Top Nepal Hotels

Kathmandu is a fascinating destination, and remains relatively safe, despite the current political turmoil. A lack of tourists means that the intrepid can enjoy amazing shopping and a warm welcome from local merchants. A traditional Nepali dinner at the Dwartika Hotel, replete with rose-petal handwashing water and lashings of the local wine (which purports not to give a hangover) isa fine thing. If remaining in the safety of the Kathmandu Valley is a priority, a visit to Nagarkot, wihtin easy reach of Kathmandu, gives an excellent taste of Nepali countryside, views of Everest and the Valley and the chance to enjoy the high jinks of local high school kids who traditionally make day outings to watch the sunrise/sunset.

In Chitwan, Dolpa, Lumbini, Taplejung, Rasuwa and Solukhumbu, UNDP is implementing TRPAP-Tourism for Rufal Poverty Alleviation Programme. Your visit to those site will support rural poor families, and of course, you will have great experience. Visit the website of TRPAP for further information.

Kathmandu and in particular the Durbar square is interesting for about a day at most. There isn''t much to see in the city and I''d suggest spending most of your time outside Kathmandu in the countryside. Nagarkot is nice for a day walking trip.

Kathmandu is nice. Pokhara and Chitwan too. For trekking, I recommend Deepak <nitish_dr@hotmail.com> as guide.

Pumpernickel bakery - highly recommended for a great breakfast/lunch.

We arrived in Kathmandu at a very difficult time but the people couldn''t have been more welcoming. We stayed in Kathmandu for 3 days, looking around the tourist area of Thamel and buying lots of souvenirs, visiting the Monkey Temple(lots of steps!) and generally acclimatizing. We then flew to Pokhara with Buddha air, we sat on the right side of the plane out and managed to get some views of the mountains but the journey back (left-side seats) afforded us magnificent views. We didn''t manage any trekking but got up at 5a.m. and visited Sarangot for more mountain viewing at sunrise (we were very lucky to see the whole range!) We visited the new mountaineering museum which had a fascinating collection and climbed up to the top of the Japanese Peace Pagoda. Of course no visit to Pokhara would be complete without a trip on the lake, stunning! Although there was a very heavy army/police presence in Kathmandu we never felt in any danger. We visited Patan and Baktipur by taxi and had some excellent local guides to show us around. We did not choose an ideal time to visit Nepal (end of monsoon, political problems, being unfit!) but it was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it.

Kathmandu is a very nice and special city. Don''t forget to take for a walk in Thamel and to see with a Taxi the lots of temples in Kathmandu. And to eat at Taj Annapurna''s CoffeShop! If you like sports, you could buy a lot of things at the cheapest price in Thamel.

From this hotel, it is only about 10-15 minute walk to Thamel (crossing the road in Nepal is always a challenge). The supermarket is just around the corner (good for trekker''s last minute shopping). For tours, it is best to organise a car or Taxi (the front desk can help you with this).

We flew to Pokara from Kathmandu, a very nice flight of about 40 mins. But the domestic airport at Kathmandu was a bit of a nightmare. There are no announcements for flights and we had to stand at the one boarding door and check every flight which departed, all were delayed. Pokara airport was fine.

A short visit to Nepal - 5 night 6 days.<BR> <BR> Kathmandu<BR> Thamel is the tourist area where you can find everything you want in a very reasonable price. Bargaining should be made at 30-40%. Pashmina is a hot item to buy but need to spend some time comparing at least 3 shops for the good quality with reasonable price then you should buy all pashmina you need in one shop so that you can have a good price for buying more. Good pashmina should be delicate and soft to touch. 100% high quality pashmina shawl I bought around 1600rp but 100% low quality one around 1100rp.<BR> <BR> For food, I highly recommend Thamel House Restaurent in Thamel area. Very good nepali food, reasonable price, very good atmosphere with a nepali decoration in a beautiful wooden house. Must try potatoes fries w/ spice, Wild boar, and butter rice.<BR> <BR> However, the air here is not very clean because of the traffic. But don''t worry about the pickpockets because I think people here are nice and do not steal. (However, they will talk to you til you buy something). Watch out for the car too because the street is very narrow and it''s a 2 way lane.<BR> <BR> Pokara<BR> If you want to go to Pokara. I recommend you take a plane. I took a bus last time. Despite the beautiful scenary, the road is so bad that I had a car sick and traffic is horrible too. Pokara is another tourist attraction. Many small shops like in Thamel. You should go to the Devies Fall, row a boat in the lake, take a sunbath (can be done in the restaurant near the lake), and watch the sunrise. It is also a good place for treking but I didn''t because I only have short vacation.<BR> <BR> Overall, Nepal is a very nice country with nice people, beautiful culture and mountain scenary. Just find yourself a ticket and don''t worry about the cost of living there.