Trek: Raft: Safari – the complete Nepal package !
In a breadth of a little over 200 kilometers Nepal lies in an altitude ranging from 70m (no typo) to the top of the world. Herein lies portions of the great Gangetic plains, the densest forests, sub-tropical and alpine areas.

This trip combines the best that Nepal has to offer, starting with a glimpse as you come in of the deep understanding between Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal, clearly seen in the heritage tour of Kathmandu Valley.

17 days
GBP 730
Mid August until mid December; Early February until mid May

Background

Trekking is one of the best ways of seeing the real Nepal. This we will do off the scenic town of Pokhara in the Annapurna Circuit. Edmund Hillary described the Jomsom-Muktinath trail in the west of the Annapurna Circuit to be one of the best trips in the world due to its cultural and ecological diversity and the incredibly friendly Nepali people.

After a brief rest in the lake town of Pokhara, we go on to the jungles of Chitwan for an enchanting three days jungle safari to view the one horned rhino and the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger. Sightings of the tiger are very rare but every once in a while it happens. All to do with luck, as the guides will put it.

After flying back to Kathmandu, we take you to a two day rafting trip into one of the best rivers in the world for rafting, the Bhote Koshi, which comes from Tibet on Class IV to V rapids, with an overnight in an enchanting resort called the Bhote Koshi, which is situated just 16 kms from the Tibet border and besides the thundering Bhote Koshi.

The grand finale of the trip will be a mountain flight to see the entire range from Langtang to Everest in a one hour flight close to the Himalayan range.

Interesting extensions would be to include a 2 days canyoning along with the a rafting experience, or a side trip off Chitwan to Lumbini, the birth place of the Buddha.

Guaranteed: You will not easily forget this experience and we are sure you will come back for more!

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to Hotel.
Overnight Hotel in kathmandu
Day 2
After breakfast, get on awaiting vehicles for a one day heritage tour of Kathmandu valley, visiting some of its rich living world heritage sites. Overnight Hotel
Day 3
 Fly Kathmandu – Pokhara and laze around at the lake with an overnight in Pokhara
Day 4
Fly Pokhara – Jomsom and trek to Kagbeni. An early morning flight takes you to Jomsom from where we do a short two to three hours trek to Kagbeni, which borders the hidden upper Mustang
Day 5
Kagbeni – Muktinath – 2.5 hours 3802m. This is the highest point of this trek where is situated a very important temple for Hindus and Buddhists called Muktinath (salvation place). A very interesting blend of Hinduism and Buddhism can be seen in this temple
Day 6
Muktinath – Marpha. Trek down to the apple village on this trek, Marpha, a beautiful village with close houses with a stone paves street besides the Kali Gandaki River.
Day 7
Marpha – Ghasa. We will be steadily coming lower in altitude as we trek to Ghasa still following the river of the Kali Gandaki Valley.
Day 8
Ghasa – Tatopani. You will be surprised why bathing suits are recommended on treks, but Tatopani (hot water) has hot springs and no one can deny the healing effect it has on much walked aching muscles
Day 9
Tatopani – Beni. A four to five hours trek will bring us back to the road head at Beni, where we rest the night.
Day 10
Pokhara. We climb on awaiting vehicles to get to Pokhara and rest by the lake for the entire day and night
Day 11
Early morning drive to Chitwan for the Jungle Safari. Transfer to Chitwan for a three day trip in the Jungle. The day starts with a briefing by the naturalist on the activities followed by cultural performances and a sumptuous meal
Day 12
This the main day in Chitwan when all activities including the jungle walk, the elephant ride and the canoeing is fitted in.
Day 13
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for a flight back to Kathmandu. Rest of day is free in Kathmandu to rest and leisure
Day 14
Early morning transfer to the Bhote Koshi with Nepals top rafting agency for a three hour practice on the lower section of the Bhote Koshi which has III and III+ rapids. After that we transfer you to the resort just near the Tibet border for the evening
Day 15
This is the big rafting day as we put in just at the resort and start our descent through rapid after rapid for about 4 hours. After the take out, we take all the exhausted souls back to Kathmandu for a night rest at the hotel
Day 16
Early morning mountain flight to see the Himalayan splendour and wrap up the trip. Rest of day free to shopping and leisure
Day 17
Transfer to Airport for onward journey

This type of Holiday

We are a Nepali company and travel through this company makes a direct impact in the economy of Nepal. socialtours.com also tries to maximise its contribution to the local economy by hiring local guides and porters for these trips and staying in smaller lodges to spread the income.

The company does not vertically integrate and sub-contracts all support activities like transportation, lodging etc. so that the money gets spread in the economy. It conserves on paper minimising paperwork in the office and by giving out electronic brochures. When required, brochures are printed on both sides of the paper and are in a folder format so that only relevant inserts need be given.

We have also put in place a development support system whereby 10% of its profits go to charities like the Joy Foundation Nepal who conduct free cataract eye camps in rural areas of Nepal and Antardristi Nepal, which is developing a fund to start a incest and rape care centre for minors. 10% of the company's profits also goes directly into employee benefits.

In the field, guides, porters and clients are all oriented in responsible travel. A zero litter policy is in place so that it minimises wastage in the region. socialtours.com also only takes out very small groups with a maximum of twelve participants per group. All trips also focus on culture.

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