This is the ultimate collection of the ten days trips you must not miss while you are in Nepal. It does not take very long to see all the sights Kathmandu has to offer. However, there are lots of day trips out of the city too.
Within about two hours’ drive – by bus from Kathmandu, if you are feeling adventurous (these are very frequent but often crowded), you can be in a completely different world. It does not take long to get away from the dust of Kathmandu, into the Kathmandu Valley.
Top 10 Day Trips You Must Not Miss while you are in Nepal
Here there are many places worth visiting in Kathmandu. I have tried to list places outside or just outside Kathmandu. Obviously, there are many other places within the city that you could easily spend all day like Boudhanath and Pashupatinath, Kopan Monastery, Asian and Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Square, depending on your interest.
Women empowerment is a long way to go in Nepal. However, companies like Royal Mountain Group are taking leaps that may seem small, but go miles for the women who work there. Women in the Lead is one of the social ventures coming out of the Group and is led by the women who work there. Women in the Lead hosts various events to raise awareness about women empowerment.
Photography is the story I fail to put into words! ~ Destin Sparks.
We conducted a Photography session by Mr. Sudan Budathoki, for our colleagues (Royal Mountain Travel and Community Homestay Network) on October 27th, followed by a challenge in which the participants were divided into 6 teams and were assigned to submit 12 best shots and tell a story on different themes. We had Tihar (Deepawali) coming up, so the teams seemed excited with quite challenging themes! They got ample time to present what they could capture and what story needs to come across. And as a result, everyone did their part and we got good results. On November 15th, the teams presented their photographs and the Best photos were chosen based on Good Composition and Messages well received.
On a bright monsoon morning right after a week of rain, the air was crisp and the sun was mellow. I decided to walk half of the way to work. My body had been craving for some long-overdue exercise. Ten minutes in and the endorphins kicked in and I felt light, briskly curving about the narrow sidewalks in Tahachal.
This is a ten-episode series consisting of short videos that will explore topics related to sustainable tourism in Nepal. The series will cover the dos and don’ts of sustainable travel and other topics such as community-based tourism and discussions with experts on pertinent sustainability issues.
With its bright colors and fun energy, the festival of Holi has gained a good deal of attention in the U.S. and now brings travelers to Nepal and India regularly each spring. Participating in any of Nepal’s festivals is an engaging way to learn about the culture and religions, as well as to meet local people. They often bring people out to public spaces for celebrations and include feasts and special foods, as well as important traditional ceremonies. Many of Nepal’s festivals occur in the fall and spring, and we often suggest timing a trip to coincide with one. Here are a few to consider:
Held over fifteen days in September or October, Dashain or Bijaya Dashami is the longest Hindu festival in Nepal and one of the most important. It celebrates the victory of good over evil and honors the Hindu goddess Durga. Many people return home to celebrate with their families and receive tika (a dab of red vermillion on the forehead) from their elders. Kites are commonly flown; large swings are set up for children; new clothes are purchased and worn; and various rituals, including sacrifices, are held on specific days. The Taleju Temple in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, typically closed to all, opens to the Hindu people one day a year during the festival.
Dashain Festival. Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons
Buddha Jayanti Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death fell on the same day and are celebrated by Buddhists and Hindus throughout Nepal on the full moon of Vaisakha, a month on the Hindu calendar (usually April or May). The grandest ceremony occurs at Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini in the western Terai plains. In Kathmandu, Buddha’s devotees pay respects at the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the holiest sites in Nepal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And in Kathmandu Valley, Swyambhunath Stupa and the city of Patan also draw Buddha’s disciples and admirers.Continue reading →
One of the most popular trails in Nepal, the trek to Everest Base Camp, is rarely without visitors. But in a few months, the trail will begin to buzz with excitement as sherpas, trekkers and climbers head through the Khumbu Valley and high into the Himalayas for the start of a new climbing season. It’s a time of much anticipation and preparation. And yet many trekkers arrive not knowing exactly what to expect. We put together this guide to help you prepare your clients.
To borrow from the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: Everest is a journey, not a destination.
Photo credit: Shubham
Trekkers should understand that it takes eight days to hike to Everest and three days to descend. They’ll spend only a few hours of this time at Everest Base Camp. This trek is about so much more than making it to 5,380 meters. It’s about spending days getting lost in nature (not literally) and being immersed in a foreign way of life and a fascinating culture. The physical challenge is just a bonus! Continue reading →
For years, Kathmandu, Everest, and Annapurna have enticed travelers with dreams of exotic cultural experiences and epic trekking routes. While Nepal’s main attractions might be exactly what your clients are looking for, some of our favorite travel moments here have come from stepping off the beaten path. And Nepal offers a multitude of ways for travelers to do just that while making a deep connection with locals and discovering some of our country’s beautiful landscapes.
Here are just a few of our favorites places:
Chepang Hills
These hills lie in the shadows of the Annapurna Range and offer some of the least-trafficked trails and magnificent views. Home to the Chepang people, this area is dotted with villages and terraced fields. Stay with a local family in Upardang Gadi, a historic village, and climb up the massive fort from the Shah dynasty era for vistas of both the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges, a well as Chitwan Valley. A homestay gives travelers the opportunity to learn about the hunter-gatherer culture of this small ethnic group, who often share traditional songs and dances with visitors. Read more about traveling the region here.
Panauti
One of the oldest towns in Nepal, Panauti offers a chance for travelers to step back in time to see a preserved medieval town, as well as the more modern one that has grown up around it. A tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site, Panauti is known for its many temples and stupas, and for its cultural and religious festivals. Travelers who want to immerse themselves in the culture will want to stay in the community homestay, run by a group of local women. As hosts, these women offer cultural programs, cooking classes and community hikes into the surrounding countryside. We often recommend combining a trek through Chepang Hills, a visit to Chitwan National Park and a stay in Panauti on this itinerary.
Sometimes there isn’t a clear answer to the most commonly asked questions, like “When is the best time to go?”
Nepal’s monsoon and winter seasons (i.e. the low tourism seasons) fall between June and August and December and February respectively. Both are premium travel times for those on summer breaks or Christmas/New Year’s vacations. And both offer surprisingly valid reasons for booking a vacation to Nepal during these months, nevermind that travel costs are cheaper.
As “overtourism” becomes a more commonly used word, travelers are seeking more sustainable ways to visit popular destinations and taking vacations during the off-season is one way to do that. Timing travel to when the crowds have dissipated means there’s less impact on the destination.
Here are a few places we love to visit during Nepal’s low seasons:
The Terai region, the southernmost part of the country, is a wet lowland area and it is home to Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s first national park. Chitwan’s jungle is a sanctuary for one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, crocodiles and rare birds. Wildlife safaris in the park can be far more enjoyable, and less steamy, in the winter. Our “Magical Nepal” itinerary combines three days in Chitwan with cultural attractions in Pokhara and Kathmandu and more.
Nepal’s celebration of Holi is a colorful festival that is open to all, locals and visitors alike. The revered Hindu holiday, which dates back to the fourth century and signifies the arrival of spring, has gained attention in the U.S. in recent years and a number of travelers feel called to participate in the joyful revelry. A care-free celebration with people of all ages smearing each other with colored powders and drenching each other with water in the streets seems like the perfect excuse for a vacation, right?
Photo source: Inside Himalayas
While Holi truly begins with the installation of a ceremonial pole in Kathmandu Durbar Square almost a week earlier and religious ritual and prayer around a bonfire the night before, the free-for-all of color is found all around the square, the city streets, temples, parks and into the hill region on the day immediately following the full moon in March. The second day of festivities continues in the Terai with celebrations and feasts in area homes. Continue reading →
