written and photographed by Mary L. Peachin
Apr 1999, Vol. 3 No. 6
Among travelers, Nepal has a reputation as a mecca for the most fanatical of mountain climbers. It’s true that the country features many of the world’s most majestic peaks-Everest, Llotse, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna-but Nepal isn’t just for the peak-obsessed. As more and more travelers are finding, it’s home to a number of fascinating cultures still largely independent from Western consumer democracy, as well as to experiences such as trekking expeditions, river rafting, and elephant safaris.
The survival of Nepalese culture might have something to do with the hassle factor: just getting there can be exhausting. After the 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok, many travelers choose to catch up on their jet lag at a Bangkok airport hotel before continuing on to the capital city of Nepal, Katmandu. You won’t want to sleep through this landing-the approach into Katmandu, when not obscured by cloud cover, provides spectacular views of many of the great peaks of the Himalayas.
And once you get to Katmandu, there remains the additional challenge of navigating a new geography and culture. Katmandu is crowded and congested, home to great beauty and great suffering. Nestled in a valley at an elevation of 1350 meters (4500 feet) along with the cities of Kalitpur and Bhaktapur, the ancient city built by King Gun Kamdev in 723 AD is surrounded by green mountains.
In the city itself, stunning temples, palaces, and city squares, consecrated to Hindu or Buddhist deities, but up against severe poverty. A walk through the city presents majestic temple architecture, deformed beggars, ritualistic cremations along the banks of the Vishnumati River near the Shobabhogwati Temple, and crowded streets filled with people, cats, dogs, goats, and cattle.
I arrived in Katmandu three days before my scheduled trek, and met up with our group of four (plus Nature Expeditions guide Molly Teas) at Katmandu’s Malla Hotel. We spent the next few days following Molly’s lead through the cities of Katmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. We visited the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the Buddhist shrines of Bodhnath and Swayambunath, and the Durbars (palaces). We also took some time to shop in the city’s crowded bazaars.
On the third morning, we departed for the city of Pokhara, which rests in a valley in the foothills of Annapura, at 2000 feet above sea level. If Katmandu is the cultural hub of Nepal, Pokhara is the gateway for trekkers and rafting adventures. After a bumpy 120-mile bus ride that led us past terraced rice fields and rural villages, we reached our destination, a small city located on the banks of Phewa Lake, set against the magnificence of the fishtailed summit of Machhapuchhre.
Lower in elevation than Katmandu, the subtropical Pokhara offers a beautiful diversity of birds and flowers. The surrounding valley is laden with thick forests, gushing rivers, emerald lakes, and-as in Katmandu-wonderful views of the Himalayas.
Historically, Pokhara was a destination on the trade route between India and Tibet, and mule trains still camp on the outskirts of town after bringing goods from the more remote regions of the Himalayas. This region is inhabited by the Magars, hardworking farmers, and the Gurungs, valiant warriors who once earned worldwide fame as Gurkha soldiers.
We reached Pokhara in the afternoon and immediately proceeded to a field on the edge of town, where we unloaded our belongings for transportation by a troop of hard-working porters. Starting at the trailhead of the Bijayapur Khola trekking route (itself at an elevation of 2000 feet), we began our journey along the ridgeline. We soon passed through the village of Kalika Thar and, after climbing for four hours, arrived at our first campsite.
By this time, the porters had delivered our baggage and set up the camp for our arrival. We barely had time to enjoy the view-the looming peaks of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhare-before it was time to eat. Dinner, consisting of hummos, dhal bat (lentils), and vegetables, was cooking on the fire. Water brought from the nearby village was boiled and, for additional protection, purified with iodine. We ate in the camp’s dining tent, then exhausted, drifted off to sleep in our own tents, next to a rhododendron forest. The next morning, we were awakened by the lead Sherpa guide who, with a gentle “good morning,” left a cup of hot tea and a bowl of water for washing outside each of our tents.
Each day we hiked for four to six hours, over gradual rises and descents. We covered between six and eight miles a day at a steady pace, always staying below 6000 feet. While the elevation did make the hike more strenuous, the steady pace and lack of baggage made the trek doable for healthy, moderately fit hikers.
As we walked, we passed terraced rice and mustard fields, citrus groves, and oak and rhododendron . These sights, beautiful in themselves, had as a backdrop views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Gangapurna, and Machhapuchhare. The next two nights we camped near the village of Shyaklung and on the Chisapani Danda ridge.
Each day we would rise early and trek until noon. Nepalese children were always eager to greet us as they followed their parents, usually carrying household goods on top of their heads. Frequently the trail was “stairstepped” near villages, but the majority of the trek was on dirt trails. After four days of hiking, we had circled back to the Pokhara Valley. A road opened up into a clearing, and there-like a mirage of the modern world-sat a taxicab. Unaware of his status as figment of the imagination, the driver loaded our bags and delivered us to the edge of Phewa Lake, in Pokhara.
Our luggage was then loaded on a raft and the raft, with us aboard, pulled by a pulley contraption across the lake to a small island, on which lay the charming Fishtail Lodge. That night, we luxuriated in the delights provided by hot showers, real beds, and a tasty dinner.
Our journey continued the next day, with a two-day rafting trip down the Trisuli River. After a four-hour bus ride, we put-in at Choraudi. Soon we were floating through the subtropical jungle landscape. Hanging gardens lined the banks, and we periodically passed under fragile-looking rope-and-plank bridges that spanned the river.
The rapids were rated at Level 2-3, gentle enough that we could jump in the water and be swept along by the current. That afternoon, we descended through the Ladies’ Delight, Upset, Surprise, and Bijili rapids before camping near Kuringhat. The next day featured a few more similar rapids before we arrived at the take-out site, Rocky II.
Once again, there was a taxi waiting at our take-out. How did Nature Expeditions arrange the timing of the taxi with our arrival? This time our journey took us south into the inner terai, or flat river plain, of the Ganges River, which runs through the south central hill region of Nepal. We were headed toward the famous Tiger Tops tented camp, in Royal Chitwan National Park.
Chitwan is best known as the habitat of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros and the Royal Bengal tiger. After the taxi ride, we traveled by canoe, then hiked through subtropical jungle to the luxurious tented camp. Along the trail, we observed a rhinoceros wading in the river with her young, hog deer, hornbills, and signs of tiger scratchings. After one more night of camping and a short hike, we reached the Tiger Tops lodge.
Our group enjoyed the amenities at Tiger Tops, but we were eager for the next portion of the trip, an elephant ride during which we hoped to glimpse elusive white rhinoceros and tigers.
After bathing and feeding the elephants (whose lunch consisted of grass-and-grain “sandwiches”), the mahouts, or elephant caretakers, climbed up the trunks of their charges and helped us board, stepping from a platform on the second story of the lodge to a four-person bier roped to the elephant’s back. We headed off on our ride, during which we sighted rhinos, deer, and even a python. The mahout used his prodder to pull the python out of the brush.
That night, our final one at Tiger Tops, we sipped cocktails at the lodge. Then, from the nearby jungle, we heard a bell. It turned out that the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, baited by a tied goat, had been sighted nearby and corralled in a jungle blind. Abandoning our drinks, we followed our guide’s advice and hopped the lodge bus to the trail and ran through the forest to the blind, where we were allowed a 10-minute view of the tiger. It gnawed on the bait for only a few minutes. I was glad I had hurried to be one of the few to see it. Others were so fortunate. Although we knew that the animal had been attracted for tourist benefit, it was still thrilling to see.
The next day, our Nepalese journey concluded, we headed back to Katmandu, Bangkok, and home to the U.S. We may not have reached the summit of Everest-or wanted to-but our journey through the land, culture, and nature of Nepal proved to be a wonderful adventure.