Daman Located
80km southwest of the Kathmandu valley, Daman
(2400m) offers the only inimpeded view of the
entire Himalayan range. Daman is located on the
Tribhuvan Highway between Kathmandu and the town
of Hetauda. There is a view tower fitted with
long range telescopes. It can be reached in four
hours drive from Kathmandu.
Royal Chitwan National
Park
Royal
Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal is one
of the best planned and most intelligently
developed tourist areas in Nepal. Not only does
it offer a wide variety of resorts and lodges,
it is also easy to reach - by road or by air.
Regular flights are scheduled by Royal Nepal
Airlines and other airlines to Meghauli, Simara
and Bharatpur. Many resorts provide coach
service. Local buses offer a choice between a
night ride and a day ride. Royal Chitwan
National Park is the largest forest regions in
Asia teeming with wildlife such as the Bengal
tigers roam the region; one-horned rhinos can be
seen charging through the underbrush, feeding
and even courting. The Rapti River has been
dammed to form a man-made lake called Lamital
where water-birds and marsh mugger peckers and
many other more than 350 species of birds are
found in these forests. There are several
species of deer, sloth bear, leopard, wild boar,
fresh water dolphin, crocodile in this forests..
Elephant grass, five to six feet tall, provides
excellent camouflage for animals. This grass
serves as food for the gaur (a local bison),
rhino and other herbivores. Once a year, local
people are allowed into the park area to cut
grass. The grass is dried, and used to thatch
roofs or stored for food for the domestic
animals during the dry season. Access : Chitwan
is easily accessible from Kathmandu, being well
connected by a national highway to Bharatpur and
Sauraha. There are daily flights to Meghauli
airstrip just outside the park boundry.
Accommodation : Resorts and lodges are available
to suit one's travel budget; with selections
ranging from the most luxurious to those with
simple food and shelter. The program most
includes elephant safaris, jungle walks,
canoeing and a variety of cultural activities in
their programs. On a village tour, you can
observe the culture of the Tharu people. Tharu
dance and song performances are included in most
resort and lodge entertainment. A visit to
Chitwan is a visit filled to the brim with
activities, whether you stay two days or a week.
It is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Pokhara Pokhara,
an enchanting city in the tranquil valley (827
m), is the starting points for many of Nepal's
most popular trekking and rafting destinations.
The serenity of Phewa Lake and the magnificence
of the fish-tail summit of Macchapuchhre (6,977
m) rising behind it create an embience of peace
and magic. The valley surrounding Pokhara is
home to thick forests, gushing rivers, clear
lakes and the world famous views of the
Himalaya. Situated 200 km west of Kathmandu,
Pokhara is connected by air as well as by road
from Kathmandu and Bhairawa, r border town near
India. Pokhara offers magnificent view of
Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machchhapuchhre, Five peaks
of Annapurna and others.
Gorkha
Gorkha is the birth place of King Prithvi
Narayan Shah the Great, the founder of modern
Nepal. Situated on a hill overlooking the snowy
peaks of the Himalayas is a beautiful old palace
known as Gorkha Durbar. There are two attractive
temples of Gorakhnath and Kali inside the palace
precinct. Gorkha can be reached in about six
hours by road from Kathmandu and four hours from
Pokhara. A side trip to Manakamana temple on the
way to Gorkha is very enjoyable and interested.
Muktinath and Jomsom The
famous temple of Lord Muktinath, God of Nirvan,
lies in the district of Mustang and is situated
about 18km northeast of Jomsom at an altitude of
about 3,749m. It is believed that all
miserries/sorrows are relived once you visit
this temple, Mukti means Nirvan and Nath means
God. The main shrine is a pagoda shaped temple
dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Set into the wall
around it are 108 water spouts from which pour
holy water. The temple is situated on a high
mountain range and is visited during fair
weather. There are two ways to go to Muktinath
from Kathmandu. Either take a direct flight from
Kathmandu via Pokhara to Jomsom and hike for a
7-8 hours via Kagbeni or to trek all the way
from Pokhara which takes 7-8 days. This temple
held sacred by Hindus as well as Buddhists. The
Jwala Mai (Goddes of Flame) temple nearby
contains a spring and an eternal flame fed by
natural gas underground. Jomsom is a major
centre in the Annapurna region. There is a world
class accommodation facility as well as other
comfortable tourist lodges in Jomsom from which
one can enjoy remarkable natural beauty.