A milk-white river running in a slot so narrow you can almost jump it, right under the city; then a giant Shiva on the ridge above the lake.
The Seti, the "white" river, comes down from the Annapurnas thick with limestone silt, which gives it its milky colour. Under Pokhara it has cut a gorge only a few metres wide and up to 45 metres deep.
You can drive across the city without noticing it. Stop on one of the bridges, though, especially around Mahendra Pul near the Old Bazaar, and you look straight down a crack in the earth to rushing white water far below.
On the ridge above Phewa's southern shore, Pumdikot is crowned by a huge statue of Shiva, about 51 feet (some 16 metres) tall, seated on a temple building and completed in 2021.
It has quickly become a rival to the Peace Pagoda as a viewpoint: the lake, the city and on clear days the whole Annapurna range. The quiet way to reach it is a two-hour walk along the ridge from the pagoda.
Two halves of the day, on opposite sides of town.
Start at the bridge near the Old Bazaar and look down into the slot. Walk to the next bridges for different angles.
Further south the Seti widens below the city; viewpoints along the river show the cliffs of old gravel the town is built on.
Cross Phewa by boat and climb to the World Peace Pagoda for lunch with a view.
Follow the forested ridge west and south from the pagoda towards Pumdikot, through small villages and terraced fields.
Arrive in the late afternoon light, walk around the statue, then take a taxi back down to Lakeside.
Taxis go to Mahendra Pul from Lakeside in about 15 minutes. For Pumdikot, walk from the Peace Pagoda or take a taxi up the ridge road.
Don't climb over railings at the gorge; the edges are crumbly and the drop is sheer. On the ridge, start back before dark.
Pumdikot is an active temple: dress modestly and take your shoes off where asked.
Pokhara practical notes →Photographs by Wanderlines and from Wikimedia Commons under their licences.
