Hike to World Peace Pagoda and Pumdikot Shiva Statue in Pokhara

Hike to World Peace Pagoda and Pumdikot Shiva Statue is one of the best short and easy hikes in Pokhara. It is also the best way to see the whole Pokhara city, beautiful Fewa lake and the Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, Manaslu, Mardi and Dhaulagiri Mountain ranges in a single frame.

During the hike one can enjoy boating on serene Fewa lake, hiking through the forests and small villages and enjoy the majestic mountain views.

The whole hike can be completed in just a couple of hours. That’s amazing.

And it’s based on our own personal experience. 

Though we had been to Pokhara many times (on a school educational tour, to participate in national level football tournaments, and sometimes just to hangout with the friends), I had never done any hikes in Pokhara.

So, this time we decided to go on a short hike for the first time in Pokhara.

“It is an easy and short half day hike with the views of Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre and Annapurna mountain ranges, whole Pokhara city and Few lake in one frame.”

Breakfast in Pokhara Lakeside

We’re tired after shooting photos for Nepal Cycling School on Pokhara Enduro race for two whole days (running on all the trails just to capture the perfect photo).

So, we woke up late at around 7:00 in the morning and then we decided to go on a hike to World Peace Pagoda and Pumdikot as we had a free day to explore.

Then, we freshen up, packed our bags and started walking towards the lakeside to cross the Fewa lake on a boat.

But at first we wanted to have a good breakfast as we would be walking for a couple of hours and we didn’t know when would be our lunch spot.

Nearby we found a small and clean hotel. And asked whether they were serving breakfast or not.

Then the auntie replied that they’re serving all kinds of foods and drinks.

So, we sat and asked for the menu.

Then we ordered a simple breakfast (toast, omelet, boiled eggs and fried potatoes) and lemon tea.

In a while our breakfast was ready and arrived.

After having our breakfast, we hurried towards the Fewa lake as it was already 9:00 and the sun was shining bright.

Boating on Fewa Lake to reach Hike Start Point.

At a boating station we booked a boat to cross the Fewa lake and reach the Hike start point.

The fare for a boat to cross was Rs 800 for Nepali and 4 people can ride on a boat.

But we’re only two, so it became Rs 400 each.

Before going on a boat one has to wear a life jacket and we have to pay separate fees to rent jackets. And it cost us Rs 10 each.

Then one of the boat drivers called us and invited us on his boat.

It was really mesmerizing and serene to boat on the lake with the mountain view and its reflection on water. We captured some photos for memories and enjoyed the view.

While boating we talked with the boat driver about his lifestyle and earning.

We found out that it cost more than 15 lakhs ($15,000) to get a permit to be a boat driver on Fewa lake and also most of the earnings was taken by the boat association. And he would only earn a couple of thousands rupees per day.

He also told us that if we came on the same way, we could call him and he would give us a tour of the lake at the best price.

By now we had arrived on the other side of the lake (Peace Pagoda hike start point), he gave his contact number and we parted ways.

Hike to World Peace Pagoda Pokhara

Now we started walking on the stairs, up the hill. We took a couple of pictures of the lake and cityscape from there and continued walking slowly.

First we walked through the forest. It was so peaceful and serene.  Also the stairs were steep so we walked slowly.

And after a while we reached a small village where the locals had traditional houses and farms.

Also some of the houses were abandoned. Probably the family has moved to the city for better opportunities.

It was sad to see that as was the case of every village in Nepal. Most of the youths have either gone abroad or moved to the cities. And only the elderly are living in the villages or abandoned the farms and houses completely.

Just thinking about the present condition and how we could improve life in rural areas as well, we continued our walk.

Occasionally we would meet foreigners who were returning from the hike to peace stupa. And we would greet them and continue our walk. They must have seen the magnificent mountain views during sunrise.

We missed that as we woke up late and hiking was not part of the plan.

It would look surreal to see the golden mountain ranges with the first rays of the sun and its reflection on the clean water of Fewa lake.

Anyway we continued our hike.

On the way we stopped to take the pictures of ourselves, surrounding villages and some product that Amir was shooting for.

How long is the hike to World Peace Pagoda?

Then in a while we reached the end of the forest, and to our surprise we reached World Peace Pagoda.

It was a 1.6KM long hike from the bank of Fewa lake and took us around 1 hour and 19 minutes as we stopped multiple times to take photos.

So, a good walker can reach the top within 40-45 minutes (based on our estimates).

At the stupa, there were tons of tourists from all around the world who have come on buses and taxis from Pokhara.

There we took some photos and stayed for a while and continued our hike to Pumdikot, Lord Shiva Statue.

World Peace Pagoda, Pokhara

World Peace Pagoda or Shanti Stupa in Pokhara is the first pagoda in Nepal and seventy-first in the world built by monk Nipponzan-Myōhōji.

It is located at an altitude of 1,100m on the top of Ananda hill (previously Pumdi Bhumdi Village Development Committee of Kaski District).

And the stupa is 115 feet tall and has a diameter of 344 feet, and has two tiers where religious visitors circle around and pray.

There are 4 different statues of Buddha on the stupa gifted by different nations; Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal.

Hike to Pumdikot, Shiva Statue in Pokhara

After exploring around the Peace Stupa, we decided to continue hiking towards Pumdikot and have lunch there.

Now we have to walk down to a hotel, and then take a hiking trail on the left (straight down takes us to the Fewa lake).

After walking for a few minutes we found a small shop on the way, under a tree. An auntie was selling smaller things like water, snacks, juices, gifts, Chatpatey, Paani Puri and cucumbers.

As it was hot and we’re feeling hungry, we bought a Cucumber from her and ate. Then we drank a bottle of water bought from her and continued walking.

Now we could see the Statue in the distance.

Though it was not so far, the bright sun and high temperature was slowing us down.

Now, we reached the road and there were some hotels as well. So we asked each other whether to have lunch there or at Pumdikot.

And then we decided to either have lunch at the top or while returning from there.

It would take longer if we walked on the road way, so we asked for the shortcut and took a walking trail through the forest.

Now it was cooler than walking on the road. After a while the shortcut hiking trail ended and again there was a road in front of us.

As we continued walking forward, we found a walking trail on the right which was leading to the statue of Lord Shiva at Pumdikot. 

After walking for some time we decided to take a rest under a tree (Chautara) and have some snacks we brought (Apples, Oranges and Fried Peas) and drank some water and continued walking up the hill.

The Most Tiring Part of Hike to Pumdikot Shiva Statue

Now, it was a steep ascend to the top.

And the bright sun was making it difficult to walk up the hill.

Anyway we reached the top and there was a giant statue of Lord Shiva and Ganesh was revolving around him. It took us around 45 mins of hiking from the World Peace Pagoda to reach Pumdikot, Lord Shiva Stupa.

We went nearby and greeted, then took a couple of pictures and came down as there were tons of devotees from all around the world.

And the tourists arriving were not slowing down though it was noon.

Pumdikot Shiva Statue, Pokhara

Pumdikot Shiva statue in Pokhara is the second largest Shiva statue in Nepal which is located 10.5 km south of Pokhara. The statue is 108 feet tall in total (Shiva statue 51 feet, white stupa below statue is 57 feet) at an altitude of 1,500m above sea level.

The musical instrumentof Shiva, Damaru of Pumdikot is the largest in Asia.

The temple premises do not charge any entry fees and is open to everyone throughout the year, promoting cultural tourism in Nepal.

Thus, Pumdikot Shiva Statue has become one the most popular tourist attractions in Pokhara.

Lunch Break at Pumdikot

By now all our energy was finished while climbing up the hill and we were starving. So we started looking for a hotel to have lunch.

Nearby we saw a hotel which seemed like it was serving good food. So we went there and asked whether they had lunch or not.

And we found out that we could have Nepali Dal Bhat with chicken or Buff.

So we ordered Chicken and Buff Thali for each. 

Also we asked whether local buses were available or not to return or not because it was hot and decided to take a bus on the way back (to check all means of travel).

And we found out that the next bus leaves at around 1:00 and was a perfect time after having lunch.

So we had lunch, rested for a couple of minutes, then paid the bill and started walking down towards the bus station as it was already 1:00. If we missed the bus we had to wait another 2 hours (till 3:00 P.M.).

Back to Pokhara (Prithivi Chowk) by Bus

Luckily there was a local bus but no one was inside the bus, so we were confused. Did we miss the bus?

And a local villager told us that the bus will leave soon and the passengers will board soon.

So we went inside and secured the seat for us.

Then in a couple of minutes, the bus started moving down the hill. 

As I was tired from the hike and we just had lunch, I felt sleepy and slept on the bus. I only woke up when we reached Prithivi Chowk, Pokhara. It took us around an hour to come from Pumdikot, Shiva statue and Rs 100 per person.

From there we walked towards Newroad Pokhara to meet a friend.

Hike to World Peace Pagoda and Pumdikot Shiva Statue Pokhara, FAQs