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Pokhara is an enchanting city nestled in a tranquil valley. It is Nepal’s centre of adventure. The city of Pokhara is renowned for its setting rather than its historical or cultural endowments. Its quiet lakeside location and proximity to the mountains mean it is an ideal starting point for many of Nepal's most popular trekking and rafting destinations.

Pokhara is a place of remarkable natural beauty. The serenity of Phewa Lake and the magnificence of the fishtailed summit of Machhapuchhre (6,977 m) rising behind it create an ambience of peace and magic. The valley surrounding Pokhara is home to thick forests, gushing rivers, emerald lakes, and of course, the world famous views of the Himalaya.

Phewa Lake, the second largest lake in the Kingdom, is the centre of all attraction in Pokhara. It is the largest and most enchanting of the three lakes that add to the resplendence of Pokhara. Here, one can sail or row a hired boat across to the water or visit The Barahi temple, built almost in the centre of Phewa Lake. It is the most important monument in Pokhara. This two-storied pagoda is dedicated to the boar manifestation of Ajima, the protectress deity representing the female force Shakti. Devotees can be seen, especially on Saturdays, carrying male animals and fowl across the lake to be sacrificed to the deity. The eastern shore, popularly known as lakeside or Baidam, is the favourite home base for travellers and is where most of the hotels, restaurants and handicraft shops are located.

Another of Pokhara's natural wonders that unfailingly interests visitors is the Seti Gandaki river. Flowing right through the city, the boisterous river runs completely underground at places. Amazingly, at certain points the river appears hardly two meters wide. But its depth is quite beyond imagination - over 20 meters! Mahendra Pul, a small bridge, provides a perfect view of the rivers's dreadful rush and the deep gorge made by its powerful flow.

There's a batch of Tibetan settlements, a hilltop monastery and the pretty Devi Falls nearby. Day walks can be taken to Sarangkot (1592m), the limestone caves at Mahendra Gufa or Rupa and Begnas Tals lakes. Locally known as the Patale Chhango (Hell's Fall). Devi's Fall (also known as Devin's and David's) is a lovely waterfall lying about two km south-west of the Pokhara airport. Legend has it that a trekker (Devin, David) was washed away by the Pardi Khola and mysteriously disappeared down into an underground passage beneath the fall.

Restaurants are everywhere in Pokhara, and food is a major preoccupation. Lakeside, in particular, is one long trough of feeding opportunities. Eating also sets the social agenda: there's not much nightlife after around lO:3O pm, but the congenial restaurants and cafes around the lake are easy places to make friends and find trekking partners. Most tourist restaurants boast a more or less standard menu, featuring an implausibly international selection of dishes and local fish prepared umpteen different ways.

Pokhara's traditional bazaar is colourful and so are its ethnically diverse traders. This area strewn with shops selling commodities from edibles and cloth to cosmetics and gold is a pleasant and shady spot to stroll around. The old bazaar is also home to one of Pokhara' s most important shrines. Locally called the Bindhyabasini Mandir, this white dome-like structure dominates a spacious stone-paved courtyard built atop a shady hillock. The park-like grounds offer a fine picnic area, and on Saturdays and Tuesdays when devotees flock there to offer sacrifices, it takes on a festive local flavour.

Pokhara is part of a once vibrant trade route extending between India and Tibet. To this day, mule trains can be seen camped on the out-skirts of the town, bringing goods to trade from remote regions of the Himalaya. This is the land of the Magars and Gurungs, hardworking farmers and valorous warriors who have earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers. The Thakalis, another important ethnic group here, are known for their entrepreneurship.

Pokhara is a wonderfully relaxing place, the closest Nepal has to a resort.

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