Best Hostels in Lakeside Pokhara for Backpackers

Lakeside is where almost every backpacker in Pokhara ends up, and for good reason. The tourist bus drops you a short taxi ride away, Phewa Lake is at the end of every lane, and the trekking agencies, gear shops and momo joints are all within walking distance. The catch is that Lakeside is long. It runs for a few kilometres along the east shore of the lake, and a hostel at the busy southern end is a very different stay from one up in the quiet northern lanes.

So this guide sorts the better Lakeside hostels by what you actually care about: budget, lake views, a social crowd, and how easy it is to sort out a trek. Every hostel below is one we list on the site, and the ratings are the Hostelworld scores we checked in late October 2026.

A quick word on prices. Pokhara is cheaper than Kathmandu for beds. Most dorms in Lakeside cost approx NPR 450 to 1,000 a night, which is roughly US$3 to 7. Prices climb in peak season (October, November, March and April) and drop in the monsoon, so treat every number here as approx and check the live rate before you pay.

Lakeside, street by street

Many Lakeside addresses use numbered streets ("Street 6", "Street 13"), so it's worth knowing the rough layout before you book.

• Damside and south Lakeside: the southern end, near the dam and the old airport. Quieter, older guesthouses, and the Nepal Tourism Board office where you can sort trekking permits.
• Central Lakeside (Baidam, around Barahi Chowk and the streets either side): the main strip of cafés, bars, gear shops and trek agencies. The lanes just back from the lake road hold most of the hostels. Convenient, busy, and a bit noisy on the main road at night.
• North Lakeside (Khahare, Bangladi and Sedi Bagar, past the main strip): greener and calmer, with more of the lake in front of you and less traffic behind. Further from the agencies and the bus park, but it's where you go for slow mornings.

Our honest take: for a first visit, stay central or just behind it. You'll walk everywhere. If you've already done your trek and just want to sit by the water for four days, north Lakeside is lovely.

You can see every listing on our Lakeside hostels page or widen the search to all hostels in Pokhara.

Best all-rounder for meeting people

Pokhara Backpackers Hostel

If we had to send a first-time solo traveller to one Lakeside hostel, this would be it. It sits on 5th Ammat Street in central Lakeside, about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the water, and it has the review record to back up its reputation: 9.8/10 from 682 Hostelworld reviews when we checked.

The setup covers the basics well. There are 4, 6 and 12-bed dorms, a female-only dorm, private rooms (some with their own bathroom), a terrace, a bar and café, and free breakfast. Dorm beds start around US$6.50 (approx NPR 1,000), so it's not the cheapest in town, but you're paying for consistency. See Pokhara Backpackers Hostel.

Kiwi Backpackers Hostel

Kiwi is a few lanes away on the same stretch of 5th Street, and it has more reviews than anywhere else in this guide: 9.2/10 from 1,168 on Hostelworld. That many stays at that score tells you it's a safe pick, not a gamble. Dorms come in 4, 6 and 8 beds, there's a garden and a terrace, a bar and café, and breakfast is included. Beds start around US$6 (approx NPR 900). See Kiwi Backpackers.

Best garden hostel, and a good trek base

Lazy Lads Backpackers Hostel

Lazy Lads is newer than most places on this list. It had its soft opening in February 2025, so it doesn't have the thousand-review track record of Kiwi yet, and we'd rather say that plainly. What it does have is a setup that suits trekkers well.

It sits on a quiet lane off Pragati Marga (Street No. 6), a short walk back from the main Lakeside strip. The hostel says Lakeside's main street is about 10 minutes on foot and Phewa Lake about 10 to 15. That distance is the point: you sleep away from the bar noise but can still walk to the lake for sunset. The centre of the place is a big green garden courtyard, where guests eat the included breakfast and gather in the evening at the in-house bar and café. Indoors there's a games room with darts and table tennis, and the team runs family dinners and bar nights, which makes it easy to meet people if you've arrived on your own.

Rooms run from mixed dorms and a dedicated female dorm to private and family rooms with their own bathrooms. Lockers, luggage storage and parking are free, and the Wi-Fi is fast enough for a bit of remote work. On Google it holds 4.8 stars from 40 reviews at the time of writing.

For trekkers, the useful part is the travel desk. The hostel is run by a group of local friends who help guests plan Annapurna treks, paragliding, rafting and the zip line, and you can leave your big bag in storage while you're up in the hills. Dorm beds have been listed from approx US$4 to 7 depending on the date and where you book, and private rooms from about US$17 on the hostel's own site. See Lazy Lads Backpackers Hostel.

Best for lake views and quiet mornings (north Lakeside)

Forest Lake Backpackers Hostel

Up in Bangladi, north Lakeside, Forest Lake is our pick if you want the lake in front of you rather than around the corner. It's rated 9.5/10 from 465 Hostelworld reviews, with 4 and 6-bed dorms, a female dorm, private rooms, a terrace, a bar and café, and, unusually for this price, air-conditioning. Beds start around US$5 (approx NPR 780). The trade-off is distance: the main strip and the agencies are a longer walk or a short taxi away. See Forest Lake.

The Mango Tree Backpackers Hostel

Also on the north side, on Street 23 in Khahare, The Mango Tree has a garden, a terrace, a bar and café, 4 and 6-bed dorms and a female dorm. It scores 9.6/10, but from only 22 reviews, so take that number as promising rather than proven. Beds start around US$4.50 (approx NPR 700). See The Mango Tree.

Best on a tight budget

Pokhara is one of the few places in Nepal where a decent bed under NPR 700 is still easy to find. The lowest dorm prices we saw in late October 2026, roughly converted:

• Gaurishankar Backpackers Hostel (Gaurighat): approx NPR 490
• Lazy Lads Backpackers Hostel (Street 6): approx NPR 560
• Dharma Backpackers Hostel (Street 6): approx NPR 700
• Paila Hostel Lakeside (Barahi Chowk): approx NPR 770

Gaurishankar is the cheapest of the well-reviewed options, at 8.7/10 from 267 reviews, with air-conditioning, a female dorm and a tour desk. Dharma Backpackers includes breakfast and has dorms from 4 to 12 beds, though its 7.8/10 from 54 reviews is lower than most here.

Paila Hostel deserves its own line. It's on Street 13 near Barahi Chowk, right in the middle of Lakeside, and its rating was a perfect 10/10 from 81 reviews when we looked. Breakfast is included, there's a restaurant downstairs and a balcony with lake views. Its own website lists dorm beds at about US$7 to 8.

Our take: below about NPR 500 you're usually giving something up, whether that's hot water in the morning, a decent mattress or a locker. In Pokhara the jump from the cheapest bed to a really good one is often only NPR 200 or 300, and it's worth paying.

If you'd rather have a private room

Not everyone wants a bunk after two weeks of teahouse dorms on a trek. The Mountain House on Street 17 has private rooms only (some with their own bathroom), a garden, a terrace and a coworking corner, and it's rated 10/10 from 411 Hostelworld reviews. Rooms start around US$5 (approx NPR 800), which is less than some dorms in Kathmandu. Most hostels above also have private doubles if you're travelling as a pair.

Trek-agency access: what's close to Lakeside

A lot of people pick a Pokhara hostel based on one question: how easy is it to get my trek sorted from here? The answer for anywhere in Lakeside is "easy", but a few details help.

• Trekking permits. The Nepal Tourism Board office in Damside, at the south end of Lakeside, handles TIMS cards and the ACAP permit for the Annapurna Conservation Area. In 2026 the ACAP fee is NPR 3,000 for foreigners (NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals), and TIMS is NPR 2,000 (NPR 1,000 for SAARC). Bring your passport. ACAP can also be bought online.
• Guide rule. Since 2023, most Annapurna routes, including Poon Hill, ABC, Mardi Himal and the Annapurna Circuit, require foreign trekkers to go with a licensed guide and an agency-issued TIMS card. That means you'll be dealing with an agency anyway, and Lakeside has dozens of them along the main road. Our Nepal trekking permits guide has the full picture.
• Hostel travel desks. Lazy Lads, Forest Lake, Gaurishankar and The Mango Tree all list a tour or travel desk. It's worth asking them first, then comparing with one or two agencies on the main road before you pay.
• Luggage storage. Most Lakeside hostels will hold a bag while you trek. Ask whether it's free and where it's kept.

Getting to Lakeside

Tourist buses from Kathmandu arrive at the Tourist Bus Park, about 2 to 3 km from central Lakeside. A taxi takes 10 to 15 minutes and usually costs approx NPR 300 to 500; agree the fare before you get in. Pokhara's international airport, out at Chhinedanda, is about 7 km (approx) away. Our Kathmandu to Pokhara bus guide covers bus types and prices.

Before you book: five quick checks

1. Which street is it on? Central for convenience, north for calm, south for permits. A hostel "near the lake" can still be a 20-minute walk from it.
2. Is the bar inside the hostel? A bar below your dorm means a later night than a garden bar out back.
3. Is the female dorm its own room with its own bathroom? Most places here list one, but layouts differ.
4. Hot water and power. Many places use solar plus a backup heater. Evening showers are usually fine; early winter mornings can be cold.
5. Free luggage storage? Essential if you're heading off on a trek for a week or more.

For more on the city itself, see our Pokhara destination page and the Pokhara travel guide. Coming from Kathmandu? Our best hostels in Thamel guide covers the other end of the bus ride.

Cover photo: Phewa Lake from Lakeside, Pokhara, by Nabin845, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.