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| Stego's FAQ on Nepal travel v.3 - Places & itineraries 1/1 |
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Keywords: Accomodation, Kathmandu, Pokhara
From: Mário Pires <stego@cfn.ist.utl.pt>
| Date: 95.11.09 | (Id.: 157) |
About Kathmandu accomodations I have almost nothing. I stayed in 2 different places, any of them were ok, but not one of those places you can tell about our friends "oh, that was quite a place!". But
it's very easy to you to find a nice and cheap guesthouse or little hotel in the "Thamel" area, although some people don't like it because it's much *touristic* and crowded (lots of shops, hotels and restaurants. Nearby there are some more luxurious hotels. I remember Hotel Sherpa and Hotel des Annapurnas, in Durbar Marg. They both costed $100 a night for a double last year.
The day we arrived, we looked for a taxi driver to take us to Kathmandu Guesthouse. A friend of my companion knew it and she had liked it a lot. We end out following a tout that said, yes, he'd take us there, we wouldn't pay the taxi and it would be something like $10 USD a night for each of us, total $20, for a double room with attached bath with hot shower. I don't remember the price very well.
At our surprise for the place where we were taken having no signs, they told us that it was a new building, the older one was full. After resting for some hours we went out and we found the *real* Kathmandu Guesthouse. We had been cheated! Only after returning we discovered the name of our place: Karki Guesthouse.
Anyway we stayed, mainly because after all it wasn't their fault that we were cheated, but the tout's. Again I don't remember prices, but I have idea of according with them to pay the taxi ride and having the room cheaper. It turned out to be not so bad...
When I lost my passport (yes, you read it right, I did and there is no portuguese consulate in Nepal, but that's a history for telling you on another ocasion if you're willing), they gave me some advise and they seemed much concerned.
The funny thing was that on our 2nd stay there (we went to Nagarkot for a day, to see the sunset and sunrise in a breath taking view of more than 200 Km of Himalayas) we payed less than the 1st one without bargaining.
My companion wanted to try the Kathmandu Guesthouse on the returning from Pokara, because of what she had heard about it and because she liked a lot the look of it, so we made our reservation there. Well, when we came back, there was no reservation... No big problem, we entered the nearby Sherpa Guesthouse and we liked it. $8 USD for a double room with attached bath, in the K.G. we would have payed between $20 and $40.
In Pokara, we were advised by a dutch couple of whom we became friends in *our* Kathmandu restaurant to stay at the Twin Peaks Hotel, and so we did and we loved it. A really nice little hotel with a little garden and the kindest of the bosses and employees! It has a spectacular view to the Annapurna range, but I think in Pokara that shouldn't be rare. The price was fixed with the boss on the basis: "ok, your friends advised my hotel, how much did they pay?", "we're not sure, but we think something like $5", "only $5? Ok, $5 it is".
And he arranged us our tickets to Jomsom and Chitwan, he kept our luggage and did our laundry laundry all fro free! Mr Gurung is his name. Go there and tell him I talked you about him, maybe he won't remember, maybe he will because he hardly had any other portuguese couple as guests, the girl looking a little indian (I think he noticed and mentioned that, her mother is goan).
Keywords: Chitwan
From: Petri Kaipiainen <petkai@nanda.pp.fi>
| Date: 95.09.14 | (Id.: 78) |
Tiger Tops is MUCH more expencive than other lodges, maybe you get better service, but I doubt if it is worth ten times the price.
As far as I know Tiger Top charges around 200 dollars per night, in some other places you pay maybe 20 dollars for more or less the same thing.
>All the lodges are rustic and simple.
True, this is the same difference as there is with trekking; you can go alone for 5 dollars per day or pay an agency 80 dollars per day for the same trek. Still you always get the same scenery and sometimes fewer experiences by paying more.
This doesnt mean that I hate Tiger Tops or arranged treks, if you have the money, go. We did see a tiger in Chitwan when we stayed on a 10 dollar camp and elephant rides were quite cheap, too.
In Kathmandu there are plenty of agencies selling tours to Chitwan, compare the prices and deside then where you want to go.
Keywords: Chitwan
From: Scott A. Yost <syost@hephp01.phys.utk.edu>
| Date: 95.11.19 | (Id.: 79) |
Chitwan is very nice, but if you want to save money, stay in Saura, not Tiger Tops. There, the packages typically run around $60-$90, and normally include an elephant ride, canoe trip and jungle walk, plus meals and transportation. I stayed at Hotel Wildlife Camp, which was quite adequate. Certainly it is better accomodations than you will see in the Everest Region.
You can find a list of what I took trekking in my page http://www.vic.com/nepal/. Look through the links in the bottom half of the page for the equipment list. I did a tea-house trek. You may want different things if camping.
Keywords: Chitwan, Guides & porters
From: Naomi S. Smith <daccordo@iac.co.jp>
| Date: 95.11.30 | (Id.: 77) |
I admit that I did not go to chitwan, and friends of mine who did booked it from Kathmandu (KTM) and had no problems, but they did not say that I had missed anything earth shattering, so I never went. I did spend a month in Nepal and trekked in Anapurnas and visited some amazing little towns in the KTM valley outside of the capital. I never booked in advance and I used the local agents when I needed to book a bus or hotel. I personally would much rather have my dollars go into Nepalese pocktets than to some big American/British tour company, which still pays the Nepalese guides and porters the same you would pay to hire them yourself.
I trekked with one other girl and we hired a guide to take us for about 10 days (then 4 days or so alone for me) and he was great. We stayed in wonderful little guest houses and had our choice of food homecookd for us.
We met people on the big expensive tours they booked from home and they slept in tents, ate what they were told to and did not get to really meet Nepalese people and visit in their homes (most guest houses are actually people's homes and they treat you like a special guest, even on the Annapurnas trek which is kind of crowded). Our guide chose houses where he knew the owners and we never stayed in a place that I would complain about.
In fact, the first night we paid 10 rupees (about US $.20 (20cents) at the time) to stay in an absolutley wonderful spot and very clean too. In fact, we paid about US$ 3 or 4 per person each day for trekking, including the guide's wages, our food and lodging, etc. We paid the man what he asked and did not try to bargain with him.
Sorry for going on here, but Nepal is wonderful and you can have a great experience, without spending a lot. My goal was not for a CHEAP holiday , but for a memory to keep for a lifetime.
……
Naomi Smith
daccordo@iac.co.jp
Naomi S. Smith daccordo@iac.co.jp
"If all the world's economists were laid end to end, we wouldn't reach a conclusion."
--William Baumol
**Visit the ECONOMIST JOKE PAGE **
http://www.etla.fi/pkm/joke.html
Keywords: Chitwan, Miscelaneous
From: Scott Yost <syost@hephp01.phys.utk.edu>
| Date: 96.12.19 | (Id.: 127) |
>Ray Kittle wrote:
>> My wife and I are planning to fly to New Delhi and then travel through
>> northern India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. If anyone has done a similar trip and
>> has some hints it would be much appreciated. Amongst the million questions we
>> have:
I can only comment on Nepal:
>> 1. What are the chances of seeing a tiger on the elephant safari in either
>> Royal Chitwan or Royal Bardia National Parks in Nepal? Which one is better to
>> visit?
Seeing a tiger is a rare treat. I have heard of more people seeing one on the canoe ride/jungle walk than on an elephant ride. Even so, my guide on the jungle walk, who lives in Saura, had seen tigers only twice. I have heard that Tiger Tops lodge sets bait for them, so it is more likely to see one there. But then, I guess you might as well go to the zoo and save a few hundred bucks.
(Tiger Tops is not in my budget. I stayed in Saura.) Any way, some people do get lucky. A tiger was seen just two weeks before I was there.
Anyway, I definitely recommend going to Chitwan. There is a lot of wildlife, and the big attraction for most people is the rhinos, which are also endangered, but more likely to be seen. I did two elephant rides and two canoe ride/jungle walks. The second jungle walk was better because I paid the guide a couple dollars extra to take just one other person and myself down the river beyond where these trips usually go. It is harder to see wildlife with the bigger groups they usually take, with other groups wandering around the same part of the forest. You must be prepared to climb a tree if a rhino is nearby, especially if it charges. (These walks are not entirely safe.) If you have some free time, bicycling through the villages around Saura can be interesting too.
I don't know anything about Royal Bardia NP.
>> 5. We're thinking of going in mid to late March and have about a month. Is
>> this a good time to go?
>> Nepal should be nice then. Fall is most popular, and spring is second most popular.
>> 6. Are there any concerns with our safety that we should know about or are
>> standard precautions for travelling anywhere and common sense sufficient?
>> In Nepal, the usual precautions should be more than sufficient. I have heard of some people being robbed in remote areas alone, or on night busses, but I generally felt quite safe there. By the end of my trip had abandoned even most of my ordinary travelling precautions, since I felt safer than at home.
The exception is the driving: bus rides and taxi rides can be pretty scary, and you have watch out for the traffic in cities. Street hustlers can be annoying, but you learn to ignore them.
Beware of "excess baggage" scams in the Kathmandu airport if you use it. One of these guys tried to get $100 from me, and I've heard it from other people too. He accepted my offer of $10, but I shouldn't have given him anything because I know it just went in his pocket.
Also, I found carrying a bottle of iodine water-purifier useful. Bottled water can be expensive, especially in trekking regions I was in most of the time. And of course, have any medications you might possibly need. I brought a fairly extensive medical kit that my doctor put together.
Have a nice trip.
Scott Yost A Visit to Nepal: http://www.vic.com/nepal/
--
Scott A. Yost
WWW: http://enigma.phys.utk.edu/~syost/
Featuring "A Visit to Nepal" including detailed journal, photographs and maps.
Keywords: Chitwan
From: Petri Kaipiainen <petkai@nanda.pp.fi>
| Date: 96.12.20 | (Id.: 128) |
> 1. What are the chances of seeing a tiger on the elephant safari in either
> Royal Chitwan or Royal Bardia National Parks in Nepal?
I was in Saura 11 years ago for 3 days. We did see a tiger during our jungle walk. Our jungle guide with 14 year experience had seen a tiger four times previously and the last time had been 5 years earlier.
This means that seeing a tiger is quite rare (unless a bat etc. is used).
Jungle walk is a better way to see a tiger, as they are shy animals and cerainly do no like to come close to elephants and people riding on them.
Only a month before our visit one tourist was killed by a rhino. He did not have a guide, as he did not want to pay 2 dollars. Nepal jungle is not an European forest and rhinos are not deer. We were chased to tree by a rhino. First attacked by a rhino, then we saw a cobra, then an tiger. A memorable experience.
I did get a picture of the tiger. Take a look at http://www.eunet.fi/nepal/ and go from there to photographs.
Keywords: Kathmandu, Money & costs
From: Mário Pires <stego@cfn.ist.utl.pt>
| Date: 96.01.19 | (Id.: 159) |
>intention is to stay in Kathmandu about 3 days visiting local places in
>the Kathmandu Valley (Bhaktapur, Pashupatinath/Boudanath, Patan,
>Swayambunath, Dakshin Kali). Is this enough time? I may also planning
>to visit the Royal Chitwan National Park for a couple of days.
>… …
The time in the Kathmandu Valley may be a little short, but it's possible it's just enough. If you find you *must absolutely* give up something, don't go to Dakshin Kali and/or Swayambunath.
Dakshin Kali is a sanctuary in a beautiful area of forest, near a river, but you may well skip it. As monument is not so much, and I felt it was very dificult to see any sacrifice other than a chicken, and that only in the morning determined of day of week (I don't remember which). The itinerary is very beautiful, although.
Swayambunath is very interesting also, with a splendid view over Kathmandu, but after being in Boudanath is a little bit disappointing as a religious place. I imagine that if you see Boudanath before Swayambunath you won't feel any disappoitment, well at contrary, but the fact is that the environment in Boudanath is simply "magical", you feel really well and peauceful there.
In Nov 94 the rate of the nepalese ruppe was about $1 USD = Rs 45.
Keywords: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Transportation
From: Mário Pires <stego@cfn.ist.utl.pt>
| Date: 96.01.22 | (Id.: 160) |
>I am still going to be in Kathmandu 3 days. I feel that that
> is sufficient time for me to do what I need to do. I think
> with a private car & driver I can see Boudanath/Pashupatinath
> and Bhaktapur and may be even Patan in one day. I can do the
> city of Kathmandu and maybe Dakshin Kali another day and take
> a flight over East Himalayas.
Yes, I think you'll be able to see Boudanath, Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur and Patan in one day. If you are really quick, you can even have the time to see something else in K'du, Swayambunath for instance. Another day for K'du and Dakshin Kali will also be enough. Perhaps you'll be able to have time to visit a little interesting village near the K'du University, Kirktipur (sp?). You can do it on the way back from Dakshin Kali.
Note that Patan is a kind of a K'du part, it's just across the river. It's not much more than half an hour driving from Thamel.
Check out any guidebooks you may have for choosing the best day of week to visit Dakshin Kali and Pashupatinath. In D.K. they do animal sacrifices more often in a determined day of week and in P. I think (I'm not sure) there is also a preferred day for funerals. We had Lonely Planet's and it seemed us very good, but maybe there are others equally good.
> My predicament is that 1 would like to do both Pokhara &
> Chitwan but I don't have enough time. Also, it seems I would
> have to do both as separate excursions. Ideally, I would like
> to fly to Pokhara, spend 2 days there, then take a taxi from
> Pokhara to Chitwan. I read about taking a raft down the
> Trisuli river but this takes 2 days and I don't think I would
> like my family to go through those rigours. Other than that
> my only alternative is fly back to K'du from Pokhara and then
> either fly or take a car from K'du to Chitwan. Considering I
> would have to fly back to K'du anyway at the end of my Nepal
> trip to return to Delhi, I am spending too much time in
> transit in K'du. Any suggestions?
… …
If you're really so short on time, you do well in skiping Pokara and Chitwan. The Pokara area is beautiful, but maybe it's not worth the effort for someone who is not going to trek. Travelling in Nepal is rather slow if one doesn't use planes. As for Chitwan, the standard packages are 2-3 days longs (with departure and arrival in K'du, bus travel included). Similar packages are also available in Pokara, and I'd say it would be easy to arrange a package K'du-Pokara-Chitwan-K'du or Pokara-Chitwan-K'du. There airplanes connections available are not only K'du-Pokara, but also Pokara-Chitwan and Chitwan-K'du. Actually, the "Chitwan" airport doesn't exist, but there is one in a medium size town nearby.
I wouldn't worry too much with more planning. Things change a lot and you'll never be able to be sure of what exactly can you do and how. On the other hand, it will be quite easy and relatively quick to arrange things once you are there.
Keywords: Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara
From: Manuel Freitas <mfreitas@bbnplanet.com>
| Date: 96.01.24 | (Id.: 76) |
You would have known that Pokhara was first discovered by the westerners, through the hippies in the 60's, as a great place to simple do nothing and smoke lotsa pot. And the beauty of all is that little has changed since then.
But they do have things to do and see there if you're not a trekker.
There's the Bindi Basini Temple, The Tibetan Refugee Camp and school, great hangout places near and off the lake, excelent boat rides in the lake, Devis Falls, just to name a few. But the best of all, the beauty and peacefulness of it all.
And Kathmandu geez, to say that there wasn't anything to do and see is kinda absurd. All the temples and the view from Nagarkot. Don't tell me you're not into Temples and that Buddhism stuff because I'll ask you - What the hell were you doing in Nepal?!?!? I betcha never took a walk by the river at sunrise? Or wondered into the maze of back alleys just soaking up in some of the most untouched culture that there is left in this world?
The Chitwan National Park? I have to agree that that's a bit overated but most people who go there come from cities and places where their idea of wildlife is a packed steak in a supermarket stand.
But the important thing to keep in mind here is not so much what you see but more what is being done. Saving some wildlife species in an already dying world.
But what can you expect in 9 days? Maybe it's best this way, and leave Nepal for the true traveler. Remember to do your reading next time.
All the best,
Keywords: Places & itineraries
From: John Neville <neville@import.dialix.oz.au>
| Date: 96.07.29 | (Id.: 28) |
LMS> How difficult are:
LMS> 1) the Annapurna circuit, and
Some years ago when I was in Muktinath a 78 year old German guy had come over the pass. :-) I think it had taken him about 4 weeks from Dumre.
LMS> 2) the trek into the Dolpo?
LMS> I've heard that the Dolpo, in particular, can possibly be dangerous.
I think there is a lot of misinformation written about this area. I know about 5 or 6 years when I was heading for Dhorpatan I met an English guy who had come down from this area ( by himself ) and had'nt experienced any problems but having said that I will standby for more recent reports by other SCN readers. Again as far as I know the rigidity of permits was relaxed about 6 years ago for this area.
If you are thinking of going to Dolpo or other less touristy areas you will need to learn some basic "Nepali" language if you are not taking a guide. I don't recomend these type of areas to first timers. Cut your teeth on something easier.
A good book on Dolpo is called "Trekking in Hidden Land of Dolpa-Tarap and Shey-Poksumdo" by Paolo Gondoni.
I will pass on the train comment but any inquires regarding Nepal are welcome in this newsgroup. Thus feel free to ask for any further information.
Enjoy your stay there.
Internet: neville@import.dialix.oz.au
Keywords: Places & itineraries, Kathmandu
From: Mário Pires <stego@cfn.ist.utl.pt>
| Date: 97.01.28 | (Id.: 227) |
> Feb 28th-reached Kathmandu
> March 1-3rd- Around Kathmandu & surroundings
> March 4th - Kathmandu -Pokhara by bus, fly into Jomsom
> March 5th - rest day in Jomsom
> March 6th -Trek to Kagbeni/Mukhtinath
> March 7th- 16th including built in extra 3 days
> March 17th- Pokhara rest day
> March 18th-th
> Main objectives: take in the scenery, meet people, absorb culture,
> breathe fresh mountain air, do some souvenir hunting-
> What do you think?
> Perhaps we shall skip Chitwan as we come from a tropical climate too,
> and skip rafting because both of us can't swim...
> ...
It seems a wise itinerary... Some notes only:
Put aside as much time as you can to stay in the mountains. For someone who hadn't been in Asia before, almost everything in the country was amazing and really worth, but the mountains are absolutely superb (more superb, I mean).
Don't miss the towns of Baktaphur and Patan near Kathmandu.
Consider also taking a day and a night to go to Nagarkot. It's a little bit touristic, but the views are absolutely unbelievable - more than 250 Km of snowed peaks, from the Everest neighbourhoods in the East to the Annapurnas in the West. It wasn't clear if it's possible to catch a sight of the Everest - some say it is, some say it isn't - but that isn't so important. Don't miss the sunset and sunrise! It's a little place 40-50 Km East or Norteast of Kathmandu (2 hours or more by bus, that's Nepal :-). When we were there, there were busses from Kathmandu near noon and back the other day at mid morning. I guess you can try to visit Baktaphur on the way, we didn't. However, I don't know how is the visibility in March and I am not sure if Nagarkot it's worth without the views of the mountains.
As for Chitwan, maybe you're right - it may not be very impressive for someone from Malaysia, specially if you haven't much time.
If you find yourself with 1 or 2 "extra days" in your planning, consider staying in Pokhara. Apart from being too touristic "Nepal style", it's located in a wonderful place and it is a nice relaxing place where you can do some nice sight seeing.
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© J. Mário Pires, 4 Mar 97
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