It’s time to return to Nepal for our second article featuring Sergei Prutskov’s travels in Nepal.
Nepal Part Two: Pokhara and the Himalayas
Written by Sergei Prutskov and Greg Prohl
Photos by Sergei Prutskov
After you’ve spent your time in Kathmandu, it’s time to head on to other locations and adventures in Nepal. For many travelers to Nepal, the city of Pokhara is the natural choice, and is in fact the most visited city in the country. With a population of 265,000 people, Pokhara is the third most populous city in Nepal. Geographically, it is located dead center within Nepal’s borders and about 200 kilometers or 125 miles west of Kathmandu.
(Pokhara, Phewa Lake lower left and Annapurna Range to the north)
Pokhara is situated in the Pokhara valley (makes sense to me) and only 30 linear miles from three of the world’s ten tallest mountains – Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, and Manaslu. As you might expect, this makes for some stunning views to the north of the city as these massive giants ascend abruptly from the lowlands, going from approximately 1,000 meters to over 7,500 meters in the distance of only twenty kilometers. This also creates a massive rain wall effect with Pokhara and environs annual rainfall ranging from 130 inches in the city to over 200 inches at the base of the mountains!
(Phewa Lake and the Himalayas, another view)
Naturally this makes for an abundance of fresh water and the area is awash in rivers and lakes. The largest and most easily accessed of these is Phewa Lake, a very popular destination for both locals and tourists alike. I spent some time on and around the lovely Phewa Lake and took one of the local small boats out to Dragon Island in the middle of the lake.
(Lakeside restaurant, Phewa Lake)
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