All you adventurers out there, all who seek a bit of excitement in your otherwise mundane lives, come and do a bit of bungee jumping in Nepal. It could well be one of the highlights of your life, and something that you can crow about forever more, something to show the kids what mettle their dad/mom is made of. Here’s what will give you a good idea of the adventure that awaits you: imagine taking a leap from a 25-storey building (about 76 m high) or jumping off the 92-meter Statue of Liberty. Sound ludicrous, right? Well, actually there’s more when bungee jumping in Nepal. You’ll be jumping from a 160-meter-high bridge into a gorge over the swirling rapids of a wild mountain river; that’s what you’ll be doing when bungee jumping in Nepal!
Now that you’re excited, here’s how you can do that. You drive down (up?) 100 km from Kathmandu (three-and-a-half hours) to The Last Resort, Nepal, (it is, really, for desperate adventure seekers). This fantastic resort is situated on a ridge and its sprawling slopes and is reached by crossing the aforesaid suspension bridge over the Bhote Kosi River. An added interesting fact is that you’ll be only 12 km away from the border with the Autonomous Region of Tibet in China. Interesting locale, you’ll agree. Now, here’s what you can expect at The Last Resort where you’ll probably be spending a night or two to do some exciting things.
You’ll be sleeping in safari style tents. These can either be standard four-people tents, or if you wish, a deluxe one meant for only two people. These are placed around grounds that are lovingly landscaped. You’ll be drawn by the sight of the stone-and-slate dining hall high above the grounds, and here’s where you’ll find the Instant Karma Bar that’s going to give you instant remedies to slake your thirst. And, don’t worry, just because it’s a tented resort (sort of), that doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on modern amenities. Yes, you can take as many showers as you want, solar- and gas-heated, no less, and then there’s a plunge pool and a sauna that’s really going to take the knots out from your shoulders. And, if the knots are a bit tight, there’s some great massages coming your way. Not to mention yoga and all that goes with it.
What else does The Last Resort offer? Plenty. Canyoning for one; white water rafting for another, and what about a couple of canyon swings? Sounds good, yeh? You can also go mountain biking from here, or, and this is especially for groups looking to build team work and other corporate kind of stuff, undertake a high rope course. Of course, the bungee jump is the best of the lot, and considering that the others are such spectacular activities, that’s really saying something.
Now, here are some things you may be interested to know. Before going bungee jumping, the resort instructor gives a thorough briefing to prepare you for what could possibly be the greatest leap of faith in your life. The words that may stay with you could be: walk like a penguin and fly like a bird. Your jump will be video-recorded for posterity along with enough still photographs to prove once and for all, back home, that even if you couldn’t claw your way to the top of Everest, you did fly like a bird for some 160 meters. You’ll have to pay some Rs.2000 for the lot and a souvenir t-shirt will be thrown in for free.
What about canyoning? Well, first of all, know that canyoning in Nepal, as elsewhere actually, involves traveling down steep canyon walls, creeks, streams, and waterfalls by a variety of means including hiking, scrambling, wading, boulder hopping, rock climbing, abseiling, and rappelling. You can take a one-day trip that will take around two-and-a-half hours to complete and includes a 20 minute hike. You can also opt for a three-day canyoning trip which will include all the activities mentioned above.
As for rafting, well, you must have heard that rafting in Nepal features among the best in the world. You’ll be going on a wet and wild ride down the dark green Bhote Kosi River, which is one of the best short river trips offered anywhere in the world, or so say the experts. Now, talking about the canyon swing, it’s something that will certainly set your pulse racing. It’s claimed to be the world’s highest giant swing. First, you’ll have a freefall for some 100 m and then swing in a 240 m arch at 150 km/hr. Some swing, that!
Well, you see now why Lonely Planet has given high recommendations to The Last Resort, Nepal. It has a lot going for it. You can choose from a variety of packages combining the various activities. The resort also has special packages for schools, corporate houses, and organizations, offering adventure education and training programs, including the high ropes course designed to foster team spirit. The objective of the packages being to: “challenge individuals to realize their potentials by providing them with the experience necessary for inspired achievement,” and “bring about positive changes in behavior and attitudes at different levels of your organization.”
All said and done, when here, it would be a pity if you missed out on a couple of days at The Last Resort, Nepal, because then you’ll be missing out on the opportunity to gauge your full potential and bring out the hero in you. Well then, bungee jumping in Nepal, is it?