Nepal for Teenager Itinerary 20 days

                                                                     

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu airport (1345meters)
Our airport representative will be receiving you at Tribhuvan International airport, Kathmandu . Look for a signboard with your name outside the airport terminal. You will be then transferred to your respective hotel in our private tourist vehicle. Rest of the day at leisure. In the evening , an introductory dinner with our tour manager and SWAN Program Manager will be organized for us.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 02: Pre-trip meeting and Sightseeing around Kathmandu Valley
In the morning, we host a pre-trip meeting at your hotel in Kathmandu and introduce your Tour leader/guide. Please seek this opportunity to ask questions about your trek.  For the meeting, please make sure you bring passport, three copies of passport-size photos, and a readable copy of your travel insurance policy. After the meeting, your sightseeing trip will start. You will have a private vehicle and a professional tour guide at your disposal.

We visit BoudhanathStupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks praying  in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. After BoudhanathStupa we visit Pashupatinath, the most famous Hindu temple in the country, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Here we see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. We will also visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a collection of pagoda and shikhara – style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The attraction of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is The Lion gate, The Golden gate, The Palace of fifty five windows, Art Galleries, The Statue of King BhupatindraMalla. The rest of our time in Kathmandu is free for further exploration and some last-minute shopping in Thamel area near by your hotel. Overnight at hotel

Day 03: Drive to Pokhara (900m) by Tourist bus - 7 hrs

Our trekking guide will pick us up at the hotel at 6:30am and escort you to the bus station. The bus to Pokhara leaves at around 7:30am. A beautiful valley set on the banks of the Phewa Lake, Pokhara is also known for its panoramic views of Annapurna, Machapuchare (shape of fish tail) in the north, Dhaulagiri in the west, LamjungHimal and Manaslu in the east. It is smaller and much less hectic than Kathmandu, hence providing the perfect starting point for the adventure. In the evening we will meet our Mountain Biking Guide for briefing. Overnight at hotel

Day 04: Pokhara – on Mountain Bikes

Trip to Peace Stupa

Around Pokhara valley bike tour can be considered as the voyage of natural wonders and complete excitement. Pokhara mountain bike riding tour is sure to make your cycling passion more deep with its natural panoramic beauties.

After breakfast, we meet our guide and start our Biking tour from Lakeside to world Peace Stupa via Pumdi. Today’s trip confine natural beauty, awe-inspiring mountain sight, charming villages, smoothly undulating chains of hills with terraced fields of rice, subtropical forests and the unique outline of the Himalayas and offers a place of remarkable natural beauty, wonderful views of the fishtailed summit of Machhapuchhare and Annapurna and the beautiful placid lakes.

Biking level: intermediate 

Biking hour: 3 to 3.5 hours including rest and drinks time.

Distance: 28 to 32 Km

Start Elevation: 808 M

Max Elevation: 1335 M

Gained: 551 M

Ride back to Hotel.

Day 05: Bike to Sarangkot (1585)

We  ridepartly thorugh the old Pokhara bazar. Pokhara is the centre of the Western DevelopmentRegion and traditional trading Centre in the shadow of the Annapurna Massif.We pass across the hills through woods and traditional Gurung village and pleasant ride up to Sarangkot at an elevation of 1585m, and most popular short excursion from Pokhara. This day ride will offer us a captivating glimpes of rural life and the magnificent view of Annapurna range and the Pokhara valley itself.

Biking level/difficulties: Intermediate

Biking hours:2 to 3 hours

Start Elevation: 800 M

Max Elevation: 1587 m

Overnight at Local guest house in Sarangkot 

Day 06: Sarangkot-  Kusma Bazaar

Sunrise Visit to Sarangkot
We raise early in the morning to see the first rays of Sunlightkissing the High Haimalayan peaks that are above 8000mts. We take short hike up to the Sarangkot View Point from where the view is just superb and magical mountains views of  Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri, Fishtail including views of the beautiful the Pokhara Valley and Phewa lake. We will return back to the hotel for breakfast. After our leisurely breakfast we have a long day ride along the Pokhara – Baglung highway through the Nepal rolling hills. Just before Kusma, the view of Machhapuchhare (6997m), the Fish tail’ mountain (from machha, ‘fish’, and puchhare, ‘tail’) is excellent from Naudanda pass, except that from this angle it looks more like the Matterhorn than a fish tail. To see Machhapuchhare in its pro per perspective you must wait until you get to Narayansthan.

We arrive Kusma late in the afternoon and end our Mountain Bike Journey here. Check in to local guest house for overnight Stay. Overnight Local guest house

Biking hours: 3 to 4hours

Distance: 55 KM

Difficulties/biking level: intermediate (mostly down Hill)

Start Elevation: 1550 M

Finish Elevation: 890 M

Overnight in Kusma.(Breakfast  Included)

Day 07: Trek –NarayansthanVDC

After organizing our gear and meeting the local porters, we make our descent to the Kaligandaki, one of Nepal's holy rivers. From here we can enjoy expansive views of the Annapurna and Dhaulaghiri ranges. Now, the trekking  adventure begins! We cross the river over the suspension bridge, then follow the walking trail to the valley floor. Stop for a hot picnic lunch in the open meadow. A dip in Kaligandakiriver is very refreshing and then we make the 400m ascent to the picturesque village of Narayansthan (1000m) on the plateau. We set up a camp here in a pine forest. The rim of the plateau has steep rocky slopes and, often escarpments. Watching from here the changing hues of the verdant Valley below is an enthralling experience indeed. Overnight at Tented Camp 

Day 8-13: Narayansthan (1000m)

Discover Narayansthan village development committee

For the next 5days we take time to explore the village, meet the local people, and get an insider's perspective on the culture. We drink tea with local families in their homes, to learn more about their way of life and exchange cultural experiences. We visit several projects run by SWAN (www.swannepal.org), a local development charity. Projects include local schools, including one for blind children; women's farming collectives; and local healthcare centre. During harvest time one can join the local farmers working in their fields. One of the last evenings we go out for a traditional farewell dinner at ‘Aama’s Farmhouse’ and join the community for a local folk cultural programme.

Under SWAN volunteer Program, we will be given volunteer assignments to carry out the task by participating in SWAN project activities. Depending up on the availability and the individual interest job and responsibilities for volunteer services will be given to each participant. SWAN program manager will coordinate with the local field project coordinators, and a pre-introductory program will be organised to make us familiar with local institutions where we will be delivering our volunteer services.Offering volunteer services will certainly help us to expand our services to the community. Wewill be directly contributing to improve the lives of deprived people of rural Nepal as well as gaining self-satisfaction and experience of living in Nepal.

You can offer your time as:

• Teacher (e.g. English language, computer, sports, art, music, etc.)
• Health worker
• Translation
• Website Projects
• Database Development
• Kindergarten Care taker

Free Time Acitivities:

• Play football /Valley ball with locals Youth Group
• Day hike to Bhairamsthan Temple and Mulabari Mountain View Point
• Fishing & Swimming in Kaligandaki
• Helping locals in their gardens & Farms

Overnight at Tented Camp

Day 14: Return Journey to Pokhara

Today after early breakfast trek downhill to Kaligandaki valley. We  will end our trek in Nayapool. After saying good bye to our camping team we drive for our return Journey to Pokhara, one of the most popular tourist spots in Nepal, due to its situation on the Fewa lake, beneath the Annapurna and  Fishtail Mountains. We arrivePokhara lake side before lunch. Rooms are booked, showers are hot, and a load of laundry wouldn’t be out of order.

After lunch, we host a Himalayan Rafting pre-trip meeting at our hotel in Pokharaand get introduced to  our river guides. We seek this opportunity to ask questions about our Himalayan white water rafting adventure.

We celebrate our Volunteer ship time in Narayasthan with a few cold beers at the hotel in the evening.

Overnight at hotel

SETI KHOLA RAFTING ADVENTURE: 2NIGHTS & 3 DAYS

Himalayan rafting simply means team work and camaraderie in an idyllic wilderness setting…in a word, the Seti River.  Its waters flow through technical chutes and channels allowing our skills as paddlers to grow.  The rapids are grade II and III – big waves, challenging holes and narrow runs all ‘wetting& fun poor’ your appetite for more!

The beauty of The Seti extends beyond its warmish sparkling waters.  The SetiKhola is in an isolated gorge surrounded by luscious jungle.  You can spot abundant wildlife along the river banks including monkeys, deer and a wide array of birds and butterflies.  Several villages are nestled neatly into the face of the gorge allowing us to stop for a village walk along the way.

Mid-day on the 3rd day is the take-out point downstream of where The Seti has joined the Trisuli.  From here it’s less than an hour to Chitwan National Park.

Departures: -  Pokhara, 

Duration: -2 nights 3 days, 

River Distance: - 45kms, 

Class: -  II-III, 

River starting Point:-Damauli pull, 

Night Camp: -  SharangGhat, 

Ending Point: -  GaiGhat, /Naranaghat

Includes: all meals, snacks and beverages; camping and rafting gear, transport to and from the river; highly qualified professional guideservices.

Day 15: Himalayan Rafting Adventure Begins – Day One

After our early breakfast we drive about hours to Damauli  our  ‘put-in’ point.  Upon arrival, our Rafting guide will perform Safety drill demonstration. A cold picknich lunch will be servied in the beach. Right after lunch we will hit the river and off we are floating in one the finest rivers in Nepal. We will raft for maximum 3hours or less before we arrive our camp site. Our river guide will teach us boating skills on easy whitewater section of the rivers.

Upon arrival we help the rafting team set up riverside camp.

Day 16: The white water adventure day Two

Around eight o’ Clock in the morning , wake-up call service with tea and coffee. After breakfast in the nice sunny beach we set off again for the adventure. Before that we help the team taking down & pack up the tents and our personal gears. Today will be our exciting day as we will be facing grade II AND III rapids and can be wild at some places. After lunch as we approach more south we experience stunning scenery, tropical wilderness. As the river gets bit calm we drift and swimm from rafts. What a fun filled adventure!!

We will celebrate the evening with camp fire and marshmallows. So, do not forget to pack enough marshmallows before you leave for Nepal.

Day 17: The white water adventure day Three

End Rafting –Drive to Chitwon

Today, before be end out trip, we encounter  few best grade III rapids. Seti River will then confluence with Trisuliriver and reach ‘take-out’ point at Ghaighat. Rafting Expedition ends here. We will have a last lunch with the rafting crew. After packing up our gear walk up to the highway where our bus waits us to drive to Chitwon National Park.

Chitwon National Park comprises 1000 sq.km of sal and riverine jungle and magnificent environment with a great variety of wildlife than any other area of Nepal. Over 480 species of birds have been recorded here and we can expect to see nearly one third of these, as well as many mammals and reptiles. These are likely to include the endangered Great One Horned Rhinoceros, wild boar, sambar, muntjc, spotted and hog deers, rhesus and hanuman monkeys, and possibly marsh muggar and fish eating gharial crocodiles. Tiger, leopard, sloth bears, and gaur (wild bison) are all common and regularly seen by the lucky ones! For the first two nights in Chitwon we shall be staying in comfortable Wildlife Lodge

Overnight at Hotel

Day 18: Chitwon

Heart of the Jungle

We spend a full day based at the wildlife lodge, from where we can explore the surrounding jungle and grassland in search of rhinos, tigers and other big game. We take an elephant-back ride through the forest and then go bird-watching on foot and shall explore the rivers by dug-out canoe. This will be a day full of encounters with Nepal's most impressive fauna.

Overnight at Hotel.

Day 19: Chitwon – Kathmandu

Return to Katmandu 

The day starts with an early morning walk or elephant ride – your choice. We then head back to the lodge where the car is waiting to take back to Katmamndu. We spend our final day enjoying Kathmandu by shopping, eating, wandering the streets – whatever takes your fancy. Thamel has plenty of entertainment for tourists. In the evening we head out for our last farewell dinner at one of Kathmandu's excellent restaurants, then it's time to say our sad goodbyes.

Day 20: Final Departure

Transfer to airport to connect scheduled service flight back to Europe.

NAMASTE & SEE YOU IN THE HIMALAYA!!

NOTE: During the trip; weather, local politics, transport or a multitude of other factors that are beyond our control can result in a change of itinerary. It is, however, very unlikely that the itinerary would be substantially altered; if alterations are necessary the leader will decide what is the best alternative, taking into consideration the best interests of the whole group. Where a change does occur, we do everything we can to minimize its effect, but we cannot be responsible for the results of changes or delays.

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Important Note
Transportation in the region may not always be reliable because even the 4WD vehicles, stranded trucks and buses, car accidents, heavy rain and landslides may ground all vehicles for hours on end. You must always be prepared to trek to the destination (accompanied by our staff guides) during such unforeseen circumstances. In an event that the vehicle cannot take you to the final destination, there will be no refund of the transportation cost incurred because the above will already be accounted for in advance. If trekking is necessary, you can be assured that the route trails through the most pristine and traditional villages, exposing you to the traditional Nepalese culture and lifestyle up-close. Annapurna and the Dhaulagiri mountain ranges as well as parts of the Manasulu range are visible from the path, and will make the trek well worth it.

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Culture Shock
The lifestyle and way of the people in these small villages are authentic displays of traditional culture in Nepal, with very little influence of westernization unlike the cities. Because of this, Volunteers should be aware that they may experience a little culture shock on their arrival.

• Villagers speak louder and more aggressively than volunteers may be used to, although this is simply normal conversation.
• Physical disciplining (such as hitting and using the strap) are common and old practice in Government schools, and although the Government is working on phasing this out, it will take some time.
• Some traditional cultural practices involved animal cruelty. Animals are sacrificed in traditional Hindu festivals and in other cultural activities such as visits to the witch doctor.
• Many people in the village smoke cigarettes.
• Hygiene levels are often much lower in the villages, as local people have a much higher capacity for infection. It is helpful for volunteers to be aware of this when interacting with children and accepting food from villagers, so that they may reduce chances of getting sick.