Destination: Nepal
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: The Central Loop
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Lose the crowds easily with this central loop through the Nepali heartland to experience both Pahari (hill) and Terai culture. There's great scope for hiking here, as opposed to the multiday trekking of the mountain further north. Discover Nepal's undiscovered gems.
From Kathmandu take the Prithvi Hwy east, following the rushing Trisuli River. Take the cable car up to Manakamana to watch the hilltop blood sacrifices to the goddess Kali (and possibly spend the night). One option is to kick off the trip with a Trisuli rafting trip, especially fun early in the season (September).
Next stop is Bandipur, a little-visited gem of a village with a cohesive culture, traditional Newari architecture, great walks (head out to the Thani Mai temple) and some fine accommodation. From here, continue to the delights of Pokhara for some mountain views, good food and some R&R, as well as a trip out to Begnas Tal.
When you are ready to lose the traffic again, bus south along the winding Siddhartha Hwy through the hills to the charming town of Tansen, the site for some great day hikes, including down to the serene palace of Ranighat on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River.
Continue south to the main highway at Butwal and change buses south to Bhairawa and on to peaceful Lumbini, which is worth a full day (see From Buddha to Boudha).
Next comes Royal Chitwan National Park, and some superb wildlife spotting (see From Buddha to Boudha). For something a bit different here, try out the new hike and homestay programme in the hills to the north of the park.
From the Terai most traffic takes the Devghat–Mugling road, so we suggest continuing east to Hetauda to take the snaking Tribhuvan Hwy up through the mountains to Daman, home to what is probably Nepal's most spectacular Himalayan viewpoint. Savour the dawn views before heading down to Naubise and into the busy Kathmandu Valley.
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