Those who have been to Nepal/Tibet

Dante09 · 19-11-2009 3:37pm #1

Guys, I dont know a lot about these places but i do know that I really want to go and im just wondering if the following sounds/looks like a good itinerary: (thanks in advance for any comments)

[FONT=&quot]Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu. Arrival in Kathmandu Airport. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Our representative will receive you and transfer to the Hotel. Afternoon is free. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 02: Full day Sightseeing in Kathmandu city.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Morning:Visit Pasupatinath and Boudha Nath. After Lunch: Sightseeing in Syambhu Nath (Monkey Temple) and Kathmandu Durbar Square. Transfer to the Hotel. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 03: Mountain flight and Sightseeing program (Patan-Bhaktapur-Nagarkot) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Early Morning: Transfer to the Airport for Mountain Flight. Fly to the Himalayas for one hour which will give you the opportunity to see all Mountain ranges include Mt. Everest. After breakfast we take you to Patan Durbar Square. Visit the Patan City and Patan Durbar Square and drive to Bhaktapur. After lunch in Bhaktapur, Sightseeing in all major places and drive to Nagarkot (a famous hilltop for Mountain views with sunrise and sunset view). Overngiht in Nagarkot. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 04: Hiking and Sightseeing program (Changunarayan temple and Kathmandu). [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After breakfast: Hike down takes about 3 hours to Changu Narayan Temple, the oldest Shiva temple in the Valley and drive back to Kathmandu. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 05: Drive to Rafting and Chitwan National park.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Early morning after breakfast drive to the rafting starting point in Trisuli River. 3 hours exciting rafting trip and drive to Chitwan National Park. Refreshment upon arrival and lunch will be provided. After brief about the whole program we take you Tharu village. Evening: back to the resort. Dinner will be served with slide-show. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 06: Full day program in Chitwan National park. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Full day provided Jungle activities as per the program (Canoe, Elephant safari, Visit Elephant Breeding Farm and Jungle walk). Evening: back to the resort. Dinner and Tharu Dancing program at night. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 07: Drive to Pokhara.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After tea or coffee you will go for a Bird Watching Tour and after Breakfast Drive to Pokhara takes about 5/6 hours. Transfer to the Hotel. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 08: Full day Sightseeing in Pokhara city.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Early morning: Drive to Sarangkot.Walk for an hour to reach the Sarangkot Tower. Excellent view of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Fishtail and many more mountains are seen from here. Drive back to the hotel. After breakfast: Visit the following places for sightseeing: (a.) Devi's Falls (b.) Gupteswar Cave (c.) Tibetan Refugee Settlement (d.) Seti Gorge (e.) Boating at Fewa Lake. Transfer back to the Hotel. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 09: Fly back to Kathmandu.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After breakfast : transfer to the airport to fly Kathmandu (30 minutes flying) and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon brief about the Tibet tour.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 10: Fly to Lhasa (3650m). Upon arrival at Gonggor Airport, you shall be met by your Tibetan Guide and transfer to Lhasa city (2 hrs drive). Rest of the day free to acclimatize. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 11: Guided Sightseeing Tour of The Potala Palace & Norbulinka, Drepung, Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 12: Guided Sightseeing Tour of The Potala Palace & Norbulinka, Drepung, Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 13: Drive to Gyantse (3650m; 250kms) crossing The Kamba la (4794 M) & Karo La (5010 M) Pass via The Lake Yamdrok - Tso .[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 14: AM: Visit Kumbum Stupa & Phalkor Monastery Drive to Shigatse (3900m; 90 kms)PM: Tour of The Tashilunpo Monastery. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 15: Drive to Xegar (3900m; 244kms) [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 16: Drive over rocky terrain on 4-WD to the village of Dza Rongphu (4920m). [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 17: For a clear, full length panoramic view of The North Face of Mount Everest (8848 m) a 2 hour trek from the lodge at Dza Rongphu is begun early morning to EVEREST BASE CAMP (5090m) then drive to Old Tingri .[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 18: Drive downhill to Nyalam (3750m; 214kms) crossing two spectacular passes - Lalung La Pass (5082 M) & Nyalamu Pass (3800 M). [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 19: Drive downhill to Zhangmu and to The Friendship Bridge (Kodari), where transportation awaits for final journey to Kathmandu (1200m; 123kms).[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Day 20: Final Departure.
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breadmonkey · 19-11-2009 6:47pm

Hi Dante,

I've only been to Nepal.

That itinerary looks fine but probably a bit rushed. There's lots of stuff in there that I didn't get a chance to do so I can't really comment on a lot of the activities. The rafting to Chitwan will be quite uneventful as the river is very gentle. The view from Sarangot is supposed to be sensational. I never went cos it was cloudy:mad:

I would be quite concerned about your Tibet itinerary. Flying to 3,650m from KTM is a serious gain in altitude. Passing over 5,000m passes three days later seems totally insane. I know you'll be driving but what the hell is the contingency if the truck breaks down?! I'd say even that 2 hour trek on day 17 will be very difficult. Maybe I'm being paranoid but personally I forsee a tour group keeling over with AMS.

Dante09 · 19-11-2009 7:05pm

Heya, thanks for your reply.

So in your opinion the Tibet side seems too much in too short a space of time and perhaps a little on the dangerous/risky side?

Oh sorry, just one more question, whats Nepal like in general?

breadmonkey · 19-11-2009 8:13pm

Dante09 wrote: »

Heya, thanks for your reply.

So in your opinion the Tibet side seems too much in too short a space of time and perhaps a little on the dangerous/risky side?

Oh sorry, just one more question, whats Nepal like in general?

Nepal is great. Hardly a day has gone by since I left at the end of Sept 2008 that I haven't thought about going back. I suppose your perception of the country would depend a bit on other places you've visited. What I mean is, I'd been to SE Asia and India before I arrived in Nepal. If you'd never been outside the Western world, you'd probably view the place differently.

Anyway, I haven't been to Tibet so don't know how far away those places are etc. so can't really comment on the itinerary itself. It's really the rapid gains in altitude that I wouldn't be comfortable with. I could only walk at a snail's pace at 5000m even though I'd spent a good 10 days gradually acclimatising and ascending. Maybe contact the tour operator and ask them about this. They may have a prepared spiel so post any response here.

What time of year are you going?

Dante09 · 20-11-2009 12:37am

Thanks for your reply again,
Im going to Beijing in january and hoping to work my way down to singapore by mid April(doing everything with tours), then fly to Kathmandu and do that tour.
Tibet is just north of Nepal, the other side of the Himalayas.
Yeh, I suppose its a good idea to email them and enquire about the the altitudinal adjustments. Im a 22 year old guy and would consider myself to be of average fitness level but I have heard of fairly overweight people (without any disrespect to them) who did the everest base camp trek, so I cant imagine that it would be that hard.
As for the cultural differences, I hope/think, Im prepared for them because:
- I consider myself fairly open-minded
- I grew up in Russia and had to adjust to Irish culture fairly quickly

Do you mind me asking about your experiences in South East Asia and how they compared to those in Nepal??

Do you think Im tackling too much, considering this will be my first time properly travelling and that im going on my own (albeit with tours) ??

Thanks very much for reading and dont feel obliged to reply

breadmonkey · 20-11-2009 2:36am

Tibet is just north of Nepal, the other side of the Himalayas

Lol, I know. What I meant was that I don't know anything about the places in Tibet you'll be visiting!

Yeh, I suppose its a good idea to email them and enquire about the the altitudinal adjustments. Im a 22 year old guy and would consider myself to be of average fitness level but I have heard of fairly overweight people (without any disrespect to them) who did the everest base camp trek, so I cant imagine that it would be that hard.

The problem is not so much that it's very tiring to walk at high altitude (which it is) but that you must be careful of AMS. This can strike anyone regardless of fitness level and can be fatal. That's why it's important to gradually adjust to the altitude. I'm sure the trek in itself is fairly doable, as you say.

Do you mind me asking about your experiences in South East Asia and how they compared to those in Nepal??

I'm not really sure how to answer that tbh. The first Asian country I visited was Thailand and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I'm 23 and have been there twice already. Laos was equally good but I wasn't so keen on Vietnam. I found the people way more friendly in the first two. I don't really recall experiencing a big "culture shock" even though there were often obvious signs of poverty.

Nepal was different because I arrived having just spent two months in India which, although it was an incredible experience in more ways than one, was just too stressful for me and I won't be going back. Nepal was refreshing as it was so much more chilled out. There were far less people around and I found them more relaxed an affable. Nepal is a very poor country but I don't know if it was that different to Laos (haven't been to Cambodia) in this regard. Not sure about that one, maybe someone can give you a better idea.

That's a pretty sh1t answer but I'm too tired to think of anything better!

I spent most of my time there preparing for, doing, and recovering from the Annapurna Circuit so didn't actually get a chance to do a lot of the touristy stuff in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the surrounding areas. Chitwan was brilliant though; you'll enjoy that. I'm not sure what the weather is like in April but I'm pretty sure it's not peak season.

Do you think Im tackling too much, considering this will be my first time properly travelling and that im going on my own (albeit with tours) ??

No, not at all.

Amazotheamazing · 20-11-2009 12:24pm

breadmonkey wrote: »

Lol, I know. What I meant was that I don't know anything about the places in Tibet you'll be visiting!

The problem is not so much that it's very tiring to walk at high altitude (which it is) but that you must be careful of AMS. This can strike anyone regardless of fitness level and can be fatal. That's why it's important to gradually adjust to the altitude. I'm sure the trek in itself is fairly doable, as you say.

I'm not really sure how to answer that tbh. The first Asian country I visited was Thailand and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I'm 23 and have been there twice already. Laos was equally good but I wasn't so keen on Vietnam. I found the people way more friendly in the first two. I don't really recall experiencing a big "culture shock" even though there were often obvious signs of poverty.

Nepal was different because I arrived having just spent two months in India which, although it was an incredible experience in more ways than one, was just too stressful for me and I won't be going back. Nepal was refreshing as it was so much more chilled out. There were far less people around and I found them more relaxed an affable. Nepal is a very poor country but I don't know if it was that different to Laos (haven't been to Cambodia) in this regard. Not sure about that one, maybe someone can give you a better idea.

That's a pretty sh1t answer but I'm too tired to think of anything better!

I spent most of my time there preparing for, doing, and recovering from the Annapurna Circuit so didn't actually get a chance to do a lot of the touristy stuff in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the surrounding areas. Chitwan was brilliant though; you'll enjoy that. I'm not sure what the weather is like in April but I'm pretty sure it's not peak season.

No, not at all.

Hmm, I'm landing in Mumbai on Tuesday, first stop on a trip. Have to stay India is the bit that worries me most, what didn't you enjoy about? The plan is to spend two months between India and Nepal and then on to SE Asia.

Dante09 · 20-11-2009 3:45pm

breadmonkey wrote: »

Lol, I know. What I meant was that I don't know anything about the places in Tibet you'll be visiting!

The problem is not so much that it's very tiring to walk at high altitude (which it is) but that you must be careful of AMS. This can strike anyone regardless of fitness level and can be fatal. That's why it's important to gradually adjust to the altitude. I'm sure the trek in itself is fairly doable, as you say.

I'm not really sure how to answer that tbh. The first Asian country I visited was Thailand and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I'm 23 and have been there twice already. Laos was equally good but I wasn't so keen on Vietnam. I found the people way more friendly in the first two. I don't really recall experiencing a big "culture shock" even though there were often obvious signs of poverty.

Nepal was different because I arrived having just spent two months in India which, although it was an incredible experience in more ways than one, was just too stressful for me and I won't be going back. Nepal was refreshing as it was so much more chilled out. There were far less people around and I found them more relaxed an affable. Nepal is a very poor country but I don't know if it was that different to Laos (haven't been to Cambodia) in this regard. Not sure about that one, maybe someone can give you a better idea.

That's a pretty sh1t answer but I'm too tired to think of anything better!

I spent most of my time there preparing for, doing, and recovering from the Annapurna Circuit so didn't actually get a chance to do a lot of the touristy stuff in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the surrounding areas. Chitwan was brilliant though; you'll enjoy that. I'm not sure what the weather is like in April but I'm pretty sure it's not peak season.

No, not at all.

Thanks a mil

breadmonkey · 25-11-2009 4:59pm

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Hmm, I'm landing in Mumbai on Tuesday, first stop on a trip. Have to stay India is the bit that worries me most, what didn't you enjoy about? The plan is to spend two months between India and Nepal and then on to SE Asia.

Sorry, I totally forgot about this thread.

I found India to be quite tough at times. I had (foolishly) assumed that it would be fairly similar to SE Asia but the reality is that it's completely different. I think that because of the sheer number of people, the culture is quite dog-eat-dog and as a tourist I felt like I could never let my guard down. The outright lying and scamming was just too much. I sometimes felt as if I could trust nobody and couldn't believe a word anyone said. I was on a tight budget but I imagine you could take some of the stress out if you were willing to spend a bit more. I don't really want to get into this too much because I don't want to put you off. If this is your first time in Asia then you'll be well and truly in at the deep end!

...but not to fear. Unlike Delhi, the mother of all hell holes, I actually really enjoyed Mumbai and the South of India has a reputation for being more shanti in general. I really enjoyed the time I spent in Kerala as well. Dunno what sort of itinerary you have in mind but I would definitely give Nepal a month, leaving one month for India. While there, I'd spend a couple of days in Mumbai before heading south to Goa and Kerala. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to go to Chennai to fly to Kathmandu (via Delhi). Getting there is easy though thanks to the fantastic transport infrastructure (probably India's biggest plus for me).

EDIT: Just noticed that you left yesterday! Nepal in December will be great for trekking. Not many tourists around and crystal clear views. It will, however, be very very cold at the higher altitudes. Enjoy, and apologies again for taking so long to reply!

Amazotheamazing · 27-11-2009 6:22pm

breadmonkey wrote: »

Sorry, I totally forgot about this thread.

I found India to be quite tough at times. I had (foolishly) assumed that it would be fairly similar to SE Asia but the reality is that it's completely different. I think that because of the sheer number of people, the culture is quite dog-eat-dog and as a tourist I felt like I could never let my guard down. The outright lying and scamming was just too much. I sometimes felt as if I could trust nobody and couldn't believe a word anyone said. I was on a tight budget but I imagine you could take some of the stress out if you were willing to spend a bit more. I don't really want to get into this too much because I don't want to put you off. If this is your first time in Asia then you'll be well and truly in at the deep end!

...but not to fear. Unlike Delhi, the mother of all hell holes, I actually really enjoyed Mumbai and the South of India has a reputation for being more shanti in general. I really enjoyed the time I spent in Kerala as well. Dunno what sort of itinerary you have in mind but I would definitely give Nepal a month, leaving one month for India. While there, I'd spend a couple of days in Mumbai before heading south to Goa and Kerala. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to go to Chennai to fly to Kathmandu (via Delhi). Getting there is easy though thanks to the fantastic transport infrastructure (probably India's biggest plus for me).

EDIT: Just noticed that you left yesterday! Nepal in December will be great for trekking. Not many tourists around and crystal clear views. It will, however, be very very cold at the higher altitudes. Enjoy, and apologies again for taking so long to reply!

Thanks for replying, in Goa at the minute, can see what you mean about the scamming but what can you do, I guess we're seen as soft targets (rightly I suppose). Just trying to get my head around what to do, will probably be heading to Kerala in a week and them up towards Chennai, was hoping to get across to Delhi somehow and then on to Kathmandu but not sure if I really have the time or funds for it all.

Am hoping to be in Nepal for New Years, doubt I'll do any huge altitude treks but hope to so some rafting and lower level ones.

breadmonkey · 29-11-2009 12:35pm

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Thanks for replying, in Goa at the minute, can see what you mean about the scamming but what can you do, I guess we're seen as soft targets (rightly I suppose). Just trying to get my head around what to do, will probably be heading to Kerala in a week and them up towards Chennai, was hoping to get across to Delhi somehow and then on to Kathmandu but not sure if I really have the time or funds for it all.

Am hoping to be in Nepal for New Years, doubt I'll do any huge altitude treks but hope to so some rafting and lower level ones.

Varkala was definitely my favourite place in Kerala. Try to visit if you can.

Realistically, you're going to have to fly to Kathmandu. Otherwise you're looking at 35hrs+ on a train followed by 16+ (I think) bus to KTM. You'll have to fly via Delhi. If you decide to book flights, try to make sure that your connecting flight to KTM is within 3 hours of your flight to Delhi landing. Otherwise you'll have to hang around outside the airport in Delhi.

Those who have been to Nepal/Tibet

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