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 4 Bandipur Poised on a precipitous ridge, the old-world bazaar town of Bandipur has become an easy-going haven, packed with gorgeous boutique hotels and friendly homestay lodges. See p.202 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

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 acclimatizing with a day hike from Kathmandu up to the valley rim at Shivapuri, taking in the ipi8hfBu+Fu1Tqp6g5eaALs= Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha. See p.137 & p.139 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

3 Thame A “rest” day at Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital, might involve a six-hour round-trip hike to Thame. See p.341 4 Buddhist monasteries The slow ascent necessary for acclimatization above Namche allows time for monastery visits. On the trail between Namche and Base Camp, the serene gompa at Tengboche, Pangboche and Deboche are rich with gilded statues and thangka paintings. See p.341 & p.342 5 Chhukhung Another “rest day” takes you exploring off the main Base Camp trail up to the Imja Glacier or the peak of Chhukhung Ri, overnighting at the tiny settlement of Chhukung. See p.342 6 Kala Pattar The high point of the Everest trek isn’t the relatively disappointing Base Camp itself (5300m) but the breathtaking (literally) viewpoint hillock of Kala Pattar (5545m). See p.344 7 Cho La In good conditions, experienced walkers can cross the Cho La into the Gokyo valley, for more views and a descent to Lukla by the western trail. See p.345 8 Kathmandu A post-trek day or two in Kathmandu could be happily wasted browsing for handicrafts, eating and drinking – or seeing the sights. See p.54

EXPLORING THE WEST

Few travellers head any further west than Pokhara, but as soon as you get off the well-travelled track you start tasting a rougher, richer side of Nepal. This itinerary is for those with weeks to spare – though you could reduce it to a fortnight by settling for just the Karnali, Bardia and Pokhara. 1 The Karnali from Dungeshwar This remote rafting-and-camping trip begins with a flight to Nepalgunj, a bus or jeep ride via Birendra Nagar to the put-in point at Dungeshwar, then a raft descent through remote, far western hills for about eight days towards Bardia. What a way to begin. See p.364 2 Bardia National Park The rafting trip can end at Bardia, which has all the spectacular wildlife of Chitwan, but a fraction of the visitors – and preserves its laidback mud-and-thatch lodges. See p.271 3 Lumbini The birthplace of the Buddha sits in the burning hot plains, amid astounding monasteries and ancient archeological sites. See p.261 4 Tansen A friendly town on the edge of the hills offering appealing homestays, a fine restaurant, a palace, Himalayan views and a great day hike to Rani Ghat. See p.231 5 Biking the Tamghas Highway You’ll see no other tourists on this rough, multi-day mountain-biking (or, if you must, bus and hitchhiking) route between Tansen and Pokhara. If it’s too much, the sinuous Siddhartha Highway is (relatively) fast and fabulous. See p.379 6 Pokhara If you arrive in Pokhara from the west, you’ll deserve all that basking by the lake, and all those relaxed bars and restaurants. See p.206 7 Gorkha An impressive royal palace looms on the ridge above the hill town of Gorkha. See p.198 8 Manaslu Circuit You could make a two- to three-week detour from Gorkha around Nepal’s “teahouseable” trekking route – no camping required. See p.333

T I B E T ( C H I N A )

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kilometres 100

THE BEST OF NEPAL

NEWAR MEN EATING SACRED MITHAI SWEETS

Basics

21 Getting there 23 Getting around 27 Accommodation 29 Eating and drinking 33 Festivals 36 Health 40 Culture and etiquette

43 Spiritual pursuits and alternative therapies 44 Women’s Nepal 45 Living and working in Nepal 46 Travel essentials ipi8hfBu+Fu1Tqp6g5eaALs=