I Went to Pokhara and Didn’t Trek the Annapurna Circuit | Things to do in Pokhara

Are you looking for some things to do in Pokhara other than trekking?

Most travellers who come to Pokhara have one thing in mind: trekking the Annapurna Circuit. This is a famous trek that runs through the Annapurna Mountain Range in Nepal and can take anywhere between 8-25 days to complete.

But that’s not what brought me to Pokhara; I had neither the gear nor the time (nor the stamina, to be perfectly honest!) to tackle that trek. Instead, I came to Pokhara to relax and it turns out this is a pretty good place to do so!

The Annapurna Mountains may get all the fame, but Pokhara offers a beautiful lakeside setting where you can unwind, soak in the natural beauty of the place, and spend a few days not doing much at all.

After a few busy days in Kathmandu, that was exactly what Sam and I were craving, so we booked bus tickets and endured a very long and bumpy journey to get there (they’ll tell you it’s 6 hours, but it really takes 8+ hours to get there with traffic and the road conditions).

The following is the non-hiker’s guide to Pokhara with a bit of sightseeing, tasty food stops, and plenty of lakeside chilling:

Things to do in Pokhara (other than trekking!)

Tour the lake by boat

Phewa Lake is the town’s main attraction and one of the best ways to enjoy it is by hiring a colourful row boat to go out on the water.

There’s a little rental shop at the end of the boardwalk so you don’t even have to worry about bargaining. All the prices are listed according to what you want to do. Hire a rower or row yourself? A 30-minute tour or a 1-hour tour? A regular rowboat or a roofed one to shield you from the sun?

We hired a rower for 2-hours and he took us on a big counterclockwise loop around the lake. It was really cool when we reached the west side of the lake where it’s mostly wetlands because there’s a lot of wildlife – we saw quite a few eagles!

Visit the World Peace Pagoda

Rather than returning to back to the harbour, once our tour was done we asked to get dropped off at the start of the trail that leads up to the World Peace Pagoda. It was about a 30-minute hike to the top, and yes, this was the extent of our hiking in Pokhara!

Also known as the Shanti Stupa, this pagoda sits atop a hill overlooking the city, which means once you reach the top all sweaty and out of breath, you get some pretty cool views.

There are also a handful of restaurants just outside of the pagoda, so we stopped for a cup of tea (lemon, honey, ginger – a Nepali classic!) and a vegetarian thali set.

Once you’re done sightseeing there, you can hire a taxi to bring you back into town.

Eat the local dishes

One of our favourite restaurants in town was the Olive Cafe. They call themselves a European cafe with Nepali flavour, and we had some of our best meals there. There are two dishes in particular that I would recommend trying:

The first is Fish Choila (sometimes also written as Chhwela). This is a Newari dish that’s typically prepared with marinated buffalo meat, but the buffalo is swapped for fish in Pokhara since the city is right by a lake. It’s similar to a hot and spicy curry and it comes packed with flavour.

The second dish I would recommend trying there is the Pokhara Curry. Again, this dish is prepared with fish from the local lake and it is delicious! I wish I could tell you what they put in it, but the menu only said ‘a secret mix of spices’, so I don’t think they’re going to be divulging their secrets any time soon. We ordered this with a side of brown rice.

For dessert, they serve up a decadent Machhapuchhare Kiss. This is an ice cream cake named after one of the peaks in the Annapurna Mountains. The cake has a bottom cookie and chocolate layer, vanilla ice cream, and lots of chocolate sauce drizzled all over.

Lastly, if you haven’t had your fill of momos while travelling in Nepal, you’ll find that there is no shortage of restaurants serving up steamed dumplings.

Shop for Nepali souvenirs

Pokhara also turned out to be a great place to stock up on souvenirs and we ended up doing the bulk of our shopping here.

I picked up some breezy linen shirts and pants since we were travelling to India next, plus lots of little knick-knacks for our future home. You can find prayer bowls, prayer wheels, beaded jewellery, puppets, embroidered pillow covers, leather handbags, carved masks, pashminas, wooden sculptures, felt products, and so much more!

You’ll find that souvenir shops pretty much line Lakeside Road and also spill into the side streets, so have a good browse before you buy.

Chill out at the lakeside bars

The thing to do in Pokhara right around sunset is to go down to the waterfront. Here you’ll find a string of bars where you can listen to live music and grab a beer or a glass or wine (but usually a cup of tea for me since it was quite chilly out).

Some of our favourite spots along the waterfront were: Bamboo Bar, Purple Planet and Hightide. They were all great spots with their own vibe, but I particularly enjoyed Hightide because they brought in local musicians who sang a mix of Nepali songs and English cover songs.

Dabble in adventure sports

Right off the bat, I’m going to tell you that I didn’t do any of this, but if adventure sports are your thing, you’ve got plenty of options in Pokhara.

Just to give you an idea, you can go paragliding, whitewater rafting, kayaking, bungee jumping, motorbiking, or even flying on a microlight. There are lots of tour operators scattered across town, so this is really easy to arrange.

Paragliding is by far the most popular of these activities and every morning we could see a slew of paragliders swirling just off of Sarangkot, which also happens to be the place to catch sunrise.

Where to stay in Pokhara

While in Pokhara, we stayed at Hotel Middle Path and Spa. The hotel is located in Lakeside, which is where you want to be as a traveller. Not only is this a scenic area, but you also have plenty of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, tour operators, and everything you could possibly need for your stay.

Our hotel was located on Middle Path Street, which is a quiet side street off the main strip. The property felt like a mini oasis; they had a courtyard surrounded by vegetation, and I really enjoyed lounging on the day beds to the sound of a trickling waterfall. Also, if you end up staying there, don’t forget to go up to the rooftop for sunrise. The mountain peaks look like they are glowing when the first morning light hits them!

Hiking the Annapurna Circuit

Like I mentioned, I didn’t come to Pokhara to hike, but if you’re looking to tackle the Annapurna Circuit, here are some helpful articles written by fellow travel bloggers:

Annapurna Circuit: A Beginner’s Survival Guide by Nomadasaurus

The Annapurna Circuit: 11 Days on the Trail by Just a Pack

The Annapurna Circuit: Too Beautiful to Miss by Be My Travel Muse

26 Tips for trekking the Annapurna Circuit by The Yoga Nomads

Beyond the Circuit: 9 More Ways to Love Pokhara When You’re Not in Hiking Boots

1 | Cycle the Lake Loop & Hidden Waterfalls

If you still want a dash of cardio minus the 4 000-metre passes, rent a mountain bike on Lakeside Rd. (≈ 600 NPR for the day). Head south along the dusty track that skirts the reed beds, cross the dam at the lake’s tail, then pedal up to Davi’s Falls where the Pardi Khola river plunges into a limestone sinkhole. Five more minutes brings you to Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave; stash the wheels outside and duck through dripping chambers to a subterranean view of the falls. The full loop back through farmland takes 3 hours at photo-stop pace.

Tip: ask for a bike with front suspension; potholes are prolific.

2 | Meditate (or Nap) in a Monastery Courtyard

Several Buddhist institutions dotted on the surrounding hills welcome day visitors. The easiest to reach is Jangchub Choeling Tibetan Monastery in Hemja, 8 kilometres west (local bus from Baglung Bus Park or a 500 NPR taxi). Arrive for the 3 p.m. puja: deep-throated horns, cymbals and saffron-robed monks chanting mantras ripple through the prayer hall. Afterwards you can share sweet milk tea with resident nuns or volunteer to chat English with novice monks. Donations buy schoolbooks. Peaceful, purposeful afternoon sorted.

3 | Spa + Sauna: Nepali-Style Reboot

Those bone-shaker bus rides earn you a treatment. Pokhara’s wellness scene has blossomed; standout is Seeing Hands on Middle Path Street – massages delivered by professionally trained visually-impaired therapists (3 000 NPR for 90 min, worth every rupee). For something local, try a Jauku Steambath: a tiny pine hut piled with eucalyptus leaves where you sit on a slab while herbal steam rises from sizzling stones (ask hotels to arrange; 1 000 NPR incl. ginger tea).

4 | Sunset SUP & Moon-rise Paddle

Stand-up paddle boards are surprisingly steady even for balance-challenged travellers. Hire from Paddle Nepal (north Lakeside). The 4 p.m. “Sunset & Moonrise” session glides into copper-coloured ripples as paragliders spiral overhead. You beach on a sand-bar for chai while the first evening stars prick the sky, then paddle back guided by head-torches and firefly glow. Zero trekking muscles required, maximum serenity obtained.

5 | Dive into Gurkha History

A 10-minute taxi east lies the Gurkha Memorial Museum. Three floors chronicle Nepal’s legendary soldiers, from khukuri-wielding WWI trenches to modern UN peacekeeping. Photographs, battlefield dioramas and letters home give moving insight into a century of service. Entry 400 NPR; plan an hour. The attached café does crunchy sel roti doughnuts.

6 | Day-Hike Lite: Sarangkot Sunrise & Naudanda Ridge

“I’ll wake for sunrise but I won’t walk 20 k!” If that’s your vibe, catch a 5 a.m. taxi (1 200 NPR split with new guest-house friends) to Sarangkot View Tower. Montane silhouettes—Machhapuchhare’s fishtail, safe in its no-climb sanctuary—blush pink at dawn. From the tower, amble west along the rhododendron-lined ridge to Naudanda village (about 8 km, mostly flat/downhill). Breakfast on aloo paratha at Mountain View Restaurant, then flag a bus back to Pokhara. You’ve logged a gentle three-hour walk with blockbuster mountain panoramas—no permits, no blisters.

7 | Learn to Cook Dal Bhat & Momos

Sign up for Begnas Kitchen Cookery Course (half-day, 2 500 NPR incl. meal). Grandma Ganga leads you through spice-roasting, lentil-tempering and momo folding in her garden overlooking Begnas Lake, a quieter sibling east of Pokhara. You pound timur pepper and fenugreek in a stone mortar, hiss ghee, then feast under a jackfruit tree. Recipes printed so you can recreate Nepali comfort food back home.

8 | Browse the Creative Co-ops

Pokhara’s artisans have upped their game beyond souvenir trinkets. Check these stops:

Prices are fixed and profits return to craftswomen’s cooperatives—guilt-free retail therapy.

9 | Catch an Indie Film at Movie Garden

When the lakeside bars crank up cover bands and you crave something low-key, trek (5 minutes, promise) up the stone steps north of Paradiso to Movie Garden. It’s an open-air amphitheatre with fairy lights, floor cushions and wood-fired pizza. They screen classics and Nepali documentaries every night at 7:30 p.m.; schedule posted on Instagram. Entry 400 NPR includes popcorn. Bring a shawl—mountain air gets nippy.

Logistics & Little Things

• Cash vs. Card – ATMs abound on main strip but frequently run out after payday; withdrawal limit ~35 000 NPR. Keep enough cash for taxis and small eateries—card readers unreliable.

• Wi-Fi reality – Lakeside cafés advertise fibre yet thunderstorms knock power. For remote working, buy an Ncell SIM (4G coverage decent) and hotspot.

• Transport out – Tourist buses to Kathmandu/Chitwan depart 7 a.m. from the lakeside bus park. For smoother ride, upgrade to GreenLine (2 500 NPR inc. lunch), or splash on 25-minute Buddha Air flight (~110 USD).

• Altitude aches? – Pokhara sits at only 800 m—perfect place to acclimatise before any higher treks or simply enjoy oxygen-rich air amplified by jacaranda blossom scent.

• Responsible travel tip – Join a Saturday morning litter-cleanup around Phewa organised by Keep Pokhara Beautiful. Meet outside OR2K café 9 a.m.; gloves provided, chai afterwards.

A Two-Day Chill-Itinerary (No Trekking Shoes Required)

Day One
08:30 Lazy breakfast at Little Windows (try shakshuka).
10:00 Rowboat hire; drift to western wetlands, spot kingfishers.
11:30 Trail up to World Peace Pagoda; photo ops + tea break.
14:30 Taxi back; lunch of Fish Choila at Olive Café.
16:00 Massage at Seeing Hands.
18:00 Sunset beer at Bamboo Bar quay.
20:00 Momos + live Nepali folk set at Lantern Bistro.

Day Two
05:00 Taxi to Sarangkot, sunrise spectacle.
08:30 Ridge walk to Naudanda, bus return.
12:30 Dal bhat lesson at Begnas Kitchen (includes scenic lake dip).
17:00 Shop co-ops; scoop final gelato at Am/Pm Café.
19:30 Indie film + pizza at Movie Garden.
22:00 Stroll lakeside under Milky Way reflections—no head-torch required.

Total elevation gain both days? About the height of one Kathmandu temple. Energy spent? Just enough to savour Pokhara’s unhurried charm.

Final Sip of Masala Tea

So yes, the Annapurna Circuit is epic. But Pokhara doesn’t ask you to earn its pleasures with blistered heels. Linger, laze, and let the Himalayas be your wallpaper rather than your treadmill.

See you by the water’s edge—no trekking poles necessary. गाडी नज़र!

Have you been to Pokhara?
How did you spend your time there?