Himalayan Holidays Nepal

Prior to embarking on a trek it is best to have a medical check-up especially if you are in any doubt about your health. Certain chronic heart and respiratory complaints may be aggravated by physical exertion at high altitude so inform your doctor of your intentions and the altitude to be reached.

Mountain or Altitude Sickness normally manifests itself at altitudes in excess of 11,000ft and respects no one. A young fit sportsperson may suffer when the other older less fit member of the party may not. The simple answer is to take things at a leisurely pace in the mountains, for trekking is not a forced route march and with adherence to this basic rule, altitude sickness should not be a problem. In addition to being physically fit, trekkers should also be prepared to adopt a mental flexibility during the trip, Nepal is beautiful country with delightful friendly people but a developing country nevertheless and a world apart from home. One must adapt accordingly when traveling through a region with different cultures, customs and values.

For all but the most strenuous routes, walking is the best training for trekking. Do as much as you can in the weeks prior to your trek. If you are a regular hill walker or a rambler you can cope with almost any trek in the Nepal Himalaya. Trekking is not a tough machismoistic exercise, but a slightly strenuous walk through some of the world’s most magnificent mountain scenery. If you are reasonably fit and healthy you will enjoy it all the more. In addition to regular walking, exercise such as swimming, cycling or squash will assist a fitness programme. However, for long treks at high altitude you cannot be fit enough and we advise a serious training programme.High altitude treks such as Everest Base Camp are quite safe provided that you are physically fit and prepared for walking. Treks that follow trails to the mountains and merely require walking not climbing. Going too fast is a certain recipe for trouble and this is why our expert Sherpa sirdars gauge the pace of the trek according to the physical abilities of its individual participants.

Blistered feet, coughs, colds and minor stomach upsets are the most common troubles on a trek in Nepal. If your feet feel sore, sit down at once ad apply a moleskin or fabric Elastoplast. Do not delay or a blister will form and cripple you for days. We cannot emphasize too strongly the need for comfortable well-fitting training type shoes on low altitude treks and well-broken in boots for those higher altitudes. Look after your feet!

Sore throat must be guarded against since they are most common and can often lead to long lasting colds and coughs. Ensure that you keep warm especially in the evenings and early mornings. Do not on any account drink water that is not boiled for you first by your trek Sherpas. However clean and clear a mountain stream looks do not drink it. Bring a supply of purification tablets or iodine crystal solution as an extra precaution if you like. Given sufficient time these will sterilize possibly contaminated water. To make it more palatable orange-flavored tables such as Redoxon (available for chemist) are a good idea.

You must anticipate your daily clothing requirements at the beginning of each day and your Sherpa leader or sirdar will assist you in the choice. Mornings and late afternoons are cool in the mountains, so you will start the day’s walk warmly clad and proceed to shed clothes as the sun’s heat increases. For example, you may shirt the day in trousers and pullover but by the midday be comfortable in shorts and a light shirt. This is where the day pack comes in handy.

Hiking boots or shoes, can be lightweight but preferably with some ankle support. Training type shoes. Flip-flops or river sandals for use around camp, bathing or washing.

Your day pack. A small light rucksack will do and it must be comfortable, as you will be carrying it throughout the day. Fully packed it should weigh only 5 to 7 pounds and it will hold your warm or lightweight clothing (according to the time of the day), jacket, pullover, lightweight trousers or shorts. Also a lightweight waterproof, water bottle, camera, notebook, map and other personal effects. Keep your daypack light or else misery will result! Try to anticipate all your day time needs when packing your day pack in the morning as the rest of your luggage will be ahead or behind you on the trail carried by the porters.

Following accessories would be helpful:

Personal first aid kit (should be reasonably comprehensive)
Repair kit (needle and thread, shoe repair, glue, small scissors etc)
Swim suit
Note book, pens, pencils
Camera, spare film, binoculars (optional but recommended)
Normal torch/flashlight plus head torch and spare batteries
Reading material, playing cards, games

Rafting is a recreational activity where one sits in an inflatable raft and paddle down the river. In whitewater rafting there are many rapids – whitewater in the river and the major excitement is created by these whitewater. Rafters have to navigate through these whitewater or rapids, which makes the whole rafting full of adventure and excitement. In a country like Nepal, where there is a very varied topography, wide range of bio-diversity and as the rivers traverse their ways through various topography, whitewater rafting is one of the best ways to explore the country getting a pure sense of nature, adventure and culture.

The best time for whitewater rafting are from October to early December (Fall) and from mid February to mid May (Spring). During October the rapids are high, exciting, the water is warm and one can expect a warm day perfect for an adrenaline rush with warm weather. During spring season the rapids lower down being technical and less pushy. In Monsoon season too, few rivers are run, very famous amongst all for a Monsoon blast is Trishuli River, when river grows huge with challenging and high rapids that makes the rafting an unforgettable experience.

Whitewater rafting and Kayaking both are safe adventurous trips. All trips are guided by whitewater experts and kayakers for safety purpose or any incident that may occur in the river. The guides are well-trained professionals who are not only skilled paddlers but are well-trained first aid experts too. Kayaking is also guided by experts. However, we do not recommend a beginner kayaker to kayak on big rivers on his/her own as you might not be familiar of the rapids and there might be some technical requirement. Only expert kayakers are recommended to go for kayaking on big rivers and beginners can always experience in small rivers with well-trained experts.

Swimming skill is not a compulsion for paddlers as the lifejacket will keep one afloat in the river when a boat flips or if you flip out of the raft. However, it can be a plus point to add more excitement to your whitewater journey as in rivers like Trishuli, Kali Gandaki and Sunkoshi, we reach some flat sections where one can swim and enjoy the trip.

A jungle safari is basically a trip to the jungle that includes various activities like staying inside the jungle in a camp or a lodge then exploring the jungle and habitats of wild animals on elephant back, jeep, boat or on foot.

Royal Chitwan National Park, Royal Bardia National Park, Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve are the best jungles in Nepal for jungle safari. More or less, the activities are similar, however, Royal Bardia National Park remains relatively unexplored compared to Royal Chitwan National Park. And also, Chitwan offers variety of lodges and guests houses inside and outside the National Park and in Bardia there is a very limited choice for the guests. Royal Chitwan National Park has been ranked in 10th position by iExplore for the best Jungle safari in the world

Royal Chitwan National Park is approximately 160km from Kathmandu.

You can either drive from Kathmandu to Meghauli, which takes approximately six hours and from Meghauli to National Park/Tiger Tops you have to drive for an hour. Or, you can fly from Kathmandu to Meghauli or fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur, which is a 30minutes flight and then drive from the airport to the national park for an hour. An exciting option is to travel to the National Park via a leisurely two day rafting trip on Trishuli River. The first day is thrilling introduction to whitewater followed by a day of scenic floating through gorges and the middle hills before dropping on to the Terai plains.

Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge and Tiger Tops Tented camp are located in the heart of Royal Chitwan National Park, 75 air miles south west of Kathmandu, at an elevation of 465 feet above sea level.

Mentioned below is the best time for your visits
Chitwan: Spring – February till end of April and Fall – Mid September till mid December
Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge: From September to early June
Tiger Tops Tented Camp: From October to April
Tharu Safari lodge: Year round

Royal Bardia National Park is located 576km west of Kathmandu. The park covers an area of 968sq. km – the most undisturbed and largest wilderness area of the Terai plains of Nepal that is relatively unexplored

One can visit Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge and Tented Camp in the following months:
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge: All year round, depending on the monsoon.
Tiger Tops Karnali Tented Camp: From October through April.

Basically Terai plains of Nepal possess tropical and subtropical climate. However, it varies as follows during different seasons or months:

Mid to late September: This is a post monsoon time with warm days and the average temperature reaches 20?C or 70?F.
October to January: As during this time of year, its winter in Nepal, nights are cold with 5 C or 42 F temperature and days are warm with 20?C or 70?F. During this season, the mountain views are spectacular and is the most popular time to visit Nepal.
February to April: This is the spring season that brings in warm weather with cool evenings. There are numerous spring flowers and wildlife viewing is excellent. This is the best time for bird watching as there is some overlap of winter and summer migrants. May to June: These are the hot summer days with an average temperature of 30?C to 40?C or 100?F but wildlife viewing remains good and orchids are in bloom.
June to August: This is the monsoon season with hot and humid days, temperature ranges from 30?C to 40?C or 100?F. Though the accessibility becomes a little tedious, monsoon still offers plenty of opportunity to enjoy the lush green jungles

Comfortable Safari clothes and shoes made for easy walking are recommended. Jungle colors such as beige, brown, khaki and green are least disturbing to the environment and therefore most appropriate. For visits during March to early October, light summer clothing is needed and raingear is useful. During November to February, sweaters and warm jackets are required for mornings and evenings

We recommend you to travel light and carry following accessories with you. Binoculars add greatly to your enjoyment of wildlife viewing. Personal medical requirements, insect repellent, sunscreen, hats, caps and sunglasses.
We also sell insect repellents at the lodge and camps just in case you forget to pack one. We recommend not to use fragrance or deodorants or talcum as this might attract insects

One can visit Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge and Tented Camp in the following months:
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge: All year round, depending on the monsoon.
Tiger Tops Karnali Tented Camp: From October through April.