Fun things to do in Nepal

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Day 1 – Arrive Kathmandu, settle into hotel, Pop into your agents. Meet your guide / porter/guide and get him to take you on a visit Durbar Square so as to access his suitability.
Day 2 –Tourist bus to Pokhara, then taxi to Phidi and trek to Dhampus for your overnight.
Day 3 – Trek to Ghandruk
Day 4 - Trek down to Naya Pul and bus back to Pokhara
Day 5 – Sightseeing / Relaxing in Pokhara
Day 6 – Morning flight back to Kathmandu and overnight at Bhaktapur.
Day 7 – Visit Bodnath and Pashupatinath, afternoon shopping in Kathmandu
Day 8 – Swayambhunath and taxi to airport for your flight home

(Trek can easily be followed on the downloadable map in link)

If you can fit a Buddha Air Mountain flight in when you are in Kathmandu – perhaps on your last day, and see Everest then this is also a Great Idea

Good Luck and Happy Travels
Rob

The Hot Springs at Jhinu are a delight and shouldn’t be missed if you are trekking in the area – But to take full advantage of them takes a little advanced planning, so hence this “Tip”

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This is my favourite viewpoint for photographing Pokhara – But you do need a clear day.
Get up Early, cross Phewa Tal by boat then allow around ¾ of an hour to walk up to the Peace Stupa – If you have Good Luck then you will see views like this

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After a week spent relaxing in beautiful Pokhara I felt the urge to do something energetic - mostly because Pokhara seemed to be constantly filled with intrepid hikers, either on their way to or from the famous Annapurna trek. While eating cinnamon buns, reading and occasionally hiring a bicycle to cycle the surrounding area was a perfectly lovely way to spend my time, I did feel a little lazy compared to the adrenaline junkies constantly crossing my path. As soon as one such trekker mentioned leeches in trees on their trek, I decided rafting was the option for me.

There are many companies in Pokhara offering rafting trips - take the time to do some research, taking into consideration safety considerations such as life jackets and the experience of your guide. The trip I took was a two day - one night trip, with overnight camping. As it was the last trip of the season (due to rising river levels because of seasonal flood / monsoon), the white water was a little more extreme than usual, but good fun. I was on my way to Sauraha to visit Chitwan National Park, and rafting provided a good alternative to the bus - and given Nepal's bus safety record, an arguably safer one! The scenery is spectacular.

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I stayed in Sauraha, a small town just outside of Chitwan National Park. Chitwan is the first National Park in Nepal, and attained UNESCO World Heritage list status in the 1980s. Located in the Terai, the Park is home to one of the last populations of single horned Asiatic rhinoceros.

From Sauraha it is easy to organize a trip into the Park. I decided to go by elephant back - mostly because the rhinos are apparently comfortable around the elephants, which makes getting close to them easier. The downside? The wooden seat arrangement on top of the elephant is really uncomfortable - especially if your elephant breaks into a trot at any point! That said, it was an enjoyable and interesting way to experience the Park, and it certainly resulted in getting close to rhino.

Bearing in mind the extremely mountainous nature of the country and the amount of meltwater coming off the Himalayas, it is hardly surprising that there is some very good whitewater rafting available.

On our visit, we only had time to do a day trip, which was on the Trishuli river.

Personally I found it a bit tame, having rafted elsewhere, but there are undoubtedly opportunities for some great rafting in the country. The Trishuli at that time of year would be a good introduction for someone who has not rafted before and is, perhaps, a little hesitant. When we were trekking I saw some rivers I would have loved to have rafted.

Should I ever return to Nepal, as I hope I will, I would love to have a go at the Kali Gandaki, which looks very exciting.

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It really depends on how many days you plan to spend in Nepal. A typical itinerary is 4days for Poon Hill trek, two days for Pokhara, 3 days for Chitwan and another 4 to 5 days for Kathmandu/Bandipur/Patan.
There are many guesthouses in Thamel and Pokhara. You can choose one by one if you don't have much to bring along. Lumbini is really not worthy to go if you aren't a Buddist. The transpot causes too much trouble. In Dec will be quite cold during the night when you stay up Poon Hill but during the day is should be okay. I like taking elephant ride and the bath, quite leisure and got a lot of fun.

Another common question is that I Only have one week to visit Nepal and want to fit as much as I can into my limit time there.
So here is my

Day 1 – arrive Kathmandu, settle into hotel and depending on what time you arrive, maybe visit Durbar Square.
Day 2 – arrange a 2 night / 3 day package to visit Chitwan Nation Park including onward transport to Pokhara, then hire a taxi to visit Pashupatinath and then onto Bodnath, take lunch in one of the roof top cafes overlooking the Stupa and then onto Swayambhunath,
Day 3 depart on the early morning tourist bus for Sauraha, arrive there for late lunch then afternoon activates, maybe a bird watching walk and evening cultural programme.
Day 4 Full day of activities in Chitwan Nation Park, Dugout Canoe trip, walk inside the national park, then lunch followed by an elephant ride and visit to the elephant breading farm.
Day 5 depart Sauraha for Pokhara, arrive Pokhara for late lunch then taxi to Devi Falls, then The Tibetan Refugee camp and a short trek to The Peace Stupa and return by boat over Fewa Tal
Day 6 Up early for taxi to Sarangkot for sunrise and trek back down to Pokhara, Lunch and then take a Micro-Light flight for a birds eye view of The Himalaya
Day 7Flight back to Kathmandu to connect with your international flight the next day, afternoons shopping and relaxation

If you can fit a Buddha Air Mountain flight in when you are in Kathmandu – perhaps on your last day, and see Everest then this is also a Great Idea

Photos of most of the above are on the Things to do section of my Nepal page if you want to take a look

Good Luck and happy Travels
Rob