Pokhara

Pokhara

The serene beauty of Pokhara has inspired many travel writers. Its clean air, spectacular backdrop of snow-capped peaks, blue lakes and surrounding green vegetation make it the 'jewel in the Himalaya'. Pokhara is lies on an important ancient trade route between China and India. The backdrop is the magnificent Annapurna Mountains, flanked by a series of 9 lakes, with three large lakes, Phewa, Rupa and Begnas. The Pokhara Valley is the gateway to the Annapurna region. The capital of Gandaki province, Pokhara is Nepal's second most populous city after Kathmandu, situated on the shore of Phewa Lake at an altitude of around 822 meters. The Annapurna range, three of the ten highest peaks in the world, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu, are within 24-56 km of the valley. During the 17th century it was part of the Kingdom of Kaski, which was one of the Chaubisi rajya. Several of the hills around Pokhara still contain medieval ruins from this period. When Prithvi Narayan Shah annexed Pokhara to his kingdom in 1786, it became an important trading post on the routes between Kathmandu and Jumla and between India and Tibet. Because of its high population density and frequency of natural disasters, Western Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone parts of the world. The city is regarded as particularly prone to earthquakes and floods, as the Seti Gandaki River runs through the city. Over the past decades, Pokhara has become a significant tourist destination, primarily for adventure tourism and as a base for the well-known Annapurna Circuit trek.