Two weeks in Nepal
Marlies84
Recent two-week trip to Nepal
12 Apr 2009
based on 1 vote
Even though two weeks doesn't sound like a lot of time, if you organize your holiday well, you will be able to do, see and experience a lot of the beautiful country Nepal
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Royal Chitwan National Park, Pokhara, Patan (Lalitpur)
- Category: Other
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Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Active/Outdoors, Never been before
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Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Honeymooners, Singles, Students, Budget travellers , Active/adventure, Tourists
- Seasons:
- Tags: Kathmandu, Nepal, two weeks, Chitwan, trekking, Ghorepani - Poon Hill, Annapurna, Thamel
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You might feel a bit overwhelmed when you first arrive in Kathmandu. The city is very busy, with loads of cars and motorcycles, and no infrastructure! At first sight it's one big chaos. We learned to appreciate it after one day... |
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| Durbar Square is nice to visit on your first day in Kathmandu. It has many temples. Try to find a guide, so you will have all the information you need. Just sit at one of the temples and enjoy the atmosphere. You can also try one of the rooftop cafes, which give you a nice view over the square. |
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3. Day 2. Monkey Temple (Swayambunath Stupa)
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You can walk from Thamel (we walked from our hotel in Paknajol) to the Monkey Temple. It is a nice walk; you pass small streets, see children playing, women washing, you pass small temples or monasteries, and of course many street dogs! It's about a 30 minute walk. We took longer, because we enjoyed taking many pictures and looking around.
The monkey temple itself is very nice. It gives an incredible view over Kathmandu city. Ok, the stairs are tough, but they're worth it! |
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4. Day 3. Pashupatinath (Temple of Living Beings)
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| Take a taxi to Pashupatinath and discover the traditions of the Hindu people. Pashupatinath is a holy place where HIndu people cremate their dead. It is quite impressive, because everyone can watch the ceremony. Try to find a guide who will explain all the traditions and meanings. You can also find many holy men (saddhus) at Pashupatinath. There look very beautiful and colorful, but they want money for a photograph! |
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You can easily walk from Pashupatinath to Boudhanatth Stupa. Check out the Lonely Planet for the route.
Boudhanath is one of the biggest stupas in the world. It's beautiful and very impressive. You can find many (tibetan) monks walking around the stupa. Remember to always walk around a stupa clockwise!
Afterwards take the taxi back to your hotel or Thamel and enjoy some shopping! |
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We wanted to take the taxi to Bhaktapur, but eventually ended up taking the local bus, which is much much cheaper. We payed around 20 rupees (20 eurocent) per person for a 40-minute drive.
Bhaktapur is an incredible city, very well preserved. It looks medieval, with small streets and beautiful buildings and temples. The centre is car-free, so you have a moment to just relax from the traffic-hassle of Kathmandu.
You can wander around on your own, but I would suggest you take a guide, because he will take you to many small streets, that you wouldn't normally visit.
Have lunch in one of many rooftop cafes and enjoy the views.
We took the taxi back around 4 pm, but ended up a in traffic jam! |
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7. Day 5. Royal Chitwan National Park
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| We packed our stuff and headed for Chitwan (the jungle). We first wanted to go by bus, but after reading the Lonely Planet, we decided against the bus and went by plane. We took a morning flight with Buddha Air which cost us around 85 USdollar per person one way. It's only a 20 minute flight, so it saves a lot of time compared to when you take the bus. |
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8. Day 5. Sapana Village Lodge
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| We had a great lodge in Chitwan, called Sapana Village Lodge. They picked us up from the airport in their jeep. They have lovely rooms, and the stay is affordable. They can arrange your program, they offer great excursions, that are not expensive. Half of the profit goes to the local Tharu-people. |
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9. Day 5. Excursion to Tharu-village by ox-wagon
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| In the affternoon we visited a Tharu-village by ox-car. We also walked around there, with many curious children following us. It's a great experience to see how the people live and what they do for a living |
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10. Day 6. Canoe trip in Chitwan jungle
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| We did a morning canoe trip, which was very nice. You can see many birds and even crocodiles. Afterwards we visited an elephant breeding center and did a small jungle walk. |
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11. Day 6. Elephant Safari in Chitwan jungle
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| In the afternoon we did an elephant safari. You see the real jungle and if you're lucky you can spot some rhinos, tigers and deers. It's quite a bumpy ride though! |
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12. Day 7. Bus trip to Pokhara
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| We took the bus from Chitwan to Pokhara, because there are no flights. We took the greenline bus, which costs 15 USdollars per person, one way. You leave around 9 am and arrive in pokhara around 2 pm or 2.30 pm. Lunch is included |
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13. Day 7. Chhetri Sisters Guest House
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| We had booked our trekking with the Chhetri Sisters at home through the internet, so we were picked up at the buspark. The guesthouse is nice, see my review on it. |
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14. Day 8 - 12 Ghorepani - Poon Hill trekking
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The Chhetri Sisters had arranged our trekking and we joined a small international group. We were with 5 people and one female guide, 4 female porters and 1 male porter. Chhetri sisters help nepalese women who want to become a guide or porter. It's a great organisation!
The 5-day trekking of Ghorepani - Poon Hill is great! You can do it without training, but you will feel your muscles! You will see beautiful mountains and great views. |
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15. Day 13. Flight back to Kathmandu
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| We flew back in the morning with Agni Air, which cost us around 75 USdollars per person one way. We checked in in our hotel (Ganesh HImal) and had some great lunch. In the afternoon we enjoyed some good shopping in Thamel. Some relaxation is good! |
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16. Day 14. Patan (Lalitpur)
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We took the taxi to Patan in the morning. This city is a bit like Bhaktapur. You can do the nice Lonely Planet walk, which shows everything you want to see in Patan. It ends in Patan's Durbar square where you can have a nice lunch or drink in one of the rooftop cafes.
We took the taxi back and did some last shopping in Thamel |
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17. Day 15. Back home...
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| It is good to not plan something or your last day! Just relax a little, find out if your flight back is still flying on the same time and find yourself a taxi to the airport! |
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Compliment Marlies84
