Nepal
Nepal as a country runs at its own pace, to the beat of its own drum, and the traveller who can adapt to its rhythms will find themselves rewarded with discovery. Tucked away among the planet’s tallest mountains are a fascinating people, a bewildering array of different religions, and travel experiences among the most poignant in the world.
In A Nutshell
It's hard to travel in Nepal while keeping a tight grasp on a predetermined schedule and sense of control. The landscapes are so vast and tough that they impose their own will on even the best laid plans, encouraging the traveller to be guided more by spontaneity, imagination and discovery than by our wrist watches. Trips begin and end in Kathmandu, where all the trade routes connect, at the foot of the sheer wall which is the Himalaya mountain range. There are a number of regions to explore, from safaris in the jungles of Chitwan, to high altitude treks in the Solukhumbu Valley.
Need To Know
- Travel in Nepal is rustic, dusty, and it's fun. To enjoy it requires relinquishing a certain sense of control and embracing a certain sense of chaos.
- Start and end in Kathmandu, spend a few days book ending.
- 2 weeks is necessary for a short trip; 3 weeks is wonderful to see a wide spread of the country.
- It is best to go by helicopter if you are looking to cut back on logistics and timing of transfers. Fixed wings get canceled often and drives are long and bumpy. But helicopters come at a cost, of course.
- Trekkers and hippies have been coming here for years, so English can be found in the larger areas. But the further you push out into the villages the less English can be found. There are several languages spoken in Nepal depending on the region. Each fold of landscape creates new scripts and words.
- There is currently a push to get a road to every village in the country, so roadworks and construction is constant and vast.
- Waterproof duffels are good to have on hand when traveling in Nepal, easy to carry for porters, and the rains or dust can come heavy depending on time of year.
When To Go
Late Sept-Early Dec and April/May
Hotels
Kathmandu has some charming boutique hotels. Out in the mountains are some real gems, with plenty of character. Chain hotels and predictable homogeneity is not the order of the day. Unique and unusual, memorable and authentic is what you come here for.
Ingredients
-Hike in the land of the Sherpa while staying in Edmund Hillary’s happy house.
-Relax with yoga and mindfulness: the Spa at Shinta Mani Mustang is one of the best in the world. Feel your pulse being read by a local Amchi (Tibetan Doctor).
-Sip on Coffee after glamping on top of a peak that looks at Everest.
-Travel on the Tibetan plateau to the Kingdom of Mustang.
-Have a yak tea with living Gods in the Himalayas while hiking to hanging monasteries among the worlds largest mountain chain.
Nepal On The Sounder
Price Guideline
$1,000-$2,000 per person per day. This typically includes all hotels, guides, regional flights, ground transfers, guided excursions, some meals, and Trufflepig Trip Planning services and support. Private Helicopter charters are a significant additional factor.