Pokhara was a welcome escape from the bustling city of Kathmandu. Although it’s Nepal’s second largest city, it is a relatively calm and quiet lakeside town that is mainly used as a base for hikers to start their long treks around the Annapurna region.

What makes this city so stunning is the abundance of natural beauty along with picturesque panoramic views of the Annapurna mountain range. At every angle, you can see these snow capped mountains leaving the perfect backdrop for a calm lake. The streets are a combination of guest houses, restaurants, bars, souvenir stores and trekking shops.

Pokhara is one of those cities you could see in a few days but just as easily stay for a couple of weeks. We stayed here 12 days which was perfect. It gave us time to enjoy the outdoors, yet still relax and enjoy the slower pace, especially coming from Kathmandu. We would recommend a minimum of 5 days to take advantage of everything on offer, not including any long treks (add 4 to 22+ days on for that).

As the outdoor capital of Nepal, Pokhara has endless choices for activities. It’s impossible to be bored in this lakeside city. Trekking is no doubt the most common activity, however, there are still plenty of others to keep you occupied such as day treks, adrenaline rush activities or simply relaxing by the lake.

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You can’t visit Nepal and not do a trek. The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek is the most popular trek for introductory hikers. We wrote up two detailed posts on this trek; one going over our personal experiences and a beginner’s guide outlining costs, what to pack, and when to go.