Pokhara Tour Exquisite Excursion
Serenity and Splendor of Pokh
Discover the Serenity and Splendor of Pokhara on an Exquisite Excursion
The Pokhara Tour Exquisite Excursion is a one-day day tour starting and finishing in Pokhara. We run it as a private trip on your own dates, or as a small group departure.
Gurung heritage, the International Mountain Museum, Bindhyabasini and Tal Barahi temples. Lakeside has the best range outside Kathmandu.
This is a cultural trip, not a trek. Expect vehicle transfers, guided site visits and short walks of an hour or two, with the option to add a longer hike where the itinerary allows. Nothing beyond ordinary travel. The lake sits at 820 m, so altitude is not a factor.
Best time to go. Year round, with the clearest Annapurna views from October to March.
Permits and getting there. Entry fees for the sites visited, all included. 25-minute flight or 6 to 8 hour drive from Kathmandu. Pokhara International Airport now takes some direct international flights.
Where you sleep. This is a day trip, so you keep your own hotel. We can book Kathmandu or Pokhara accommodation for you separately if you want it handled in one place.
Why book with us. Trekking Team is a family company in Gongabu, Kathmandu, running trips since 1991 under TAAN licence 1106. About ten thousand people have travelled with us and we hold more than 630 TripAdvisor reviews. Every departure runs with a government-licensed guide, permits arranged before you arrive, insured and equipped staff, and a fixed price. If the dates or the route do not suit you, write to us and we will rebuild the itinerary around what you want.
Trip Summary
Duration
Difficulty
Max Elevation
Start point
End point
Daily Activity
Group Size
Best Season
Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in a private vehicle
- Government-licensed guide for the day
- All entry fees and permits required for the activity
- Lunch and drinking water during the activity
- All safety equipment and instruction where the activity requires it
- All government taxes and service charges
Not Included
- Travel insurance, which we require you to hold
- Hotel accommodation and meals outside the activity
- Drinks, souvenirs and items of a personal nature
- Photographs and video of the activity, where sold on site
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything not listed under what is included
Get started on your journey
Detailed itinerary
Pokhara Tour Exquisite Excursion
A full day covering Pokhara properly, with a licensed guide and a private vehicle, built around getting the mountain views at the hour they actually happen rather than in the middle of the day when the haze has come up.
Sunrise from Sarangkot. A pre-dawn drive up to the ridge at about 1,600 m. On a clear morning the light comes onto Dhaulagiri first, then Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre and Manaslu in sequence, with the lake still dark below. It is the best hour of the day and it is worth the alarm.
Phewa Lake. Back down for breakfast, then out on the water. The Tal Barahi temple sits on its own island in the middle of the lake and the row across takes a few minutes. From the far shore a footpath climbs about forty minutes through forest to the World Peace Pagoda on the southern ridge, which gives the view back across the lake to the mountains.
Devi's Fall and Gupteshwor. The waterfall disappears into an underground channel at the edge of town, and directly opposite it the Gupteshwor Mahadev cave runs down beside the same watercourse to a Shiva shrine. Both are short stops and they work well together.
The International Mountain Museum. Better than it sounds and genuinely worth an hour: the history of Himalayan mountaineering, the ethnography of the mountain peoples, and a serious geology section. If you are heading out on a trek later in the trip it will change how you look at the country.
Old Pokhara and Bindhyabasini. The bazaar area north of Lakeside is the original town, with Newar shopfronts and the Bindhyabasini temple on its small hill. Almost nobody visits and it is ten minutes from the tourist strip.
Options to add. Paragliding from Sarangkot, a zip line, the Annapurna Cable Car up to Sarangkot, or an ultralight flight along the range. Any of these can be built into the day and we will restructure the timings around them.
Best time. October to March for the clearest mountain views. Pokhara sits at 820 m so it is warm year round, and the monsoon months are green and dramatic with cloud but you will not see the Annapurnas.
What is included. Licensed guide, private vehicle for the day, boat hire, and all entrance fees. Bring a light layer for the pre-dawn start, sunglasses and comfortable shoes.
Altitude: 827 m
Travel duration
Elevation
Meal
Accommodation
Getting ready
No special training is needed. Comfortable shoes for uneven cobbles and stone steps at the heritage sites, and a light layer for early mornings, will cover it.
Permits and paperwork
Entry fees for the sites visited, all included.
Nepal issues visas on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport: 15, 30 or 90 days, payable in cash in most major currencies or by card. Bring two passport photographs and make sure your passport has at least six months validity.
Money, tipping and costs on the ground
Nepali rupees are the only currency accepted on the trail. Draw cash in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you leave; ATMs have a per-transaction limit of around NPR 35,000 and charge a fee, and above the roadhead there are no machines and no card terminals.
Budget for drinks, souvenirs and any meals not listed in the itinerary.
Tipping is customary and genuinely matters to the crew, but it is not compulsory and never demanded. As a guide to the guide: around USD 8 to 12 per day for your trekking guide and USD 6 to 8 for each porter, pooled by the group and handed over at the end.
Staying in touch
Excellent throughout.
Ncell and Nepal Telecom tourist SIM cards are sold at Kathmandu airport and take about ten minutes. Bring your passport.
Health and safety
No vaccinations are legally required for Nepal, but hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are sensible and a rabies course is worth discussing if you are travelling for a long time. Check with a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly.
Drink bottled or treated water and be sensible about street food in the first few days.
Our guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit. We hold a 24-hour operations line in Kathmandu throughout your trip, and we run rescue coordination ourselves rather than handing it to a third party.
Booking and cancellation
A deposit confirms your dates and the balance is due before departure. If your plans change we will move your booking to another date rather than treat it as a cancellation wherever the ground operators allow it.
Written quotes are fixed. We do not add fuel or permit surcharges after you have booked, and if a government fee rises between your booking and your departure we absorb it.
Questions before you commit are welcome and never rushed. Write to us with what you actually want and we will tell you plainly whether this trip is the right one, including when the answer is that a different route would suit you better.
Ready to start your journey?
Start planning your dream trip today. Enquire now for more information or customize this trip to tailor it to your needs and make it truly unforgettable.