April 24 – 29 : Pokhara and return to KTM

Pokhara is a little town 200 km west of Kathmandu. It is the main hub for all treks and activities in the Annapurna region.

How to get to Pokhara

There are basically two ways to get from Kathmandu to Pokhara: plane or bus. There are no trains in Nepal.

To go there, I booked a flight (which there are several every day) for $100 and should in theory take 25 minutes. In my case all flights were delayed but 2 hours that day for VVIP reasons (very very… the King of Qatar was visiting Nepal that day). After we could finally board the plane and waited inside for about 15min we were told we had to exit again and return to departure hall to wait for better weather – which took “just” one hour. Nepal, you don’t seize to amaze.

For the return trip I tried the bus, which I will describe further down below.

Pokhara is a small town nestled around Lake Fewa and surrounded by gentle foothills. On clear days, several mountains of the Annapurna range can be seen in the distance. The lakeside is a tourist hotspot with numerous bars and restaurants lining the esplanade, along with many tour operators and guesthouses further inland.

Unfortunately, Pokhara is highly susceptible to air pollution. According to locals, there are simply no regulations regarding open fires, leading many farmers to burn vegetation rather than properly disposing of it. This, combined with other factors, results in heavy smog that blankets the region. It’s a disheartening sight (as depicted in the pictures), as the sky and mountains are obscured by the haze. Throughout the day, the town remains shrouded in a grey cloud, with the smoke causing irritation to the eyes and throat. Many people were wearing face masks as if it was 2020 again.

Activities in Pokhara

In theory, Pokhara has a lot of potential. From the short 3-day Poonhill trek to the 15-day Annapurna Base Camp trek, there is something for everyone. I initially came with the idea of doing one shorter trek here, but since I still had (have…) troubles with my digestion, I did not feel like tempting my luck. The crazy smoke everywhere just strengthened my stance. So I just stayed here for 3 days for further recovery, did some exploration around Pokhara itself, and worked on the blog.

Returning from Pokhara to Kathmandu

To return to Kathmandu, I decided to try out the bus, which cost about $20. The bus was perhaps the most comfortable one I’ve ever been on, with sofas rather than chairs to sink into. The roads in Nepal are the exact opposite of this. The 200 km drive took 10 hours (you don’t have to be a math genius to calculate the average km/h) on a road where dust, sand, and mud replace asphalt. But at least buses are rarely canceled.