Trekking
The best way to experience Nepal’s unbeatable
combination of natural beauty and culture riches
is to walk through them. One can walk along
the beaten trails or virgin tracks. Either way
you are in for an experience for a lifetime.
Along with forests of rhododendron, isolated
hamlets, and small mountain villages, birds,
animals, temple, monasteries and breathtaking
landscapes, you will also encounter friendly
people of different cultures offering a fascinating
glimpse of traditional rural life.
Bird Watching
Nepal is a paradise for bird lovers with over
646 species (almost 8% of the world total) of
birds, and among them almost 500 hundred species
are found in Kathmandu Valley alone. The most
popular bird watching spots in Kathmandu are
Phulchoki, Godavari, Nagarjun, Bagmati river,
Taudaha and so on. Get your binoculars and look
forward to a rewarding experience.
Mountain Flight
Only awe-stricken silence can come close to
matching the experience of going on a mountain
flight to encounter the tallest mountains on
earth. Mountain flights offer the closest possible
aerial views of Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga and
the Tibetan Plateau. Mountain flights appeal
to all category of travelers and have become
a popular tourist attraction of Nepal. For those
who are restricted by time or other considerations
from going for a trek, these flights offer a
panoramic view of the Himalayan in just one
hour.
Rock Climbing
For all those cliffhangers out there, Kathmandu
offers a roster of stone walls that make for
an experience of a lifetime. Now of late, Rock
climbing has become a popular sport in Kathmandu,
which offers some really terrific places for
rock climbing. Nagarjun, Balaju, Shivapuri and
Budhanil Kantha are some of the places where
you can try this sport.
Rafting/Kayaking/Canyoning
Rafting is one of the best ways to explore the
typical cross section of natural as well as
ethno-cultural heritage of the country. There
are numerous rivers in Nepal which offer excellent
rafting or canoeing experience. You can glide
on calm jade waters with munificent scenery
all about or rush through roaring white rapids,
in the care of expert river-men employed by
government authorized agencies. One can opt
for day of river running or more. So far, the
government has opened sections of 10 rivers
for commercial rafting. The Trisuli river (
Grade 3+) is one of the most popular of Nepal’s
raftable rivers. The Kali Gandaki (5-5+) winds
through remote canyons and deep gorges for five
days of intense rapids. The Bhote Koshi (4-5)
is 26km of continuous white water and the raging
Marshyanghi is four days of uninterrupted white
water. The Karnali river (4-5) provides some
of the most challenging rapids in the world.
The Sun Koshi (4-5), 27km, requiring 8-10 days
to complete, is a big and challenging river.
Adventurers are provided with world-class services
by rafting agents. Agencies here provide life
jackets, camping and the standard rafting paraphernalia
needed by world-class rafting. An extremely
popular sport in Europe, cannoning is now available
in Nepal. Cannoning gives you the freedom to
explore some of the most ruggedly beautiful,
yet forbidden places in the world.
Hot Air Ballooning
Hot air ballooning is very popular with tourists
for it affords the most spectacular bird’s-eye
view of the Kathmandu valley and the Himalayan
ranges towering in the background. On a clear
day it’s a superb way to view the Himalayan
(from over 6000m up), and the view of the valley
is equally breathtaking.
Bungy Jumping
The ultimate thrill of a bungy jump can now
be experienced in Nepal at one of the best sites
that this sport can boast of anywhere in the
world. Nepal’s first bungy jumping site is situated
160m. Over the Bhote Koshi river, inviting you
to experience the ultimate adrenaline rush in
the surroundings of this amazing place. The
jump, at 160m., is staffed and operated by some
of the most experienced jumpmasters in the business.
Paragliding
Paragliding in Nepal can be a truly wonderful
and fulfilling experience for the adventure
seeking. A trip will take you over some of the
best scenery on earth, as you share airspace
with Himalayan griffins vultures, eagles, kites
and float over villages, monasteries, temples,
lakes and jungle, with a fantastic view of the
majestic Himalayas.
Ultralight Aircraft
Ultralight aircraft take off from Pokhara and
offer spectacular views of the lakes, mountains
and villages. This is an ideal way to see life
from a new perspective. The choice of Pokhara
Valley for ultra-light aircraft is appropriate
chiefly because of the proximity of the mountains,
and the scenic lakes. For those who wished they
could fly birds when growing up, this flight
is a must. It might be lonely at the top, but
this flight is a must. It might be lonely at
the top, but the spectacular view from up high
certainly makes it all worth it. Flights are
from the Pokhara airport beginning September
through June. The flights take place from sunrise
to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to sunset every day
during these months.
Mountain Biking
The best way to explore the Kathmandu Valley
is on a mountain bike. Nepal’s diverse terrain
is a mountain biker’s dream adventure comes
true. Mountain biking offers an environmentally
sound way of exploring this magnificent country,
its landscape and living heritage. There are
plenty of dirty roads and trails in Nepal to
meet every mountain biker’s wildest fantasy.
Mountain biking is specially recommended if
you wish to explore urban centers of Nepal such
as Pokhara and Kathmandu as well as the countryside.
Adventurous souls may plan extended trips to
such exotic locals as Namche Bazaar, and western
Nepal. You could even do the entire length of
Nepal across the plains. Mountain bikes are
available for rent by the day or longer in many
of the bicycle rental outlets in Nepal and around
the city.
Jungle Safari
National Parks located specially in the Terai
region in Nepal attract visitors from all over
the world. A visit to these parks involves game-
stalking by a variety of means-foot, dugout
canoe, jeep, and elephant back. One is bound
to sight a one – horned rhino or two at every
elephant safari. Besides the rhinos, wild boars,
samburs, spotted deer, sloth bear, four-horned
antelope are also usually seen. A Royal Bengal
tiger may surprise you by his majestic appearance
