Budget Travels by Divya

Things to do in Chitwan National Park: We took a bus from the Pokhara bus park to reach Chitwan, at around 2PM. We reached Chitwan at 9PM. We checked into the  hotel  we had pre-booked at Chitwan and retired for the night. While there are many things to do in Chitwan, we chose to do Jeep Safari  and Canoeing. Chitwan has two main squares – The Haathi Chowk and the Rhino Chowk. Around both these Chowks there are many tour operators, who arrange Jeep Safaris. At Haathi Chowk Chitwan Jeep Safari : After a lot of bargaining, we got a deal for 1600Rs for 2 people in the Jeep Safari. They take you inside the forest around 22kms, till the Crocodile breeding centre, and then bring you back. The trip starts with a short river crossing in a canoe. There are alligators lined at the banks of the rivers! The round trip is around 45kms, with a 30 minute halt in the Crocodile Breeding Centre. We spotted Rhinos, Deers, and Alligators along the way. There were in...

Pokhara is also called the Lake City of Nepal. 1. Phewa Tal & Tal Barahi Temple:   Phewa Tal, is a huge lake in the heart of Pokhara. There are boats lined up which take tourists to the Tal Barahi Temple situated in the centre of Phewa Lake. Phewa Lake has many cafes and eateries lined around it. It makes a great place to hang-out in the evening, after a long day.  The Lake, the Temple at the center and the Peace Pagoda on top! 2. Mahendra Cave/Gufa:  From Phewa Lake, we took a bus to reach Mahendra Cave. This is a large limestone cave consisting stalactites and stalagmites. It was a very unique experience of exploring this place! There is a small Shiva Temple inside the cave. At the Entrance Gate The Walkway into the Cave The Davis Falls descending into the Caves! 3. Davis Falls:  This is opposite the Mahendra Cave entrance. It was initially called Devi’s Falls, but was re-christened to Davis Falls, after a tourist, M...

Sharing the Top picks for Kathmandu and Bhaktapur: 1. Thamel & Indira Chowk:  Thamel is the equivalent of “Mall Road”, in all Indian Hill stations. This place bustles with shoppers, looking for great deals in items like saffron, Himalayan oils, Teas, woolen garments, etc. There is some amount of bargaining that one can do here. 2. Royal Durbar Square:  This is the square in front of the Royal Palace of former Kathmandu kingdom. This is centrally located, bustling with tourists and pigeons. Parts of it have been destroyed due to the earthquake in 2015. 3. Hanuman Dhoka:  This is also near the Royal Durbar square. It has a Hanuman statue and a Kal Bhairav statue in its premises. Kal Bhairav in the Background 4. Garden of Dreams:  This is located in in Central Kathmandu, and is also called Swapna Bagaicha. There is an entrance ticket for SAARC and foreign nationals. Walk in for some great seasonal flowers and trees on display and a quaint l...

Kathamandu is your place to try out the delicious Nepali Cuisine. While Momos and Thukpas are omnipresent here, do try out the authentic Newari dishes listed below! Go local here, and explore the road-side joints, over the cafes and the restaurants! Chatamari:  This is the Nepali Rice thin crust Pizza (That’s the closest I can describe it)! It has eggs/meat thinly spread on the top. The Thin egg topping on the rice-flour pancake - Chatamari Price: 80 Nepali Rupees, Where to Eat: Street side joints at Thamel, Kathmandu Newari Khaja Set:  This is the set meal lunch of Nepal. It has dal(lentil), Bhaat (rice), a curry, and typically accompanied by a leafy Gundruk (side dish), and some pickles. Non vegetarians get an additional serving of chicken, mutton or buff serving. Khaja Set with Rice, Dal, Chicken and Gundruk(Leafy side dish) along with pickle Price: 200-400 Nepali Rupees. Where to Eat: Street-side Joints, as well as all restaurants in Nepal. ...

Hi Folks, I will talk about our 9 day trip to Nepal, that we went from 22 nd Dec,2017 to 2 nd Jan, 2018, in this post. All costs mentioned below are in Indian Rupees(INR), for 2 pax. Suggested Itinerary: Day 1 Night 8:00PM: Train from Delhi to Gorakhpur Day 2: Reach Gorakhpur, and transfer to Sunauli -> Kathmandu Day 3: Arrive at Kathmandu in morning, Local Sight-seeing:  Durbar square, Hanuman ka Dhoka, Garden of Dreams, Thamel Shopping, Café Hopping Day 4: Kathmandu Local Sight-seeing: Pashupathinath Temple, Boudha Stupa, Kopan Monastery, Swayambhu Stupa Day 5: Day Trip to Bhaktapur – Durbar Square, Nyatapola Temple, 55 Window Palace, Kal Bhairav Temple and Shopping Day 6: Transfer to Pokhara, and arrive Pokhara in the evening Day 7: Phewa Tal, Tal Barahi Temple, Mahendra Caves, Davis Falls, Peace Pagoda Day 8: Sarangkot Sun-rise, Para-gliding, Bindhya Basini Temple, and transfer to Chitwan Day 9: Chitwan Jeep Safari, Tharu Cultural Show, H...