Welcome shaab to nepal , well this would be the greeting reserved for the millions of tourists who converge here in the hope of peace , salvation or sheer adventure the last being courtesy the awe-inspiring mountain range , Himalayas.
This Hindu Kingdom as it is officially known thrives on tourism and they do a much better job of keeping the international tourist happy as opposed to Indians. They seem to understand what these bread and butter providing western tourist needs and provides it to them on a platter.
Let me narrate my experiences as an Indian tourist.
Time to avoid for visiting : Between May and September. hot humid and rainy in the jungles of royal chitwan.
Access points are from khakarbitta near siliguri in West Bengal and near Gorakhpur in UP. A caveat is that try to avoid taking the road by bus from the above mentioned places as it is tedious 15 hr journey to Katmandu in some of badly run bus services , though the Japanese built highways are great for driving down in your own vehicle.
There are direct flights operated out of major Indian metros(except Chennai) by Royal Nepal Airlines and Indian Airlines. If you can build it in your budget then that will be great on the comfort factor.
The two main centers to visit are the capital city of kathmandu and the lake city of pokhara. Let me begin with Kathmandu , this is a city of many diversities from the myriad historic temples like the pashupathinath temple to the teeming nightlife life vibrant with casinos and restaurants with live bands and the like. There is a great mix of the Buddhist and the Hindu influence seen in all the shrines and monuments.
Places to stay : I would advise Thamel the meeting round for all western tourists to be the place where one can shack up and have a great time eating authentic western cuisine and also if you are the conservative type you can flavour the Indian cuisine . there are some absolutely scrumptious bakeries serving some out of world pastries . The restaurants are open late night and suddenly you feel that you are in one of the European countries. However avoid Thamel for shopping and choose the other shopping complexes)there is one major bargain center and believe you me when I say that the Indian rupee can go this far in not too many destinations. (best to shop for electronics and clothes , shoes, bags etc.
If time permits one should not miss the nearby temple towns of Bhaktapur (ancient heritage temples dotting the town ) .
The taxis mainly the old Toyotas and Hyundais of the world are the best to move around.
The hotels are of all budgets and if you intend staying in Thamel try Hotel Pisang (Tariff of Rs 600/- ) Please do bargain for most of the services and the language factor (Hindi chalta hai ) should help you bargain . Both the currencies (Indian and Nepali rupee are accepted ).
After having spent two to three days here I would advise one to move to the beautiful lake town of Pokhara. Now Nepal is one country having some 8-9 pvt airline operators operating tiny 9 –25 seater aircrafts with fancy names like Buddha air, cosmic air, yeti air etc. Choose one of these for a ride to pokhara (30 mins) This will cost you approx Rs 1500 per person. The ride over the ranges is scenic and is an experience to ride in these small aircrafts.
Now I have in my travels never come across a more tranquil place than pokhara. This is a lake city with this beautiful lake surrounded by the majestic Annapurna range of mountains (a great trekking destination as well). The main peak here is Machapucchre or the fish tail after its shape of the peak . This place is actually at a very low altitude of around 800 ft above sea level but what makes this unique is that once you are in the midst of the lake in a boat you can see these snow clad peaks as though they are emerging just behind the lake covered by just another smaller range It is so close that you feel that a small trek will take you these perennially snow clad peaks.
This is a popular haunt for that tourist who lands up here for that rejuvenating break. The foreigners with whom I interacted told me that they take up rooms here for as cheap as Rs 3000 per month and they spend time here with boat rides , hanging around the numerous lakeside restaurants again some of which serve some amazing food . The whole place is fun to be in the evenings with music flowing and of course tourist huddling in various joints over some hot chocolate..
Truly a great getaway. Try the fishtail lodge for the higher budgets and hotel HONGKONG for the cheaper budgets (Rs 600/-).
Avoid visiting in : May-September
I have not had the opportunity to explore the numerous trekking options in Nepal but they are a plenty and the best is of course to head for Sagarmatha (local reference to Mt Everest) National Park at the foot of Mt Everest. Also try the Annapurna Ranges ex-pokhara.
Besides these for all the wildlife lovers , do not miss Royal Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal.
From my tour diary ’’I leave this wonderful and diverse country yearning to come back for more and that time around I will be alone and I shall then attempt to scale the peaks to which I reach out longingly today’’
Wishing all mountain lovers a great time in Nepal