Imagine waking up to the magnificent view of the Annapurna range and Machhapuchhare (or Fishtail Mountain) on the northern skyline of Pokhara. Its an amazing sight, and visible only in the morning when the skies are clear.

We skipped breakfast to spend the day at Begnas tal (lake), which is located about 15 km from Pokhara market. There are eight lakes here and in fact the name Pokhara is derived from the word Pokhari, which means lake in Nepali.

Its beautiful, as you will see in the pictures below.

We asked for directions to Begnas tal and misunderstood the fellow and ended up climbing a ridge instead of taking the left turn from Begnas bazaar. The view got spectacular as we drove higher up through the densely covered path, and the road opened up to a surreal lake down in the valley. We stopped the car to gaze at the lake view, initially we thought that was Begnas tal, and when asked a passerby he said Begnas tal was far behind, this one is Rupa tal.We thought to drive further down until we got close to the lake. Down the ridge we went, surrounded by countryside, fields, houses, etc. it was peaceful until the road started to get bumpy and narrow. It sloped down to a river, Clyde gently went over it and reached a local tea house. The local guy informed us that there is a walking path leading to Rupa tal but its a bit steep, and not advisable to go with a baby.The quaint little tea house seemed appealing to eat some food. What was on the menu, Sel-rotis, a traditional circular bread made of semolina (rava), rice, maida and sugar, with fried eggs, and chick peas with spices – the meal might sound simple but it was delicious! We ended up having 5 Sel-rotis and asked him the recipe, and even more fascinating was the earthen stove or Nepali chulo, it adds a different taste to the food altogether!
A Quiet time in Begnas tal

We made our way back to Begnas tal, which was down the ridge. Begnas is known for boating, you can either hire a boat and paddle away on your own or take a boatman, we choose the latter option.What we heard was 350 Nepali for however long we wanted, that sounded like an awesome deal so we went for a long boat ride in the calm and serene waters of Begnas tal. Only later on we found out that it was 350 for an hour.

We all, including the little one, enjoyed the peaceful boat ride. Weather was getting a bit overcast so we couldn’t see the Annapurna range over the horizon, but the tranquility of the place was soothing our senses and we soaked ourselves in it.

Begnas has a couple of hotels on the lakeside, and we were so tempted to stay in one facing the calm waters, but we had already paid Hotel ABC for two nights. That thought soon passed by as we reached this huge fishing area set up in the middle of the lake, there was a small house made for a person to look after the fishing process.

I had asked the boatman if it was possible to take us to Rupa tal, but boats weren’t allowed, so he stopped the boat close to a sloping path leading on top of the ridge.We walked through the forest to come on the same road we drove by, and stopped at the view point where both the lakes were visible.Ah, we already saw this, so we stopped at a local tea shop for some warm tea.Turned out the shop was run by the boatman’s relative, she started talking from which part of Mumbai we’ve come from, and her husband works in suburban Mumbai and she’s been there too, she said with a tinge of joy in her voice.

Many Nepalis come to India in search of a job, since opportunities are less in Nepal. A bus loaded with people sitting inside and on its roof, a very common sight in Nepal, made its way on the bumpy road.

It was time to head back to the boat before it gets too dark, so we bid goodbye to her and walked down to the banks. Grey clouds made an appearance in the sunset sky, and the reflection of the hills in the serene waters of Begnas made a perfect picture!

A dead tree in the lake reflecting on the rippled surface of the lake.
A parting shot of the Nepali boatman.

The duration of the boat ride and walk on the ridge costs us 1050 Nepali, and not 350 as we initially thought, but it was worth it. The lesson was always be clear in your communication with the locals to avoid misunderstanding. We headed back to the hotel to get refreshed before going for dinner to Everest Steak House.

It serves all kinds of steak at a pretty high cost, of course there were very few choices in veg at Everest, I settled for a burger while Clyde indulged in a Beef steak, that was for 700 Nepali. Burger was more like a sandwich with a veg patties and fries. Certainly we were not coming here again. The plan for the next day was to go sight-seeing to Davis fall, World Peace pagoda and also bit of shopping in Pokhara!

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Tags: Begnas tal, Nepal, Nepal by Road, Pokhara