Pokhara

Pokhara

LOCATION

Pokhara valley extends, in the 'Oriental Realm', between the north parallels of 25°7’ and 28°10' and east meridians of 83°50' and 84°50'. Situated in the mountainous region of the southern Himalayas and trapped between the higher Himalayas in the north and Mahabharat range in the south, it occupies central position in the country. It valley spreads mainly over Kaski district and covers small portions of Tanahun and Syangja district from Pokhara, Tibetan border to the north is 72 kilometers and Indian border to the south is 78 kilometers. Within a small area the elevation ranges nearly from 500 meters to 2,500 meters in the Pokhara valley.

Based on the administrative division on hierarchical order Pokhara lies in Western Development Region, Gandaki Zone and Kaski District. The valley includes Pokhara Sub Metropolitan City', Lekhnath Municipality, and some other Village Development Committees. The city is located in the central part of the valley.



ORIGIN OF POKHARA

The development of Pokhara valley and the origin of Annapurna range including the majestic peak Macchapuchhre is ascribed to Geological faulting in the 'Tertiary Period! (Between 65 25 million years ago from now). The convergence of Indian peninsula with Tibetan plate resulted into upsurge of Himalayas from the Tethys sea. After the upsurge of Annapurna range, due to the action of climatic components, glaciers started eroding mountains. The eroded materials limestone, gneiss and quartzite were transported downwards depositing larger and coarser debris first and smaller as well as smoother debris later. Therefore the northern region of Pokhara has thicker layer of coarser and larger boulders but this thickness decreases southward and smoothness and size reduction occurs gradually. In this way, the tectonic valley was developed due to the hauling of debris as moraine and subsequent deposition as lake deposit.

GETTING INSIDE POKHARA

Pokhara, now a days, is linked to the major cities of Nepal by air and road transportation. Aeroplanes of different airlines fly several times a day from Kathmandu to Pokhara and many times a week from other major cities of the country. All the cities of Nepal where motoring has been possible so far, are linked to Pokhara by roads and regular bus services are available.
Mountain flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara is the best option. View Himalayas including the Annapurna range which lies right next to flight path. So sit back, turn your head to the right, and enjoy the flight. Be careful though, this will blow your mind away, don't hurt your neck, do not push the passenger on the right out through the window!!

Riding a public bus or a taxi to Pokhara is also a good option. Public buses run daily from Kathmandu. It takes about 5 to 6 hours by bus. Buses are crowded, but that's' how Nepalese travel all life long, so what the heck, go ahead experience it, for you, it's only for a day! Remember, public buses do not have A/C, Heaters and have frequent stops on the way. Bus will stop at Highways site for Lunch or Dinner. Have some Nepail food there, if you can digest spicy foods, or you can pick restaurants which specifically cater to foreigners. Taxis are expensive, probably will cost you as much as the Air-fare. When you ride by land, you get to see more places; you get to enjoy the scenery that you would not be able to see from the air.
Pokhara is the only city in Nepal which is famous for the Himalayan Peaks and the Annapurna Himalayan Range. Some of the Famous Mountains that can be seen from Pokhara are Mt. Machhapuchree (6,997m), Mt. Annapurna I (8,091m), Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Mt. Manaslu (8,163) , Mt. Hinchuli etc. it is the only City in Nepal that consist of seven beautiful lakes. Some of the famous lakes are Fewa Lake, Begnas Lake and Rupa Lake. It is the only City in Nepal that has excellent and breath taking caves. There are more then 5 caves within this city. Some of the most popular caves are Mahendra cave, Bat cave, Gupteshower Mahadev cave, Kali khola cave etc.

Pokhara is the only City that has several rivers flowing within itself. Some of the major rivers that flow within this beautiful city are Seti, Yamdi, Mardi, Kali Khola, Madi etc. This City must be God's idea of heaven. Pokhara is so rich in Natural vegetation and excellent climatic conditions. It is neither too hot nor too cold. It seems to be a paradise.

This breath taking view is from Sarangkot. This hill is famous for the panoramic view of the annapurna himalayan range. Pokhara is beautiful but it still depends upon how we take and feel it, but to be sure Pokhara is god's gift and is rich in natural beauty in all the ways. Sarangkot is also famous for paragliding purposes. It has the bird's eye view of the seti river, fewa lake, and the valley itself. This hill station is a 20 minute uphill drive from Aarchalbot. This route is also one of the short day trek route within the Pokhara Valley. Local peoples have kept powerful binoculars for the viewing purpose of the valley and the mountains.

Pokhara is famous for mountains. The most beautiful and demanding mountain is Mount Fishtail., this mountain has a peak that looks like a fish tail. In Nepali this mountain is called Machhapuchre Himal which means Mount Fishtail. Seeing the beauty of this mountain, tourist says that this mountain has been crafted by god for the Pokhreli people.

Fishtail base camp is three days trek from the Pokhara valley. We walk through dense forest, Gurung villages and beautiful hills to reach this place. This base camp has some hotels under the supervision of ACAP (Annapurna conservation area project)

CLIMATE

Pokhara experiences humid sub tropical to warm temperate climate. The climate of Pokhara valley is basically the influence of topography. Yearly mean temperature of the city (827m) is 20.80C whereas monthly averages are maximum 25.50C (During July and August) and minimum 13.20C (during January). The deviation of temperature from mean value is also interesting: absolute maximum temperature is 37.40C and absolute minimum temperature 2.40C. Average annual rainfall recorded in Pokhara city is 3,755mm while 5,337mm is recorded in Lumle (a village nearby Pokhara city). Pokhara receives both monsoon and winter rains. It is important to note that profound effect of micro climatic elements on climatic parameters is clearly observable around Pokhara. A sunshine hour in Pokhara is estimated to be nearly seven hours a day on an annual average. From June to August, monsoon clouds may create problems to view and photograph the mountains. Rests of the months are almost cloud free but November to March is the best time to avoid this problem. The annual average high wind speed recorded at Pokhara is 4 km per hour from February to June. The air is generally humid throughout the year with 80.16% relative humidity on yearly average. The relative humidity is found to be low in March and high in April. To know daily weather of Pokhara please visit http://www.mfd.gov.np

The climate 'is neither too cold nor too hot hence, from climatic point of view, Pokhara is enjoyable all year round. However, to visit higher Himalayas northern of Pokhara, especially for trekkers the best period is October to April.

Some facts on Pokhara City

These facts are based on Data from HMG Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, and Websites of Municipalities. Population about 200,000 . It is believed that Pokhara was the city of Mallas, the rulers of Nepal about 250 years ago. The Newar community of Kathmandu Valley migrated to Pokhara, built houses like those of Mallas, and started developing settlements which lead to the development of this city. Today, Pokhara is developed by tourism, import and export business of both domestic as well as foreign products to various towns and villages in Kaski and other districts of Nepal

What does Pokhara mean for Nepal?

It is a main center for the import and distribution of the domestic and imported foreign goods for various districts that are linked to Pokhara. Pokhara is the main entry point for goods going to the Kaski district of Nepal. Pokhara's population is growing more than ever, as the city has become the immediate choice for those who are leaving Kathmandu because of pollution or congestion factors, and it is also the number one choice for Nepalese living abroad for buying lands or houses in Nepal. Population of vehicles in Pokhara is also increasing. Pokhara will eventually develop the nearby villages and towns both by tourism industry as well as by local business.

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