Running and walking from your Lakeside hotel
Flat routes along the water, a hill for repeats if you want one, and the two hours of the day when the air is worth breathing.
By the Lakeshore team · 5 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Visitors who run tend to assume Pokhara is impossible for it, with the traffic, the heat and the hills. It's one of the better places in Nepal to keep a routine, though, as long as you go early.
The same routes work as a gentle walk for anyone who wants to move without committing to a day out.
Every route below starts on foot from Lakeside.
The lakeside strip
The main Lakeside road runs a few kilometres along the water, and before about seven in the morning it's quiet, cool and pleasant. After eight it's buses, dogs and dust.
Out and back along the strip toward Damside is a flat six to eight kilometres on tarmac, with the lake beside you most of the way. It isn't as pretty as the hills, but it's easy, safe and repeatable.
The dam at the southern end makes a natural turnaround, and there are quieter lanes behind the main road if you'd like to avoid vehicles altogether.
The northern shore
Head north past the far end of Lakeside toward the Pame road, and the strip thins out into villages, fields and a much quieter lakeshore.
This is the nicest flat running or walking near town, with the lake on one side and terraces climbing away on the other. You can do ten kilometres out and back without meeting much at all.
It also passes some of the quieter guesthouses, worth knowing about if the Lakeside strip isn't your thing.
If you want a hill
The road up to Sarangkot is 800 m of climbing over roughly ten kilometres, and it's a serious run. Local and visiting runners use it for repeats, and it's the standard benchmark here.
Do it very early. From around nine the road carries paragliding jeeps and tourist vans, and it's unpleasant to share. The path up to the World Peace Pagoda from the far side of the lake is a shorter, shadier option, with forty minutes of steep steps that make a decent session in themselves.
Practical notes
Pokhara sits at about 800 m, low enough that the altitude won't affect you. The heat and humidity will, especially from April.
There are dogs around, mostly uninterested and sometimes territorial at night. We don't recommend running after dark, and people aren't the reason.
Pavements come and go, and drivers don't expect runners. Face the traffic, wear something visible, and leave the headphones off on the main road.
If you're here to trek, run gently in the days before, but don't start a new training block now. Arrive rested. For a leg-stretcher, our Australian Camp hike is an easy warm-up.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Is it safe to run alone as a woman?
In the early morning on the Lakeside strip and the northern shore, yes. There are people about and it's a well-used area. As anywhere, trust your read of a quiet stretch over any reluctance to turn back.
Are there trail running routes?
Plenty, once you leave the valley floor: Sarangkot ridge, Panchase and the Australian Camp trail. They're steep, stepped and rocky, not runnable in the European sense.
What about air quality?
Winter mornings can hold an inversion with woodsmoke and dust. Early is better than late, and after rain is better than before it.
Can I run before a trek?
Gently, yes. Don't arrive tired, because the first two days of a trek are harder than most people plan for.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether Sarangkot Sunrise is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830