Himalayan sunrise
Glowing peaks.
Paryataksarathi ( Sneha) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ananda Raj Devkota — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bijay Chaurasia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nabin845 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A high hill north-west of Pokhara at about 1,600 metres, Nepal's best-known spot for sunrise over the Himalaya, with the snow peaks of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Machhapuchhre in a single line ahead, and Phewa Lake and Pokhara below. Visitors drive or walk up before dawn to the viewing platform and wait in the cold until the first rays touch the peaks, which glow pink, then orange, then gold one after another, while the valleys below still lie in darkness and mist. The hill is also the launch point for Pokhara's famous paragliding flights over the town and lake, so its sky fills with colourful wings in the morning. Its slopes have small villages, cafés and simple lodges for those who want to stay. A small fee is paid at the viewing platform, and the view depends on clear weather. It is cold before dawn, so bring a jacket. The clearest months are October to December and March to April; in the June-September monsoon the mountains hide behind cloud.
Glowing peaks.
The Fishtail.
Over the lake.
Hill north-west of Pokhara, about 30 minutes by car
About an hour before dawn by car from Pokhara; October to December is clearest.