ExoticBuddha Blog

Travel in Nepal in 2008 has ended on a positive note. The number of tourists visitng Nepal has increased by 65 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year to more than 800,000. Despite of a global economic slowdown, the tourism industry has not seen a fall in the number of people arriving on a monthly basis compared with previous year - December saw a 4 percent growth compared with the same time last year. The entrepreneurs have also become creative at looking at new avenues to attract people to travel to Nepal and extend their stay here. 

The Lukla plane crash in October was a painful memory for Nepal travel in 2008.

There is optimism in the tourism industry about the long term sustainability of the numbers. If we could promote the brand Nepal in international markets more effectively, then we can surpass the one million visitors milestone in the next year. There is also a need to improve the infra structures for the people who visit Nepal. 

I think when the government declares visit Nepal year 2011, then it should set a target of attracting 1.5 million visitors to travel to Nepal on that year.

As travelers are already aware, Nepal has seen an increased hours - 12 hours per day- of load shedding. So, we do not get electricity to carry out simple activities like not being able to surf the net and watch TV whenever we want. 

How will this affect the people who travel to Nepal? There was a news on the ekantipur.com about the tourists shortening their travel days in Nepal. In my opinion, it affects the general atmosphere of travel - people can not travel as freely as they would have liked. There is a sense of insecurity when they roam around in the streets. They are less inclined to go out during the night for dinners and to have drinks. And the cost of serving the tourists also increases due to lack of refrigeration, need to provide backup power. So tourists would be charged more than they would have been if there was electricity. Eventually, it becomes a less attractive destination due to costs and the general atmoshpere of travel. 

Looking this issue from a brighter side, if people come here to see real Nepal, then lack of electricity should not be a problem. But how many come here for that and how many of them are prepared to forego their love of say, internet, TV for the sake of that? 

We would love to hear from you.

Preparations for the New Year Eve Celebrations are taking place around the country. Many hotels, restaurants, bars have promoted the event in newspapers, TV, magazines. Those of them not promoting the event will also be hosting new year parties for people who travel to Nepal and the local customers. 

There is street festival in Pokhara from December 28 to January 1. The food festival in Sauraha is taking place from December 29 to January 1- Sauraha hosted the International Elephant Race 2008 just before this event. 

Just a day before the new year eve as per the Gregorian calendar, the Gurungs in Nepal are celebrating their new Year, Tamu Losar, as per the Tibetan Calendar. There are many cultural celebrations in Kathmandu and Pokhara on the ocassion of the Tamu Losar.

Kathmandu Durbar Square showcases the medieval temples, palaces and houses. This place, near Thamel, has been a center of power for many centuries - the palaces, courtyards, temples, other statues and other artefacts all have historical significance. If you want to get a sense of the architecture of that time, then it is the right place for you to be in. This place will be a perfect place for sightseeing activity worth half a day for people who travel in Kathmandu Nepal because of the ease of accessibility and for what it offers. 

woodwork at a temple

Most of the heritages are preserved in their original forms by renovations and other conservation projects. The site’s importance has been highlighted by the declaration of it as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We have written a more detailed post about the Kathmandu Durbar Square. Here is the excerpt: 

Kathmandu Durbar Square, which covers a total area of 5 acres, has a number of temples, palaces, courtyards, ponds and quadrangles on display. Kathmandu Durbar Square is also referred to as ‘Hanuman Dhoka’. This is because a large statue of Hanuman, the Monkey God and a devotee of Lord Ram, is placed in front of the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is believed to have been constructed by King Shankaradev. King Pratap Malla is said to have erected the statue of Lord Hanuman in front of the Royal Palace, in the belief that Hanuman would protect the Palace. The Royal Palace was home to the royalties of Nepal until the 19th century. Though Narayanhity Royal Palace is the present home of the royalties, important occasions like the coronation of the King still take place in the Nasal Chowk of the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

For full article, please visit Kathmandu Durbar Square.

The Christmas Eve Celebrations are planned for by many hotels, restaurants and bars in Kathmandu. Travelers to Nepal can visit those places to celebrate the Christmas Eve and enjoy the night. I saw the advertisements on the newspapers by the top end hotels and bars on today’s edition. I also saw, for example, a christmas tree set up at Hotel Shangrila in Lazimpat. 

There is a strong Christian community in Kathmandu and the celebrations planned will be quite eventful and full of people. 

Merry Christmas and hope you have a great night !

International Elephant Race 2008 is being organized in Sauraha, Chitwan from December 26 to 28, 2008. This is the fifth edition of the annnual event held at Chitwan by the Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan Chapter. 

If you have plans to travel to Chitwan around that time, do not miss this event. This will be truly an exciting competition. This is an international competition and be there to support your home country.

For more information about the event, please refer to the International Elephant Race 2008.

Nepal is a travel destination for people to explore the cultural and architectural heritages. The cultural heritages are mainly found in the Kathmandu valley with some others outside the valley. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Changu Narayan Temple, Budhanilkantha Temple are the Hindu cultural and architectural heritages. Bodhnath and Swayambhunath are the Buddhist cultural and architectural heritages. Most of these heritages are several centuries old. 

The Janaki Temple in Janakpur, though constructed in the early twentieth century, offers another unique cultural and architectural heritage of the terai plain and the Mithila culture.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, offers cultural heritage and showcases the different types of architecture from the countries with significant Buddhist population.

Ultralight flight in Pokhara, Nepal is a thrilling experience for people who are interested in adventure travel in Nepal. The flight takes off from the airport in Pokhara and lasts for fifteen minutes to an hour. You can view the beautiful Pokhara valley and its surroundings including Fish Tail Mountain and the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges during the flight. 

For more information about the flight and the company that operates it, please click on Ultralight flight in Pokhara, Nepal. 

The Mountain view while flying the ultralight (Photo Courtesy: Prashant Subba)

As the winter is approaching and the average temperatures falling, trekking in Nepal to higher altitudes for this year is nearing an end. There are chances of snow fall on the trekking routes which makes it difficult for the trekkers to trek in those routes. This is especially true for the regions with high passes like the Annapurna Circuit, where one has to cross a pass at an altitude of 5416 meters from the sea level and in the Annapurna Base Camp Trekking route.  

Other routes like the Jomsom Trek, Langtang and Helambu trek are used even during the winter by the trekkers. However, you need to prepare yourself against possible sub zero temperatures.  

The winter rain and snow have not occurred till now and to know the weather forecasts for more than 75 locations from across Nepal, please visit our Weather Forecast in Nepal and use the weather averages in Nepal to know the weather averages of 19 locations in Nepal.

People who travel to Nepal has increased for the month of November as well - the increase is of 6.6 percent compared to the same month the previous year. 

There were fears in the travel industry that the global economic downturn will affect the number of people who travel to Nepal. However, till now, this does not seem to be the case. However, the statistics does not report the average number of vacation days of the tourists. Has it gone down as people start to cope with the economic realities or is it the same or is it increasing? 

And how will the recent blockade of the Thai airport affect people who visit Nepal as that is a major hub for people traveling to nepal from the South Eastern countries? Danish minister’s visit to Nepal was canceled as his flight to Nepal was canceled due to the siege of the airport. Has your travel plan been affected by it?

We would love to hear from you.