Pokhara is an adventure seekers haven and attracts thousands of outdoorsy people passionate about trekking in the mountains, camping in the wilderness, hang gliding, river rafting and anything else you can imagine that people would enjoy in the great outdoors.
Pokhara is also a gateway to the most popular Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. Many mountain climbers come to trek the Annapurna circuit, a hiking trail ranging from 160-230km long.
The demographics changed drastically once we got into Pokhara. There were many foreigners in town and Pokhara has developed into a base camp for people to gather all their essential needs (toiletries, backpacks, tents, socks, travel food, etc.) before they head out on their expeditions. I am assuming some of these expeditions could last weeks. Or it was a place people returned to for recuperation and re-entering civilization again.
There were many restaurants, book stores, souvenir shops, apparel shops, backpack and other equipment shops along the main drag of the city. When we arrived in Nepal we noticed many people wearing The North Face branded jackets, including small children. Knowing this wasn't exactly an affordable brand, it rose my curiosity to know where they might be scoring this gear. Eventually in Pokhara (as well as in Kathmadnu) we found dozens of stores selling knock offs of many many brands. I admit we checked it out ourselves, but couldn't be convinced to buy anything. However it solved the mystery for me.
We were most interested in viewing the sun rise in Pokhara. We had heard Pokhara was known for its sun rise. We did a little research and scored a cab driver who would collect us at 5:30 am and take us to a location called Sarangkot, another hill station about 30 minutes away, from where we could see the sun rise. From the lookout in Sarangkot, the Annapurna mountain range was also visible. We felt excited!
Arriving at 6am, we weren't the only ones with this idea. There were many people already gathered at the lookout point. As time went on the crowd grew bigger. It was pitch blackk still at 6am. Facing East with our cameras and ready to shoot, we patiently waited for the sun to makes its appearance.
In the darkness we couldn't see anything around us and had no idea what we were in for.
The earliest sun rays first hit the tallest mountain which was to our left. The sun still hadn't appeared yet but the early rays first lit up an incredible sight, which took us by surprise. We wouldn't have imagined a mountain this tall was in view while standing in the dark. Slowly as the sun rose each mountain top was revealed. Again the view of the mountains was so majestic. Eventually we saw the sun make its appearance too and it was truly worth the early morning effort to get to this location. Nature certainly knows how to put on a dramatic production. We watched the slow sun rise and witnessed the light change and the colours of nature shift as the sun proceeded to illuminate the day.
Eventually the valleys below appeared and we were able to catch a glimpse of the sprawling city of Pokhara too. The mountains were an amazing sight. Similar to our previous destinations, the mountains continued to be a surreal sight. The magnitude of their height was so paramount.
Pokhara is also a gateway to the most popular Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. Many mountain climbers come to trek the Annapurna circuit, a hiking trail ranging from 160-230km long.
The demographics changed drastically once we got into Pokhara. There were many foreigners in town and Pokhara has developed into a base camp for people to gather all their essential needs (toiletries, backpacks, tents, socks, travel food, etc.) before they head out on their expeditions. I am assuming some of these expeditions could last weeks. Or it was a place people returned to for recuperation and re-entering civilization again.
There were many restaurants, book stores, souvenir shops, apparel shops, backpack and other equipment shops along the main drag of the city. When we arrived in Nepal we noticed many people wearing The North Face branded jackets, including small children. Knowing this wasn't exactly an affordable brand, it rose my curiosity to know where they might be scoring this gear. Eventually in Pokhara (as well as in Kathmadnu) we found dozens of stores selling knock offs of many many brands. I admit we checked it out ourselves, but couldn't be convinced to buy anything. However it solved the mystery for me.
We were most interested in viewing the sun rise in Pokhara. We had heard Pokhara was known for its sun rise. We did a little research and scored a cab driver who would collect us at 5:30 am and take us to a location called Sarangkot, another hill station about 30 minutes away, from where we could see the sun rise. From the lookout in Sarangkot, the Annapurna mountain range was also visible. We felt excited!
Arriving at 6am, we weren't the only ones with this idea. There were many people already gathered at the lookout point. As time went on the crowd grew bigger. It was pitch blackk still at 6am. Facing East with our cameras and ready to shoot, we patiently waited for the sun to makes its appearance.
In the darkness we couldn't see anything around us and had no idea what we were in for.
The earliest sun rays first hit the tallest mountain which was to our left. The sun still hadn't appeared yet but the early rays first lit up an incredible sight, which took us by surprise. We wouldn't have imagined a mountain this tall was in view while standing in the dark. Slowly as the sun rose each mountain top was revealed. Again the view of the mountains was so majestic. Eventually we saw the sun make its appearance too and it was truly worth the early morning effort to get to this location. Nature certainly knows how to put on a dramatic production. We watched the slow sun rise and witnessed the light change and the colours of nature shift as the sun proceeded to illuminate the day.
Eventually the valleys below appeared and we were able to catch a glimpse of the sprawling city of Pokhara too. The mountains were an amazing sight. Similar to our previous destinations, the mountains continued to be a surreal sight. The magnitude of their height was so paramount.