Nepal, a country located in the beautiful Himalayas in South Asia also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. With an estimated population of 26.4 million, it is the 48th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area. Although the country is faced with poverty and many natural disasters, it is a beautiful tourist destination with nice people. Remember to take sunblock, sunglasses, dusk masks & a hat with you.
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| Everest standing tall & mighty in the Himalayas |
Day 01 - Arrive in Kathmandu
We arrived in Kathmandu in the afternoon at around 2pm and checked in to Hotel Amadablam which is located right infront of the famous Pashupathinath temple. After settling down, we visited the temple. Pashupathinath temple complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites's list in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as a cultural heritage site. One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 1 million devotees visit here. This complex has 492 temples and has a very peaceful ambiance with a lot of cultural variety. Humans as well as Monkeys rule this place ;) After worshiping the temple, we came back to the hotel and relaxed in the evening.
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| Pashupatinath Temple |
Day 02 - Mountain Flight & Kathmandu sight seeing
We woke up early in the morning and drove to the domestic airport to catch our Everest Mountain flight. The mountain flight is an one hour tour in a small plane around the Himalayas and allows you to enjoy magnificent views of all the top peaks in the Himalaya range including Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Everest etc. This is a must do activity if you happen to visit Nepal although the flight cost may be a bit too high. The flight crew ensures that everyone gets a window seat and allows you to visit the cockpit to take some good pictures of Mt. Everest.
After the mountain flight, we arrived in our hotel and did a city tour around Kathmandu. Kathmandu is very dusty, hence dusk masks are highly recommended. Recommended places to visit in Kathmandu are Patan, Bungmati and Khokana.
Patan is a cultural heritage area which was initially designed in the shape of the Buddhist Dharma-Chakra (Wheel of Righteousness). The four thurs or mounds on the perimeter of Patan are ascribed around, one at each corner of its cardinal points, which are popularly known as Asoka Stupas. The most important monument of the city is Patan Durbar Square, which has been listed by UNESCO as one of seven Monument Zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site.
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Patan Durbar Square |
Khokana, a small Newari village located just 6 kilometers from Patan is a village where traditional craftsmanship still plays an important role here. Villagers can often be seen spinning, winnowing, and crushing mustard seeds. Mustard oil is the product for which Khokana is best known.
After exploring Khokana we took a 20-minute walk to the village of Bungmati, passing through agricultural land on the way. Bungmati, like Khokana, is a Newari village where rural traditions are still followed. We saw typical Newari buildings and an interesting main square, home to the Ganesh and Machhindranath temples.
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| Nepalese traditional craftsmanship |
Day 03 - Visit Pokhara
We left Kathmandu at around 7AM to visit Pokhara which is approximately 200 KMs away from Kathmandu. We arrived in Pokhara in the afternoon and checked into Hotel Landmark which is a decent stay and very close to the beautiful Phewa Lake. Make sure to visit Phewa lake during the sunset or sunrise :)
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| Phewa Lake during sunset |
After having lunch, we visited the famous Devis Falls. In Devis Falls, the water forms an underground tunnel after reaching the bottom. This tunnel is approximately 500 feet (150 m) long and runs 100 feet below ground level. On 31 July 1961, a Swiss couple Davi went swimming but the woman drowned in a pit because of the overflow. Her body was recovered 3 days later in river Phusre with great effort. Her father wished to name it "Davi's falls" after her. Visitors can also try their luck on the luck pond constructed there by throwing and placing the coin on the statue of god.
After visiting Devis falls, we visited Seti River. The Seti originates from the snow fields and glaciers around the twin peaks of Api and Nampa in the south facing slopes of the main Himalayas. The area is near the trijunction of the borders of Nepal, India (Kumaon, Uttarakhand), and China (Tibet). The river first flows in a south-easterly direction, then turns and flows in a south-westerly and finally south-easterly again before joining the Karnali or Ghagra River. It has cut a spectacular gorge across the Mahabharat Range and appears to be lost amongst caves and tunnels for a short distance.
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| Davis Falls |
Day 04 - Sarangkot Sunrise
We woke up at around 4am to witness the sunrise in Sarangkot. Sarangkot is a village just above Pokhara, known as a one-night destination stop in to see the stunning sunrise over the beautiful Annapurna range. Hike up the trail from Sedi (just north along the lake from Pokhara). A nice one hour hike that is good for most hikers. The trail is marked well and there are steps in many places where it gets steep.
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| Sarangkot Sunrise over the Annapurna mountain range |
After witnessing the sunrise we took our luggage and drove back to Kathmandu. Afternoon was allocated for shopping in Kathmandu. You can find plenty of hiking gear for reasonable prices in this city. Further, you find local made ornaments for good prices. After shopping, we had a traditional Nepalese dinner and went back to the hotel.
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| Nepalese food |
Day 05 - Leave Nepal
This was our last day in Nepal and we had to arrive in the airport in the morning. Hence, after having breakfast we left this beautiful country.
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| View of Kathmandu from above |
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