There are three lakes in the Pokhara valley. Fewa, located in Pokhara is the largest. Lying ten miles outside of Pokhara are Begnas Lake, the second largest, and Rupa Lake, the third largest. The hillsides around both lakes are dotted with guest houses, boutique resorts, and yoga retreats.
After hearing many great things about the lakes, we booked a four night stay at the Rupa View Guest House. This turned out to be a great decision. We took a taxi from Pokhara and about 90 minutes later, were dropped off at a small shop. The shop owner showed us the path to the guesthouse. It was an easy walk and a stairway led us up the hill where the guesthouse sits by itself. The drive through the rural countryside was beautiful and our guesthouse truly was in a quiet and rural location.
Being located outside the city, the food and lodging here are even cheaper than it is in Pokhara. Our guesthouse was a peaceful escape into nature. The owners, Mr. And Mrs. Thapa, were wonderful hosts. Their beautiful property is covered with flowering plants that attract a large array of colorful birds and butterflies like I had never seen before. Mr. Thapa is a photographer and has taken some beautiful shots of these birds and butterflies. The lovely guesthouse, built in traditional red brick and wood style, has basic but very nice rooms, a wrap around balcony, and an amazing rooftop deck. This rooftop gives you a 360 degree view of the surrounding forest, Rupa Lake, the suspension bridge, and best of all, you get outstanding views of the Himalaya mountain range. Depending on the time of year, you don’t always get views of these spectacular mountains. They stay shrouded in mist and clouds much of the time. This was definitely the longest stretching view of the Himalayas we had while we were in Nepal. The setting sun turns the snow-capped mountains from bright white, to gold, and then to pinks, purples, and blues. It was truly amazing! We were up there for sunset every night. I honestly did not realize how long the mountain range was, and I still didn’t see it all. Nor could I, they stretch for 1,500 miles, crossing the borders of Tibet (China), Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The Himalayas are truly epic to look at. Many afternoons it was so nice to just sit on the balcony, breathing in the fresh air, and watching all the different birds that would come through. Since the guesthouse is located in a slightly rural location but you can order all your meals there, and the food was delicious, home cooked, and organic. They grow pretty much everything on the property. Mr. Thapa even keeps bees. We had their honey served up with Mrs. Thapa’s wonderful Tibetan bread for breakfast. It was a great place to stay and only $9 a night! We will definitely stay here again.
Located close to the Rupa View Guest House is the Zoological Preserve and Wild Animal Rescue Center. We visited here one morning and hiked one of the trails in the preserve. This forested area was returned to its natural state and you can visit the rescue center and see the animals. Unfortunately, some of the birds and animals can never be returned to the wild due to injuries. But it was amazing to see a Himalayan Condor and a Griffon up close. I did not realize the different types of big cats that are found in the Himalayas either. They also had deer, including the barking deer, eagles, owls, and a boa constrictor. They are operating on a shoestring and trying very hard to do all they can to preserve forested areas and the wildlife that lives there.
We also hiked around Rupa Lake and the surrounding area, and crossed the awesome suspension bridge that spans the lake. You also get great views of the conservation area for the White Lotus flowers, and the small fish farming operations scattered across the lake.
One morning we were up and out early and hiked over to Begnas Lake. Walking along we passed by farms, schools, shops, homes and even a small Hindu temple. It was such a pleasant way to observe Nepalese village daily life. The area around Begnas is more populated than around Rupa Lake. More people come here than go to Rupa and there is a little more infrastructure. The number and size of guesthouses and resorts are greater here and there are a few bars and even some fancy coffee shops and restaurants. There are no boating activities taking place on Rupa Lake, but Begnas offers non-motorized water activities like kayaking and paddle boards.
The hike over didn’t take as long as we thought it would and we arrived way to early for lunch. We passed a really nice coffee shop and restaurant and decided we could use another cup of coffee. They had covered seating on their rooftop and it offered a spectacular view of the lake below. We enjoyed a great cup of coffee and killed a little time before we hiked down to the lakeside restaurants.
Begnas Lake is known for it’s delicious fish. Run by the local communities, fish farming is done in both lakes along with the protection of certain endangered species. The fish is served here in the local restaurants and is known for it’s freshness and flavor. The fish farms here are held to strict standards of health and cleanliness for both the lakes and the fish. Our mission was to hike down to the lake where there are several restaurants known for their grilled fish.
After leaving the coffee shop, it was still a pretty good hike down to the lake. Once we arrived, there were so many restaurants advertising grilled fish that we thought we would have a hard time choosing which one to go to. But after stopping at several of them the only one we found open was the Lake Peace Restaurant and Resort. It was still only 10:00 am and we were just to early. They were very accommodating and let me order the grilled fish. About 20 minutes later a small rowboat pulled up to the shore and a large lady got out and handed the fresh caught fish (our order) to our waiter. Then she came and sat at our table and chatted with us until she caught her breath. In most of the places we go, people will just come up and start chatting. They want to know where you’re from and why you chose to come to their little corner of the world. This lady was the same, she just wanted to see where we were from and say hello after she had caught our fish and rowed it over in her little boat. I love it. The fish came wrapped in foil and stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and garlic. I don’t normally eat fresh water fish but I wanted to try this and it was delicious and grilled to perfection. Unfortunately it did not come with any sides. While it was extra delicious, it wasn’t very filling. By this time we had already been there two hours, so we decided to head back.
Hiking back to our guesthouse I was reminded why we had left so early in the first place, to avoid the heat of the day. Our return hike was all uphill and it had definitely started to heat up. We had to stop again, at the same coffee shop, and order cold drinks and some appetizers. We also just needed to sit in their air-conditioning for awhile and cool down. We must have looked ready to fall over because our waiter wheeled a portable air-conditioner over to our table to blow directly on us. But it was a nice hike and it allowed us a close up view of the peaceful countryside.
Our four night stay at the guesthouse was so nice, relaxing, and completely different from staying in the city. We did a lot of hiking, and ate some terrific food. I later found out that Mrs. Thapa used to run cooking classes. No wonder she is such a terrific chef. We would definitely go back here again for a few more nights!
CHECK OUT OUR BEGNAS & RUPA LAKES VIDEO