| We begin this trip from
Kathmandu, the country's capital. Our
first destination - Bandipur about 150km
from the capital. We drive early and
it takes about 5hrs to reach this scenic
little town. Unlike most other tourist
destinations, Bandipur is secluded and
chaos free which gives us an unique
opportunity to explore the culture andtraditions
of its people and the beauty of its
surrounding. We spend our night in Bandipur
Mountain Resort. which provides the
best service in the midst of beautiful
surroundings.
The next morning we head to the famous
valley of Pokhara also known as the
valley of lakes and of course Mt.
Macchhapuchre or the fishtail mountain,
which is just at 85kms distance that
is 2hrs drive from Bandipur and unlike
Bandipur Pokhara is bustling with
people but the crowd over here makes
the atmosphere even more inviting
and colorful. We spend a day in Pokhara
visiting its famous sites and spend
the night in Mum's Garden Resort.
which is a perfect place for good
hospitality and sound accommodation.
The next morning we drive to Tansen,
considered as one of the most popular
summer resorts because of its position
and climate. Tansen is approx. 119km
from Pokhara and it takes about 6hrs
to reach there. A walk around the
town will soon reveal its diversity
in caste and culture and offers a
chance to mingle with the local people
and get to know them better. Here
in Tansen we can interact with the
locals and know more about the place
and the people. A stay with a local
family will give you a taste of true
Nepalese hospitality.
The next morning we head for the
lowlands of Terai to the famous Pilgrimage
site of Lumbini, the Birthplace of
Lord Buddha about 91km from Tansen
and just 2.5hrs drive from there.
There are numerous places here of
great historical and archaeological
importance that are educational as
well as interesting, the most famous
being the sacred garden and the Ashokan
Pillar erected by the great Emperor
Ashoka himself to mark his visit to
the birthplace of Lord Buddha. Then
there are the recently built temples
and shrines by the joint effort of
many countries to preserve this historical
place. We stay for the night here.
The next morning we move on to the
famous national park of Nepal 'The
Royal Chitwan National Park' for an
adventure of a lifetime which is 185km(approx.)
from Lumbini and a 3.5hrs drive away
from there. Here we ride on elephants
for a safari into the jungle, take
nature walks deep into the jungle,
enjoy a dugout-canoe ride in the waters
of Budhi Rapti or go on a boat ride,
do a bit of bird watching or simply
enjoy the serenity of the place. For
a cultural experience we visit a Tharu
village on the edge of the park. Among
other people inhabiting the Terai,
Tharus are probably the most ancient
of them all. So it is quite an experience
to study the living ways of these
people and their customs. We spend
the night here at the Island Jungle
resort.. situated inside the park
and hence provides sound accommodation
and opportunity to view wildlife in
probably the best natural habitat.
After a wonderful night in Chitwan
we go to the city of Janakpur, famous
for the temple of Janaki and an important
pilgrimage site for Hindus all over
the world. Janakpur is 225km from
Chitwan and from Chitwan it takes
about 4hrs to reach there. This place
gets very colorful during the festival
of Bhivaha Panchami and Rama Navami.
A visit to the countryside is truly
an experience to cherish. The vast
rice fields stretching as far as the
eye can see, the huge Banyan and Peepal
trees in the courtyards of mud huts
with thatched roofs, smoking chimneys,
the bullock carts laden with goods,
where else can we see a life so simple
yet so satisfying. We can move around
the town in either Rickshaws or for
an authentic experience in carts either
drawn by man or bulls.
After a brief look of the city of
Janakpur we continue our journey to
the smallest wildlife reserve of Nepal
' Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve' which
is famous for its rare herds of wild
Buffaloes found no where else in Nepal.
This reserve is just 3hrs from Janakpur
at a distance of 156km(approx.). So
we can reach there by night and stay
here at the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Camp
which is inside the park giving an
unique opportunity to see bird life
and rare animals while staying in
the luxurious safari tented camp.
We can move around the reserve the
next morning. This reserve is situated
on the flood plains of Koshi river
and because of various marshes, lagoons
and mudflats, it is also a bird watchers
paradise.
After spending the day with the Buffaloes
and the Birds, we move on to the provincial
town of Dharan which is just 70km
and 1.5hrs drive from the reserve.
We will reach there by night and as
for accommodation, we stay at home
of one of the locals and enjoy the
simple but authentic Nepalese hospitality.
Though not much of a beauty to look
at, Dharan nonetheless is for those
people who prefer cultural experience
to nature study. The next day we can
take short trips to local schools
or NGO's or talk with the locals,
a village elder or a local representative,
willing to assist us know more about
the place, the people and the history.
Spending a night with the locals will
be interesting specially when you
are there as one of the family member
and not as an outsider.
From Dharan we drive to the charming
hill town of Dhankuta the next day
about 45km and just 1hr drive from
Dharan. From here the Himalayas can
be seen distinctly. A brief look of
this town and we move to Hile , a
small place but the perfect one to
view the major peaks of eastern Himalayas
including Mt. Everest. Hile is 1/2
hrs drive about 15km from Dhankuta.
Here we will stay with a local family
and experience the true Nepalese hospitality,
mingle with their culture and live
their way of life for a day. Further
up about 25km from Hile about 1hr
drive is Basantapur, a town at an
altitude of 2,323m and famous for
its scenic beauty. Here we will see
Rhododendron trees covering hills
and beautiful white Himalayas in the
backdrop.
Basantapur to Dharan is 85km or a
2hrs drive. From Dharan we move on
to Ilam famed for its vast tea plantations
. Ilam is 220km from Dharan and it
takes about 4 and half hours to reach
there. Ilam doesn't fall under the
category of a regular tourist destination
which makes it even more interesting
to explore. And what better way than
to have a chance to stay at a home
of one of the locals, eat as one of
them and live with them as a family.
We stay here for the night. The next
morning we can move around Ilam. Besides
its natural beauty Ilam is perfect
for a bit of cultural exploration.
we can have a little chit chat with
the locals in the bazaar section.
Besides this we can also visit Ilam's
famous holy pond ' Mai Pokhari ',
one of the famous Hindu pilgrimage
site of Nepal. There is also a place
called Antu Danda which at an altitude
of 1,677m offers unobstructed views
of Mt. Everest and Mt. kanchanjunga
and is also famed for its bewitching
sunrise and sunset. Ilam offers not
just beautiful scenery but beautiful
people too.
After a night at Ilam with the local
family, we make a long journey to
Hetauda about 475km and 6.5hrs drive
from Ilam. We stop at Hetauda for
a day and next morning we head to
our final destination, Daman, just
3hrs drive from Hetauda at a distance
of 56km. Daman is a place famed for
its unobstructed view of the entire
Himalayan range including the mighty
Mt. Everest. The view from over here
is breathtaking which in a way will
refresh our minds and our memories
of the places we visited so far. After
sightseeing we head back to Kathmandu
which is 80km from Daman and is about
3hrs drive.
Traveling is actually about the people
we meet along the way. This is a tour
with a perfect blend of people and
places. Traveling along this country
we will realize that without its simple,
beautiful people and their colorful
customs, Nepal is simply lifeless.
Tansen: Situated on the slopes
of the Srinagar hill is the famous
Himalayan town of Tansen. At an altitude
of 1,371m, it is considered as one
of the most popular summer resort
on the basis of its position and climate.
It provides an extensive view of the
Himalayas from Dhaulagiri in the west
to Gaurishanker in northeast. There
are various artistic temples and shrines
that one can see. One can also take
a hike up the Srinagar hill for a
panoramic view of Tansen.
Janakpur: Janakpur, situated in the
Terai region, is an important pilgrimage
site for Hindus said to be the birthplace
of Sita, the consort of Lord Rama
and the heroine of Hindu epic Ramayana.
It is also the place where Sita got
married to Rama. The name comes from
Janak, father of Sita and King of
Mithila now Janakpur . It has the
famous Janaki temple built by Queen
Vrisha Bhanu of the Indian state of
Tikamgarh. Made of marble and beautifully
carved this temple is also famous
as the ' Naulakha ' temple named thus
because the cost of building this
temple is supposed to have been nine
lakhs (900,000). Close to this temple
is the temple of Rama. During Rama
Navami and Bhivaha Panchami, thousands
of pilgrims all over from India and
Nepal come here to pay homage to Sita
and Rama.
Bandipur: The small town of Bandipur
is famous for its natural beauty.
About 140km from Kathmandu at an altitude
of 1000m ridge in Tanahu District,
Bandipur has various scenic spots
where one can enjoy a quiet time or
take walks in the surrounding areas
to discover people of diverse cultures
living in harmony. Bandipur has temples
that are beautifully carved in brass
and wood especially the pagoda roofed
Bindabasini temple dedicated to Goddess
Durga, the guardian deity of this
town. Also famous is the temple of
Khadga Devi that comes alive once
a year during Dashain, the national
festival of Nepal.
Koshi Tappu Wildlife reserve: This
is Nepal's smallest reserve and home
to the rare herd of wild buffaloes
found no where else in Nepal. It was
officially gazetted in 1979. About
65sq.km in area, it is situated on
the flood plains of Koshi river in
the eastern Terai. Mainly tall grass
species and trees of Sissoo, Khair
and Semal are found on its flat surface.
It is also a paradise for bird lovers.
The marshes, lagoons and mudflats
create one of the best and finest
bird sanctuaries in Asia.
Dhankuta, Basantapur & Hile:
Dhankuta at an altitude of 1200m is
a beautiful hill town inhabited by
mostly Rais, Limbus and Newars. It
is also a gateway to Makalu and Kanchanjunga
mountain series situated at an altitude
of 2,323m, Basantapur is famous for
its scenic beauty and cool climate.
The Tinjure danda in Basantapur is
covered by Rhododendron forest. It
is famous for the views of the Himalayas
and for breathtaking view of sunrise
and sunset.
About 13km north of Dhankuta is Hile,
the place to view the major peaks
of eastern Himalayas including Mt.
Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Kumbhakarna
and others.
Daman: Located 75km southwest of
Kathmandu valley on a highway to the
Indian border is the scenic town of
Daman(2,400m) which offers one of
the best views of the mountains in
Nepal. There is also a view tower
fitted with long range telescopes.
For the ultimate pan-himalayan experience,
Daman is the place to choose which
guarantees sights that are simply
unforgettable. |