Underground Pokhara: four caves and why the valley is full of them

Limestone, a river that vanishes into the ground, and the best thing to do here on a day when it will not stop raining.

By Dawa Gurung · 5 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

Pokhara sits on limestone, which is why the valley has both a waterfall that disappears into the ground and a set of caves running underneath the city.

They are the most reliably weatherproof thing to do here, they cost almost nothing, and most visitors see one of them at best.

Four are worth your time, in ascending order of effort.

Gupteshwor Mahadev

Directly across the road from Davis Falls, and the better half of that pair. A long staircase takes you well below ground to a Shiva shrine, and further in you reach a point where you can see and hear the Davis Falls water arriving from the other side of the rock.

That connection is the whole point: the river drops into the sinkhole above, runs through the cave system, and this is where you meet it. Understanding the geology turns two mildly underwhelming stops into one good one. It is a working temple as well as a cave. Shoes as directed, and photography is restricted around the shrine itself.

Mahendra Gufa and the Bat Cave

North of the city and usually visited as a pair, twenty minutes apart on foot. Mahendra Gufa is the tourist-friendly one — lit, with steps, and stalactites and stalagmites in reasonable condition given how many hands have been on them.

Chamere Gufa, the Bat Cave, is the interesting one. It holds a real colony of horseshoe bats, it is dark and damp, and the standard exit involves a tight upward squeeze through a gap that not everyone completes. There is a normal way out as well, and no shame in taking it.

Bring a torch even where lighting exists, and shoes with grip. Both floors are wet.

Siddha Gufa, at Bandipur

The largest cave in Nepal, an hour's walk down from Bandipur on the Kathmandu road. A narrow entrance opens into a very large chamber with substantial formations.

This is a proper cave rather than a tidied-up attraction — dusty, uneven and unlit in stretches. Guides wait at the entrance and are worth taking, both for the route and because they know which formations are which. Half a day for the round trip, and the walk back up is the workout. It pairs naturally with a night in Bandipur when you break the Kathmandu–Pokhara drive.

Why there are so many

The Pokhara valley floor is largely limestone laid down and then buried under debris washed off the Annapurnas. Water moving through limestone dissolves it, which over a long time produces sinkholes, underground rivers and caverns.

Davis Falls is the most visible expression of that — the Pardi Khola simply disappears into the ground rather than continuing along the surface.

It is also why sinkholes occasionally open in the valley, which is a local news story rather than a visitor concern, but it explains the landscape you are standing on better than any sign at the entrance will.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

Pokhara Highlights Day TourFull day · private carRs 9,200 · See dates →Bandipur Overnight Escape2 days · incl. hotelRs 20,000 · See dates →World Peace Pagoda LoopHalf day · 1,113 mRs 3,900 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

Are the caves suitable for children?

Gupteshwor and Mahendra, yes, with a hand on the wet steps. The Bat Cave squeeze is not for everyone and Siddha Gufa is a long walk plus rough ground.

Do I need a guide?

Not for Gupteshwor or Mahendra. Worth taking at the Bat Cave if you want the exit route explained, and at Siddha Gufa where guides wait at the entrance.

Is it claustrophobic?

Mahendra and Gupteshwor are open enough for most people. The Bat Cave exit is a genuine squeeze — walk back out the way you came in if that is not for you.

Best time to visit?

Any time, which is the point. In monsoon the caves are wetter and Davis Falls is at its most dramatic, so the wet season is arguably the better one for this particular outing.