This holiday is a really nice balance of walking, sightseeing and free time. Don't let the walking part put you off. It is walking (at a fairly leisurely pace) not trekking. It takes place on roads, well defined paths and tracks with plenty of time built in for you to stop and catch your breath, admire the view or take photos. Anybody who has a reasonable degree of fitness and mobility can complete these walks.
Despite the devastation caused by the 2015 earthquake Nepal is very much open for business and welcoming visitors. While some man made attractions have been destroyed and are being rebuilt, albeit slowly, many others remain standing, some somewhat precariously and, of course, all the natural features that make Nepal such a beautiful country are untouched so there is more than plenty to do and see.
After only a very short time in Katmandu you realise why all the locals wear face masks, it is a very dusty and polluted city so heavy rain overnight was welcome as it kept the dust levels down. Our first walk was a gently undulating after breakfast stroll across a golf course and through a former royal forest during the course of which we saw temples, deer and monkeys. Following this we went sightseeing in central Katmandu (some earthquake damage) and then onto the tourist district of Thamel for free time and retail therapy.
Lulled into a false sense of security the following morning's walk was the longest and probably toughest of those we did. Wearing our 'holi' colours, much to the amusement of the locals, we set out to climb the second highest hill in the valley, through a national park to a nunnery at the top. It was our first serious uphill at altitude, started steeply and ended with a large number of steps. The views were wonderful -there really was a lot of stopping to admire them but apart from one person who struggled with steps we all made the top and that included the 84 year old on this trip. Having attained what seemed like our own personal Everest we were entertained, that evening, by a petite Nepalese lady who had summited the "mountain" and who proved to be one of the most inspirational speakers I had heard in a long while.
A very early start for Chitwan with breakfast on the road. Besides rebuilding work there was a major pipe laying project being undertaken which frequently totally gridlocked the Katmandu traffic then further along the road is a very much needed ongoing road improvement programme that shuts the road for hours at a time. It was an entertaining journey of potholes and an ongoing demonstration of kamikaze overtaking (by others) before we reached our destination. The time here was a very peaceful interlude after Katmandu. Only a short flatish walk in the national park otherwise we travelled by oxcart, canoe and jeep. As anticipated the tiger remained elusive but we saw mostly everything else we expected to see though we had to trust the ranger that the brown blob, just visible in the distance, was a retreating sloth bear. As JY no longer supports the use of elephants for safari, Yvette, our TM, arranged for us to take two elephants to the river to bathe which resulted in an enjoyable but very wet time for all.
A not quite so early start took us back along the road in need of improvement and onto Pokhara, gateway to the Annapurnas. The mountains are very close here. Free afternoon or the optional excursion to the Peace Stupa. It was a steady uphill climb passing close to houses perched on the hillside. We walked in the company of children and dogs. Fabulous views and ice cream at the top ! The last included walk of the main tour was to Dhampus from Pedi and was probably the nicest so far. On a mixture of road and track we walked past people tending their fields as they must have done since time began. We walked through people's gardens and peered into their homes, visited a school and watched a lady making cloth. The fabulous views of the mountains promised, while lunching, sadly failed to materialise due to cloud so we had to make do with looking at a painting of what we were missing instead. Despite our best efforts to lose her on the way back from Dhampus Yvette kindly offered one more excursion, not in the itinerary, totally optional and as it turned out thoroughly magical. We left the hotel at 4 am, drove out of town, hiked in the dark (head torches on) , sat on a cold stone step and watched the lights in the valley below go out, the sun rise to our right and strike/light up the tops of Fishtail and the Annapurna mountains directly in front. It was absolutely stunning. Tea at a tea house, back for breakfast and then off for a day playing tourist with free time for shopping.
We flew back to Katmandu from Pokhara and spent our last two days sightseeing firstly in Patan and then Bhadgaon on the following day. Both towns were badly damaged by the earthquake but still offer plenty to see. Restoration work has begun and will ongoing for years. There was time to explore the backstreets, see where the locals lived and shopped, turn a corner and find yet another stunning building or character to photograph. One final free afternoon, which most of us spent in Thamel, then a farewell dinner and the main tour was over.
Leaving those going home to await their airport transfers we took a 90 minute coach ride to Dhulikhel, home for a final 3 nights. The hotel is very rural, perched on the side of a hill and faces the Himalayas. The rooms all have picture windows and mountain views. If the weather cooperates you can see the sunrise over the mountains without leaving the comfort of your bed, if it doesn't you just roll over and go back to sleep. It really is a place to chill, there is a spa, beautiful gardens, stunning views and little else.
The whole area was very badly hit by the earthquake, the hotel lost part of its garden and the countryside around is dotted with temporary corrugated iron structures reminiscent of WW2 Anderson shelters. We walked on all three days, two in the company of the hotel gardener and giver of intensive language tuition. My favourite walks of the whole tour were the two unscheduled ones here. They were gently undulating, not particularly long circular walks that took us through villages and past fields, farms and schools. We walked with schoolchildren keen to practice their English and talked with their elders through the services of our guide. We gained an unique insight into the resilience of these people, their very strong sense of family and an understanding of the problems they faced in rebuilding their lives. Our very last walk in Nepal was to Nammo Buddha, a huge monastery, a shrine and an important place of pilgrimage. Again stunning views but quite boring road walking until we met a man who knew a short cut!
I've loved every holiday I've done with JY but Nepal was really something special, think this may be my favourite holiday ........ so far!
