Sitting on an escarpment 1,592 meters high, the quaint village of Sarangkot is a "pilgrimage" destination for the nature devotees who endeavor to make the arduous journey uphill and witness an unimpeded view of theAnnapurna Range and Himalayan Mountains. The sight is particularly glorious during sunrise and sunset in Sarangkot, when the faint glow of the sun ever so slightly illuminates the peaks in a medley of colors.
It is the highest viewpoint easily accesable from Pokhara. Two hours walk up the staircase, or get most of the way up by local bus or Taxi.
Sarangkot has great views in all four directions, Pokhara below, The Annapurna Range including its highest peaks, Rolling Hills off to the sunset and a rural lanscape out along the ridge road. From here, you can see a panoramic sweep of Himalayan peaks, fromDhaulagiri (8167m) in the west to the perfect pyramid that is Machhapuchhare (6997m) and the rounded peak of Annapurna II (7937m) in the east. Most people come here at dawn or dusk, when the sun picks out the peaks in brilliant colours.
This is a most popular spot for sunrise watchers who come up in the morning and head back to Pokahar after breakfast.. But in my opinion if you have a spare night in your itinery - stay the night in Sarangkot. There are plenty of places to stay from a few dollars upwards. Sunsets are even better than sunrise most days, the food is better than average for most villages, and it is a great place to loung arround and have a few beers for an afternoon.
These are not the only attractions in Sarangkot. The more adventurous ones can also spend a few hours paragliding among the mountains and villages. One can't go wrong visiting the ruins of the Kaskikot Fort, where the former palace of the then-rulers of the land still stands.
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