The World Peace Pagoda — a boat, a forest and the postcard view

Row across Phewa Lake, walk up for forty minutes, and get the shot of Pokhara that everybody recognises. The easiest real viewpoint in the valley.

By Dawa Gurung · 4 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

The white stupa on the ridge above Phewa Lake is the first thing most people notice from Lakeside and the last thing they get round to visiting. The round trip takes two hours, it is beautiful, and half of the pleasure is the way you get there.

From the top you have the lake and the whole of Pokhara below you on one side, and on a clear morning the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhre on the other. That is the classic composition, and it works. It is also a working religious site rather than a viewpoint, which is worth remembering when you arrive.

Getting there is the good bit

Take a boat from Lakeside across to the southern shore — twenty minutes, and you can row it yourself or pay a boatman, which we would recommend if only because they are very good at it and it is somebody's living.

From the far jetty a path climbs through forest for thirty to forty minutes. Shaded, steep in places, and short enough that almost anyone can manage it. You come out at the stupa on Anadu hill at around 1,100 m.

Coming back you can either retrace the route, or walk down the far side toward Damside and take a taxi, which turns the trip into a gentle half day.

What the pagoda actually is

This is a Shanti Stupa, built by Nipponzan-Myōhōji, a Japanese Buddhist order that has put up peace pagodas around the world since the aftermath of the Second World War. Pokhara's took decades to complete and had a difficult history along the way.

There are four Buddha statues around the structure, gifted by different countries, each depicting a different stage of the Buddha's life. Walk the full circuit rather than stopping at the first one.

Monks live and practise on the site. Shoes off where indicated, quiet voices, and no climbing on the structure for a photograph.

Combining it with the rest of your day

It pairs naturally with a lake morning — Tal Barahi temple on its island, a slow row, then the pagoda in the afternoon.

It is also the right choice on a day when someone in the group is not up for a real walk, or when you have just flown in and the altitude of anything larger sounds unappealing. In monsoon it is one of the few Pokhara viewpoints still worth visiting, because the lake and the forest are the point and the mountains are a bonus.

Walk it with us

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

World Peace Pagoda LoopHalf day · 1,113 mRs 3,900 · See dates →Pokhara Highlights Day TourFull day · private carRs 9,200 · See dates →Sarangkot Sunrise HikeHalf day · 1,600 mRs 4,700 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

How long does the whole thing take?

Two to three hours door to door from Lakeside including the boat, or half a day if you walk down the far side and stop for lunch.

Can I drive up instead?

Yes, there is a road and taxis go up. You miss the boat and the forest, which are most of the appeal, but it is the right call if walking is difficult.

Is there an entry fee?

The stupa itself is free. You pay for the boat across, and rates are posted at the jetty.

Best time of day?

Early morning for the clearest mountains, late afternoon for the nicest light and sunset over the lake. Midday is hot and hazy and we would skip it.

Walking around Pokhara when it is rainingMonsoon and the shoulder weeks are not a write-off. The mountains hide, the forest comes alive, and half the good walking here does not need a view.6 min read →The southern ridge: Peace Pagoda to PumdikotA Japanese stupa at one end, an enormous Shiva at the other, and a forest ridge between them that most visitors never walk.5 min read →Two hours and no plan: short walks straight from LakesideFor the morning you have a gap, no transport arranged and no appetite for a project. Five walks that start where you are standing.4 min read →One day in Pokhara: what is worth your time and what is notA lake, a waterfall that disappears into a cave, a mountain museum that is better than it sounds, and a couple of stops we would quietly skip.6 min read →

Still deciding?

Tell us your dates and how much walking you have actually done, and we will tell you honestly whether this trek is the right one for you.

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