Nepal

Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu >> When you arrive at the airport you’ll be met by your World Horizons guide and transferred to your Hotel. After settling into your room you’ll gather downstairs for a briefing and then explore the streets before heading out for dinner at the wonderful Thamel House.

Day 2: In Kathmandu >> This morning it’s on to the bus for your tour of Pashupatinath and Bhaktapur. Pashupatinath is the largest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva in the world, and sits on the banks of the murky Bagmati River. Pashupatinath is also the most widely used place of cremation in Nepal, and if in progress is a fascinating ritual to witness. It’s then back on to the bus for an hour’s drive to Bhaktapur – the home of traditional art and architecture, historical monuments and craft works, magnificent windows and pottery, exquisite temples, ponds and festivals in Nepal. As a World Heritage listed historical site, Bhaktapur is a window into a bygone world. After lunch in Bhaktapur it’s back to the hotel and a chance to do a little shopping before dinner.

Day 3: Chitwan National Park >> We leave the hotel at 9am for the 11am flight to Bharatpur. Arriving at 11:30am it’s a 45 minute bus and jeep ride to the Chitwan Jungle Lodge in time for lunch. Afterwards you’ll take your first trip into the jungle on elephant back.

Day 4: Chitwan National Park >> Prepare yourself for a full day of activities, including a jungle walk, boat ride, elephant safari, stick dance with the local Tharu people, and an opportunity to bath the elephants in the river right in front of our camp.

Day 5: Chitwan to Nuwakot Farm House >> Leaving the Island Jungle Resort at 9:30am we’ll drive for a few hours before arriving at the Riverside Spring Resort for lunch. From here it’s another 2/3 hours until we reach the beautiful hillside town of Nuwakot – the ancient capital of Nepal. Our home tonight is the boutique Nuwakot Farmhouse consisting of a manor house and two charming cottages that form a delightful courtyard. This beautiful place is an enchanting retreat of quiet corners and leafy niches surrounded by terraces of home grown organic crops. Below is the very fertile Trisuli Valley, with the Trisuli River meandering its way down to India to unite with the holy Ganges. Just a five hundred metres walk away is the Nuwakot Palace Complex which was built in 1752, and lay on the ancient trade route from the Kathmandu Valley to Tibet.

Day 6: Nuwakot to Lokil >> By bus you’ll follow the Trisuli river to Betrawati and then up the switch backs to the small village of Sau Bari. Here you’ll meet your Trek Crew and start walking toward your first campsite at Lokil. It’s a relatively gradual start to the trek with impressive views of Mt Ganesh to the north and the Trisuli valley far below to the south. The trail passes through the small Tamang village of Parangse, and then on until Patle where you’ll stop for lunch. Patle is one of many Tamang communities in this region, whose inhabitants would have originally migrated from Tibet many centuries ago. Tamangs generally follow Tibetan Buddhism mixed with elements of the pre-Buddhist Bön and Tambaist religions; however in this region you may even come across some who’ve been converted to Christianity. Not too long after lunch you’ll reach your first camp at Lokil.

Day 7: Lokil to Labung >> You start today’s walk by traversing the hill side until lunch, after which you’ll ascend to the top of the ridge passing through small Chetri and Brahmin settlements. The actual scale of the mountains becomes apparent as you reach the ridge top, breaking through the forests of rhododendron and pine onto a high alpine pasture. Here the mountains suddenly seem to become closer and you are able to see the dramatic glacial systems that run off these magnificent peaks. You then follow a trail used primarily by the local villagers to move cattle, during the summer, to the higher pastures for grazing. You arrive at Labung, and your camp for the night, by mid afternoon. Here you’ll have time to relax and take in the intoxicating mountain scenery, before this evenings three course meal in the dinning tent.

Day 8: Labung to Bhaisi Kharka >> Just before descending through the rhododendron and pine forest this morning, you’ll hopefully be able to catch a glimpse of Shisapangma – the only 8000 metre peak that sits entirely within the borders of Tibet. From our lunch stop at Nahachowk it’s a lovely stroll until camp at Bhaisi Kharka. Bhaisi in Nepali means ‘buffalo’, and Kharka ‘temporary settlement for grazing cattle’. So we may need to share our campsite with a few friendly bovines tonight.

Day 9: Bhaisi Kharka to Aru Kharka >> It’s not long this morning before you are passing through the villages of Syangil and Thangdor. Both are famous for the cultivation of potatoes in the region. There is also a primary school in the village catering for children up to class five. Most villagers in this region however choose not send their children to school, preferring to have them look after the important family assets of cattle and buffalo instead. After a little more descending you’ll have lunch at Chhepar Khola – Khola meaning ‘river’ in Nepalese. From here you’ll walk to your campsite just above the reasonably large Tamang village of Aru Kharka.

Day 10: Aru Kharka to Jhib Jhibe >> Our trek continues on for about 2 hours until we reach the Tamang village of Bittang, and here we’ll visit the local school and our one of World Horizons assistance projects in the region. This small school that looks after 147 primary students has a number of structural and safety issues that we have been addressing with the help of our partner schools in Australia. Your visit at Bittang will give you the opportunity to see firsthand the challenges that face both students and teachers in this remote part of Nepal. You can also expect to get your hands a little dirty here helping out with some of the work for a couple of hours before moving on toward the major village of Jhib Jhibe – a sizable and diverse community of Brahmin, Tamang, Newar and Gurung ethnic groups.

Day 11: In and around Jhib Jhibe >> This morning we’ll be spending half a day at the Jhib Jhibe Upper Primary School. World Horizons has been visiting and assisting this small school since 2001, and as part of this ongoing support we’ll be fixing and making good any loose roofing (currently very dangerous in high winds), making safe all electrical connections as well as providing a number of books and library storage shelves for this very needy school. This will also be a great opportunity for the group to interact with and enjoy the company of the Nepalese students.

Day 12: Jhib Jhibe to Kathmandu >> We farewell the villagers of Jhib Jhibe and, arrive in Kathmandu at around 2pm. This afternoon you’re free to shop in the Thamel area until it’s time for our farewell dinner.

Day 13: Depart Kathmandu >> Usually flight leave early afternoon for either Bangkok or Singapore so you’ll leave the hotel mid morning for the airport and your flight home.