Pokhara - Nepal's Lakeside Trekking Town

On our way to an adventure in the Himalayas, Angela and I recently stopped in Pokhara for a few days. It's a pretty lakeside town just south of the Annapurna Conservation Area, with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world located within 30 miles of it. As such, it has grown into a popular trekking hub, where backpackers congregate to buy their hiking gear, hire guides, and browse maps. We stayed there for a few days, preparing for our own five-day trek in the mountains.

Our route by bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

Passing through misty mountains in the Kathmandu Valley.

Approaching Pokhara.

Upon arriving, we found a hotel, and enjoyed some splendid rooftop views of the town.

It was pretty quiet on our end of town, but would get busier as we wandered along the main stretch.

The town rests at the shores of Phewa Lake.

Another beautiful view of Phewa Lake.

Down at the busy end of town.

There are loads of trekking stores in town, and we ended up purchasing some hiking sticks, water purification tablets, water bottles, sunscreen, warm pants, and extra socks.

Nepal seems to be one of the few remaining countries that doesn't have a single McDonald's, though we did see a few Baskin Robbins.

We made Maya Restaurant our local hangout, since it had good wi-fi and delicious food, including the best pad thai we've had outside of Thailand.

There's not a whole lot to do in Pokhara itself, but it's a nice place to idle around and relax in for a few days, which is exactly what we did. But sooner or later, we had to get off our behinds and get round to that hike. More on that in the next post...