Easy Nepal

There are no direct and cheap flights to Nepal from Russia or Ukraine. The most popular airlines AirArabia and FlyDubai (a round-trip ticket costs from 500 to 700 dollars) first take you to the United Arab Emirates, where you spend the night at Sharjah or Dubai airport and only the next day fly from there to Kathmandu. Many trekking participants get acquainted and meet long before the trek and buy tickets for the same flight to make it more fun to while away the time at the airport.

The next day, upon landing in Kathmandu, you immediately, at the airport for $25 purchase a visa for 15 days (prepare a 3*4 photo). In some cases (when a large group arrives on the same flight), the instructor will meet you right at the airport. Or you just take a taxi, show the driver a printout with the hotel address (we will book it and send everything to you) and go to Thamel (the tourist quarter of the capital).

At about 6 am we leave the hotel by bus (extra belongings can be left for storage in the hotel's storage room). The journey to Pokhara will take 7-8 hours. About halfway through the journey we will have a 3-hour stop for rafting on the Trisuli River. This is a relatively calm river, accessible to ordinary people (not extreme sports). But if you want, you can skip this rafting and wait for the group at the camp on the shore. Having rafted, we have lunch and move on. With every kilometer, the snow-white peaks are getting closer - in the gaps between the hills overgrown with lush greenery (Nepalese hills are 3000m high), Annapurna flashes more and more often.

In the evening we arrive in Pokhara, check into a hotel and go to dinner in the center.

As always, we wake up early, have breakfast and take a minibus (2 hours on the road) to the village of Nayapul, where one of the entrances to Annapurna National Park is located. There we register our passes (included in the tour price), if desired, hire porters (about $15 per day) and drive a little further by jeep to the village of Thikhedunga.

Finally, the walking part of the route begins - an endless climb up stone steps among the seething life of the rice terraces. The group is constantly overtaken by mule caravans carrying provisions and fuel to the more remote mountainous areas. Well, let them run :) Take your time, go smoothly - you need to get used to the load.

Finally we climb a hillock, and there is “our” village with an overnight stay - Ulleri (2080 m). We order dinner and go look for a shower :)

We continue to gradually gain altitude. The area around has changed - the rice fields have been replaced by an exotic rhodendron forest, a real jungle with monkeys :) By lunchtime we will arrive at our next overnight stop - the large village of Ghorepani (2860 m). It is famous for two things - stunning views of Dhaulagiri (8167 m) and fresh baked goods (apple pies, scones, etc.).

We check into the lodge, have lunch and go for an evening walk. Our goal is Poon Hill (3210 m) - the highest point of the “Getting to know Nepal” route. We walk slowly, get used to the new sensations - at this altitude, many people’s pulse and breathing are already quickening. But give your body a little time, and it will quickly adapt to new conditions. This experience will help you determine if you are ready for the more challenging trekking in Nepal.

In the morning (i.e. before dawn), everyone can once again climb Poon Hill and admire the sunrise over the Himalayas. The fact is that in the morning there is much less cloudiness and you can normally see all the surrounding peaks (Khinchuli, Machchapuchare, South Annapurna, Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri). In addition, at dawn, Poon Hill turns into an international party - tourists flock here from all the surrounding lodges, and from all corners of the Earth, you can chat with the most exotic guys :)

The trail descends to the bottom of a wide ravine, the gentle slopes of which are dotted with tiny Nepalese villages surrounded by terraced rice fields. We cross the river via a suspension bridge and begin a long climb to the opposite slope of the gorge. Don't forget to look up - here you can often see giant vultures silently gliding over the forest and fields.

The trail goes around another spur and we find ourselves in Chomrong (2170 m) - a large village with good pastries and a gorgeous view of the gorge leading to Annapurna Base Camp (plus a couple of hundred-meter waterfalls as a bonus). Let's have lunch.

Last day of trekking. We pass several more memorable suspension bridges and a couple of waterfalls. We look into the authentic village of the Gurung tribe, walk through the rice fields, not forgetting to periodically look back at the retreating beauty Annapurna. As a result, we come to the already familiar village of Nayapul - the circle is closed. We close the passes at the exit from Annapurna National Park, get into a minibus, and go to Pokhara.

We check into a familiar hotel by the lake, relax, and recover from trekking.

A great walk around Pokhara will begin from Phewa Lake. We hire a boat and sail to the island where the Hindu temple is located. Then we cross to the opposite shore of the lake and climb the hill to the Peace Stupa built by Japanese Buddhists, from where an amazing view of Mount Machepuchare opens. From the Stupa of Peace we descend to Davis Falls, interesting because it falls into the vertical shaft of the cave. At the same time we visit the underground temple of Shiva (in the form of a snake). We go back to the hotel along the shore of the lake.

If time permits, in the afternoon you can go to the nearby Sarangkot hill (1590 m) and paraglide (about $80 for 30 minutes). Overall, we just relax and enjoy the unique atmosphere of Pokhara.

We check out from the hotel and go to the Chitwan Nature Reserve (about 4 hours on the road). There we are located in a comfortable lodge with a large landscaped area (tropical garden, gazebos, access to the river).

When the heat subsides we go for a walk along the river bank. Here, right next to the village, on the beach, crocodiles bask and rhinoceroses often graze. But don't worry - they are not interested in us. On the way back we go to the local cabinet of curiosities. We return to the hotel and have dinner. After sunset, an ethno-performance awaits us - folk dances of the Tharu tribe to the accompaniment of drums.

Early in the morning, at dawn, we sail in a long canoe (as it should be, hollowed out from a single tree trunk) along the river where, with equal probability, you can meet Siberian geese (that’s where they spend the winter!) and crocodiles (don’t be afraid, they don’t bite). We then disembark and, accompanied by local guides, set out on foot through the jungle of the Chitwan Nature Reserve. Don't make any noise and look around - here you can easily see Nepalese deer, wild boars, and monkeys. At the end of the walk we will come out to the elephant nursery (the baby elephants are a real treat).

Before lunch, you can take part in bathing the elephant - rub its back with a washcloth, plunge into the river while sitting on the elephant's neck. Having refreshed ourselves, we will continue our acquaintance with the elephants - we will ride them into the jungle. We sit on special platforms (4 people per elephant) and go to track down Nepalese rhinoceroses in impenetrable thickets of elephant grass (such reeds are up to 5 meters high).

The entire first half of the day (7 hours) will take you from Chitwan to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in the capital, we check into a familiar hotel and take things from the storage room. After a shower, we go for an evening stroll through the shopping streets of Kathmandu. As a result, we find ourselves at the Royal Durbar Square. This is a whole complex of temples of unique Newar architecture, among which the daily life of the city is in full swing - lovers coo, pilgrims meditate, beggars wander around. Right there on the square stands the house of the living goddess Kumari - a little girl from the caste of Newar jewelers, who “works” as a kind of religious talisman of the city, the embodiment of purity and light.

Today we are going on a tour of significant places in Kathmandu in a chartered minibus. This will take most of the day. Let's start with a visit to the Pashupatinath complex - the place where, according to legend, Shiva descended to earth in the form of a deer. Since then, here on the shore of the sacred Bagmati River, Hindus build their temples and cremate their dead. Naturally, there are many saints (wandering sadhus) in the holy place. These are extremely exotic guys, don’t waste your money - take a photo with them.

After Pashupatinath we go to a shrine with a completely different atmosphere - the huge Buddhist stupa Boudhanath, stunning with its grandeur and peace of mind. Like real pilgrims, we will make several circles around the stupa, spin the prayer wheels, and if you wish, you can even receive a blessing in one of the Buddhist monasteries located here.

Then we go to the Swayambhunath temple complex, which is known among tourists as the Monkey Temple (guess why). From the top of the hill where the complex is located, there is a view of the entire the Kathmandu Valley, and if you’re lucky, the snow-white peaks of the mountains will appear through the haze.

In the evening we return to the hotel in Thamel.

Flights from Kathmandu home (via the UAE of course) usually depart in the evening, so there will be plenty of time for shopping. In Thamel you can buy traditional Nepalese souvenirs - things made of yak wool, cashmere, machetes (kukri knives), singing bowls, a T-shirt with a map of our trek :)

In the evening, at the airport, do not forget to take a sleeping bag in your hand luggage - another night at the airport is ahead (Sharjah, Dubai).

Last flight and you're home. Listen to yourself, don’t you want to return to Nepal yet? I'll want it soon :)