Welcome to Pokhara!
Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal with about 400,000 people in 2018. It is the starting point for most of the treks in the Annapurna area. It is a very popular location with most people staying around the beautiful Fewa Lake. Dozens of hotels and restaurants are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, and today it is much easier to find modern amenities not common to other locations in Nepal, but Pokhara is losing its small-town charm and the lakeside now feels more like Khao San Road (with all the usual: yoga, reiki, massages by blind people, overpriced souvenirs and disingenuous locals).
A new international airport, scheduled for 2020, is likely to bring even more tourists, so visit before the rush.
Pokhara is still beautiful and many great and genuine people can be found, but it takes some work on the traveler's side. If you intend to stay on the lakeside road, para-glide, and trek to Annapurna, you will be getting a very inauthentic version of Nepal. If you make an effort to get out of the tourist areas, you will find amazing scenery, great people, and unforgettable experiences.
Pokhara (Nepali: पोखरा) is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the country's largest metropolitan city in terms of area and second-largest in terms of population. The city also serves as the headquarters of the Kaski District. Pokhara is located 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu. The city is on the shore of Phewa Lake and sits at an elevation of approximately 822m. The Annapurna Range, with three out of the ten highest peaks in the world-Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Manaslu, is within 15-35 mi (24-56 km) of the valley. Pokhara is considered the tourism capital of Nepal, being a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the Annapurna Conservation Area region of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas. The city is also home to many of the elite Gurkha soldiers, soldiers native to South Asia of Nepalese nationality recruited for the British Army, Nepalese Army, Indian Army, Gurkha Contingent Singapore, Gurkha Reserve Unit Brunei, UN peacekeeping forces, and in war zones around the world.