page_title: Pokhara
section_title: Tourism
hierarchical_section_title: Pokhara / Tourism
caption_attribution_description: Overview of fewa lake.
context_page_description: Pokhara is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Pradesh. It is the country's largest metropolitan city in terms of area and second largest in terms of populations. The city also serves as the headquarters of Kaski District. Pokhara is located 200 kilometres west of the capital, Kathmandu. The altitude varies from 827 metres in the southern part to 1,740 metres in the north. The Annapurna Range, with three out of the ten highest peaks in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — is within 15–35 mi 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.
context_section_description: After the occupation of Tibet by China in 1950 and the Indo-China war in 1962, the old trading route to India from Tibet through Pokhara became defunct. Today only a few caravans from Mustang arrive in Bagar.
  In recent decades, Pokhara has become a major tourist destination: it is considered the tourism capital of Nepal in South Asia, mainly for adventure tourism and the base for the famous Annapurna Circuit trek. Thus, a major contribution to the local economy comes from the tourism and hospitalities industry. Tourism is a major source of income for local people and the city. There are two 5-star hotels and approximately 305 other hotels that includes one 4-star, five 3-star, fifteen 2-star and non-star hotels in the city.
  Many medieval era temples such Tal Barahi Temple, Bindhyabasini, Bhadrakali, Talbarahi, Guheshwari, Sitaldevi, Gita mandir and Bhimsen temples and old Newari houses are located in the city. The modern commercial city centres are at Chipledhunga, New Road, Prithvi Chowk and Mahendrapul.
  The city promotes two major hilltops as viewpoints to see the city and surrounding panorama: World Peace Pagoda, built in 1996 across the southern shore of Phewa lake and Sarangkot, which is northwest of the city. In February 2004, International Mountain Museum (IMM) was opened for public in Ratopahiro to boost the city's tourism attractions. Other museums are Pokhara Regional Museum; an ethnographic museum; Annapurna Natural History Museum which houses preserved specimens of flora and fauna, and contains particularly extensive collection of the butterflies, found in the Western and Annapurna Conservation Area region of Nepal; and Gurkha Museum featuring history of the Gurkha soldiers.
caption: View of Phewa lake and Pokhara from Shanti Stupa
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