Snow Cat Travel

12/06/2024

Nepal is much more than just trekking!

Here are ten things to see and do without going trekking.....

10/06/2024

If a picture paints a thousand words, then here are ten thousand!
But, really the near mythical lands of Upper Dolpo in Nepal don't need any words.

07/06/2024

Nepal is home to a rich diversity of wildlife.
Can you name these ten very rare ones?

05/06/2024

Here's ten good reasons why trekking in the Everest region is better than virtual reality and AI!

03/06/2024

What makes a visit to Nepal extra special?
It's meeting the wonderful people of Nepal. East, west, low or high, the people you'll meet may vary as much as the landscapes of Nepal. But, wherever you go in Nepal you'll receive a cheerful and warm welcome 🇳🇵

31/05/2024

Can you name this mountain?
It's not the usual view of this rather famous peak as it takes a bit more than trekking to get to where it was taken.
So, can you guess where this photo was taken from?
We'll give you a clue...it's in Nepal 😁

29/05/2024

Tsum Valley Trek - Part 4
The final instalment of photo's taken by Snow Cat Travel Guide Shiva Basnet whilst trekking in the beautiful Tsum Valley of Nepal.
Many thanks Shiva for a job well done (as always 🙂) and for the great photo's of the wonderful Tsum Valley.

27/05/2024

Tsum Valley Trek - Part 3
This isolated yet dramatic valley reveals itself even more through these photo's taken by Snow Cat Travel Guide Shiva Basnet as he treks deeper and higher with our clients on their custom Tsum Valley Trek.

24/05/2024

Tsum Valley Trek - Part 2
More photo's from Snow Cat Travel Guide Shiva Basnet on his recent trek into the stunning Tsum Valley of Nepal.

22/05/2024

Tsum Valley Trek with Shiva Basnet - Part 1
Snow Cat Travel Guide Shiva Basnet has just come back from guiding clients on a custom trek to the remote and very special Tsum Valley in Nepal.
Here's a selection of Shiva's photo's.....don't worry.....there'll be more!

20/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang in perspective
Now back in Kathmandu we can reflect on our epic road trip adventure through Nepal and have selected ten photo's from the journey that illustrate just how diverse and achingly beautiful Nepal is. It's hard to believe that in just a couple of weeks we've explored and experienced the architectural wonders of ancient cities, rhe rurality of village life, the wildlife of the lowland jungles, dramatic "impossibly high" mountains and the high altitude desert lands beyond the mighty Himalayas. Most of all we've enjoyed meeting the people of Nepal.

17/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang- Part 15
Where are we? In a very exclusive, almost "top secret" location as we journeyed back through Upper Mustang towards Jomsom. Along the way we stopped at the longest Mani Wall in Mustang and then "off the beaten track" to explore the tiny almost medieval village of Ghyakar, where polyandry used to exist (maybe it still does?). But, the thought of spending our final night in (not so nice and very noisy) Jomsom for the flight back to Pokhara tomorrow just doesn't appeal. So, instead we're hiding away in perfect peace and solitude in a Himalayan valley and staying at Chimley Orchard Farm!

Definitely not a hotel, nor even a guest house. In fact, it's unlikely you'd find Chimley Orchard Farm on any tourist accommodation website either. Rather, it's a "secret" place located by the river bed of a rarely visited Himalayan valley and isn't intended to be tourist accommodation. With just four simple en suite rooms (but with proper beds too), Chimley is for those who prefer to stay somewhere uniquely different and away from the usual tourist services. It’s about 30 minutes by car from Jomsom Airport, which is located on the opposite side of the Kali Gandaki Valley. The small but scenic Dhumba Mountain Lake is a relatively short stroll away. When was the last time you told your friends you stayed on a remote apple farm almost 3000 metres up in the Nepal Himalaya?

15/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 14
Time to leave Lo Manthang 😞 But, there's still more of Upper Mustang to explore as we head back 😁. So, we'll take a little detour to explore the lesser visited eastern side of the Kali Gandaki. Crossing the valley floor a jeep track takes up to Yara.
The villagers of Yara claim that their ancestry can be traced back in time to those that lived in the sky caves of Upper Mustang. Consequently, Yara remains a bit of a hidden gem with a unique blend of culture, history and beauty.
Reachable by a jeep road beyond Yara on the eastern side of the Kali Gandaki is Luri Gompa. This Kagyu sect monastery is quite small, but dramatically located amongst eroded 300 foot high cliffs.
Within the inner chamber is an enlarged cave with one small south-facing window and an entrance door on its southeast. The inner chamber contains wall paintings that may date back to the 13th or 14th centuries. A small chorten rests inside the inner chamber with paintings of the Mahasiddhi on the ceiling above the chorten.

13/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 13
Today we're exploring beyond Lo Manthang. Heading "off piste" there are tiny hamlets like Nyamdo, Namgyal and Thingarr as well as small monasteries to discover. Then it's up through a wild landscape to the Kora La, the border with Tibet for some great panoramic views before heading down to explore the famous caves at Chosser before heading back to Lo Manthang via Niphu and Dhuk. Along the way we were lucky enough to meet a nomadic tribe whom had made the perilous journey across the Himalayas from Dolpo.

10/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang-Part 12
A short drive over the "Windy Pass" and at last we're in Lo Manthang!

The fabled "walled city" of Lo Manthang (3810m) and ancient capital of Mustang was long the domain for the hardy trekker only. Nowadays it can be reached by jeep! It is somewhat small for a city. It is a large village really of less than 200 homes and around 875 people.

Founded in 1380 Lo Manthang was home to the Kings of Mustang and the former Royal Palace remains.

There are four major temples: Jampa Lhakhang or Jampa Gompa, the oldest, built in the early 15th century and also known as the "God house"; Thubchen Gompa, a huge, red assembly hall and Gompa built in the late 15th century and located just southwest of Jampa Gompa; Chodey Gompa and the Choprang Gompa.

But, the adventure isn't over yet....

08/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang-Part 11
What an absolute corker of a journey today. Wild landscapes, panoramic views from high passes, timeless villages, mysterious sky caves, welcoming local people and a real sense of "adventure on the roof of the world"....just incredible. We've travelled as far as Charang today.

Brightly coloured prayer flags waft on the cool breeze. Tibetan Buddhist Chortens and Mani (Prayer) Walls surround the village of typically “Mustang style” homes, which form a maze of narrow stone flagged alleyways and whitewashed mud and stone houses with flat timber-topped roofs that blend so perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

Charang (3560m) is the second largest village in Mustang, but with only around 130 homes that’s hardly large. There’s an ancient monastery and a former palace of the Raja of Mustang, numerous chortens, stupas, and other ancient Tibetan Buddhist relics to discover too.

06/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang-Part 10
Whoo Hoo.....we're now in Upper Mustang!
We're now driving onto the "Forbidden Kingdom" into a very different, unique and special part of Neapl....the lands behind the Himalayas. Today is just a short drive to the village of Chhukksang aka Chusang (3020m). It is one of the first traditional typically Mustang style villages encountered on the journey to Lo Manthang once beyond Kagbeni, the gateway to Upper Mustang.

To get used to the high altitude we'll spend two nights here.

The location is definitely spectacular as Chhukksang is surrounded by huge, vertical cliffs coloured red, orange, grey and almost silver. Amongst some of these dramatic cliffs are mysterious, seemingly inaccessible sky caves.



The village lies where the Narsing Khola River Valley meets the main Kali Gandaki and just a short drive up the Narsing Khola leads to the by and large undisturbed settlement of Tetang, where there's a small Himalayan salt mine close by.

On the opposite side of the Kali Gandaki the rarely visited Gumbakang Gompa can be reached on foot as a short 4 hour return walk. There’s also a stiff hike up to the dramatic Siyarko Danda ridge line where at around 4000m there are outlandish panoramic views of the Nilgiri and Annapurna ranges, as well as into Upper Mustang to behold.

03/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 9
Upwards and onwards! We enter Lower Mustang and drive past lovely Marpha village and then soon past Jomsom we have crossed through the Himalayas and onto the Tibetan Plateau. In almost an instant the landscape changes suddenly to that of an arid, high-altitude desert. Reaching Kagbeni we stop for the night and get a first taste of a Mustang style village where the Tibetan Buddhist influence becomes apparent. There are tantalising glimpses into the restricted area of Upper Mustang itself.

01/05/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang- Part 8
We're spending this second night at Thasang Lodge as there's a beautiful walk from here up to Sekong Lake. In fact we'd describe it as one of the best day walks in the Himalayas! This four hour return hike takes you even closer to Dhaulagiri and its dramatic tumbling ice fall. But, there are also spectacular panoramic views including Tukuche Peak and across the Kali Gandaki Valley to the Nilgiri Himal and the summit of Annapurna. With this incredible vista and two of the world's highest peaks either side of you, the sacred waters of the lake are the perfect place for a picnic and to just sit and soak it all up. It really is one those "pinch yourself, is this real" moments. And it's only going to get even better as next we'll be reaching the "border" of Upper Mustang!

29/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 7
Things start to get really dramatic as we travel by jeep higher and higher into the Kali Gandaki Valley. With Annapurna to the right and Dhaulagiri to the left we have two giant 8,000m peaks towering above on either side. This is too spectacular a location to ignore. So, we're going to spend a couple of nights at the very comfortable Thasang Lodge, enjoy the view of Dhaulagiri literally from the front door and explore a little further.

26/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 6
Leaving Chitwan we head to Pokhara and change to a 4WD vehicle. But, we're not stopping at Pokhara for the night. Rather we're heading to the lower reaches of the Kali Gandaki River Valley and to a small "out of the way" town called Kushma. Our accommodation tonight is dramatically perched high above the river valley at a rather peaceful and well appointed safari style camp. The fun way to reach the camp is across the suspension bridge across the river.

24/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 5

It's Chitwan Widlfie Safari time! Maybe you'll see a tiger....maybe a one-horned rhino...maybe a crocodile or gharial, maybe a leopard, sloth bear of even a dhole. You're sure to see some of the 43 species of mammals in Chitwan, over 540 species of birds, around 25 reptile species, and who knows how many species of butterflies and other insects there are.

Maybe you'll then be inspired to write your own "Jungle Book" based on the animals you've seen.

22/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 4
Leaving Bandipur you're now heading for the lowlands of the Terai, close to the border with India and to world famous Chitwan National Park. The people here are rather different being mostly Tharu and they have a very skilful "stick dance" as part of their unique culture and a stroll through the local villages here to observe Tharu life is a good idea. The almost level landscape is very different to that of the Middle Hills and mountains. Much hotter too!

Time for a spot of top end Chitwan luxury at the Barahai Jungle Resort with delightful Tharu style cottages containing boutique rooms by the Rapti River.

Enjoy a sundowner by the swimming pool or in the Tiger's Den bar before dinner. The resort also boasts an in-house Spa that offers various Ayurvedic treatments and massages.

Soon it will be time for an exciting wildlife safari deep into the jungles of Chitwan!

20/04/2024

👀

April 2014 · 5.325 m · Khumbu Himal · Highlands · Nepal · The first sunrays hit Everest Base Camp. A Gigapixel Full Sphere. Stitch by Thomas Worbs.

19/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 3
Down to the Trisuli River for a spot of fun whitewater rafting. Getting wet is guaranteed! After a mix of flat water paddling and exciting sections of rapids it's time to enjoy a delicious lunch at our Trisuli Centre Camp on the banks of the river before heading up to the old Newari mountain town at Bandipur and a night at the wonderful Old Inn, which is "The Best Place to Stay" in Bandipur according to Lonely Planet.

17/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 2

The delights of the rural hillside village of dreamy Nuwakot are more than worth experiencing. There's an old fort and former royal palace, views of the Langtang Himalaya above and the Trisuli Valley below. But, what makes Nuwakot special is meeting the friendly local people, whether it's the cheerful kids on their way to school are the adults going about their daily lives. The best way to appreciate Nuwakot is to simply be there, wander around and let the "magic" happen.

15/04/2024

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang - Part 1

The journey begins by driving out of the Kathmandu Valley towards the Langtang Himal, the rural foothills of the Himalayas, and the beautiful hillside village of Nuwakot. When you reach the 2000-metre pass, you'll be greeted with panoramic Himalayan views. You'll be staying at the Famous Farm. A former Newari Manor House, tastefully converted into a boutique heritage hotel to provide atmospheric accommodation. It has its own large, private hillside gardens with great views over the Trisuli River Valley below, as well as a vegetable growing area. There are ducks, chickens, turkeys, and goats running around the gardens.

12/04/2024

Happy Nepali New Year...it's 2081 here 🎉🥳🎊🍾

12/04/2024

Back in the "Big Du" for a couple of days. Next we're going to take you an on epic "road trip" adventure through the varied and dramatic landscapes of Nepal as we journey from Kathmandu all the way to Lo Manthang in Mustang.

11/04/2024

Just a short drive out of Bhaktapur to reach the famous hill top location of Changu Narayan Temple. It's believed to be one of the oldest temples in Nepal and is UNESCO listed World Heritage Site.