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Nepal Adventures
Kathmandu and Pokhara Explorer
Kathmandu is
an exotic and fascinating showcase of a very rich culture, art and tradition. The valley
is encircled by a range of green terraced hills and dotted by compact clusters of red
tiled-roofed houses. Pokhara is a place of natural beauty is known as a centre of
adventure, has several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panoramic views of the Himalaya. Phewa lake is the centre of all attractions in Pokhara and the starting
and ending point for many of the popular trekking routes in Nepal. Our day hikes will
include Naudanda, Sarangkot and Dhampus with stunning views of the Annapurna and
Dhaulagiri ranges.
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Kathmandu overnight in Hotel
Vaishali or Gongjong
Day 2 Kathmandu. Half day sightseeing. Bouddha,
Pashupati, Shyambhu (B)
Day 3 Half day sightseeing tour of Patan (B)
Day 4 Drive to Pokhara by green line bus,
overnight at Hotel Stupa or Green Park (B)
Day 5 Day hike to Sarangkot. Overnight at Hotel Green Park (B+L)
Day 6 Day hike to Dhampus. Green Park (B+L)
Day 7 Drive to Naudanda and walk to Sarangkot.
Drive back to Pokhara. (B+L)
Day 8 Day hike to Kalikasthan. Green Park (B+L)
Day 9 Cross Pewa Lake by boat and climb the
Peace Monastery overnight Hotel Green Park (N+L)
Day 10 Day hike to Sundare danda, and the cross the Begnas lake by boat and return
to Pokhara. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Monastery. (B)
Day 11 Drive back to Kathmandu by Green Line
bus. (B)
Day 12 Day hike to Nagarkot Shankhu. Overnight
at Hotel View Point (B)
Day 13 Day hike to Changu Narayan and the
sightseeing tour of Bhaktapur. (B)
Day 14 Kathmandu Free day (B)
Day 15 Transfer to airport for departure (B)
KATHMANDU
DURBAR SQUARE
Kathmandu’s most impressive sight, Durbar Square is a colourful hotch-potch of temples
and palaces. It is also home to Kathmandu’s Kumari, or ‘living goddess’, a young
girl believed to be a reincarnation of the goddess Durga.
SWAYAMBHUNATH Known as
the ‘monkey temple’ because of its resident swarm of apes, this spectacular Buddhist
Stupa, from which the Buddha’s eyes gaze serenely down, lies on a hilltop only 2km from
Kathmandu. The views down over Kathmandu and the surrounding valley are superb.
BOUDHANATH 8km from the
city center, this is Kathmandu’s largest Stupa. It’s especially colorful on Saturdays,
when Tibetan refugees flock here to pray.
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE On
the bank of the sacred Bagmati River, this Shiva Temple is famous for its two-tiered
golden roof and silver doors.
PATAN
The ancient city of Patan faces Kathmandu on the
southern bank of the River Bagmati. It’s a colorful place, with Hindu temples and
Buddhist monuments jostling side by side in its narrow, winding streets and unexpected
squares.
DURBAR SQUARE Exquisitely
carved palaces, temples and shrines litter the square, which is dominated by the ancient
Royal Palace. Nestling in one corner is the triple-roofed octagonal tower of the 17th
Century Teleju Bhawani Temple.
KRISHAN MANDIR The first
of its kind to be built, this 17th Century temple is the only one in Nepal with entirely
stone-carved shrines.
HIRANYA VARAN MAHAVIHAR A
12th Century, three-tiered Golden Pagoda of Lord Buddha.
KUMBHESHWOR A Shiva
Temple with an unusual five-tiered roof.
BHAKTAPUR
One of the three ancient cities of Nepal, Bhaktapur is
the home of medieval art and architecture, as well as thriving local pottery and weaving
industries.
DURBAR SQUARE This
spacious, beautiful square is packed from end to end with ancient temples and monuments.
These include the colourfully named ‘Lion Gate’ and ‘The Bell of the Barking
Dogs.’ It’s a great place to explore for an hour or two and absorb the local life.
NYATAPOLA TEMPLE Dating
back to 1702, this five-storey pagoda is an impressive sight staring down at you from the
terraces are intricately carved figures of wrestlers, elephants, lions and griffins.
POKHARA
Pokhara is a rare combination of the long arrays of
snowclad peaks, crystal clear lakes, turbulent rivers with deep gorges and picturesque
villages inhabited by simple and friendly ethnic people. Situated at the lap of the
panoramic Annapurna Himal, the climate of Pokhara remains favourable all the year round
neither too warm nor too cold. The monsoon rains are strongest during June to August.
Other months are relatively dry.
The moment you step into any part of Pokhara the first
thing that takes you to immediate delight is the gorgeous view of the gigantic mountains.
Pokhara is infact, the first and foremost convenient point for mountain-oriented
sightseeing. Mt. Annapurna, literally meaning the Goddess of Abundant Harvest, lies at a
horizontal distance of 40 km. from the valley of Pokhara which is at an elevation of just
900 metre above main sea level.
LAKES
Pokhara is a city of fine lakes with crystalline
water. Phewa Tal is in the immediate vicinity of the city is with an island temple
dedicated to Goddess Barahi in the middle. With its serene water reflecting the Annapurna
range and a nicely preserved forest on the adjoining southern slope, this legendary second
largest lake of the Kingdom remains a major source of attraction for the visiting
tourists. This lake can also be enjoyed by swimming.
Begnas & Rupa, these twin lakes lie in the
north-east of Pokhara valley about 15 km away from the airport. The road to Begnas follows
Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway as far as Sisuwa near the police check post and branches off the
road towards north. It is possible to take a bus ride to the damside of Begnas from the
city.
TEMPLES
Two temples are really worth visiting in the Pokhara
area. Bindabasini temple some way between downtown Mahendrapul and Bagar is one of them.
The temple is located on top of a beautiful mound overlooking the most popular area of the
Pokhara city. The road to Sarangkot starts from the foot of this mound.
The next one is Barahi temple situated on a small
island in the middle of Phewa Tal. A stop at this serene temple after a canoe ride is
really worthwhile. There is a nice Buddhist monastery on the top of a small forested hill
above
Matepani east of Mahendrapul. It overlooks the majority of Pokhara area. A little south of
this monastery on another small but beautiful hill in a pleasant sylvanic setting lies
Bhadrakali temple which is also worth visiting.
TIBETAN VILLAGE
There are two Tibetan villages in the vicinity of
Pokhara. One of them called Tashiling is in the south past Patale Chhango. The other
village by the name of Tashi Palkhel is North of Pokhara at a place called Hyangja on
Pokhara Baglung Highway. The Tibetan people living in these villages keep themeselves busy
by producing and trading in woolen carpets and other handicraft items.
DAY HIKES
All nearby hills of Pokhara are equally good for day
hikes. Some of the important ones are given below: One can drive uphill for one hour from
the foot of Bindabasini temple along a ridge road to Sarangkot.
To Sarangkot: Annapurna range and overlook the valley
of Pokhara to enjoy an eye feast of the east. A view tower has been built on the top of
Sarangkot hill at an elevation of 1600m.
To Kahun Danda: It is another enchanting hill north of
Pokhara and takes about two and a half hours to reach from Mahendrapul. The trail starts
from near the army barrack at Phulbari across Mahendrapul and climbs slowly up a slope.
The essential view from top of this hill is the panoramic view of the Annapurna range and
the flat span of Pokhara valley.
To Phoksing Danda: This ridge south of Pokhara
provides an excellent view of the whole Pokhara valley and the long array of snow peaks
beyond. The panorama of the mountains visible at a stretch from here includes the
Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges, Manaslu, Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal in the distant east.
The trail to this ridge starts south of the Pokhara airfield, crosses the Seti river near
the power house fed by the Phewa canal and climbs up the slope overlooking the valley. It
takes about two and a half hours to get to Phoksing Danda from the power house. Morning
time is excellent to visit this ridge.
The ridge trail heading west from Sarangkot used to be
the starting point for the Jomosom trek, but the new Baglung Road now funnels trekkers in
further west, and the small touristy villages along the old trail are languishing for lack
of attention. Day hikers will find it remarkably peaceful.
A half-hour from Sarangkot is Kaski, once the capital
of the surrounding countryside, now a minor village. A stone staircase leads about 300
meters above the village to the ruins of the old Kaski Kot or fortress. The small Durga
shrine here, little more than a rock pen, is a favorite site for Dasain animal sacrifices.
Many of the summits along this ridge have old temples to the goddess Durga, who serves as
bloodthirsty protectress of the villages below.
Ninety minutes further along the ridge is the village
of Naudanda (1458 meters), where good mountain views include the first glimpse of
Machhapuchhare's twin-peaked "fishtail." The village is not particularly
pleasant but has lots of lodges and restaurants. A police checkpost will prevent you from
continuing further without a trekking permit, and the Baglung Road cutting across the
ridge has pretty much ruined the immediate vicinity for trekking--there's little joy to be
had in plodding down a dusty road. (Things do improve after the road veers west down to
Kusma, and the trail continues on to Chandrakot.) If you can't find a ride back to Pokhara
from Naudanda, take the steep trail dropping down north, which reaches Phedi in about 90
minutes. From here, jeeps run back to town on a regular basis.
NAGARKOT
Nagarkot is located on the rim of Kathmandu Valley at
an elevation of 7,200 feet and offers a 200-mile panorama of the Himalayas from Mt Everest
in the east to Dhaulagiri in the west. It is 75 minutes drive from Kathmandu and is best
for sunrise and sunset.
At dawn and dusk the snow-covered peaks are painted in
shades of rose, pink orange and gold. It is a sight not to miss, though one can never be
sure of the visibility of the mountain ranges even during the winter months. Seeing a
single pink peak appearing in the midst of clouds can be as thrilling as seeing the whole
200-mile panorama of peaks. Since mornings are clearer than afternoons, it is recommended
spending a night up here.
Nagarkot is also a place for day hikes, especially
when you do not have enough time for long treks. The Best part of these hikes is that
everything goes down the hill from the time you start. The three possible destinations for
day hikes from Nagarkot are Banepa,Sankhu and Changu Narayan.
Lunch either in tea houses or packt will be provided
during the day hikes from Pokhara. Cost included green line bus and rest of the places by
car.
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