Located 200 km west of the capital Kathmandu
Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal as well as the headquarters of
Kaski District,
Gandaki Zone and the
Western Development Region. Despite being a comparatively smaller valley than Kathmandu, its geography varies dramatically within just few kilometres from north to south. The altitude varies from 780 m in the southern part to 1350 m in the north. Additionally, the Annapurna Range with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world —
Dhaulagiri,
Annapurna I and
Manaslu — is within about 15 km linear distance from the valley. Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range, the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the
Annapurna Circuit through the
ACAP region of the
Annapurna ranges in the
Himalayas.