Situated at a distance of 200 kilometres in West from the capital of Nepal, I.e. Kathmandu, Pokhara is considered to be one of the most adventurous places in Nepal. It is also the second largest city in Nepal. Located at the centre of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone It is also the headquarters of Kaski District. Three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — are within the range of 30 kilometres from here. Because of this, the city has become a base camp for those who explore the Himalayas through Annapurna circuit.
Having a sub-tropical climate, the city witnesses extremes of weather conditions. However, due to the elevation, they become moderate. Seti Gandaki river that is the main river flowing in the city has made gorges throughout the landscape.
There is Phewa Tal (4.4 kilometres) at an altitude of about 827 m at the south of the city, and Lumle at 1,740 m in the north. It lies at the base of the Annapurna Mountain. The peaks of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu can be seen from the city. The Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) with an elevation of 6,993 m is the closest to the city. It can be clearly seen as a background to the Phewa lake.
Pokhara is a popular tourist destination. The tourist district is along the north shore of the Phewa lake is a typical tourist district with small shops, non-star tourist hotels, restaurants and bars. Most starred hotels are on the southern shore of the Phewa Lake and south-eastern parts of the city where there are more open lands and clearer view of the surrounding mountains.
Apart from Tal barahi temple which is in the centre of the Phewa Tal, the city has got many other famous temples like Bindhyabasini temple. Apart from the temples, there are places like world pease pagoda, International Mountain Museum, Gurkha Memorial Museum etc. which are the places worth visiting. There are places like Sarangkot and Poon Hill from which excellent views of natural beauty surrounding the place could be captured. There are famous lakes like Phewa, Begnas, rivers like Seti Gandaki and the gorges made by it- some quite small, the others quite like a canyon. The city life here offers one various chances of paragliding and paragliding, clubbing, etc. too.
Pokhara was an important spot for trade and business between India and China in ancient times. Now it is not so important from this point of view. In recent decades, Pokhara has become a major tourist destination in the world, it is even known as tourism capital of Nepal. Like every other city in Nepal, Pokhara’s economy too, now depends heavily upon tourism and hospitality industry. There are two 5-star hotels and approximately 305 other hotels that include five 3-star, fifteen 2-star and non-star hotels in the city.
Apart from this, Since the 1990s Due to a rapid urbanization, service sector industries have also contributed to the local economy overtaking the traditional agriculture. The major contributors to the economy of Pokhara are manufacturing and service sector including tourism; agriculture and the foreign and domestic remittance.
Pokhara is well connected to rest of the country through permanent road and air links. The main mode of transportation are public buses. The all-season Pokhara Airport with regular flights to Kathmandu, Mustang are operated by various domestic and a few international airlines. A new international airport is being constructed in the southeast of the city. Flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara take 30 minutes. Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and Simrik Air fly from Kathmandu’s domestic terminal and they can be purchased online from Nepal Domestic Flights.