Nepal Himalayas Tour

Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu.

Upon arrival, met by representative and transferred in a private deluxe van to the hotel Yak & Yeti.

Eve: A brief introduction of the trip and followed by a welcome dinner at a typical Nepali Restaurant with cultural show at “BhanchhaGhar”

Located in Kamaladi very close to Durbar Marg is an authentic NepaliRestaurant. It is an old Nepali building restored and converted into a multi-storied restaurant tastefully decorated in local decor. There is a sit down bar at the attic (shoes have to be taken off - Nepali custom) which serves Nepali as well as foreign drinks and cocktails. Snack menu of momo-cha (meat dumplings), fried or boiled wild boar meat, fried potato Nepali style with masala, dried and marinated venison meat, grilled chicken/mutton/duck, etc., are featured in the menu. Also, there is a one hour Nepali folk dance program which starts from 19:30 Hrs onwards. The main meal (dinner or lunch) is served on the 2nd & 3rd floor with a choice of either table sitting or Nepali style floor sitting. This is the first Nepali restaurant of its kind in Nepal. Advance reservation is necessary.

After the dinner, transfer to the Hotel.
Overnight at the Hotel Yak & Yeti

Day 2: Sightseeing tour of Kathmandu

09:00 Hrs: After breakfast met by guide and vehicle for half a day’s sightseeing tour of Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple.

TheBoudhanath Stupa islocated 6 kilometers Northeast of Kathmandu and isa colossal imposing Stupa standing about 36 meters and is one of the oldest Buddhist monuments ever built in Nepal. The stupa stands on the massive three level Mandala style platforms surrounded by colourful family style houses. The Stupa is said to have been built in the 5th Century and is a sight of great veneration to the Buddhist.

Continue on to Pashupanath Temple - the most sacred of the Hindu Temples in the world and is amongst the five principle pilgrimage sites for the Hindus. On an annual pilgrimage during Shivaratri Festival, thousands of devotees of Lord Shiva from all the Hindu communities of the world, pay their homage here. Pashupatinath is the reincarnation of Shiva in his most benevolent form as the shepherd of fertility and so there are no animal sacrifices in this temple. Only fruits, flowers and vermilion are offered. It lieson the banks of the Bagmati river and for the Hindus, to be cremated at Pashupatinath, means a direct passage to heaven.

After the visit, return to the Hotel.

15:00 Hrs: Met by the Road captain and introduction to the Royal Enfield Motorcycles. There will be a short briefing about the safety and the proper speed to ride on the roads of Nepal followed by a question and answer session.

After the briefing, everyone will be handed the keys to the motorcycles and taken for a ride around the city to familiarize with the motorcycles.

Rest of the evening is free
Overnight at the Hotel Yak & Yeti

Day 3: Ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara (210 Kilometers)

After breakfast, we negotiate the traffic out of the Kathmandu city and ride out of the valley at the cross section of the ring road at Kalanki and then set out for check post at Nagdhunga, just past Thankot. From here, the road twists and turns as we negotiate the traffic and descend to Naubise, 26 kilometer marker (about 17 kilometers from Nagdhunga). Then the road becomes much larger and a much more smoother enjoyable ride on the highway to Kurintar, 103 kilometers from Kathmandu.

Another two kilometers brings us to the Manokamana temple. We continue riding to Mugling, the junction where the highway bifurcates, South to Chitwan and West to Pokhara. Head west by crossing the bridge and follow the Marshyangdi riverfor a while and then slowly ascend through terraced agricultural lands and small road side villages. At the outskirts of Pokhara, we are greeted with views of the Annapurna Mountain range including the famous Fish Tail Mountain.

Pokhara stands at 884 m above sea level, about 700 m lower than Kathmandu Valley. In Kathmandu Valley the high temples are all around you, in Pokhara it is the mountains. Only foothills separate Pokhara form the full height of the Himalayas, and the magnificent 8000 m. peaks of the Annapurna range.

Pokhara is a vacationer's paradise with its crystal clear lakes and fantastic views of the Annapurna range including the Fish Tail Mountain.

Upon arrival check into the hotel.
Rest of the day is free to relax or explore around the lakeside bazaar.
Overnight at the Hotel

Day 4: Ride from Pokhara to Tatopani(105Kilometers)

After an early breakfast, leave Pokhara and ride towards Beni (approx. 70 Kilometers) on the Baglung Highway. This section of the ride provides fantastic mountain vistas, picturesque terraced farmlands and an opportunity to walk on one of Nepal’s famous suspension bridges.

At Mal Dhunga, leave the main highway by taking the right trail and follow a dusty graveled path all the way to Beni, the district headquarters of Myagdi District in Dhaulagiri Zone. It is located on the confluence of Kali Ghandaki and Myagdi rivers at an altitude of 799 meters and is a bustling town lined with stores, restaurants, hotels and various government offices.
From here, the road is unpaved and dusty with potholes in several places.Unpaved, graveled rough road poses a real challenge for riders and makes it more difficult with the occasional river crossings.

Ascend gradually through the Kali Gandiki gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. There is a continuous change in the topography with every twist and turnuntil our arrival at Tatopani.

“Tato” means 'hot' and “Pani” means 'water', a name earned courtesy of the hot springs and is a popular place for trekker’s to relax and dip their weary bodies in the natural hot springs.

Upon arrival at Tatopani check in to the Lodge.
Rest of the day is free to relax or explore around the village and take a relaxing dip in the Hot Springs located nearby.
Overnight at the Dhaulagiri Lodge, Tatopani

Day 5: Ride Tatopani toMuktinath (3710m)(approx. 70Kilometers)

After an early breakfast, set out on the trail by following the Kali Gandaki River and passing the Thakali and Magar Villages to Dana (4750 ft./ 1446 m.) famous for its beautiful cascading waterfall. Steeply ascend to Ghasa(6600 ft./ 2012m) and continue the ride on a dusty and one of the difficult section of the road towards Jomsom via the Thakali villages of Tukuche and Kalopani. Enroute, there are fantastic views of the Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167 m), Tukuche (6920m), and Nilgiri (7061m).

As we pass between the Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna mountain range, a dramatic change in vegetation is witnessed from green forests, to dry arid desert. It takes gradual acclimatizing with the surrounding. The Thakali’s are the dominant tribe of the valley, related to the Gurung and Magars of the southern slopes

Continue the ride towards Jomsom through the dusty graveled “off” road passing smaller settlements and apple orchards. There are excellent views of Mt. Nilgiri and the KaliGandaki River flows on the right hand side of the trail.

This day’s journey is a tough one but the scenic views of the rugged landscape, beautiful cascading waterfalls, orange and apple orchards, scattered roadside villages, ancient Buddhist monasteries all make it ‘One Hell of a Ride”.
Jomsom(2713 m) is more correctly known as Dzongsam or New Fort. It spreads over both the banks of the Kali Ghandaki. The towering peaks of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri form an attractive backdrop. Being the district headquarters, it is primarily an administrative and commercial center with government officials and merchants rubbing shoulders with the local inhabitants of the region, known as the Thakalis. Jomsom is the Administrative center of the Mustang region and the gateway to the Annapurna region. A land of mystique, the rugged peaks of the Annapurna, Nilgiri and Dhaulagari gaze down in their awesome splendor at weathered landscapes that contrast with the deep river ravines over noisy riverbeds. Jomsom is a mixture of hard work, social frivolity tempered by culture founded on deep religious traditions. It has the only airport that operates daily scheduled flights to Pokhara in the early mornings before the winds build up.
From here continue ride passing through the village, past the High Altitude Mountain Warfare School of the Royal Nepal Army and through several restaurants, bhattis and a hospital. We pass through the old Jomsom village which boasts of several lodges, restaurants school and government offices. At the end of the village the valley opens wide, take the left side of the trail just after crossing the three ruined chortenand continue on the east bank of the Kali Ghandaki River. After about 20 minutes, arrive at Ekklaibhatti a small village with few lodges. There are two trail here. The left will lead to Kagbeni while the right one leads to Muktinath. We take the right trail and continue to ascend slowly to the settlement of Jharkot, which has a fort “Kot”.

From here, another 15 minutes ride on the desert plateau brings us to Muktinath.
Upon arrival at Muktinath check in to the guest house.
Late PM: Visit Muktinath Temple

The Muktinath Templeis a sacred place both for Hindus and Buddhists and is located at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La (5416 m Pass), Mustang district, Nepal. The site is close to the village of Ranipauwa, which sometimes mistakenly is called Muktinath as well.

The Hindus call this sacred place Mukti Kshetra, which literally means “Place of Salvation". This temple is considered to be the 105thamong the available 108 DivyaDesam. The ancient name of this place, before the Buddhist origin was known as ThiruSaligramam.
In Muktinath-ChumigGyatsa all the elements are represented and for this and reasons unseen, yogis from both religions do their meditation at Muktinath.

For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath (ChumigGyatsa) is a place of Dakinis (goddess known as Sky Dancers). It is of great importance for Buddhists asChumigGyatsa is one of the 24 Tantric places.

For Hindus, beside the natural fire representing Brahman and the holy waters, the central meaning of the Muktinath area is veneration of the god Vishnu in the form of ammonites (shilas) called Salagrama – Shilas.

There are many stories which tell of Vishnu turning into stone and all of them are closely connected to the holy Kali Ghandaki River. According to contemporary geologists, the Salagrama – silas (found at the banks and river bed of the holy river Kali Ghandaki) are fossils of a prehistoric insect. This insect is mentioned in the BhavisyaPurana. Therein, Tulasi, the sacred plant so dear to Vishnu, cursed Vishnu to become a stone during one act of their eternal lila. Vishnu said, “To fulfill your curse, I will become a stone (Salagrama-sila) and will always live on the banks of the Ghandaki River. The millions of Vajrakita worms that live at that place will adorn those stones with the signs of my chakra by carving them with their sharp teeth”.

After the sightseeing tour of Muktinath Temple descend down to the Ranipauwa (Main Bazaar of Muktinath).
Res t of the day is free to relax or explore around the town.
Overnight at the guest house

Day 6: Ride Muktinath to Kalopani(approx. 70Kilometers).

After leisurely breakfast ride down to Kagbeni (2800 m) which is the gateway to Upper Mustang. (Note: The Kaligandaki Valley becomes increasingly windy during the day as the winds blows south to north and makes it difficult for travelers.
Kagbeni at an altitude of 2840m is a fascinating medieval village with closely packed mud brick houses, dark alleys and imposing chortens lies along the Around Annapurna Trekking route and is the gateway to Upper Mustang. The village stands in a little green oasis dominated by its red monastery. Though the village has a very medieval look, it can provide all the modern amenities that a traveler
requires. This is the only village after Jomsom where there is an internet facility for communication with the outside world. This village also boasts of a Monastery. The monks here are of the yellow hat or the GelukpaSect and have only recently opened their monastery to visitors with a legitimate entrance fee of Rs 100, which they collect for the maintenance of their school.

After spending some time at Kagbeni continue ride to Jomsom (approx. 11 Km)but we continue further 25 kilometers, about 1 ½ hour slow ride to Kalopani via Marpha Village.

Here we stop for Lunch.

Marpha at an elevation of 2670 meters.Marpha is famous for its apple orchards and apple products. This large Thakali village exhibits the typical ThakKhola architecture of flat roofs and narrow paved alleys and passageways. It also has a monastery.

After lunch ride another 1 to 1 ½ hour to Kalopani.
Upon arrival at Kalopani check in to the guest house.
Rest of the day is free to relax or explore around the village.
Overnight at the Guest House

Day 7: Ride Kalopani to Pokhara (approx. 126Kilometers).

It is a pleasant relief to be able to tackle the roughest section of the journey in the early morning. Descend to Tatopani (21 kilometers) and then continue riding back to the settlement of Jaleswor located close to the river and then continue on to beni. After a quick stop for a quick, set out following the trail along the river and the after about an hour meet the main highway at Maldhunga and then continue of the metalled road to Pokhara which is reached in about 2 ½ hours.

Upon arrival at Pokhara check in to the hotel.
Rest of the day is free to relax or explore around the Lakeside Bazaar.
Overnight at the Hotel

Day 8: Free day or ride around Pokhara

Free day to relax or ride around Pokhara.
Overnight at the Hotel

Day 9: Ride to Chitwan(Approx. 167 Km).

After breakfast meet at the hotel lobby and start ride towards Chitwan (Approx. 167 Kilometers). Retrace the road leading to Kathmandu till Mugling (Approx. 96 Kilometers from Pokhara) and then turn south at the junction where the highway bifurcates and ride to Narayangarh (Approx. 38 Kilometers).

Narayangarh is an important trading centre of the central Nepal. There is a domestic airport (Bharatpur Airport) with connections to Kathmandu and Pokhara, and is the gateway to the nearby Chitwan National Park. It is also a major road link for the eastern and western parts of the country to the capital city of Kathmandu. And also Narayangarh is very famous for "Taas", a spicy fried goat-meat lunch dish served with Bhuja or Cheura (Beaten Rice).

Continue ride to Sauraha.

Chitwan National Park, the oldest national park in Nepal is situated in the subtropical inner Terai lowlands of South Central Nepal. The park has an area of 932 square kilometers. The park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The park is just a short detour off the Prithivi Highway.

The name Chitwan means heart of the jungle. In recent years has park has risen meteorically on the lists of the Things to do in Nepal. The park covers a pristine area with a unique ecosystem of significant value to the world. It contains the Churiya hills, ox-bow lakes and flood plains of Rapti, Reu and Narayani rivers. The Sal forests dominate the vegetation of the park. The grasslands form a diverse and complex community with over 50 species, the Sacchurun species, often called elephant grass, can reach 8m in height. The park boasts of more than 43 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles and 450 species of birds in the park. The park is renowned for endangered animals along with many other common species.

Upon arrival at Sauraha in to the hotel.
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Late PM: Guest will be taken to wildlife safari on an Elephant to view and photograph wildlife from close quarters. The animals are scattered, elusive and mostly reside in the dense grasslands which grow to a height of 20 ft. the only means of penetrating this dense grassland is by elephants.

Later return back to the hotel.
Rest of the day is free to relax.
Overnight at the Hotel

Day 10: Ride from Chitwan to Nagarkot (192 km)

After early breakfast, start ride to Nagatrkot, check out of the lodge and ride to Tandi cross section where the road bifurcates west to Lumbini and east to Hetaunda. Head east and continue ride to Hetaunda.

From the main intersection, turn left and continue the ride for another 6 km to arrive at the cross section where the roads to Kathmandu via Daman &Naubise and the road to Kathmandu via Khuleykhani Dam and Pharping. We take the right turn and then ride 12 km to Bhainsay, a small town on the foothills. From here it is a 10 kilometer ride to Bhimphedi where riders are required to pay the toll tax for crossing over the narrow curvy and steep road up to the Kuleykhani Dam.

Kulekhani Reservoir is also known as IndraSarobar and the security guards do not allow people lingering along the dam area. So, a short break for some quickly taken photographs, we continue on the ride to Kathmandu.

Some section of the roads are still under construction and may be a bit difficult to negotiate and tests the driving skills of the riders. However, it is only about 15 kilometers and then the route becomes a more pleasurable ride except for the jeep riders that tests ones patience with their speed driving and continuous honking of their horns.

This section of the ride provides beautiful scenery of the mountains, rolling forested hills, deep gorges and typical Nepali village scenery. Our arrival at Pharping brings us to the city limits and a 18 kilometer rides brings us to the Kalanki.From here take the right turn and ride towards Koteshwor and follow the road to Bhaktapur. From here continue ride to Nagarkot.

Nagarkot tucked away in the upper reaches of Kathmandu Valley in Nagarkot with a history that dates back to the first human settlement of the valley. Once a busy trade route to Tibet, Nagarkot still maintains its popularity for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets over the Himalayas.

The panoramic view of the Himalayas that Nagarkot offers stretches over 300 kms. This is 32 km to the north - east of Katmandu and hour drive through the windy road situated at 2175 meter from the sea level; this is magnificent place to view the panorama of major peaks of eastern Himalayan ranges including Mt. Everest on clear days. It is also very spectacular to watch the sunrise and sunset over the Himalayan ranges. There are also number of luxury hotels and lodges available for accommodation to spend the night. Short day hiking can be done to explore the Tamang villages and other areas of interest for easy going trekkers. Set on a ridge northeast of Bhaktapur, it commands a classic panorama view of Himalayas.

Upon arrival at Nagarkot check in to the hotel.
Rest of the day is free to relax or explore around the town.
Overnight at the Hotel