10 Best Things to Do in Pokhara, Nepal (From Sunrise to Underground Waterfalls)
So you're going to Pokhara. Good call. This is Nepal's lakeside chill-out capital — the place you come to trade Kathmandu's horns and dust for a green lake, a wall of 8,000-meter peaks, and café terraces built for doing nothing. But don't let the mellow fool you. There's a lot to do here, and some of it involves flinging yourself off a ridge with a parachute.
Here's the list. Do as much or as little as you like — Pokhara won't rush you.
1. Row a Doonga Across Phewa Lake
Start here, because it's the soul of the place. Phewa Lake sits right at Lakeside's doorstep, and the move is to hire a doonga — one of the brightly painted wooden rowboats — and paddle out yourself (~500–800 NPR/hour, or pay a boatman to do the work).
Row to Tal Barahi Temple, the two-tiered shrine sitting on its own little island in the middle of the water. Take your shoes and any leather off before you step onto the temple, and walk clockwise around it. On a still morning, the fishtail peak of Machhapuchhre lays a perfect reflection across the lake, and you'll understand every photo you've ever seen of this town.
2. Watch the Sunrise from Sarangkot
This is the one. Set an alarm you'll hate, take a taxi up before 5 AM (round trip ~1,500–2,000 NPR), pay the small viewpoint fee (~50–100 NPR), and stand on the Sarangkot ridge at 1,590 meters as the sun comes up.
What happens next is why you're awake. The light hits Dhaulagiri, the Annapurnas, and Machhapuchhre one by one and turns the whole range gold. Grab a hot chai at a ridge-top tea stall afterward — you've earned it. Skies are clearest October through April, so time it if you can.
3. Go Paragliding Over the Lake
Pokhara is one of the best paragliding spots on the planet, and here's the beautiful part: you need zero experience — our Pokhara adventure guide breaks down every flight, trek, and price. A tandem flight launches off Sarangkot with a certified pilot doing all the work while you dangle over Phewa Lake with the Himalaya as your backdrop.
A 20–30 minute flight runs 8,000–12,000 NPR (~$60–90) and usually includes a GoPro clip of you grinning like a lunatic. Sometimes you'll circle with wild eagles riding the same thermals — that's called parahawking, and it's magic. Fly in the calm morning air, and book a licensed operator with certified pilots and insurance. Not the cheapest guy shouting from the sidewalk.
4. Hike Up to the World Peace Pagoda
The World Peace Pagoda (Shanti Stupa) is a gleaming white Buddhist stupa on the ridge above the lake's south shore, and it hands you the single best combined view in Pokhara — lake, city, and the entire Annapurna range in one sweep.
Do it as a loop: row across Phewa Lake, then hike 30–45 minutes up through the forest to the top. Entry is free. Go in the clear morning light, and let the forest trail up be part of the fun rather than a chore.
5. See a Waterfall Disappear at Davis Falls
On Pokhara's southern edge, Davis Falls (locally, Patale Chhango) does something genuinely weird — the waterfall crashes down and then simply vanishes underground into a gorge. You watch water pour into the earth and not come back out where you'd expect. Small entry fee (~50–100 NPR). It's quick, it's odd, and it pairs perfectly with the next stop.
6. Descend into Gupteshwor Cave
Directly across the road from Davis Falls sits the sacred Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, a limestone cavern you climb down into. Follow it far enough and you reach a point where you can see Davis Falls thundering down from below — the flip side of the show you just watched from above. Another small fee. It's cool, damp, a little spooky, and one of Pokhara's most memorable half-hours. Pair it with the nearby Tibetan refugee settlement to watch carpet weaving.
7. Get Schooled at the International Mountain Museum
Southeast of Lakeside (taxi ~500–700 NPR) sits the International Mountain Museum, and it's genuinely excellent — not the dusty afterthought you're picturing. The exhibits cover Himalayan peaks, the history of mountaineering, and Nepal's ethnic groups. Entry is ~500 NPR for foreigners.
Go before you trek, not after. Standing in front of a scale model of the Annapurna range makes the mountains you're about to walk into feel real in a way no Instagram post can.
8. Boat the Quieter Begnas Lake
Everyone does Phewa. Fewer make it to Begnas Lake, Pokhara's peaceful second lake, a 45-minute drive east of town (taxi ~1,500–2,000 NPR). It's ringed by rice terraces, ruffled by barely a tourist, and you can hire a rowboat, swim, and eat fresh fish grilled at a simple lakeside eatery. This is the Pokhara most visitors miss — rural, green, and slow. Add a short ridge walk toward neighboring Rupa Lake for a two-lake panorama.
9. Wander the Old Bazaar & Bindhyabasini Temple
Lakeside is lovely, but it's a bubble. To see the Pokhara locals actually live in, head north to the Old Bazaar (taxi ~500 NPR) — Newari architecture, brass-ware and textile shops, everyday life away from the café strip. Up on a small hilltop nearby, Bindhyabasini Temple is the town's oldest temple complex, dedicated to the goddess Durga, buzzing with local pilgrims and blessed with valley views — pilgrim-watchers will find an even grander scene at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A quick, grounding contrast to the tourist scene.
10. Use Pokhara as Your Trek Gateway
The truth is, half the people in Lakeside are here to trek — and you might catch the bug. Pokhara is the launchpad for Nepal's most beloved trails: Poon Hill (a gentle 3–4 day sampler), Annapurna Base Camp (7–11 days), and the classic Annapurna Circuit. Sort your ACAP permit (~3,000 NPR) and, since 2023, a required licensed guide through a Lakeside agency. Even a two-day taste, like the Sarangkot-to-Naudanda ridge hike, puts the Himalaya right at your shoulder.
Pro Tip
Here's how to make all of the above easier, cheaper, and less stressful:
Withdraw a stack of rupees in Lakeside before you do anything else — and always carry small notes. ATMs are plentiful in town (fees around 500 NPR per transaction) but scarce or nonexistent the moment you head onto the trails, and prices climb with altitude. Boatmen, tea houses, viewpoint fees, and permits all want cash, often in small denominations.
A couple more: book activities in the morning, because paragliding, sunrises, and clear mountain views all favor the calm early hours before the afternoon clouds and gusts roll in. Bargain politely in the shops and for taxis and boats — settle a fair price with a smile before you commit. And learn one word: Namaste. It opens every door in this warm, welcoming town.
That's Pokhara. A lake, a mountain wall, and just enough adventure to earn your evening beer. Go slow, look up, and let the peaks do their thing.
