Before arriving in Nepal we played with the possibility and our ability to do the 21 day trek to Everest base camp which sits at a measly 5360 m above sea level. We opted instead for the beginner version in the form of two separate two day hikes. We booked our treks or hikes through the hotel’s travel agency, Global Adventure Trekking (P.) Ltd., which is one of hundreds of travel agencies in Thamel as every, and we mean EVERY, hotel, guesthouse and B&B has their own agency. Global Adventure Trekking did a wonderful job and lived up to all their promises!
Our first trek started from a small village outside of Kathmandu (1337m) and climbed to the village of Nagarkot sitting at 2175m and overlooking the western Himalayas. After our five hour hike (a cold beer and a two hour nap) we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the hotel’s rooftop viewpoint at 2194m. What a view! Our second trek started from the other side of Nepal in the beautiful mountain town of Pokhara (1025m). Our destination this time was Nagarkot’s sister city, Sarangkot, sitting at 1600m. Although lower than Nagarkot, this little village was much closer to the Annapurna range (the eastern Himalays) and therefore afforded magnificent mountain views not to mention the most amazing sunset and sunrise! Although this was a shorter trek, it was much warmer and MUCH steeper. It was not so much a trek as doing a stairmaster for three straight hours after a two hour hike to the World Peace Pagoda. S was kind enough to stop every 15 steps to take pictures of the breathtaking surroundings.
On both hikes the views were unbelievable. Not only did we enjoy clear mountain views but our walk was through beautiful tiered farmland and many villages. Every possible piece of land on the mountain side is used for farming. It’s not laid out like the farmland that we are used to seeing at home. It is all on layered land that follows the contours of the mountains and is divided by mounds of earth. It reminded us of rice fields without the water. Quite amazing. Another quite amazing thing is the way the Nepali carry loads - they carry them in a basket called a Doko that sits on their back and is strapped to their forehead. The mind blowing thing is that they carry bricks, wood, and litres of water all at the same time. They seem to carry easily hundreds of kilos at once. Simply unbelievable. We heard that the trek porters also strap backpacks to their forehead to help carry the weight.
If we had to pick a winner between the two destinations it would definitely have to be Sarangot for it’s proximity to the Himalayas and it’s view of Pokhara’s Phewa-Lake and the valley surrounding it.
Click here for more pictures (password: viewpoint).
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| view of Pokhara and Phewa lake from World Peace Pagoda |
Our first trek started from a small village outside of Kathmandu (1337m) and climbed to the village of Nagarkot sitting at 2175m and overlooking the western Himalayas. After our five hour hike (a cold beer and a two hour nap) we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the hotel’s rooftop viewpoint at 2194m. What a view! Our second trek started from the other side of Nepal in the beautiful mountain town of Pokhara (1025m). Our destination this time was Nagarkot’s sister city, Sarangkot, sitting at 1600m. Although lower than Nagarkot, this little village was much closer to the Annapurna range (the eastern Himalays) and therefore afforded magnificent mountain views not to mention the most amazing sunset and sunrise! Although this was a shorter trek, it was much warmer and MUCH steeper. It was not so much a trek as doing a stairmaster for three straight hours after a two hour hike to the World Peace Pagoda. S was kind enough to stop every 15 steps to take pictures of the breathtaking surroundings.
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| boy with a Doko |
If we had to pick a winner between the two destinations it would definitely have to be Sarangot for it’s proximity to the Himalayas and it’s view of Pokhara’s Phewa-Lake and the valley surrounding it.
Click here for more pictures (password: viewpoint).
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| farmland on the way to Nagarkot |
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| view on the way up to Sarangkot |
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| view of World Peace Pagoda from Sarangkot |
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| view from our balcony in Sarangkot |
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| getting ready for the sunrise, Sarangkot |
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| sunrise, Sarangkot |
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| sunrise over the Annapurina range (view from Sarangkot) |
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| Our hotel in Sarangkot |
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