Begnaskote Leave your resort after breakfast carrying picnic lunch. It's a nice day's walk as you hike along the Sundari Danda ridge walking east over Bhanjyang with the trail slowly leading higher through forests of Hazelnut and Saal trees. Take a short break at Pauraake Danda exploring this small Bahun village perched high on the ridge. The view of the surrounding hill sides and of the twin lakes of Rupa and Begnas is simply breathtaking.
Walk steadily north gaining a slight altitude through Begnas village, a spread out spectacle of clean mud houses and terraced fields. Higher up is Begnas Maidan, an open meadow perched on a hilltop from where one can have the most spectacular mountain views sweeping from east to west in a vast snowy expanse; Manaslu (8156m) the entire Annapurna massif with such prominent peaks as Annapurna II (7937m), Annapurna III & IV as well as Mt. Macchapuchare (6993m) and weather permitting, the distant Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the far west. Just the spot for an enjoyable picnic.
After lunch visit Deurali temple where villagers come to have their wishes fulfilled. Higher up along this trail is Begnaskote, an old military lookout dating back a couple of centuries when local Rajahs needed to defend their small kingdoms. Walk down the hill along stone steps and cross the lake in boats to your resort.
Kalikasthan / Thulokote Take a short drive towards Pokhara till Bijaypur Khola, a small river. Walk along an uphill trail passing through small colorful ethnic villages of Gurung and Ghale hill tribes. The trail continuously leads upwards winding round terraced fields and village homes till you reach Kalikasthan, a vantage point for viewing the mountains at close range. Walk further uphill to the highest viewpoint on the ridge; Thulokote. The vast sweeping snowy expanse you see covers three distinct mountain clusters of the central Himalayan chain - the Manaslu, the Annapurna and the Dhaulagiri, each with it’s own dominant peak over 8,000 meters high.
From here you will also see the Maadikhola gorge in the distance with the river slowly meandering down between the foothills from the Lamjung glacier. After your picnic lunch walk eastwards following the ridge which is dotted with small, pretty mountain villages inhabited by various ethnic hill tribes.
A steep descending southward trail passes some more hutments and a large village school before making a steep descent to Shyangkhudi, a small fishing village on the western corner of Begnas. Cross the lake in boats to reach your resort.
