Most tourists reserve organised
outdoor activities like mountain-biking, rafting, trekking, and wildlife-viewing
in Kathmandu since this is where most of the operators and agents are. Below is a list of recommended Kathmandu-based companies
which include the ones that arrange home stays and cultural
tours.
Ballooning
Balloon Sunrise Nepal (telephone 424131) has early-morning
flights from points in the Kathmandu Valley. One person will be charged at $195; however, if you are willing to go standby, you can pay $150 - an expensive way
to get above the smog.
Mountain
bike tours
The companies below operate mountain-bike tours out of
Kathmandu.
Bikeman, Jyatha Thamel (telephone 240633;
srai@mos.com.np). A small outfit
that runs tours of the Kathmandu Valley, Nagarkot, Dhulikhel/Namobuddha,
Daman and the Tarai. Older equipment.
Dawn Till Dusk,
Thamel Northwest, in the front court of the Kathmandu Guest House
(telephone 418286; info@frontier.wlink.com.np).
Kathmandu Valley back roads, Nagarkot, Dhulikhel/Namobuddha, customized
off-road itineraries. Good bikes and repair facilities. Sonam, the
owner, is an old hand who embodies the spirit of mountain-biking
in Nepal.
Himalayan Mountain Bikes, Thamel Northwest
(telephone 419295; info@hmb.wlink.com.np).
Nepal's original mountain-bike operator, with the most widest range
of itineraries: Namobuddha, Nagarkot, Daman back route, Kathmandu
Valley single tracks, Daman, western Tarai, Lhasa to Kathmandu;
also Ladakh, Sikkim, Bhutan. Good equipment and repair shop.
River operators
Due to the safety considerations when rafting, it is even riskier
to recommend cheap river operators. The ones listed are
more
reliable, hence more expensive. All run the most popular rivers
and can organize trips on other rivers on demand.
Trekking
companies
Private cheap trekking companies can't be recommended as
the quality of their services can greatly vary from time to time
or trip to trip. The following more expensive outfits are known
for providing high standards.
Ama Dablam Trekking,
Kamal Pokhari (telephone 415372, fax 416029). Scheduled and custom
treks - mostly teahouse routes, plus a few trips to more remote
areas and trekking peaks.
Above the Clouds Trekking,
Thamel North (telephone 416909;
atct@wlink.com.np).
Scheduled and custom teahouse treks, remote-area treks (eg, Jaljale
Himal), expeditions.
Asian Trekking, Bhagwan Bahal
(telephone 424249;
asianadv@mos.com.np).
A wide range of scheduled treks on standard and remote routes, expedition
support treks, also rafting. Affiliated with Asian Airlines Helicopters,
so flights are no problem.
Equator Expeditions,
Thamel Northwest (telephone 415782;
equator@mos.com.np).
Runs a mountaineering school in the Khumbu.
Guiding and Trekking Expedition Services (GATES), Gairidhara
(telephone 410417; gates@dendi.mos.com.np).
Specializes in short, custom treks - especially good for treks with
children.
Himalaya Expeditions, Kantipath (telephone 226622;
himalaya@mos.com.np).
Nepal operator for Classic Nepal, Karakoram Experience and others.
Scheduled and custom teahouse treks, fully supported treks, trekking
peaks, expeditions.
Journeys Mountaineering & Trekking, Baluwatar (telephone
412898; journeys@mos.com.np).
Nepal operator for US-based Journeys International. Does scheduled
teahouse and remote-area treks such as Mustang, Dolpo and Kanchenjunga.
Sherpa Co-operative Trekking, Durbar Marg (telephone
224068;
sherpaco@trekk.mos.com.np).
Long-established outfitter that does numerous scheduled treks in
standard and remote areas.
Village
tourism
Only a couple of Kathmandu-based organizations operate village tourism
and home stay programmes, where participants stay in a private
home
lodging and dining with the family. It is an excellent way to
associate
with Nepali culture, and it is of particular interest to foreigners
wanting to learn Nepali. Host families are trained in health standards
for tourists.
Cultural Destination Nepal, Dilli
Bazaar (telephone 426996; fax 416417). This is a language institute,
so home stays are intended to complement Nepali language study.
Himalayan Explorers Club, Jyatha Thamel (telephone
259275;
info@hec.org). Keeps
a file of families that accommodate club members in their homes
for $3-7 per day (depending on the family), including two meals
a day.
Intercultural Training & Research Centre,
on a lane leading north of the Tin Dewal on Tridevi Marg (telephone
412793; raj@itc.mos.com.np).
Another home stay programme intended mainly for those studying Nepali.
Lama Adventure Treks & Expeditions, Thamel
(telephone 413959; late@mos.com.np). Offers a village tourism programme
in Thulo Purselgaun, a Tamang settlement southeast of Dhulikhel.
A four-night package costs $160-200 per person, depending on group
size.
Mahendra Jyoti Home stay Program (book through
Asia Travels Service in Hotel Eurasia, Thamel South: telephone 258327;
asiacomm@wlink.com.np).
Spend the weekend with a family in a village near Dhulikhel for
Rs800; you can stay on for Rs150 a day.
Nepal Village
Resorts, Naksal (telephone 430187;
village@nep.mos.com.np).
The pioneer of village tourism in Nepal. Organizes stays in Sirubari,
a Gurung village near Pokhara, and is developing other programmes
in Junbesi (along the trail to Everest) and in the Annapurna area.
A two-night all-in package costs $72-132 per person, depending on
group size. |
