TOP 10 EXPERIENCES IN NEPAL

EVEREST MOUNTAIN FLIGHTS

Mountain Flight by Fixed-Wing Aircraft

An hour-long sightseeing trip by a fixed-wing aircraft is the experience of a lifetime.

Spectacular glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and dizzying gorges glide below as one flies toward Mt Everest to circle around Mt Amadablam, bringing you as close as 10 nautical miles to Mt Everest.

At the end of the trip, passengers receive a Certificate from the captain for having partaken of the Everest view flight.

In case the mountains are not visible due to poor weather conditions, passengers are given the choice of a full refund or flying again the next day.

Mountain Flight by Helicopter

Experience the natural beauty of Nepal and the Himalayas on an Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour.

The easiest way to visit Mount Everest and see the surroundings from a height of more than 16,000 feet (5,000 metres), the Tour is especially for tourists who want to see the most of the area in a short amount of time, and is good for persons in any kind of physical shape.

Your journey begins from Hotel Everest View, Syangboche, located at 12,340 feet (3,761 metres), and will take you closer to Mt. Everest and other spectacular peaks such as Amadablam and Cho Oyu.

Depending on the crowd at the Base Camp, you will land either at the Everest Base Camp or head closer to Kalapatthar for quick photographs.

After, the helicopter will fly you back to Kathmandu via Lukla.

POTTERY CLASS IN BHAKTAPUR

Get your hands dirty and join an exciting pottery class in Bhaktapur, in the heart of Pottery Square.

In the daytime, you can see local families working the traditional way, spinning their wheels to make all sorts of ceramics out of large lumps of clay.

In this inspiring setting, your pottery workshop is organised in one of the dwelling houses, right next to Pottery Square.

Here, you will be taught the principles of making pottery from a master potter and will be involved in every part of the process – from processing the clay to actually spinning the wheel.

Once finished, you will have enough skills to make your own small pot to take home, with memories of your great learning experience.

PATAN CITY HERITAGE TOUR

Go on a Heritage Walk in the Patan Durbar Square – the enchanting centre of Patan’s religious and social life.

Once a mighty kingdom of the Kathmandu Valley, Patan became a melting pot of Hinduism and Buddhism.

It is home to the valley’s finest craftsmen who have preserved ancient art techniques.

Here, see wood and stone carvings, superb metal works, exquisite works of religious art and architecture, pagoda-style roofs, several Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples, palace buildings and courtyards, and many festivals.

The Patan Durbar Square – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – has been acclaimed as one of the finest urban streetscapes in the world.

CEREMONIES AND BLESSINGS

Rinpoche or the Incarnate Lamas have long been offering a variety of blessings and ceremonies for the well-being and benefit of individuals, the community, and all sentient beings.

You could, if you wish, receive the blessings of the Lamas at a monastery.

The Blessings include:

• House/Land Blessing
• Blessing for Children
• Blessing of Children
• Anniversary Blessing
• Pet Blessing

The Ceremonies include:

• Marriage Ceremony
• Long Life Ceremony
• Special Long Life Ceremony
• Tibetan Buddhist Funeral Ceremony

RICKSHAW RIDE THROUGH KATHMANDU

Discover Kathmandu and experience it as a local would as you explore the city on an evening rickshaw ride.

Start the tour from the Kathmandu Durbar Square and pass buzzing bazaars and market squares as you head to the colourful tourist hub Thamel.

Here, you’ll see Nepalese lifestyle, markets, and much more.

Sit back, relax, and be enchanted as you take in views of the sunset, silhouetted temples, and Kathmandu’s lively evening.

HOME VISIT PROGRAM IN BHAKTAPUR

Experience traditional Nepali culture and lifestyle with a local family at their home.

The Home Visit will begin with a Newari Traditional Welcome where you will be offered a pyala of rakshi, a half-cooked omelette, and some fruit.

You will then be given a brief introduction and description on how the Nepalese utilise their house for various purposes, and how they live together in a perfect harmony.

After this you will be given a complete tour of the house.

THARU VILLAGE VISIT IN CHITWAN

Visit the Tharu village near Sauraha (at the edge of the Chitwan National Park), where you are welcomed with great warmth and hospitality.

Interact with the Tharu people, an indigenous ethnic group who have lived in Nepal’s Terai lowlands for centuries and are considered its oldest inhabitants.

A living museum of sorts, the village has mud and clay-built ochre-coloured houses with thatched roofs.

These simple, mostly one-room structures with no chimneys and no windows seemingly have little to hide from the outside world.

During the day, life takes place outside. You may spot an old sewing machine on the porch, pots hanging above the fire, goats wandering around…

OLD TIBETAN THANGKA PAINTING ACADEMY/SCHOOL

Thangka Painting Academy and School in Thamel is where you can find the finest collection of traditional Tibetan, Newari, and Japanese thangkas.

Every thangka (a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton or silk appliqué usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala) is specially sketched, painted, and designed at the Academy, where thousands of students, especially from Nepal’s villages, are trained.

The time and effort involved in completing a single thangka can range from a week to a whole year.

The Academy also offers customised thangkas in both size and design, painted by master artists and framed with the finest silk fabric.

SHAMANISTIC FAITH HEALING PROGRAM

If you are interested in alternative healing practices, you could meet a jhankri (shaman/faith healer).

The ancient healing tradition and spiritual practice of shamanism is rooted in nature, and is a way of life in many parts of Nepal.

Experience a one-night/day Shamanistic Traditional Healing Program at Dhulikhel in Nepal.

The program will include:

• Shamanic Chanting
• Drumming
• Shamanic Incantation
• Shamanic Divination/oracle/omen
• Shamanic Healing/exorcism
• Shamanic Cleansing
• Shamanic planetary energy purification/propitiation of hostile planets intended to appease or pacify inauspicious planetary influences
• Ritual Prayers
• Meditation (Shamanic way)
• Shamanic Dance

CIRCUS KATHMANDU

Visit the Social Project Circus.

Circus Kathmandu was the brainchild of 13 young Nepalese ‘trafficking’ victims. The Circus helped rebuild their self-esteem while lending a purpose to their poverty and stigma-stricken lives.

Circus Kathmandu offers a two-hour interactive workshop for tourist groups wherein there is a display of specialty acts by Circus Kathmandu artists as well as a basic Circus Skills learning session for the group.

This is an opportunity for the participating groups to experience firsthand the world of performing arts in a fun-filled session.