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Oasis Kathmandu:
Stayed here for three nights in February 2025
- Pros:
- 1) The location is quite good. It is close to the heart of the Thamel region and hence, close to all the shopping and restaurants.
- 2) The place is also just outside core Thamel and hence easy to get in and out of.
- 3) The place is also quiet at nights. The sleep quality is good.
- 4) The room and bathroom decor are good with good cleanliness.
- 5) The lobby decor is also good.
- 6) The staff is very polite and helpful and helped with all our travel needs.
- 7) The WIFI connectivity was good.
- 8) Breakfast was served early (7 am) and the spread was very good.
- 9) The hotel had laundry service.
- 10) The tariff was quite reasonable.
- Cons:
- 1) The rooms were on the smaller side.
- 2) Landry service took more than 24 hours.
- Hotel Splendid View, Pokhara:
We stayed here for two nights in February 2025.
- Pros:
- 1) Location is very good. It is right by the lake with plenty of opportunity to shop. There are lots of restaurants close by.
- 2) The front desk is open 24 hours and the staff is quite friendly and helpful.
- 3) Breakfast is served early 6am and the spread was good.
- 4) They have a good laundry service.
- 5) The Wi-Fi is free and the connection is good.
- 6) The place is quite at night and sleep quality is great.
- 7) They helped us with all travel needs.
- Cons:
- 1) The rooms and bathrooms looked old and tired. The amenities need updating.
- Unique Wild Resort, Chitwan National Park:
We stayed here for one night in February 2025.
- Pros:
- 1) The place is away from the town centre. So the sleep quality is great. It is also a shorter distance away for the safari.
- 2) The resort is well done and has a lot of area to sit around. The lobby is also well done.
- 3) The food is fabulous. One of the best we have tasted on any safari resort.
- 4) The staff is very friendly and helpful.
- 5) The WIFI is free with good connectivity.
- 6) The resort helps organise safaris.
- Cons:
- 1) he rooms and bathrooms look a bit old and tired. Bathroom amenities need upkeep.
- Hotel Mystic Mythila, Janakpur:
Stayed here for one night in February 2025.
- Pros:
- 1) The hotel is located close to the temple. It is a 10 minute walk.
- 2) There are plenty of shopping and eating options nearby.
- 3) The front desk staff was courteous and helpful.
- 4) The tariff is reasonable.
- 5) The WIFI was free and connectivity good.
- 6) The hotel provided accommodation to the driver.
- 7) The bed was comfortable and sleep quality good.
- Cons:
- 1) The rooms and bathrooms were small. The amenities were poor. There were no shelves or cabinets (for example).
- 2) The breakfast is served late. It only starts at 8 am.
Our trip outside of Kathmandu was a private custom-made trip organised by Great Adventure Treks and Expeditions. It was easy to contact Mr. Mani via Whatsapp and plan the tour. Mr. Mani was very responsive on WhatsApp and helped us fine tune our initial itinerary. He made all the bookings as per our need and was checking with us everyday on the tour to see how it was progressing. The trip cost was very reasonable. We were quite happy with the service provided and we could cover all the places as planned. The hotels that Mr. Mani booked were all decent and had great location close to the attractions. The drivers all showed up on time and looked well rested and had good driving skills. They were all experienced and knew the local places.
Vegetarian food is as easy to find in Nepal as it is in India. Thakali Thali (also known as Dall Bhaat) is the easiest meal to find and the best. It is always prepared fresh and was quite healthy devoid of excessive oil and spice. We could eat that twice a day, every day without getting bored. It was as good as any home-made meal. The only downside is that it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Since Thakali Thali was so good, the only other thing we ever tried was the ubiquitous momos. You get vegetarian option only in the East (in and around Kathmandu).
- Muktinath Trip
You need two days to visit Muktinath. On the first day, you drive till Jomsom and spend the night there. The following morning you for the temple visit and head back to Pokhara. The scenery is spectacular throughout.
- Chitwan National Park
There are no private jeep safaris that you find in India. All safaris are in 10-seater vans and the safaris do no go very deep into the park. So you are unlikely to run into anything major on a typical safari.
- Kathmandu
The must-sees (in no particular order) are the Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath, Boudnath, Durbar Square and Narayanhiti Palace. Durbar Square needs at least a couple of hours and the Narayanhiti Palace has very short opening times.
- Ancient Towns
The must-see ancient towns are Patan, Bakhtapur and Panauti. Namobuddha is a short distance away from Panauti and you can add it if you have the time. Nuwakot is still under heavy scaffolding (as of February 2025) and is not worth the time or effort. Changunarayn Temple is a must-see. Kirtipur temples are a "should". Gorkha was decent but not a must-see in our opinion. If you have a couple of hours to spare, you can visit it, just for the history.
TRIP ITINERARY