Gandaki Province
Capital: Pokhara · 11 districts · 46 places
Pokhara and its lakes, the Annapurna and Manaslu circuits, Mustang's desert kingdom and Gurung and Magar hill villages.
Gandaki Province follows the basin of the Gandaki river system — the Kali Gandaki, Seti, Marsyangdi and Budhi Gandaki. It holds three of the world's 8,000 m peaks (Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu) and the deepest gorge on earth, where the Kali Gandaki cuts between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.
Pokhara, beside Phewa Lake under Machhapuchhre, is the gateway to the most popular treks in Nepal: Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, the Annapurna and Manaslu circuits, and Upper Mustang beyond the Himalaya. The hills around it — Bandipur, Ghandruk, Sirubari, Gorkha — are some of the best places in the country to stay in a village homestay.
Districts of Gandaki Province
Places in Gandaki Province
Phewa Lake and Tal Barahi
Kaski, Gandaki ProvincePokhara's lake, with Machhapuchhre reflected in still water and a pagoda temple on an island.
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Pokhara
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceNepal's adventure capital and tourism capital, where the Annapurnas rise just 30 km from the lakeshore.
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Sarangkot
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA ridge above Phewa Lake with Pokhara's classic sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Machhapuchhre, and the launch site for paragliding.
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World Peace Pagoda, Pokhara
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA gleaming white stupa on the forested ridge across Phewa Lake, with a view of the lake, city and Annapurnas.
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Davis Falls, Gupteshwor and Pokhara's caves
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA waterfall that vanishes underground, a Shiva cave beneath it, and the limestone caves north of the city.
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Hidden gemBegnas and Rupa lakes
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceTwo quiet lakes in Pokhara's eastern valley, divided by a forested ridge, with fish farms and homestays.
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International Mountain Museum
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceExhibits on the Himalaya's peaks, climbers, geology and mountain peoples, with a practice climbing wall.
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Annapurna Base Camp Trek
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA walk into the Annapurna Sanctuary, a glacial amphitheatre ringed by Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Hiunchuli.
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Machhapuchhre (Fishtail)
Kaski, Gandaki ProvincePokhara's sacred 'fish-tail' peak, never officially climbed and closed to mountaineers.
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Ghandruk
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA large Gurung village of stone houses and slate roofs facing Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre.
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Hidden gemDhampus and Australian Camp
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceAn easy overnight walk from Pokhara to a Gurung village and a grassy ridge facing the Annapurnas.
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Mardi Himal Trek
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA short ridge trek to a viewpoint directly under Machhapuchhre, through moss forest and above the clouds.
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Hidden gemPanchase
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceA forested hill where Kaski, Parbat and Syangja meet, with a sacred pond, orchids and a quiet trek from Pokhara.
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Hidden gemSikles
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceOne of the largest Gurung villages in Nepal, in the Madi valley under Lamjung Himal and Annapurna IV.
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Annapurna Circuit
Manang, Gandaki ProvinceA classic 2–3 week loop around the Annapurna massif, from rice terraces to the 5,416 m Thorong La and down to Muktinath.
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Manang village
Manang, Gandaki ProvinceA stone village at 3,519 m under Annapurna III and Gangapurna, where trekkers rest before the Thorong La.
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Tilicho Lake
Manang, Gandaki ProvinceOne of the highest lakes of its size in the world, at 4,919 m below the icy walls of Tilicho Peak.
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Hidden gemNar–Phu valley
Manang, Gandaki ProvinceA hidden valley off the Annapurna Circuit, with medieval stone villages, gorges and monasteries; opened to trekkers only in 2003.
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Muktinath
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceA temple at 3,710 m sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, with 108 water spouts and an eternal natural gas flame.
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Jomsom and Marpha
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceMustang's windy headquarters and, nearby, the whitewashed Thakali village famous for apples and apple brandy.
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Hidden gemKagbeni
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceA fortress-like medieval village at the gateway to Upper Mustang, with a red monastery and a sacred river confluence.
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Lo Manthang and Upper Mustang
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceThe walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo, in a desert of red cliffs and cave dwellings north of the Himalaya.
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Hidden gemTukuche
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceThe old salt-trade capital of the Thakali, with grand merchant houses, a distillery and Dhaulagiri towering above.
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Kali Gandaki Gorge
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceBy some measures the deepest gorge on earth, where the river runs between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I, both over 8,000 m.
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Gorkha Durbar
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceThe hilltop palace-fort where Prithvi Narayan Shah was born and began the unification of Nepal.
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Manakamana
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceA wish-fulfilling goddess temple on a ridge above the Trishuli, reached by Nepal's first passenger cable car.
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Manaslu and the Manaslu Circuit
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceThe world's eighth-highest mountain and a wild two-week circuit around it over the Larkya La.
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Hidden gemTsum Valley
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceA sacred hidden valley on the Tibetan border where hunting is forbidden and ancient nunneries cling to the hillsides.
Read more →Barpak and Laprak
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceLarge Gurung villages near the 2015 earthquake's epicentre, rebuilt and welcoming visitors on a new homestay trail.
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Hidden gemGhalegaun and Bhujung
Lamjung, Gandaki ProvinceModel Gurung homestay villages in Lamjung, with cultural shows and close views of Lamjung Himal and Annapurna II.
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Besisahar and Lamjung Durbar
Lamjung, Gandaki ProvinceLamjung's headquarters and the traditional start of the Annapurna Circuit, below the old hilltop palace of the Lamjung kings.
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Bandipur
Tanahun, Gandaki ProvinceA car-free Newar hill bazaar of the 19th century, perfectly preserved on a ridge with a Himalayan skyline.
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Hidden gemSiddha Gufa
Tanahun, Gandaki ProvinceOne of the largest caves in Nepal, a vast chamber of stalactites below Bandipur.
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Hidden gemByas Gufa, Damauli
Tanahun, Gandaki ProvinceThe cave at the Madi–Seti confluence where the sage Vyasa is said to have been born and composed the Mahabharata.
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Devghat
Tanahun, Gandaki ProvinceA holy confluence of the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli, where elderly devotees come to spend their last years.
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Syangja, Gandaki ProvinceNepal's first model village-tourism project (1997): a Gurung village of ex-Gurkha families hosting guests in their homes.
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Syangja, Gandaki ProvinceA Magar village above the Kali Gandaki with homestays, the Bhirkot fort ruins and Syangja's terraced hills.
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Kushma bridges and bungee
Parbat, Gandaki ProvinceLong, high suspension bridges over the Kali Gandaki gorge and one of the world's highest bungee jumps.
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Baglung Kalika
Baglung, Gandaki ProvinceA goddess temple in a sacred forest in Baglung bazaar, one of western Nepal's major shrines.
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Hidden gemDhorpatan
Baglung, Gandaki ProvinceNepal's only hunting reserve: high meadows and forest under Dhaulagiri and Putha Hiunchuli, with blue sheep and a Tibetan settlement.
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Poon Hill and Ghorepani
Myagdi, Gandaki ProvinceNepal's most popular short trek, climbing through rhododendron forest to a sunrise view of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.
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Tatopani hot springs
Myagdi, Gandaki ProvinceNatural hot pools beside the Kali Gandaki, a favourite soak for trekkers coming down from Jomsom or Poon Hill.
Read more →Khopra Ridge and Khayer Lake
Myagdi, Gandaki ProvinceA quiet alternative to Poon Hill with community lodges, a face-to-face view of Dhaulagiri, and a sacred lake at 4,660 m.
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Dhaulagiri
Myagdi, Gandaki ProvinceThe world's seventh-highest mountain, a vast white wall rising above the Kali Gandaki; also a tough circuit trek.
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Hidden gemRupse Falls
Myagdi, Gandaki ProvinceA tall, powerful waterfall that crashes down right beside the Beni–Jomsom road in the Kali Gandaki gorge.
Read more →Amaltari Tharu homestay
Nawalpur, Gandaki ProvinceA Tharu village on Chitwan's western edge with community homestays, rhinos by the river and far fewer tourists than Sauraha.
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