Nepal Active and outdoor Trips

This was a interesting trip to a fascinating place. The flight from Nepal to Paro passing Everest and through the tree covered valleys set the scene for a week in a stunningly beautiful country where the air is clean and the people welcoming. The trip was well paced and most of the hotels were of a very good standard. We could not have been in better or safer hands than with our excellent guide Sanom and driver the Captain. The walk towards the Tigers Nest is doable if you are reasonably fit and take your time, although the altitude adds an extra challenge. And with rain setting in I found the descent more difficult and could not have been more grateful for our guide assisting all the way. The final two days in Kathmandu were a good taster for a very different but equally interesting country. I very much appreciated the knowledge and passion for their country of the local guides we had.

Bhutan is a unique country and Chencho, ably assisted byTandin and driver Captain John, was central to an excellent local team. He was enthusiastic, informative, cheerful and helpful and was a first class ambassador for his country and culture. Fortresses, temples and monasteries were fascinating however equally so were the delightful people, scenery, high passes and the iconic Tiger’s Nest. Accommodation was made by the staff, with Thimphu’s centrally located hotel being excellent, with the best hotel food. Paro’s hotel, with lovely staff, was too far out of town for me and limited local independent sightseeing. Pre and post Bhutan in Kathmandu, Sandar was an excellent leader, transport coordinator and guide, with the Ambassador Hotel being well located and excellent. Kathmandu guided tour was very good despite this being a long day, post a very early flight from Paro. The Drukair flights to Paro were very good however an important area for improvement is to arrange for the group Bhutan flight booking to enable individual online check in and seat selection on the favourable side of the plane for Himalayas views. With airport check in, one ends up with what seat is left, or in the case of the outbound flight, what’s right!

Kinzang was an excellent tour leader and along with our driver Ngawang made our trip very memorable. Kinzang was always informative and helpful, and Ngawang was an excellent and careful driver. Our highlights: 1. The Punakha festival, which was a wonderful colourful spectacle. However you will be sitting for several hours on the paved stone ground so bring a cushion or mat to sit on. 2. Our walk up to the Tigers Nest Monastry. A challenging but rewarding trip. Kinzang was excellent and thoughtful in setting a pace to suit us all. Bhutan is a beautiful country, with lovely friendly people.

This trip was amazing, from flying into Kathmandu with the view of the Annapurna Range visible over the tops of the cloud to experiencing the bustling city of Kathmandu, with its temples, palaces and bazaars! We loved the trekking, the fantastic scenery with early morning views of the Annapurna mountains and the stays in the Teahouses. A highlight for us was a walk through a village where we met local people working their own land and keeping livestock, meeting the retired Gurkha and his wife who led it. We loved our time in Chitwan, seeing the one-horned rhinoceros at the National Park, enjoying walks in the village and a very peaceful canoe boat trip on the river which were all great after the long treks of the previous days. The food was fantastic, exceeding our expectations especially in the Teahouses where we were surprised by the quality and quantity of food. We definitely did not go hungry on this trip! Our tour leader Su was brilliant, very organised and with lots of knowledge that he was happy to share. His love and enthusiasm for Nepal was evident. We thoroughly enjoyed our time talking to him, his catch phrase “anything is possible” was a constant when we asked questions. The other members of our support crew were fantastic too, very attentive, always there with a smile and amazingly produced tea even at the earliest hours when we were viewing sunrise over the mountains.

Walking, wildlife, food and culture: this tour ticked a lot of boxes for me. It is true that the poor visibility at this time of year (March) meant that the Annupurna mountains weren't visible during much of the trek, but the landscape with its flora, fauna and small farms still made the walking interesting and enjoyable. A special highlight was seeing the one-horned rhinoceros at the Chitwan National Park, and the cultural events staged at the Green Chwadi Retreat at Chitwan were an unexpected bonus. There was a wealth of birds to see throughout the tour, and our tour leader, Su, was very knowledgeable in identifying them. As someone who is unable to eat gluten, I had been worried about how I would cope with the food; and I am extremely grateful to Su for helping me to navigate this, as well as ensuring that there were always things available for me to eat.

The discover Nepal trip was amazing. Our tour leader, Su, was also amazing - attentive, informative, super friendly, always there to help. The highlight for me was Chitwan and if I was to make any recommendation it would be to try and squeeze in 3 nights there so another game drive would be possible.