Traditional Newari City Tour, Kirtipur, Khokana, Bungamati

Bungamati, Khokana and Kirtipur are a day trip tour. These are entirely Newari city which contains Newari culture, tradition and lifestyle. We operate this tour in one day. It begins at 10 am to afternoon 4 pm which would be guided tour. We operate this tour in group, individual and family.

1. Bungamati

After lunch we proceed to Khokana and Bungamati. Khokana and Bungamati are the ancient Newari village (of the 16th century) alike Kirtipur but a visit to Khokana and Bungamati is a bit different to the visit to Kirtipur. The people in Khokana are involved in the traditional oil making which is the main attraction of the village and the people in Bungamati are involved more in traditional wood carving which one can see in the historic places in and around Kathmandu valley. This is the perfect "day hiking" trip
in Kathmandu.

 2. Khokana

After lunch we proceed to Khokana and Bungamati. Khokana and Bungamati are the ancient Newari village (of the 16th century) alike Kirtipur but a visit to Khokana and Bungamati is a bit different to the visit to Kirtipur. The people in Khokana are involved in the traditional oil making which is the main attraction of the village and the people in Bungamati are involved more in traditional wood carving which one can see in the historic places in and around Kathmandu valley. This is the perfect "day hiking" trip
in Kathmandu.

3. Kirtipur city

Kirtipur is a magnificent exception to the usual Newari settlements. Perched on twin hillocks and clinging to the saddle about 5 kms from Kathmandu. Kirtipur has two satellite hamlets to the south, Panga and Nagaon.

The history of the village dates back to the 12th century when it was an outpost of the Patan but later on became a separate kingdom. The kingdom was so strong then it was defeated the Most powerful king of the Nepalese history three times when he tried to unify it with the Nepal. Remains of the fortified walls and part of the original 12 gates can still be seen.

Even though most of the people in the village are the Newar the differences in the culture and the daily ways of life can be seen during the tour as most of the people are farmers and have unique culture and tradition. Beside the village visit there are also some interesting temples such as Bag Bhairav, Chlanchu Vihar etc. Further form Kirtipur the temple of Goddess Dakshinakali is situated which is an important pilgrimage for Nepalese people. A visit to Kirtipur can be combined with the visit to Chovar and Panga as well.

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Bird, Bird Watching, Tour, Nepal Bird Watching Tour, Nepal Birds

Birding and Bird Watching Nepal

Nepal is a bird watcher’s paradise with over 800 species (almost 10% of the world total) of birds. And among them, almost 600 are found in the Kathmandu Valley alone. The surrounding hills offer a varied ecology ranging from primary and secondary forests to rhododendron, oak and pine forests. In addition, the wetlands and open fields inside the Valley make up a diverse habitat for many species of birds.

The most popular bird watching spot is the Phulchoki hill, the highest peak on the Valley rim situated 20 km southeast of Kathmandu, with some 265 species recorded till date. The birds seen here include babblers, warblers, tits, thrushes, minivets, woodpeckers, eagles and many migrant birds. Godavari, at the foot of Phulchoki hill where the Royal Botanical Garden is situated, records over 100 species of birds including the lesser Racket-tailed drongo, Tibetan siskin and the spotted forktail.

The Shivapuri Watershed and Wildlife Reserve (Ph: 977-1-371644), situated 11 km to the north of Kathmandu, is another exciting location. Entrance fee is Rs. 250 for foreign visitors. Nagarjun Royal Forest, also known as Jamacho or Rani Ban, is situated 5 km from Kathmandu on the way to Kakani from Balaju. It delights bird enthusiasts with Blue magpies, kalij pheasants, Bonelli’s eagles, Great Himalayan barbets and other exotic birds. Entrance fee is Rs. 10. Gokarna forest, 7 km to the northeast of Kathmandu, boasts the speckled Mountain thrush, orange-headed ground-thrush, brown wood owl and the white-bellied yuhina among other colorful varieties.

As for the wetlands in the Valley, the banks of the Manohara river on the way to Bhaktapur, and the Bagmati river, which flows into the Valley from Shivapuri hill and out through Chobhar Gorge, are good places for watching waders and waterfowls. Harboring 40 species of birds mostly dependent on wetlands, Taudaha, a lake on the way to Dakshinkali, attracts flocks of migrant birds.

So grab your binoculars and head for the hills. Good roads lead to all these places and guides are also available.

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Dolpo Trek, Dolpo Trekking, Dolpo Camping Treks, Dolpo Trek Nepal,

Dolpo Trek is best known of the many isolated high Himalayan valleys across northern Nepal, Dolpo preserves one of the last remnants of traditional Tibetan culture. Legend says it is  one of the "hidden valleys" created by Guru Rinpoche as a refuge for devout Buddhists in troubled times. Surrounded by high mountains including the Dhaulagiri massif to the south-east and cut off by high passes closed by snow half the year, Dolpo's easiest access is from Tibet, where its people emigrated from perhaps 1.000 years ago.

Upper Dolpo shelters about 5.000 people, whose lives revolve around Buddhism, barley, and yaks; their villages (over 4.260 meters) are among the highest settlements on earth. A large portion of Dolpo has been set aside as Shey - Phoksumdo National Park, at 3.555 square km Nepal's largest. Meant to preserve a complete example of the trans-Himalayan ecosystem, the park shelters blue sheep, Himalayan black bear, leopards, wolves, and the exclusive snow leopard.

At the lake's eastern end is the village of Ringmo, also called Tso. The town's entrance chorten has nine complex Buddhist and Bönpo mandalas painted on its wooden ceiling.
The people are Bhotia and only very distantly related to Tibetans. The Bönpo monastery, Tso Gompa, is two km from the village, set above the lake on forested cliffs with views across to Kanjiroba. The best part of Dolpo lies beyond the lake, along a difficult trail that crosses a high pass into the real Dolpo. Shey Gompa, named after nearby Crystal Mountain, is several days' walk north of the lake.

Detail Itinerary

Day 01 Flight: Kathmandu - Nepalgunj, hotel 
Day 02 Flight : Nepalgunj - Jumla, Trek camp 
Day 03 Jumla to Gothigaon, camp 
Day 04 Gothigaoun to Naphukana, camp 
Day 05 Naphukana to Mauria Lagna crossing - Balasa, 
Day 06 Balasa to Hurikot, camp 
Day 07 Hurikot to Kagmara Phedi, camp 
Day 08 Kagmara Phedi to Kagmara La Crossing - Pungmo, 
Day 09 Pungmo to Phoksumdo Lake, camp 
Day 10 Phoksundo to Pine Trees, camp special permit
Day 11 Pine trees camp to Gand La B. C., C.special permit
Day 12 Gand La to Shey, camp special permit
Day 13 Shey camp to Lagmo Che Phedi, camp special permit
Day 14 Langmo che phedi to Kyung La B. C., camp special permit 
Day 15 Kyung La to Tokkyu, camp special permit
Day 16 Tokkyu to Dho, camp special permit
Day 17 Dho to Tharap Khola Camp 
Day 18 Tharap Khola to Tharap Khola Camp 
Day 19 Tharap Khola to Tarakot, camp 
Day 20 Tarakot to Dunai, camp 
Day 21 Dunai to Juphal, camp 
Day 22 Flight Juphal - Nepalgunj - Kathmandu, hotel 

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