Buddhist Festivals in Nepal

by VisitNepal.com Editor

The culture of Nepal is synonymous with its festivals. Myriads of festivals pertaining to different ethnic groups and religions are celebrated throughout the year. Nepal government, in the recent times, has declared national holidays for the chief festivals of major and minor tribal groups of the country, which once was the privilege of those who celebrated Dashain, Tihar and other petty ‘exclusively’ Hindu observations.

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A Short Introduction to Air Transport of Nepal

by VisitNepal.com Editor

The air transport service in Nepal began with the establishment of Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) in 1949, just two years before advent of democracy in the country. Since then more than 40 airports have been founded all over Nepal, though TIA is still the sole international airport here. As major portion of the road network of this recently declared federal republic is still in the primitive and insufficient state, air strips provide a comparatively safer and reliable, although bit expensive, mode of transportation. Those who can spend a little prefer short, cozy and secure journey to the whole-day long bumpy ride on poorly-maintained highways. The gateways to the chief tourist attractions in Nepal like Lukla, Johmsom , Dolpa, Pokhara had airdromes before they were linked into the road network. The remote tourist district of Solu Khumbu alone, which seats the Mount Everest, consists of 4 airports!

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Altitude Sickness – A Likely Yet Avoidable Trekking Complication

by VisitNepal.com Editor

The excitement, thrill and beauty of trekking in Nepal are directly proportional to elevation. This is because as you ascend higher the nature starts to reveal her latent magnificence, relatively honest and candid natives are encountered and many forms of pollution start to almost disappear. However, there is a dark side of trekking at higher altitude, usually ignored, which has even claimed the lives of trekkers. The culprit is known by “Altitude Sickness” which is to a great extent preventable and also curable if proper measures are taken as soon as the symptoms are noticed. Every trekker traveling above 8000 ft. should be aware of the symptoms of the illness due to altitude.

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Put Down Weight While Walking Up in Nepal

by VisitNepal.com Editor

In today’s hectic and synthetic world, many people are suffering from obesity that eventually leads to physical diseases, stress and discomfort, apart from the unimpressive look. The ones wishing to get rid of a few pounds are spending thousands of dollars and even resorting to the unhealthy measures that are advertised in the popular media. While only a few are benefiting from such unnatural applications, 2-3 weeks trek along with the observation of finest views, sundry culture and a superfluity of tourists may be considered as a good alternative. The mountains of Nepal welcome such ‘health-motivated’ tourists in different seasons of a year. For this you need not go on any strict diet-control, sleep less or follow a harsh exercise routine. Instead, you will march few hours along the hills, take enough protein and calories consuming the staple cuisines, have a dreamless and enough slumber and free you from any worries.

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Rafting ventures in Nepal – Paddling down the rapids!

by VisitNepal.com Editor

Nepal although a land-locked country avoided by the marine bodies boasts with an immense resource of water. As only a small percentage of this huge reserve has been utilized purposefully for hydel projects, water-supply or irrigation schemes, a majority of the rivers rove aimlessly. However, a few of them offer the opportunity of white-water exploit to the swashbucklers who enjoy maneuvering their rafts against the rapid of Himalayan streams. According to the Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, a union of the rafting entrepreneurs, 11 rivers in the country are open for rafting expedition. These rivers are categorized according to the international scale of river difficulty, expressed in Roman figure from I to VI, sometimes appended with a + or – to the figure. The grade for each river varies with the season. The rivers in Nepal permitted for the rafting are usually between the grades III and IV. Hence, rafting and kayaking can be enjoyed by the novices also with the help of a river guide.

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Getting a Nepal visa – the first step before you step into Nepal

by VisitNepal.com Editor

Nepal is one of the few countries where visa can be obtained easily and free of hassle. Since tourism is a major income source, the government has maintained its policy of granting visas to the immigrants at any of the entry points to Nepal. The issuance is virtually unconditional, unless your passport is on the verge of expiry, you hail from one of the restricted countries or something fishy is linked with your travel.

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Muktinath – Where Hinduism Meets Buddhism at a Picturesque Himalayan Landscape

by VisitNepal.com Editor

With snow-clad mountain on the background, the beautifully adorned 3-tiered temple of pagoda style may give the impression of a complete Hindu shrine. But, the Buddhist prayer flags fluttering with one side attached to the strings that embroider the shrine will make you reconsider your last opinion. Yes, this is Muktinath- the pilgrimage for the Hindus as well as a sacred place of the Buddhists. The holy abode situated at the base of Thorang-la Pass, one of the favorite places of High altitude trekkers, represents a perfect paradigm of centuries-old understanding between the two religions. The main temple houses the statue of lord Vishnu which is also revered as Aalokitesvara – the deity of compassion by the Buddhists. Apart from the main temple there is a remarkable coexistence of other Hindu temples (Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh) and many prayer wheels and chortens (stupas) in a common religious platform.

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Mindfulness in the lap of Himalaya

by VisitNepal.com Editor

Life can only take place in the present moment. If we lose the present moment, we lose life. ~ Gautama Buddha

Right Mindfulness has been described by the Buddha as one of the seven factors of enlightenment. This can be achieved through insight meditation (popular as ‘mindfulness meditation’ in the west). Unlike the concentrative meditation that leads to short-term bliss or attainment of psychic powers, insight meditation helps the practitioner to attain wisdom and free herself from the worldly suffering. In today’s world we are exposed to a good many things but sadly, not all of them are good enough! These in turn produce incessant thoughts and emotions leading not only to psychological disorders like stress or anxiety, depression and schizophrenia but also somatic diseases like high-blood-pressure, heart-disease etc. The monks, hermits and yogis who undergo a secluded or monastic life are able to guard such thoughts as they are less exposed to the thought-provoking agents. Unfortunately, we cannot live a life like that in today’s busy world and a quick-fix that can help us pause our thoughts for even an hour without side-effects or other costs hasn’t been discovered yet. Insight meditation, nonetheless, is an appropriate answer to the problem which requires/costs nothing but an orientation from a mentor and a commitment to apply what you learnt in daily life. Separate hours/day for meditation is also not compulsory since you can practice this meditation later while walking, eating or even trekking!

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Pokhara – city of lakes and caves

by VisitNepal.com Editor

Pokhara, by its name, means a city of lakes and ponds, as there are numerous beautiful lakes where you can boat and literally drown your sorrows. And these lakes aren’t the only thing to blow your mind in Pokhara.

Pokhara is the second largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu. It is just at a distance of 200 kms from the capital city, and is easily accessible. There are numerous tourist buses, micro buses and local buses that take passengers in and out of Pokhara every day. Just five hours drive from Kathmandu, and you end up in a completely different place, with a completely different landscape and an entirely different feel from the buzzing hubbub of Kathmandu.

Pokhara is the home to numerous lakes and caves, a modern yet welcoming city life and not to mention, a plethora of peaks of the Himalayas. The lakes in Pokhara include Fewa Lake, Begnas Lake, Rupa Lake, Gude Lake, Neurani Lake and Maidi Lake among many others. The peaks than can be closely observed from Pokhara include Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu as these are within 30 miles from the city, and all of these peaks are more than 8,000 meters high. The city is also the gateway for trekking to the Annapurna Circuit. The notable caves here are Bat Cave, Mahendra Cave and Gupteshwor Cave among others.

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Volunteering in Nepal

by VisitNepal.com Editor

Scenery to rival anywhere else on Earth, a breath-taking gamut of culture and ancient tradition, palette-expanding cuisine, a land of adventure and a people of gentle grace await those willing to open their minds to Nepal. Prepare for your senses to be captured forever on a trip not to be forgotten.

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