Kathmandu
Valley Cultural Trek (3 days trek / total 7 days)
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 Kathmandu Valley is so often said to have a mystical
quality, and on this trek you'll understand why. A
mere half-hour ride away from the centre of town are
villages untouched by the excesses of the modern
world. A few hours' walk and you recede deeper into
villages where the culture, everyday activities and
landscape remain much as they have always been - there
are lovely old temples, some simple and some ornate,
corn and chilli hanging to dry from eaves, old men
sitting in the village squares, women braiding hair,
threshing grain or brewing up some potent aila or
chhang, lush mustard fields and emerald paddy stocks,
silvery rivers and streams glinting in the sunlight
old brick and mud houses with wood accents, old tanks
with orante stone spouts that bring snow melt down to
the Valley sides, children looking wistfully out of
schoolrooms at bright skies and upon rolling hills,
and any of the countless local and Valley-wide
festivals that are always underway or around the
corner. The traditional Newar culture, enriched for
centuries by trade with Tibet and India as well as the
extraordinary fertility of Kathmandu Valley, is rich
and multilayered. There is incredible artistry with
wood, metal and stone in the Hindu, Buddhist and
syncretic temples that dot the landscape and a highly
developed aesthetic sense in simplest arrangement of
villages and the humblest home. Yet, the Valley's
culture is far from monolithic, and woven through the
daily fabric are other ethnic groups and castes such
as Bahuns and Chhetris who add flavour to the mix. In
the villages a little higher up and farther away are
also Tamangs, not quite as Tibetan-influenced as their
cousins in the high Himalaya, but with their own
distinct and discrete mix of traditions and practices.
Also ringing the Valley are dense forests of
everything from bamboo to oak to pine, home to wild
boar and deer. Phulchowki, at 2,760 m the highest
point in the Valley, is home to a few hundred species
of birds and flowers, and orchids and rhododendrons
galore.
|
Day |
Program |
|
Day 01 |
You will be picked up by
our representative from airport and transfer to
the hotel. |
|
Day 02 |
Free day in kathmandu, night at hotel. |
|
Day
03-05 trek as per program given below
; |
|
Day 03 |
On
the bus to the famous Changru Narayan temple, where
are stone pillars dating back to the 4th century. Set
on a hillside above glimmering fields, this complex is
a Kathmandu classic - a pagoda style temple with a
gilded copper roof and elabrately carved wooden
struts, surrounded by smaller shrines and some of the
best of Nepal's celebrated stone statuary. Technically
this is a temple to Vishnu, but Valley Buddhists also
worship here, regarding the deity as a manifestation
of the Buddha. There are great views of the Valley and
the silver threads of its rivers from here, and a
short walk up the saddle takes you to the ridge along
which is the hill resort of Nagarkot (2,190 m). The
view from here of the verdant Valley and its
surroundings is always brilliant, but on a clear day
the panorama stretches from the Annapurnas to Everest. |
|
Day
04 |
A
walk to Dhulikhel (1,585 m) through thick forests and
woodlands, up and down hillsides and across fields,
lovely villages, and little brooks. One especially
charming village is Nala, where there is both a
Buddhist shrine and one to a Hindu goddess. Also along
the way is Banepa, the 14th century capital of
Kathmandu Valley that has in recent years become a
viable home for professionals outside the Kathmandu.
Dhulikhel, has also long been a prominent village,
occupying a key position on the old Nepal-Tibet trade
route. It now retains its wonderful bucolic and
laidback quality with fields, old houses and houses,
and pictureseque winding streets while also being home
to a private university, a medical school and
hospital, and the most progressive municipality in
Nepal. |
|
Day
05 |
In
addition to having very authentically picturesque old
world charm, the typically Newar village of Panauti,
with its authentic old world character, is also a
sacred place, since it is at the confluence of two
rivers. The Indreswar Mahadev temple, dating back to
the 15th century, is supposed to be one of the oldest
standing structures in the Valley. There are other
temples too, brought back to glory through the
international restoration efforts of the 1980s. End
the day with the bus back to Kathmandu. |
|
Day
23 |
Free day
in Kathmandu for shopping.
night at hotel . |
|
Day
24 |
Airport transfer or back
to home. |
For the cost please contact us =tintintrek@wlink.com.np
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Highlights
of the Trek |
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Duration |
: 7
days total |
|
Grade |
:
Moderate |
|
Altitude |
: 2000m |
|
Season |
: All
year except June
and July |
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Type |
:
Camping
? |
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Hotel |
: Non
Star to 5 stars |
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Price |
:
xxxx |
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Discount |
:
xxxx |
|
Valid
till |
:
2009-12-31 |
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Spectular
Views |
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View 1 |
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View 2 |
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