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10 of the loveliest experiences to have in Nepal

Nepal is best known for trekking and a lot of hard physical work! However there also many non-physically exhausting wonderful experiences that Nepal has to offer. Here are my top ten: 1. Dinner at Krishna Dwarikas Kathmandu Dwarika’s Krishna is most likely the best restaurant in Kathmandu and possibly in Nepal. It is the place to take a visiting dignatory or of course yourself and you can see photos of everyone from Hillary Clinton to Prince Charles to Demi Moore sitting on the floor of the beautifully decorated Krishna enjoying their meal. Krishna is all about traditional Nepalese cuisine and courses. I was there on my own so I chose the bare minimum – the 6 courses. I hope the serving sizes are smaller in the larger course number options as I was VERY full at the end of mine! The highlights were the stir fried eggplant, the amazing breads and the traditional nepali chicken curry. 2. Singing bowl treatment A singing bowl treatment is actually considered a spa treatment in Nepal. The theory is that the reverberations of sound pulsing through your body has a healing/therapeutic effect. I had my treatment at Dwarika’s Dhulikhel where they have a dedicated singing bowl hut! The singing bowl man/expert is based in Kathmandu so he needs to be pre booked. After an explanation of what is going to happen you close your eyes and lie down. He scans your body for blockages which he then uses the singing bowl to release. Now of course I couldn’t actually see what he was doing but it felt like he was massaging me using the bowl – with the bowl ringing. It was actually very pleasant and as promised with the sound and reverberations you have no choice but to be in the moment. After massaging my back and the back of my legs with the bowl we then moved on to me sitting up and having a rather large singing bowl put on my head which was then dinged/rung/thumped – not sure the appropriate verb! I think this would have been quite unpleasant with a hangover but luckily that wasn’t the case and I quite enjoyed it. A singing bowl treatment isn’t something I would do every day but it was an interesting and fun experience. Dwarika’s Kathmandu also offer the singing bowl treatment in their spa. 3. Coffee at the Everest View Hotel Located at 3,880m above sea level the Everest view offers absolutely amazing views of Mount Everest. Indeed it was listed in the Guinness Book of World records in 2004 as the highest placed hotel in the world. It’s lovely outdoor terrace means you can order your coffee and sit and enjoy a spectacular 360 degree view of the Himalayan peaks. You can also eat here and even stay here if you would like. To get here you have two options. The standard/lower cost option is that a visit to the Everest View Hotel is day 3 of the trek to Everest base camp – or you can do the 2 day trek from Lukla and finish up here. However you don’t need to trek to get here. You can also get a private helicopter up here – price on application. You can take a helicopter from Kathmandu (45 minutes) or in peak season there is a helicopter shuttle service from Lukla airport (a less expensive option and you would also then get to fly into Lukla – the world’s scariest airport!). Whilst these are expensive you can of course stay at the hotel and combine this with other activities like visiting Tengboche Monastery. 4. Attend a ceremony at Tengboche Monastery – 3,867m The Tengboche Monastery is located in the town of Khumjung on the Everest Base Camp trail. The monastery is where all Everest expeditions, starting with Sir Edmund Hilary in 1953, stop to light candles and seek the blessings of the gods before climbing the mountain. The afternoon prayer ceremony is held at 4pm and is a lovely experience. It was jam packed when I attended. The monks come in and come out as they like – often exchanging a few words and a laugh before crossing their legs and beginning to chant. It was very moving to sit somewhere where so many amazing climbers had sat in the past. The challenge is getting to Tengboche if you are not doing the Everest base camp trek. It can be done as a day trek from the Everest View Hotel (as above) or can sometimes be included in a Himalaya scenic flight (see 10.). 5. Visit Bhaktapur and have a yogurt Bhaktapur is what I thought Kathmandu would be like – and possibly is what Kathmandu looked like before the earthquake. It is the third of the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley and generally considered to be the best preserved. When there make sure you visit Durbar Square, the Golden Gate, see the 55 window palace and visit Potters Square. Bhaktapur also has the best souvenir shopping I found in Nepal. The stores are well looked after and merchandised and there are many lovely things from Nepalese paper to wooden boxes to pashminas to purchase. And don’t leave without trying its famous yogurt – made from buffalo milk it is sweet and creamy and utterly delicious! Bhaktapur is about 30 minutes from Kathmandu by taxi. 6. Monkey or Swayambhunath Temple, Kathmandu You may have guessed that this temple is home to A LOT of monkeys and you would be correct! It is a large complex and has several entry points. There is of course the main golden stunning temple (don’t forget to only walk in a clockwise direction around it!). There are many shops and restaurants around the temple. There are also many stairways leading to different terraces and smaller stupas waiting to be explored. The temple also offers fantastic views over Kathmandu that are best seen at sunrise. 7. Lunch at The Garden of Dreams Kathmandu is a crazy, dirty, busy, messy, full on city. The Garden of Dreams is its very own oasis. Located not far from the hectic Thamel district the Garden of Dreams is like visiting a different country. Hidden from the rest of Kathmandu by thick walls the garden is lovely with pools and pavilions and benches and a great restaurant for coffee and ice cream or a full meal. You won’t believe you are in Kathmandu. 8. Watch the sunrise and set at Dwarika’s Dhulikhel zero point view Dwarika’s Dhulikhel is a stunning resort/spa about an hour by car from Kathmandu. The resort has an abundance of land and one of the highlights of the property is the amazing 360 views over the Kathmandu valley and of the Himalayas (weather permitting) at the very top. There is a lovely glass building filled with cozy daybeds where tea is served at sunrise and sunset. There is also a terrace above the building where you can experience the views outdoor. It is an amazing way to start or end a day. 9. Breakfast above the clouds at Dhulikhel To complement number 8 (which will require at least one overnight stay) have breakfast above the clouds. Dwarika’s Dhulikhel is located near the top of the Kathmandu Valley. When I stayed there I woke one morning to see that clouds had descended across the valley and were literally all you could see over the valley – it was like being on a plane! I headed down to breakfast where you can see across the valley and enjoyed a delicious breakfast above the clouds! It was such a lovely and special experience. 10. Helicopter ride over the Himalayas This is a don’t miss. Let’s start with some important logistics. I would suggest you look to try to do the ride your first morning in Nepal. (You can do the ride from several parts of Nepal – however obviously it gets more expensive the more remote and Kathmandu or Lukla are the best options). The morning is the best time to go as it tends to be when the weather is clearest in the Himalayas. The reason to check in for your first morning is that there is of course no point doing the flight if you can’t see much and it may take several mornings until the conditions are good enough. Once they are get your camera and your phone ready to go and make sure they are fully charged as you will take A LOT of photos!!!! There are quite a few different companies who run scenic flights and from different locations. You can even get a flight from Kathmandu via Lukla that takes you to Everest Base Camp. You are only able to spend a brief amount of time due to altitude concerns. Check out Tripadvisor and the other usual sources to figure out which will work best with your location and budget. Amanda O’Brien is Owner of The Boutique Adventurer. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

Amanda O’Brien

The Boutique Adventurer was started by Amanda O’Brien in November 2016. Amanda spent over 15 years working for big global companies in marketing. During that time she took every possible day of holidays and managed to visit over 80 countries with her beloved Nikon DSLR in hand. Her blog focuses on luxury adventures in emerging destinations that end with a high thread count on the sheets in the evening. The blog is designed for travellers over 35.

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8 Comments

  1. The Nepalese hospitality is most popular in the world. The guest is regarded as the god “Atithi Devo Bhava”. The friendly nature of Nepalese is always ready to serve the guest. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.

  2. Thanks for your comment Raj – the friendly Nepalese are absolutely wonderful hosts – I do so like your phrase that the guest is regarded as the god?

  3. Thank you for sharing your experience about Nepal. Yoghurt in Bhaktapur is famous in Kathmandu Valley and it is actually called “Ju Ju Dhou Dhou”.

  4. Hi Dilip. Thank you for your comment. What a fantastic name for the yoghurt! I wish I had of known as I would have included something so wonderfully unique in the article!

  5. Hi Amanda,

    Just stumbled upon your experience in Nepal. You experienced things/activities in Nepal that even most of the Nepalese people may not have. Such as coffee at the highest altitude restaurant (Everest View Hotel) and helicopter ride over the Himalayas.

    Your exuberance is refreshing.

    Keep up the good work of sharing your experiences.

    Cheers:)

  6. You had an amazing experience in Nepal. The coffee at Everest View Hotel is the best experience, anyone would ever have in their lifetime.
    Your article was an awesome read. Anyways, keep up on your awesome work.

  7. Bhaktapur is my favorite, I’ve been there several times but still everytime I visit there it gives a somewhat amazing feeling!

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