There’s more to Pokhara than the resplendent beauty of one lake. On this Pokhara bike tour, we ride out to discover the magnificence of another lake. All geared up, we set in motion from our Pokhara base, in close proximity to Fewa Lake, to pedal our way out of the city, meandering uphill on a single track road repetitively switching back and forth between the lush woodlands and distinctive villages.
Relishing the pristine beauty of hillside landscape and distant views of monolithic hulk of awe-inspiring Himalayas along the way, we take a breather after about 2.5 hours at one of the wayside tea shops at Kalikasthan. With the tougher part behind us, we our Pokhara bike tour continues down a dirt track at a relaxed pace as the beauty of Begnas Lake unravels itself bit by bit. Reaching Begnas, we go into one of the local eateries to try out the local produce, fish delicacies and replenish ourselves with filling lunch while admiring the beauty of the lake. The return bike ride to Pokhara will take about an hour and a half, and is via a different, more straightforward route through the countryside and back into the town centre, where our day tour from Pokhara will come to an end.
Experience traditional Nepalese country life with a hike to the mountain hamlet of Astam. See stunning scenery as you climb to Astam on the foothills of the Annapurna Range and breathe in the freshest air the world, surrounded by snowcapped peaks and verdant valleys crammed with colourful flowers.
The fun begins with a 40-minute drive to Hemja, a picturesque village northwest of Pokhara from where the hike starts. Follow the trail through the wilderness to Astam, which takes about two hours. Admire the fantastic flora and fauna that exists at the final staging post before the roof of the world.
The rustic village of Astam was founded three centuries years ago when the Adhikari family settled here. The current inhabitants are the seventh generation of Adhikaris to live here. Astam is located on a small ridge, allowing breathtaking 360-degree panoramas of the Annapurna and Manaslu mountain ranges as well as Pokhara Valley. Imagine what it is like to wake up here every morning and enjoying such views.
Nowadays, Astam is an eco-village where much attention is paid to sustainability. Your lunch is be made from locally grown foods prepared on bio-gas. You can visit the farmlands and participate in any activities that may take place on the land. There’s a good chance of spotting Himalayan birds such as the red vented bulbul and the scarlet minivet as well as beautifully coloured butterflies.
Start your tour by visiting the Dakshinkali Temple, dedicated to Hindu Goddess Kali, which is the fearful form of Lord Siva’s consort, Parvati. The main deity in the temple is the black stone, six-armed form of Kali, standing on a prostrated figure. Dakshinkali is at the south end of the valley between two hills and at the confluence of two rivers. Sacrifices are made two times a week at this temple. Saturday is the main day of animal sacrifices and a less important day is Tuesday.
Turn yourself into a typical Kathmandu citizen for a day. Early wake-up and head straight to places of worship on foot. First up is Swoyambhunath, follow the path of Hindu and Buddhist devotees, circling the holy stupa and spinning the prayer wheels. The mesmerizing wafts of incense, hypnotic chants of prayers and surreal sound of ringing bells will provide a spiritual high. Spiritually awakened, stroll through the maze of backstreets to Kathmandu Durbar Square, its numerous temples and its market. Pick some fresh vegetables, purchase some aromatic spices and all the other necessary ingredients for a local lunch (it’s your choice and we’ll put all our confidence in you to find the right ingredients!). Well-stocked and well-prepared (at least mentally!), head to meet your host family. Lead the way or lend the hand as your hosts unveils the secrets of Nepalese cooking. Truly Kathmandu Living.
Hike the Himalayan foothills to the wonderful World Peace Stupa and enjoy breathtaking views over Lake Phewa, the city of Pokhara and the roof of the world in the horizon. This active full day trip is both a spiritual journey and a sightseeing tour, which takes in other local landmarks such as the Devi waterfall and Gupteshwor Cave as well as a scenic lake cruise. Come along for a magnificent day in the great outdoors.
The adventure begins on a rowing boat, which will cross Lake Phewa to the hike’s starting point at the edge of a forest. Trek for between 60 and 90 minutes through the trees to Ananda Hill, where the pristine white World Peace Stupa – one of 80 around the planet – has been since construction finished in 1999. Take a breath and close your eyes before setting them upon the stunning panorama of the lake and Pokhara framed by the snowcapped Himalaya Range. On a clear day you will see the Himalayas reflecting on the lake’s surface. This is nature at its best. Then, to cap it all off, enjoy lunch here.
Head downhill for about 45 minutes to the Devi waterfall, which flows into a deep and narrow channel, and learn about the legend of how it got its name. Visit Gupteshwor Cave, where locals worship the Lord Shiva, then continue into the 3km-long limestone cave behind it. From the cave, trek back to your hotel through the dam side. The walk back takes about 30 minutes.
The tour of Kathmandu City (also known as Kantipur) includes visit to the temple of the Living Goddesses, who acknowledges the greetings of the devotees from the balcony of her temple residence. Kasthamandap-the source of the name Kathmandu Supposed to be made from the timber of a single tree and the Durbar Square are with its array of temples overlooked by the Hanuman Dhoka Palace.
Continue to Swyambhunath, the most ancient and enigmatic of the Valley’s holy shrines the golden spired stupa of Swyambhunath tops a wooded hillock. Records of its history date as far as the 5th century, but its origins are believed to be older. It is the Kathmandu Valley’s most sacred Buddhist shrine and whilst its worshippers include the Vajrayana Buddhists of northern Nepal and Tibet, Newari Buddhists are the most fervent devotees.
Visit the ancient city of Patan, which happened to be a kingdom in itself once and is situated across the Bagmati River to the south of Kathmandu. The tour includes visit of Patan Durbar Square, temples and courtyards of Royal Palace.
The Durbar Square offers the finest display of Newari urban architecture in Nepal. The temples here devoted to Shiva, Krishna, Ganesh and Vishnu are actively visited by residents and visitors. At the northern end of the square the ancient sunken water tap has been restored and is still in use with young girls filling huge jugs from the carved stone waterspouts. The courtyards of the Royal Palace with their ornamented windows, columned arcades, shrines and sunken royal bath are amongst the loveliest in all Kathmandu.
The other great stupa of the Valley and indeed, the largest in all of Nepal, is BODHANATH stupa. It is situated on the flat land to the east of the Valley. BODHANATH'S great size and its red, white and blue – painted eyes give it a striking appearance. The great stupa of Bodnath was built in fifth century. The site around the present day stupa was an overnight camp of Tibetan businessmen. The Tibetan Merchants used to offer prayer at the site where there is stupa now. Today it is the principal centers of Tibetan culture outside of Tibet. Several Buddhist monasteries have been built up recently in the immediate vicinities of Boudhanath.
The periphery around the stupa is also popular for Tibetan Jewelry, hand-woven carpets, thankas, masks, khukuri knives and many more Tibetan products. A whole day can be spent over here observing the beauty of this huge stupa from different view –angles and the roof top restaurants.
Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most sacred Hindu shrine and one of the subcontinent’s great Shiva sites. The supreme holiness of the site stems from the Shiva lingam enshrined in its main temple and its location. It expresses the very essence of Hinduism as pilgrims, priests, devotes, temples, ashrams, images, inscriptions and cremation ghats intermingle with the rituals of daily life, all sprawled along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. The temple’s origins are obscure, an inscription dates from 477, but a shrine may have stood here for 1000 years before that. Non Hindu are not allowed to enter premised of the temple.
Pick up/Meeting point: hotel lobby at 9.00am and 2.00pm
Duration: 3-4 hrs.
Start or opening time:9:30am, 2:30pm
End or closing time:1.00pm, 6.00pm
Languages:English
Others: Entrance Fees no included.
The tour begins with a drive to the south of Kathmandu in the direction of Lalitpur, Patan. South of Patan we drive for approximately 14 kilometres till we reach Godawari, home to the famous botanical gardens.It is in Godawari where we start our hiking tour. Godawari is a popular picknick place for the Nepali.
Our track leads us gradually uphill through thick forest for about four hours. Depending on how clear the sky is, you may have a magnificent view from eastern part of Annapurna range to Gaurishanker in the east. Also worth the view is looking down on Kathmandu Valley. At this magical spot we will enjoy our packed lunch. After lunch and moving around for some time, we hike down following the same trail to Godawari for about 2 hours and drive back to Kathmandu.
Phulchowki (2782m) is the highest hill situated in the south of Kathmandu valley. This is one of the most beautiful hiking spots in terms of vegetation in Kathmandu valley. (Hiking Time: 6 - 7 hours).
Pick up/Meeting point: Hotel lobby
Duration:8 hours
Start or opening time:9.00am
End or closing time:5pm
Languages: English
Others: Child Permission: 0-7 years is unsuitable for the trip.
Your Kathmandu tour will start with a visit to the Seven Women headquarters in Kathmandu, where you will meet some of the women of Seven Women and hear the stories of how this social enterprise has made such a massive difference in Nepal. The group will learn about how Seven Women began and has grown from 7 women to now assisting more than 1,000 women. During this In Focus workshop, you will learn how to make a felt ball key ring by hand. You’ll have a producer assist you as you create and gain a better appreciation for the work that goes into creating handmade items. Alongside this, you’ll learn about the principles of fair trade and how fair trade products are made.
After the workshop, you’ll get to visit the Seven Women fair trade gift shop to see the whole range of handmade crafts produced by the women, which are then exported to support the enterprise. You’ll also get to take home the personal souvenirs you made during the workshop.
Disfruta de la sensación de libertad y la grandeza del paisaje a los pies de la cordillera del Himalaya con esta excursión a través de lo más destacado de Pokhara y sus alrededores. Te asombrarás con las montañas y los lagos, puro espectáculo. Vista un templo, una cueva repleta de murciélagos y contempla una maravillosa cascada. Acércate a vivir durante un día en la cima del mundo.
Saldremos de Pokhara hacia Sarangkot y la cordillera del Annapurna, la zona más espectacular de la región. Las vistas son hechizantes, especialmente el parpadeo de la luz cuando sale el sol e ilumina las montañas majestuosas que pueblan el horizonte. Ver cómo sale el sol por encima del monte Annapurna es una experiencia que no te puedes perder. Dirígete al interior de estas montañas y adéntrate en la cueva Mahenda, donde viven murciélagos. Si lo deseas, te puedes saltar esta parte del recorrido. Cerca de allí encontrarás la garganta Seti, de dos metros de ancho y 20 de profundidad. Su recorrido serpenteante se aleja sumergiéndose debajo de la ciudad.
Tómate un respiro y relájate navegando en barca por el lago Phewa, que ofrece una magnífica estampa de las montañas reflejándose en sus aguas. Sigue hacia el templo Tal Barahi, situado en una pequeña isla justo en medio del lago. Cuando vuelvas a tierra, dirígete hacia la cascada Devi. Ésta desemboca en un canal y profundo y, allí, conocerás la leyenda que explica el origen de su nombre. Visita la cueva de Gupteshwor, donde los indígenas veneran a Lord Sihva y luego continúa por los 3 kilómetros de cueva de piedra calcárea.