18
ITINERARIES
Itineraries The best way to explore Nepal, of course, is to use this guide to create your own itinerary, but below we offer three recommended routes. “The Best of Nepal” covers the highlights – deservedly popular destinations, but you’ll never be far off the beaten track. “Kathmandu and Everest” adds a few Kathmandu Valley sights onto the Everest Base Camp trek, while “Exploring the West” gives you a memorable trip well away from most tourist itineraries.
THE BEST OF NEPAL You could do a whistle-stop tour of the classic sights in eight to ten days. If you trek into the Annapurna region, you’ll need another week or two – depending how far and how fast you walk. 1 Kathmandu The capital has boomed in recent years, becoming a busy, polluted, modern city, but it still preserves a stunning medieval heart and an easy-going restaurant and nightlife scene. See p.54 2 Pashupatinath and Boudha At the holy riverbank of Pashupatinath, the Hindu dead are cremated in the open; just down the road lies the dizzyingly exotic Tibetan Buddhist community of Boudha. See p.125 & p.130 3 Bhaktapur The stunningly preserved
micro-city of Bhaktapur offers a taste of what Kathmandu was like before the modern world arrived. See p.154
6 Annapurna trekking The Annapurna range
rises above some of Nepal’s lushest, steepest and loveliest foothills – perfect for a shorter trek to the viewpoint of Poon Hill, or, with a few more days in hand, on to the uplifting Annapurna Sanctuary and then back to Pokhara. See p.322 7 Chitwan From Pokhara, head off next to the
jungle, grassland and rivers of Chitwan National Park. You’re almost guaranteed sightings of rhinos, deer, monkeys, crocodiles and countless species of birds. You might not spot the elusive tigers, though. See p.249
KATHMANDU AND EVEREST Altitude enforces a minimum 14- to 16-day schedule for the Everest Base Camp trek, but three weeks would allow some exploration of Kathmandu and its valley as well. 1 Shivapuri and Budhanilkantha Start
4 Bandipur Poised on a precipitous ridge, the
acclimatizing with a day hike from Kathmandu
old-world bazaar town of Bandipur has become an easy-going haven, packed with gorgeous boutique hotels and friendly homestay lodges. See p.202
Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha. See p.137 & p.139
ipi8hfBu+Fu1Tqp6g5eaALs= up to the valley rim at Shivapuri, taking in the
5 Pokhara Set under the white peaks of the
Annapurna range, lakeside Pokhara is Nepal’s biggest tourist centre. You can paraglide, meditate or just relax on a boat or in a bar. See p.206
2 Lukla Fly from Kathmandu to the world’s most insane airstrip, and in minutes you’re at the gates of Khumbu, the profoundly Buddhist Everest region, ready to start walking up to Namche. See p.341
ABOVE ANNAPURNA TREK; BHAKTAPUR; RAFTING
