Best places to eat in Pokhara

Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal and where most trekkers come to relax for a few days before or after their trips. Listed below are some of our favourite places to eat and drink in this stunning lakeside town.

Moondance - Although a little pricey, we think it offers some of the best food in town. Offering a special BBQ on certain days they have a lot of variety. They are famous for their Lemon Pie and have the best pitchers of cocktails. A perfect treat after your trek.

Almonds - If your looking for something a bit cheaper and a bit more local, Almonds is ideal. Mostly Indian food, their local Thali (Nepali Dal Bhat) is the best in town. Make sure you get one of their giant Nan bread, we can particularly recommend their Kasmiri Nan.

Silk Road - Hands down the best cocktails in town and at a reasonable price. This is a great place to come during the day or night, and they have live acoustic music on Wednesday and Sunday nights, you can even pick up a guitar yourself if you know how. Their signature drink is the Thirsty Camel, which is a fruity treat! A trip to Pokhara wouldn't be complete without a drink here.

Maya - If you fancy some fresh fish from the Pokhara Lake then this is the place to come. They have the best Grilled Tangy Fish for just $5. Live cultural music on the middle floor and a stunning rooftop where you can sit and enjoy their two for one cocktails as the sun goes down.

Pokhara Steak House - One of the few places you can actually get real beef (rather than buffalo). Many varieties of Steak a great option for the meat lovers!

Lemone Tree - Another great restaurant which covers most meals from Nepali and Indian to Mexican and Italian. Good quality food at a reasonable price. Also offers two for one cocktails.

These in our opinion are the best tourist restaurants in town, however if you are looking for something a bit more local, why not try Pani Puri from a street selling, or head toward the lake from Halan Chowk and try one of the many local Momo restaurants.

One things for sure is that you won't go hungry in Pokhara!

Matepani Monastery Outing

We have recently befriended Michelle, a volunteer from the States who is spending her time, energy and creativity making the lives of 80 Buddhist Monks that little bit better. Focusing primarily on education, Michelle could also see the need for some extra curricular activities and quickly set fundraising for a variety of activities. The first of which was taking the whole monastery (that's 80 monks!) to Lumbini and Chitwan for a cultural tour.

The week after, Michelle approached us and asked whether we would be able to run a rafting trip for the older monks. And of course, we said yes!! A few people we have spoken to have been surprised that monks would want to go rafting...but why not? They are normal young lads, that want to enjoy themselves, and they certainly did!

It was the middle of September when we took them so the rivers were still very high from the monsoon. We decided the safest and most fun river they could do would be the Trisuli. At 7am in the morning, they all piled in the bus eager to get to the river and the whole trip from start to finish was one laugh after another. We had a few unexpected swims and a lot of games. It was lovely to see how much they were enjoying the trip. In the evening we had a great camp fire and were ready for the next day of adventures. All too soon it was time to get back on the bus, but each and every one of them vowed they would come back. We are hoping that when the rivers settle a bit at the end of the monsoon we will be able to take the younger monks (some are as young as 5) to the Lower Seti river.

If you are part of a charitable organisation and would like to run a rafting trip, but are maybe concerned about the costs involved, please contact us as we are more than happy to run non-profit trips for a worthwhile cause. Send us an email for more information. 

Top 10 things to do in Pokhara...

1 - Go Paragliding, no, better yet, go Parahawking

Pokhara boasts one of the best spots in the world for paragliding with spectacular views of the Annapurna Mountain Range and the Few Tal lake. You can paraglide pretty much all year round and it's a great spot to learn. Parahawking takes the experience once step further and you can glide in the sky with these incredible birds whilst supporting a great cause.

2 - Trek up to the World Peace Pagoda

Originally built by Japanese Buddist Monks, you can see the Pagoda where ever you are in Lakeside. The best way to get there is to paddle across the lake then trek 45 minutes up the hill where you will be greeted by the most fantastic views. For those of you who are short of time (or not as fit), you can also get a taxi up to the top.

3 - Go Rafting on the Kaligandaki.

One of the best shorter rafting trips on offer in Nepal. 2 nights 3 days of whitewater rafting/kayaking, camping out under the stars, swimming and enjoying the wilderness. Best season is Oct-Dec with two trips leaving Pokhara a week on average.

4 - Take a trek to Poon Hill

Our favourite short trek, from 3-5 days (5 recommended so you can visit the natural hot springs). Or is you have more time why not go a bit further and reach Annapurna BaseCamp?! This in our opinion is the best short trek you can do from Pokhara getting you close to the mountains and up to an altitude of 3200m

5 - Chill out and get a massage

Many people come to Pokhara to escape the chaos of Kathmandu, to relax after a strenuous trek or simply just to chill out. My favourite spot to have a traditional Nepali massage or a Hot Stone massage in the Winter is Jive Cafe and Spa. They also have an excellent food and smoothie menu!

6 - Take a boat out on the Fewa Tal (and spot of at Bahari Temple)

The lake is the focal point when traveling to Pokhara so you can't really come and not go out on it. You can hire wooden boats (which you can either row or you can hire someone too for relatively cheap), you can take them out for just an hour or a whole day. A highlight is to paddle to the middle where the Bahari Temple stands. Or simply paddle to the center and enjoy the view of the mountains behind.

7 - Grab a cocktail down by the lake

There's nothing better to do on an evening thansitting by the lake and sipping a cool cocktail. A few of our favourite spots are Silk Road, Busy Bee and High Tide.

8 - Visit Devi's Falls & the Bat Caves

This is on most tourists 'to do lists'. Devi's falls is most impressive during the monsoon when the water levels are huge, you can then cross the roads and visit the caves to see where the falls goes under ground. There are several caves in Pokhara, the best being the bat caves where you can take a guide and explore the hidden caves. Don't forget to take a torch!

9 - Go to a museum

The two best museums in Pokhara are the International Mountain Museum and the Gurkha Museum which are well worth a visit. You'll need at least a few hours at both of these to make the most of it and read all the information. If you have children then the Mountain Museum is maybe more interesting (especially the Yeti with gloves on!0

10 - Enjoy fresh fish from the lake.

There are many incredible restaurants in Pokhara offering all sorts of meals from local Nepali to Italian, from Indian to Korean. Our favourite is the grilled Tangy fish from Maya. See our post on the best places to eat and drink in Pokhara for more info.

11. Yoga!

(I know we said 10, but here's a bonus idea for you!) Pokhara is an ideal place to do a spot of yoga whether you are a beginner or a pro. There are many organisations offering all sorts from yoga retreats to morning sessions. One of the better and more organised seems to be Pranamaya Yoga which operates out of Jiva Cafe.

If you would like any information on activities in Pokhara, please fee free to email us and we'll be happy to help.

Money & ATM's when you travel to Nepal

People regularly ask us about whether they should bring US$ or GB£ cash with them when they arrive, whether they can use their debit/credit cards or if travelers cheques are possible. Here's a few hints and tips to help you organise your money when traveling to Nepal.

1. Which Cash to Bring?
To be perfectly honest, it doesn't really matter. I've met many British tourists who have been told in the past to change their cash into dollars are they are more widely accepted, however recenty, it doesn't matter, in fact the exchange rate on the Sterling is actually stronger. So don't loose out on exchange rates, bring the currency you use and change that.

2. Where To Change your Money?
In Thamel (Kathmandu),. Lakeside (Pokhara) and Sauraha (Chitwan) you will find   many money exchanges all offering a fixed price. You will find better commission rates here than at the airport. Aside from these 'touristy' areas, you will not find any money exchanges, although a few are popping up in Namache, the trekking hub on the way up to Everest. Exchange rates change daily, so keep an eye and try to change when it is highest.

3. Are there ATM's in Nepal?
Yes, of course there are, similar to the money exchanges, you will find them in the touristy areas. They will let you take out up to 35,000 rupees per transaction depending on which machine you use (Nabil bank is one of the few that give that much, others only give 10,000 rupees at a time). Most common ATM's found are Standard Chartered, Nabil Bank and Himalayan Bank)

4. Can you pay using you Card?
Most of the bigger hotel, restaurants and tour companies will accept payments by cards, although the smaller souvenir shops and restaurants will not. And you should expect around a 3-5% service charge on card payment. 

For an up to date exchange rate check on xe.com.