OTHER SERVICES

CITY SIGHT-SEEING

Durbar Square, Patan.

The capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is Kathmandu, which is picturesquely situated in a very small valley surrounded by hills. Nepal is the only officially Hindu country in the world and everywhere there are temples to the Hindu gods. There is also a substantial Buddhist population in Nepal and so there are numerous Buddhist temples too. It is very interesting to do a tour and get to know about Nepalese history, not just in Kathmandu but also in Bhaktapur and Patan, both of which are easily accessible from Kathmandu.

Fish Tail Mountain from Pewa Lake, Pokhara.

Further afield, we can take you to Pokhara, a very beautiful city with its own lake and surrounded by mountains, dominated by Fish Tail Mountain, Machhapuchhre. Pokhara is also the starting point for trekking in the Annapurna region. Or you might like to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, or Chitwan, with its national park where you may see elephant, rhino and even, if you're lucky, tiger.

We can organise everything in Nepal. You will not want for wonderful memories of your visit.

We can organise all kinds of activities in Nepal such as business conferences, missionary work, help for the disabled, orphanage work, study groups such as Nepali language courses or any sort of social work. Social work is of particular interest to us because of our own orphanage work. We kindly request that you let us know of any such programme that interests you and we will be happy to work with you.

Nepal is a small country but it has an enormous cultural diversity. For many people, travelling provides an unmissable opportunity to learn of local castes and cultures which, in the case of Nepal, have not changed for centuries. If you are one of those people, we thoroughly recommend our cultural programme. If you let us know the dates you have available and any particular interests you have we can draw up a tailor-made cultural programme for you. This can of course be added on to a trek or to any other activity you wish to pursue when in Nepal.

If you want to come to Nepal as a tourist, please make sure you book your tickets for internal flights in advance. Although Nepal is a small country, there are many remote areas which are difficult or impossible to access overland, but which can be visited quickly and cheaply by air. There are not many air lines and the planes they fly are of small capacity, only 16 passengers could get in one plane. So usually it won't be possible to obtain air tickets at short notice and we strongly recommend that you get your reservations in advance.

We deal with all local air lines and can get you a good price. If you send us your programme we will make sure your air tickets won't be a problem at any time.

Nepal is once again becoming a popular tourist destination and even though the number of hotels is growing there still can be problems for tourists looking for the right sort of accommodation, especially in high season. It is important to make your reservations in advance so that your stay will be comfortable. We will be very happy to do this for you, making sure you get the best price and a comfortable room in a convenient location for you, whether you're staying in a hotel, hostel, lodge or tourist resort.

It is very important when visiting Nepal, whether for trekking or for any other activity, to have your transportation arrangements made in advance. We are able to arrange transportation throughout the whole of Nepal in evey type of vehicle. We also make sure you get a fair price. We can also arrange transportation for India and Tibet.

Mount Everest from Mountain Flight.

Nepal is known as the Himalayan kingdom and the name is well-deserved. Of the ten highest mountains in the world, nine are in Nepal including of course the tallest of them all, Mount Everest. Even for those who come to Nepal to trek or climb in the high Himalaya, it is impossible to get to see all the mountains. So we can arrange for you to do a mountain flight, one hour's touring by small plane, which takes you east of Kathmandu to give you a close up view of Mount Everest as you will never have seen it before! There are a number of private air lines to choose from, so please allow us to serve you and make your reservation.

JUNGLE SAFARI – ROYAL CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK

Although when most people think of Nepal they think at once of mountains, the southern part of Nepal (called ‘the Terai’) is low in altitude (down to 150 metres, 490 ft.) and provides a jungle environment.

Rhinoceros, Chitwan.

Our jungle safari takes you to Chitwan, which is the best place to see the jungle flora and fauna. It is very interesting to go to look at wild life such as tiger, elephant, crocodile, rhino and lots of birds. In addition, you can learn about Tharu culture, visiting a Tharu village and enjoying a Tharu dance exhibition (stick dance) every evening.

The origin of the Tharu people is not clear but they may have been Rajput refugees from the Mughal invaders of India. There are many subgroups of the Tharu people, each having their own language.

We want to recommend you to go and get this new experience of one aspect of Nepali culture. You can get there by land or air. The drive takes about 4½ hours, taking you by the Trisuli River which is a popular place for rafting. Or, from Kathmandu it is a 30 minute flight offering fabulous scenery. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit.

We do hope you will get to know more things by yourself right there.