Raj Bala Treks & Expedition

In the beginning of this trip you will visit the ancient historical sites of Kathmandu Valley and then you will have one day valley biking towards Daman which is one of the best scenic places close to Kathmandu Valley to view the panoramic views of the mighty Himalayas. Then we drive down the southern plains towards eastern Nepal and reach the bustling city of Biratnagar. The next day we fly to Sukhetar seasonal airstrip, which is the gateway to the 3rd highest mountain in the world–Kanchenjunga.

This area is less beaten with very few tourists. Lush green forested valleys are some of the beautiful attractions you will enjoy. This spectacular ride will be the best memorable adventure and our friendly staff will cater you the best services.

OPTION 1: Nagarkot to Bhaktapur
Early morning you will be transferred to Nagarkot, where we enjoy a hearty breakfast with the beautiful panorama of Himalayas, and then we head off along the valley rim. The descent begins in earnest. We visit Nala and then to Bhaktapur for the lunch. After lunch you will be transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu.

OPTION 2: Nagarkot to Indrawati River
The ‘Retread’ trail is an epic track descent through terraced paddy fields and small villages that lead us to the Indrawati River. We will stop to take photos as the Himalayas are right behind us all the way down. We then make offerings at the local temples to help ensure that we remember those technical skills when we need them. After 1000m of downhill a jeep road leads us to the Friendship Highway, the main road to Tibet. We have lunch at 0km. (Dhal Bhat) and then drive back to Kathmandu.

OPTION 3: Kakani to Budhanilkantha
Early morning you will be transferred to Kakani, where we enjoy a hearty breakfast and the beautiful panorama of Himalayas then we head off along the valley rim. We enter the Shivapuri Watershed and Wildlife Reserve then to the valley floor at Budhanilkantha, visit this shrine on the way back to Kathmandu.

OPTION 4: Jamacho to Balaju Botanical Garden
After breakfast we drive or ride to the top of Jamacho, (top of the Raniban) and then descend towards Balaju Botanical Garden, where you have packed lunch. After taking a break there with flora and fauna, we will ride back to Thamel.

The route goes through many ancient temples and it is the perfect route to explore Hindu and Buddhist culture. Along with the trail you can observe the change in different ethnicity of the people from Tamangs in the hills to Thakuris, Chhetris to valley bottom Newari farmers.

We have created three options all of which offers a complete day full of excitement and adventures showing you many religious and historical sites, temples as well as villages.

OPTION 1: KATHMANDU-BUNGAMATI-CHAPAGAON-KATHMANDU This back road trip gives you a chance to explore the ancient Newari villages of the Kathmandu Valley. After an early breakfast in Kathmandu, we wind our way through the back alleys of the old city and head south to Bungamati. Here we will stop to visit the Machhendranath temple and traditional Newari architecture. From here we descend on rocky single track to the lower village of Khokana, stopping to look at the Shekali Mai temple, a valley nature goddess. We return uphill to Bungamati and then continue south, climbing on jeep track through lush green forest to the village of Champi, with a sweeping view of the southwest corner of the Kathmandu Valley. A combination of downhill push and uphill carry for 15 minutes takes us to the picturesque village of Chapagaon. The famous Vajra Varahi temple is just south of the town. Sadly, this temple has been neglected but the old woodcarvings of Krishna and Vishnu are still in good condition. From Chapagaon we ride on a jeep track, more like a roller coaster ride, to the village of Baregaon that leads us back towards Kathmandu along the quiet Godawari road.
 
OPTION 2: TEEN PIPLI RICE FIELD PLUNGE WITH TOKHA After a breakfast we ride from our office in Thamel towards northwest of Kathmandu city. A 15 minutes ride will get us out of the crazy city traffic and we ride around the base of Nagarjun forest also known as Raniban (Queen's forest). While you ride enjoy the beautiful scene of terraced rice and mustard fields and surrounding clusters of thatch-topped and ocher-mudded houses. After crossing the Osho Tapoban Forest Retreat Centre on Kakani Road we reach to the "Teenpipli" village. Literally Teenpipli means three Pipal Trees but unfortunately heavy storm has left only 2 of them surviving at the moment. After taking rest or fueling yourselves in the Chautara (resting spot) we take a dirt road beyond the Pipal tree and plunge into the beautiful paddy field mostly off road. Depending upon the season, you may see farmers engaged in growing rice, wheat or mustard. Then we climb to one of the most beautiful places called Tokha from where you can see a superb view of the Kathmandu valley. We also visit Bhimsen Temple (a deity worshipped for strength and courage), Kali temple and village cremation grounds. Kali is a female aspect of Shiva and both are recognized as giver and taker of life. After taking some rest, we head back to Thamel from Budhanilkantha. Don't forget to visit a large sculpture of sleeping Vishnu on gigantic serpent).

OPTION 3: TEMPLE PILGRIMAGE Kathmandu Durbar Square-Swayambhu-Patan-Pashupati-Boudhanath After a light breakfast, we ride from Thamel towards Indrachowk and then to the Durbar Square. We visit Kumari Temple (dedicated to the living Goddess), Hanuman Dhoka (old Royal Palace), Kasthamandap, Ashok Binayak, Shiva temple, Maru Tole, Maju Deval, Bhagwati temple etc. We then head on the paved road towards Swoyambhu. We circumambulate at the base of Swoyambhu hill and ride uphill to the top from the south-west. Enjoy the holy stupa and the magnificent views of the Kathmandu city. The Stupa is colloquially known as the "Monkey Temple" because of the large number of monkeys guarding the temple. It was build around 4th century. Here you can see lord Buddha's lifecycle, monuments, temples, idols and a giant stupa. In a clear day, you can see whole valley with 360-degree panoramic view. After then we ride down to ring road via Chhauni (army barrack) and Tahachal on a paved road - bit of traffic. A mere 20 minutes ride south-east will take us to the Patan Durbar Square. We will have lunch here and then see the ancient town with Newari culture and architecture. The main places to visit are Patan Durbar Square, Krishna Temple, Bhimsen Temple etc. Krishna Temple is one of the beautiful temples built completely with stone carving. We then ride to the paved road again and after 20 minutes ride on main road toward north east, we will reach in the courtyard of World's one of most holy place for Hindu's called Pashupatinath (temple of Lord Shiva), non-Hindus are not allowed to enter in but one can go to the other side of the holy Bagmati river and enjoy the activities in and around the temple courtyard. You can see devotees taking bath in the holy river Bagmati before performing the prayer or worship. We then take a short break with Sadhu's and take blessings from them to prepare for our final destination, a holy Buddhist shrine, Boudhanath, a 10 minutes ride to northeast- one of the biggest Buddhist Stupas in Asia. You can see monks, nuns, Tibetan refugees and Buddhist devotees walking around the Stupa with prayer wheels. oil lamps and chanting mantras of Buddhism. After taking tea break we then come back to Thamel, which will take 25 minutes

The shrines, in a grove of trees, include a Buddhist monastery and the Vishnu temple of Jiwala Mayi. An old temple nearby shelters a spring and natural gas jets, which provides Muktinath's famous eternal flame. The earth – water – fire combination accounts for Muktinath's great religious significance. Spectacular views of the Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Tukuche peak and several other 8000 mts peaks are visible.

JOMSOM: A modern town is the ‘Thakali’ homeland. Thakali people are of Tibetan origin but have their own language and customs. We fly to Jomsom from Kathmandu and initially we ride through a popular trekking trail, which leads us to many different wonderful villages rich in cultural and architectural point of view. Riding on the rocky wide and small track from Jomsom, we descend slowly to meet the paved road which takes to the beautiful Pokhara city lying on the foothill of Annapurna Mountain Range. Unlike the rest of the Nepalese Himalayas, the Annapurna mountain range does not form the border between Nepal and Tibet.

.Its fame rests on the natural beauty of its lakeside location and its nearness to the mountains, not on a great historical or cultural endowment.

Picturesque villages, gently rolling chains of hills with terraced fields of rice, subtropical forests and the unique outline of the Himalayas - whose gigantic mountains are only fifty kilometers away and seem so close that you could touch them.

In the beginning of this trip you will visit the ancient historical sites of Kathmandu Valley and then you will have one day valley biking towards Daman which is one of the best scenic places close to Kathmandu Valley to view the panoramic views of the mighty Himalayas. Then we drive down the southern plains towards eastern Nepal and reach the bustling city of Biratnagar. The next day we fly to Sukhetar seasonal airstrip, which is the gateway to the 3rd highest mountain in the world–Kanchenjunga.

We fly to Jomsom from Kathmandu and initially we ride through a popular trekking trial which leads us to many different wonderful villages rich in cultural and architectural point of view. The rocky wide and small track slowly descends to meet a paved road which takes to the beautiful Pokhara city on the day 5.

Unlike the rest of the Nepalese Himalayas, the Annapurna mountain range does not form the border between Nepal and Tibet.