PLACES TO GO

KAKANI

Located 29 km northwest of Kathmandu City, the fabulous holiday area of Kakani features attractions ranging from beautiful alpine scenery to magnificient Himalaya panorama particularly of the Ganesh Himal massif. Other peaks that can be closely seen from Kakani are: Gaurishankar ( 7134 m), Chobba Bhamre(6109 m), Manaslu (8163 m), Himal chuli (7893 m), Annapurana ( 8091 m) and several other peaks.

DAMAN

For those seeking the ultimate pan-Himalayan view, Daman is the place to go. Located 80 km southwest of the kathmandu Valley, Daman ( 2400m ) offers the only unimpeded view of the entire Himalayan range. Daman is located on the Tribhuvan Highway between Kathmandu and the town of Birgunj. There is a view tower fitted with long range telescopes. Daman can be reached in four hours from Kathmandu.

ANTU DANDA

It is situated at an altitudeof 1677 m in Ilam district and is famous for the splendid views of Mt. Everest and Mt. Kanchenjunga that it commands. It is one of the best places for sunrise and sunset viewing.

GOSAINKUNDA

One of the most famous pilgrimage destination of Nepal is Gosainkunda Lake which is situated at an altitude of about 4360 m. The best approach to Gosainkunda is through Dhunche, 132 km to the northeast of Kathmandu. Dhunche is linked with Kathmandu by a motorable raod. Surrounded by high mountains on the north and the south, the lake is grand and picturesque. There are other nine famous lakes such as Saraswati, Bhairav, Sourya , Ganesh Kunda etc.

ADVENTURE

MOUNTAINEERING

The 800 km strech of the Nepal Himalaya is the greatest in the world with eight peaks that rise above 8000m including the highest in the world, Mt. Everest. Ever since the country opened its peaks to climbers in 1949, the Nepal Himalaya has become a great theatre of mountaineering activity and the drama of success and failure have provided impetus to thousands of men and women to meet the ultimate challenge. The Nepal Himalaya has been an attraction to many people, be they saints, philosophers, reserachers or adventures.

TREEKING

The best way to experience Nepal's unbeatable combination of natural beauty and cultural riches is to walk through them. One can walk along the beaten trails or virgin tracks. Either way you are in for an experience for a lifetime. Along with forests of rhododendron, isolated hamlets, and small mountain villages, birds, animals, temples, monasteries and breathtaking landscapes, you will alos encounter friendly people of differnt cultures- offering a fascinating glimpse of traditional rural life.

The popular seasons are spring and autumn. During winter, trekking is possible at lower altitudes. During the monsoon season, you can trek in the rain shadow areas north of the Himalaya like Mustang, Upper Manang and Dolpo. These places are out of reach of the rain coluds because of the high mountains and are unaffected by the monsoon. The best part about trekking in this season is that the routes are less crowed and if you happen to be a keen environmentalist, you will revel in lush vegetation as meadows blossom in full swing.

RAFTING/KAYAKING/CANYONING

Rafting is one of the best ways to explore the typical cross section of natural as well as ethno-cultural heritage of the country. The Trishuli river (grade 3+) is one of the most popular of Nepal's raftable rivers. The Kali Gandaki (5-5+) winds through remote canyons and deep gorges for five days of intense rapids . The Bhote Koshi (4-5) is 26 km of continuous white water and the raging Marshyandgi is four days of uninterrupted white water. The Karnali river (4-5) provides some of the most challenging rapids in the world. The Sun Kosi ( 4-5), 270 km, requiring 8-10 days to complete, is a big and challengine river.

JUNGLE SAFARI

A visit to National Park specially terai region involves game-stalking by a variety of means- foot, dugout canoe, jeep, elephant back. Nature walk or jungle walk is another way to experiencing the wilderness. In fact, jungle walk gives close-up opportunities to view animals as well as observe their tracks, signs and sounds.

Dugout-canoe trips down the Rapti River offer views of water birds: brilliant blue Eurasian kingfishers, egrets, osprey and ruddy sheldrakes. A jeep safrai thorugh the jungle provides more game spotting opportunites than migh be expected otherwise because it goes deeper into the jungle, usually beyond the beaten track.

ROCK CLIMBING

For all those cliff hangers out there, Kathmandu offers a roster of stone walls that make for an experience of a lifetime. Now of late, Rock climbing has become a popular sport in Kathmandu which offers some really terrific places for rock climbing. Nagarjun, Balaju, Shivapur and Budhanilkantha are some of the palces where you can try this out.

BUNGY JUMPING

The ultimate thrill of a bungy jump can now be experience in Nepal at one of the best sites that this sport can boast of anywhere in the world. Nepal's first bungy jumping site is situated 160 m over the Bhote Kosi river, inviting you to experienc the ultimate adrenaline rush in the surrounding of the amazing place.