, we can see the waterfall from inside, but this part of the cave is usually closed in the monsoon season due to heavy rainfall and slippery grounds.
After exploring this natural mystery, we will continue our Pokhara Day Tour towards Mahendra Guffa.
Mahendra Guffa
Mahendra Guffa is another natural wonder of Pokhara that we will explore on our Pokhara Day Tour. It is a large limestone cave in Pokhara, near the Seti River. It was discovered by the local shepherds in the mid-1900s, and researchers from the UK are still researching the cave to this date.
The name of the cave initially was Adhero Bhawan. Later in 1953 AD, a senior culture expert visited the cave and wrote an article about the cave in a Newari newspaper. King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev read the paper and went to visit the cave. From there, the cave got its name, Mahendra Cave.
The Mahendra Cave is a large one, so the exploration of the cave is not fully done and is still going on. This cave is rich in different types of stones and rocks. The walls of the cave glitter when the lights hit them.
The stones and figures inside the cave naturally form without any human effort. The cave has lots of tunnels that connect to various places, like the Kali Gandaki River, but most of them are blocked by large boulders.
The Mahendra cave is also home to huge groups of bats. We will encounter many bats hanging upside down on the roofs and ceilings of the cave. We will also see the rock formation and the glimmering walls. After visiting the Mahendra Cave, we will visit Tibetan villages, continuing our Pokhara Day Tour.
Tibetan Villages
Pokhara city houses people from different cultural backgrounds. There are two villages on the outskirts of the city. We will visit both cities and explore the Tibetan culture and traditions.
The first Tibetan village is Tashiling. It is a Tibetan refugee camp located in the south, past the PataleChhago. This place is culturally rich and jolly, with welcoming inhabitants. It shows the complete livelihood of the Tibetan refugees.
More than 90 families live in this village, still preserving the charm of the Tibetan culture. There is a monastery in the village, a school for the kids, and a carpet factory for people to earn some money. This village is a full package of culture, tradition, education, and the hard work of the Tibetan people.
The second village is Tashi Palkhel, and it is located on the north outskirts of Pokhara. It was established in 1962 and is one of the biggest Tibetan refugee camps in Pokhara.
As soon as we enter the camp, we feel like we are in a different world. Both villages are very peaceful. They are very rich in their culture and traditions. They practice their cultural roots in Tibet and are still in contact with the traditions.
We will get an opportunity to explore and witness the authentic Tibetan culture up close in this part of our Pokhara Day Tour. The villages are closer to nature and away from hustle and bustle.
The visit to these Tibetan villages is the most beautiful way to end our Pokhara Valley Tour. We will wrap up our day together in these peaceful villages and depart, carrying the memories of exploring the Pokhara Valley together.