When you hear about the Himalayas, your first thoughts maybe trekking, camping and life in near freezing conditions. Yet there is so much more to be seen and experienced. The Himalayas affects over a billion people and has impacted civilizations. The trade between great civilizations took place through this mountain range and created unique villages, towns and cities.

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Kathmandu Valley:

The heart of Nepal and the seat of power. The city used to be divided into three kingdoms (Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur) till the 16th century. These three Newari Kingdoms competed fiercely against each other, their weapons were art, architecture and forms of worship, funded by the trade that flowed through Kathmandu. Spend a few days getting lost in the medieval ancient town center's of Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu. The serpentine cobbled streets twist around shrines, monastries, stupas and Temples then empty you onto a main street where modernity merges with the ancient in a symbiotic relationship. As you follow the footsteps of those who had gone before you, one can imagine how it would feel to have hiked up from the plains of ancient India, over hills, through raging rivers and jungles to crest the hills and look down on the Shangri-La nestled under snow peaks, called Kathmandu.

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We invite you to join us to see lesser visited places of the Kathmandu Valley, dotted around in the outskirts of the Valley are beautiful villages resilient to the flow of time. Some examples of these places are, Changunarayan, Buddha-Nilkantha, Kopan Monastry, Namo Buddha.

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Bandipur and Gorkha:

Straddling the hills that peer down at the Pokhara-Kathmandu Highway is the beautiful Newari town of Bandipur. On the route to Pokhara, this Medieval town is a perfect stopover. Wake up at dawn to have a coffee with 'sel-roti' and stare in the silence at the glistening peaks of the Annapurna and Manaslu mountains. Spend the rest of the day meandering through cobbled streets and green fields, embrace the rural life, inhale the crisp air and let your spirit be one with the flow of life. Gorkha city the hometown of the war-lord, 'Prithvi Narayan Shah' who conquered all the other kingdoms and created the Kingdom Nepal is across the valley of the 'Marsyangdi' River from Bandipur. Driving into this bustling town the lush tropical hills envelop you and the vista looking out from Gorkha is endless. Gorkha still retains its medieval impregnable fort and the ancient town center where one can spend a day under the canopy of immense 'Jacaranda' trees while sipping tea watching life in the ancient town center. Visiting these two towns are a great idea to merge with the Manaslu trek.

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Tansen and Pokhara:

Further west is the sprawling city of Pokhara, in the words of Jimmy Roberts who set up the first trekking agency in Nepal, "there is no other mountain view in the world to equal Machapuchare and Annapurna hanging there in the sky above the green Pokhara plain." Most people use Pokhara as the staging point for their trek in the Annapurna region, but there are the many lakes to explore, cycling routes to splash through, sun beds to lounge in and a few caves to see. Around four hours west is the medieval town of Tansen which was the capital of the Magar kingdom and is fascinating town to spend a couple of days traversing. The town has tiny cobbled streets to wander through and the architecture in the city center is Newari. A good day's walk is the hike to 'Rani Mahal' palace built in memory of a queen which sits on a rise above the 'Kali-Gandaki' river. 

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Ilam, Dharan, Dhankuta & Biratnagar:

In the Far-East of Nepal is the beautiful town of Dharan located just an hour away from the major city of Biratnagar which has fascinating markets and various temples. Dharan has a laid back feeling and is a very green city with some interesting sites to wander to. Further up is the town of Dhankuta, the town straddles a few hills with beautiful views of the northern mountains and the hills south. Here we spend time lingering over the views while drinking steaming 'Tongba'. From these hill towns its a short drive to the lush tea gardens of Ilam. With a variety of day hikes and cafe's to sit in, Ilam is an incredibly relaxing hill station in the lap of undulating hills surrounding you. These towns are great to add to your trek of 'Kanchenjunga Base Camp and to Makalu Base Camp.

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