Manish Khemka, Prakash Sharaf and their families started touring the Best of Nepal from May 11, 2012. The best of Nepal covers the cultural tour in Kathmandu valley, wildlife safari at Chitwan and sightseeing tour of Pokhara. They explored these destinations in a week time and departed Nepal on May 20.

On the arrival day at Nepal, the family was escorted to Chitwan 126km south west from Kathmandu. The first city of best of Nepal, Chitwan prides on Chitwan National Park. The park is the home of several endangered species. Penetrating the dense woods sitting on the top of elephant to observe these very rare species like one-horned rhino, Bengal tiger etc. is an absolute adventure.

Best of Nepal tour took the Indian family to another exotic city in Nepal; Pokhara. Pokhara, is the city of lakes, caves and glorious Himalayan views. Pokhara offers every modern amenity, yet it is closely surrounded by nature on every sides. Oaring the wooden oars at crystal clear Phewa Lake on a traditional wooden boat with the mesmerizing Himalayan views on the background and the lake itself is an extreme privilege offered by nature.

Finally, the last destination of the best of Nepal tour is Kathmandu valley. The heritage valley is full of heritage sites. The Durbar squares at Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan, Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and Changunarayan are the culturally, historically and religiously rich with primordial arty displays.

After, the exploration to all these sites the Indian family took a free day on their own. They wondered around Thamel, Asan and shopping sites in the valley. They were pleased with the hospitality we provided them.

The 30th International Elephant Polo Competition kicked off yesterday ( 28th November, 2011) at Megahuli in Chitwan. The event is being organized by Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, Nepal and World Elephant Polo Association. A total of eight teams are participating in the competition. The participating teams include  Chitwan National Park and Tiger Tops from Nepal, Genghis  Khan from Mongolia, Refty Khukuri  & Pukka Chukka from UK, WEPA Legend from Hong Kong, Tiger Tops Tigris from Denmark and EFG from Switzerland.
On the first day’s match Tiger Tops Tigris of Denmark, Tiger Tops Nepal and EFG of Switzerland emerged as winners.
 

A trip to Nepal not only promises fun & good time, but it can be educative as well. The high mountain environment, the rich spiritual history and co-existence of diverse ethnic communities make Nepal an interesting destination for scholars as well as researchers interested in Himalayan environment and culture.
Explore Himalaya recently organized a tour to Kathmandu, Samari & Chitwan for one such group from Denmark. It was a large group of 25, comprising of elderly geographers, mostly teachers. On 23rd October, 2011 EH met up with the group and talked   to two group members  – Mogens Engelund ( Group leader) and Lise Rosenberg (Geography Teacher) about their experiences.

Mogens Engelund & Lise Rosenberg sharing their experiences

EH– How was your trip to Nepal?
Lise– It was very nice. I visited  Nepal 11 years ago. The people here are very nice. Samari was very nice, Chitwan was nice too & Kathmandu is a fantastic city. Some of my friends said that they might go to Kathmandu on their own. They feel safe here.
EH – What do you have to say about the places you visited during trip?
Lise– Samari for me was the best. I had been to Chitwan on my previous visit to Nepal, so the experience was nothing new. In Samari I saw how village people lived. We met people and visited schools. Most of the group members are teachers. In Samari we experienced traditional Nepalese lifestyle which we can share with our students and others when we returned home. Some of the group members’ trips have been sponsored by their schools and especially for them the trip to Samari proved to be helpful.
Mogens– In Samari, I would suggest Lars (Director, Kipling Travels) to introduce more eco treks so that visitors could get more opportunities to explore the area.
EH – What  changes did you find in the country as compared to your previous visit?
Mogens- Just the other day I was walking around and found that now the situation has improved a lot more. It is wonderful seeing peace being restored. Nepal is a lot peaceful and safer now than in the previous years.
EH – What do you have to say about Explore Himalaya’s service?
Mogens– It was of very high standard!

EH – What would you say to those people planning a similar trip?
Lise – GO TO NEPAL. IT IS A VERY NICE PLACE!!

Group of Danish Geographers (wearing ‘khada’ (traditional scarves))

Pics: Explore Himalaya

In the recently concluded International Elephant Festival held in Chitwan, Explore Himalaya‘s exclusive partner Asia World Enterprise repeated last year’s winning performance by securing first place at the 5th International Elephant Race. As in the previous year, the Asia World bagged the coveted trophy.

The 5th International Elephant Race Trophy

Attention all animal lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, the fifth International Elephant Race and Elephant Festival will be held from 26th – 28th December in the tourist village of Sauraha. The village is located in the lush and verdant locale of Chitwan National Park.

Activities during the fest include:

1. Elephant Procession (march past),
2. Elephant Bathing,
3. Traditional Elephant Decoration,
4. International Elephant Race
5. Elephant Soccer Match
6. Photo Exhibition & Documentary Shows depicting the Life Cycle of Elephants
7. Canoeing, Ox Cart & Horse Racing
8. Cultural Program
9. Food Festival