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Biking
through the rural villages at the
valley rim on the back trails with
some ups and down hill tracks, these
day biking trips gives you
sufficient time to immerse in its
peaceful surrounding environment and
make friends with the locals.Our
varied day biking trips within
Kathmandu Valley allows you to enjoy
its hidden pockets rarely frequented
by westerners thus giving you a
chance to see the other back side of
Kathmandu.
Our other biking trips includes City
Tour with a difference biking to the
famed popular historical and
medieval places of Kathmandu,
Bhaktapur and Patan, viewpoint of
Nagarkot and Kakani, the quiet
sleepy town of Sankhu and
Budhanilkantha. a: Back Trails of
Kathmandu (A day tour on the back
road visiting rural areas
Kathmandu-Bungmati-Chapagaon-Kathmandu.
Hot air ballooning in Nepal is
something that many travelers have
written home about. In the five
years since its inception, the sport
has been very popular with tourists
for it affords the most spectacular
view of the Kathmandu valley and the
Himalayan ranges towering in the
background. On a clear day it�s a
superb way to view the Himalayas
(from over 6000 m up), and the view
of the valley is equally
breathtaking.
The huge balloon comes to life in
the morning light, `a sleeping giant
decorated with the all-seeing eyes
of the Buddha�E as it ripples,
stretches, expands and readies
itself for its load of passengers.
The departure is gentle and one
hardly feels the ascent.
The advantage of this ancient and
romantic form of flight is that
there is no whirring or whining of
engines, no dusty Perspex and no
airplane wings to obscure the most
magnificent of views. Like the
agency puts it `even if you do not
climb Mt. Everest, from the perfect
safety and comfort of a wicker
basket�Eou will feel that you have
reached the top of the world in
effortless security�E Cool!
Season
The best time for a hot air balloon
flight is during the months of
October-November and March, although
the season extends from October to
April. The flights take place daily
during the season, and are dependent
on the wind for the direction the
flight will take (Eastward or
westward across the valley). The
landing could be anyplace, mostly in
the terraced paddies that stretch
out across the fringes of the
valley, and usually attracts a large
impromptu gathering of villagers
checking to see what has fallen out
of the sky!
The Trip
The hot air balloon takes off from
Thimi, near the historic town of
Bhaktapur, one of the three
erstwhile principalities of the
Kathmandu valley and in many ways
the most medieval. Bhaktapur has a
collection of some of the finest
Hindu and Buddhist temples, and
ancient villages. From there,
depending on the wind direction, it
takes you on a trip that gives you a
bird�s eye view of historic
Kathmandu and the valley.
Nepal's diverse terrain is a
mountain biker's dream adventure
come true. Mountain biking offers an
environmentally sound way of
exploring this magnificent country,
its landscape and living heritage.
Because this is a Spartan, laborious
mode of travel, it is also
considered the way to travel by the
'purists'.
There are plenty of dirt roads and
trails in Nepal to meet every
mountain biker's wildest fantasy.
Mountain biking is also recommended
if you wish to explore the urban
centers such as Pokhara and
Kathmandu, plus the outskirts.
Imagine, if you will, a ride through
lush green rice fields, through
hamlets, up and down the hillside,
along the river bank, around
temples, past the street roaming
cattle, along the highway, you name
it.
Through snow, monsoon downpour,
wonderful light effects, or fierce
head winds, depending on place and
season. The adventurous souls may
plan extended trips to such exotic
locales as Tibet, Namche Bazaar, and
western Nepal. You could even do the
entire length of Nepal across the
plains. What you can or cannot do on
mountain bike is
limited only by your imagination.
It was in the mid 1980s that Biking
activity really took off in
Kathmandu in the mid 1980s.
Enthusiasts flew with their bikes
from East Asia to Tibet to do a
2-week journey from there over the
passes (17,000-ft) to Nepal. This
landmark event put Nepal squarely in
mountain
biker's map. Thus Kathmandu today is
considered a Mecca for mountain
bicyclists, drawing hundreds of
enthusiasts from all corners of the
world every year.
Costs And Other
The cost of the hour-long flight
(hotel transfers and breakfast at a
Thamel restaurant included) is $ per
person. Each trip has 12 passengers.
The flights are manned by a team,
which includes experts and
much-decorated balloon pilots.
Reservations for a balloon flight
can be made over the phone or
through a travel agent in Kathmandu
(or hotel concierge). They can be
purchased by travelers cheque,
credit card or cash. Tickets must be
purchased a minimum of three days
before the flight and the company
notified about your place of stay.
On the day before the scheduled
flight, the company will inform you
of a pick up time at your hotel when
you must be ready to depart. If a
flight is cancelled due to bad
weather, the ticket is fully
refundable. |
