3 Days in Pokhara: Phewa Lake, Annapurna Cable Car, Sarangkot, Gupteshwor Cave & the Route Mistake to Avoid

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Nepal is so underrated. Here's our 3-day Pokhara plan, plus the one blunder that cost us a whole day.

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The biggest blunder: the Gorakhpur–Sunauli road route

We planned four days in Pokhara and three in Kathmandu. There were three of us, and we'd researched a lot. Like many vlogs suggest, we flew Hyderabad → Gorakhpur, planning to cross at Sunauli border and take a bus or shared cab to Pokhara. It all fell apart.

• Everyone says Gorakhpur airport to Sunauli is 2 hours. It took 3–4 hours. We reached around 5:30, changed some INR and bought a SIM.
• Shared cabs run only until about 2 pm. After that it's a private cab, and they asked ₹8,000–9,000 to Pokhara.
• Buses cost about ₹900–1,000, but weren't comfortable and had no sleepers.
• After two hours of trying, we got a cab. We left Sunauli at 8:30 pm and reached Pokhara at 5 am. Google says 5–6 hours; plan on 10.
• The ghat road is extreme, with hardly 100 metres of straight road. Even with motion-sickness tablets, one of us threw up three times.
• We lost a full day and a night of hotel booking.

Our advice: fly into Kathmandu, then take a domestic flight. We flew Pokhara → Kathmandu on Yeti Airlines for about ₹3,000. Add up the road costs and the wasted hotel night, and you save nothing by road. With family, don't do this route at all. If you must, reach Gorakhpur early in the morning and pre-book everything.

Day 1

Phewa Lake

A beautiful lake full of kayaks and boats. It's sunny in the day, so come in the evening for water sports.

Annapurna Cable Car to Sarangkot

We took a bus, then walked about 400 m to the base. A taxi costs about 300–400 NPR, but negotiate.

• Two-way ticket: 1,000 NPR for Indians, 700 NPR for Nepalis.
• It's a long ride, about 2.5–3 km and 10+ minutes, and a little scary. The views are awesome.
• At the top, Sarangkot has a Ganesh statue, swings and adventure activities. Then comes the view of the snow mountains, which honestly shocked us.
• Walk to the Panchmukhi Ganpati temple, and try wai wai chaat at the little stall there. It's like bhel with noodles.

Try it: sea buckthorn juice on Pokhara main road. It's very sour, but full of vitamin C.

Food

• Wai wai and momos at a local spot by the lake. Don't ask for it spicy!
• An authentic Nepali thali (mutton or fish), with aloo sabzi, rai saag, papad, tomato chutney, curd and dal. Roti isn't included, so order it extra.

Nightlife

Catwalk Club near our hotel: free entry and a great dance vibe. Fine for families and friends. Go 11:30 pm–12 am, because after 12:30 the crowd isn't as nice.

Day 2

Davis Falls

Entry is 100 NPR for foreign visitors. The falls were closed for work when we went, so we saw only what's visible from the top, plus a wishing pool full of (mostly Indian) coins and a model Annapurna range. We bought two cute wind chimes for 300 NPR.

Gupteshwor Cave (don't miss)

The entrance is just across from Davis Falls, and it was a surprise. It goes deep down, through wet, narrow, slippery steps, past little shrines and shivlings, to where Davis Falls' water thunders in. It's huge, honestly bigger than we expected after Batu Caves. Photos aren't allowed in parts, and no need to remove footwear. The climb up is tiring and a bit claustrophobic when crowded, but people of all ages were doing it.

Lakeside

Shopping at Lakeside Centre: hand-painted magnets for about 120 NPR and Annapurna souvenirs. Then dinner at Soul Origin Café, on a rooftop with a good view: chicken khaja set (beaten rice, peanuts, chicken, potato, beans), chicken curry with roti, and momos. We ate momos every single day here; they're far softer than the ones in India.

Watch out for small scams

• SIM cards: a shop quoted 700 NPR, agreed to 350, then "forgot" and gave us a different 500 NPR SIM. Pay 350 NPR for unlimited data, and no more.
• Taxis: every driver quotes differently (300, 400, 500). We were asked 500 NPR for 3 km and negotiated down to 400. Check with two or three drivers. inDrive exists, but showed few cars.

They're small amounts, 100–150 NPR, but over a trip they add up.

Then we flew to Kathmandu: 3 days in Kathmandu.

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TAGS: NEPAL · POKHARA · ANNAPURNA CABLE CAR · SARANGKOT · GUPTESHWOR CAVE · SCAMS · ITINERARY

Written by

Prashant & Sunaina

A travel couple from Pune with Kashmiri Pandit × Maharashtrian roots, 8+ countries and counting. Every rupee shared.

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