ASIA NEPAL DESTINATIONS


W


e’re like a pack of wolves, our Sherpa guide tells us,


as we make a stealthy early- morning ascent, single-file, to Poon Hill on the Ghorepani route. It was the last day of trekking on our Exodus Travels fam trip in Nepal, but now we had our reward: reaching the summit in time for a spectacular sunrise across the Annapurna Massif, in the Himalayas mountain range. It was an unforgettable


experience, but this eight-day trip wasn’t all about trekking. Accompanied by managing director Sam Seward and agency sales manager Dan Jackson, the group of eight agents spent time experiencing adventure, culture, spirituality and responsible


tourism across Nepal, with stays in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bandipur. Following the devastating earthquake in 2015, tourism to Nepal is back on track, and the government is pushing the full range of tourism products through its Visit Nepal Year, planned for 2020, which aims to bring two million visitors to the country. “One thing you can do to help


the country is to make bookings,” says Jackson. “There are lots of ways to promote it other than trekking. Exodus’s Nepal sales are up 12% year on year.”


 ROLLING ON A RIVER Nepal offers many opportunities for adventure, including mountain


Opportunities for adventure include mountain biking, microlight flights and hot-air ballooning


the instructors outlined a series of simple instructions – forwards, backwards, middle, stop – and reassured the group that the river was suitable for first-time rafters. The guides navigated us


biking, microlight flights, hot- air ballooning and white-water rafting. Just a few hours’ drive from


Kathmandu, the Trishuli River is a prime spot for rafting the rapids. After we were equipped with lifejackets and helmets, and allocated to one of three rafts,


through the varying rapids – occasionally with the added thrill of flipping the boat over – before we reached calmer waters, where we paddled through beautiful scenery and impressive gorges, and even had the chance for a quick swim.


Back on dry land, a lunch


of traditional Nepalese dal bhat – a lentil


14 February 2019travelweekly.co.uk63


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