Nepal: Pokhara, Poon Hill Trail and Chitwan National Park

On 9.10. after a two-hour drive in a jeep, which we shared with a Dutch tourist and his guide, we reached Arughat, where we changed to a local bus that was supposed to take us to the Kathmandu-Pokhara connecting road. Even on this route, there were still remnants of landslides, but they were no problem for the bus. When we arrived at the connecting road, we said goodbye to our guides and we (myself, Ryan, and Jalmar, the Dutch guy) took an incredibly cramped and uncomfortable bus for about 150 km to Pokhara. The road, which the Nepalese actually call a highway and is the most important road in Nepal, was in such bad condition and our bus was so slow that it took us 8 (!) hours to reach Pokhara. The accommodation in Pokhara, where I spent the next 4 nights, was one of the most beautiful on my entire trip, with a fantastic view over the city and the Phewa Tal, the lake of Pokhara. The next day, I slept until noon and then explored the city. Pokhara itself does not have any major sights, but its location by the lake, the many small cafes and restaurants, give the city a pleasant atmosphere. It is much more relaxed here than in Kathmandu. Many mountain hikers stay here as many popular hiking trails start nearby, especially the Annapurna Circuit! The landlord of my accommodation, who had worked as a mountain guide for 15 years, told me that I should get some of the money back from my agency for the Manaslu Trail because the tour lasted only 7 days instead of 13. Of course, the guide will still receive the same salary, as he cannot be blamed for the adverse circumstances, but I should be refunded for the accommodations and meals. So I called my agency in Kathmandu, where I also wanted to inquire about a tour to the Chitwan National Park, and asked about the compensation. The agency's boss was very surprised and said that the remaining money had already been used up for my transport to Pokhara! As it turned out, my guide had told the agency that he had arranged a private jeep for me and that I had driven to Pokhara with it! In reality, I came to Pokhara on an 8-hour terrible bus ride (as already mentioned), which I even paid for myself! My guide simply kept the remaining money for himself! And for a week, I thought I was traveling with a decent guy! You can be so wrong! The agency's boss promised me to clarify the whole situation.

On 11.10., when I wanted to rent a scooter, my landlord suggested that I could take his, which would be cheaper. So I rode it to a Buddhist stupa located on a hill with a fantastic view of the city and the mountains (unfortunately, the 8000ers were still covered in clouds), to a settlement of Tibetan exiles, and to the International Mountain Museum. The settlement offers interesting insights into the lives of Tibetans living there since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1950s through a photo exhibition. The museum was also very interesting. The next day, I tried rafting for the first time in my life! It was a lot of fun, and I decided that if I ever come back to Nepal, I will do a multi-day rafting tour. On 13.10., I left most of my luggage in Pokhara to hike the Poon Hill Trail in 4 days and finally see the 8000ers! Although Manaslu is too far away, from this trail, with clear visibility, you can see both the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Massifs. In addition, the almost 7000m high Machapuchare, a sacred mountain for Hindus with its distinctive fishtail-shaped peak. On the way to the starting point of the hike, I met Aitor on the bus, a Catalan from Barcelona, ​​and we decided to do the tour together! From the start, we had good weather, the trail was in very good condition, and we reached Poon Hill at 3200m in the afternoon of the second day. The view of the 8000ers was mixed in the afternoon, which is not unusual in this part of the Himalayas, but the next morning we had a completely clear view and we could admire both massifs. On the further course of the hike, there were always fantastic places to enjoy the mountain views. In the afternoon of the same day, Aitor, who had more time than me, said goodbye and headed to the Annapurna Base Camp. So I continued the journey alone and by the 4th day at noon, I was back at the starting point and an hour later in Pokhara. It was a great tour that compensated me somewhat for the bad luck on Manaslu. Afterwards, I stayed two more nights in Pokhara. I rented a rowboat and spent a few hours on the lake. Pokhara is located at just 800m and is one of the lowest places in the world from where you can see the 8000ers. In the morning, you could see the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri from the lake, and later I went swimming in the lake.

On 19.10., I took the bus from Pokhara to the Chitwan National Park, a nature reserve for tigers and rhinoceroses. While tigers are usually not visible, the chances of seeing a rhino are much better there. The program included a short cultural program on the first evening, bird watching in the morning, a jeep safari in the afternoon, and a full day of walking in the forest the next day. I was incredibly lucky with my guide, who was supposed to be my private guide for bird watching and the full-day forest hike. He was enthusiastic and we saw an incredible amount. Eagles, peacocks, kingfishers, and much more! During the bird tour, we already spotted two rhinos and we tried to approach the first one slowly! My guide said to me, 'When the rhino is coming, you have to climb the tree!' Luckily, that was not necessary! We were able to observe the second rhino better, as it was bathing in the river. My guide ruined his shoes in the process. I asked him how much they cost and gave him 1200 rupees so he could buy new ones. That's just 10€. The jeep safari in the afternoon was much less spectacular, as in 4 hours we hardly saw anything besides a few monkeys and a rhino that was far away. The next day started with a short canoe ride, where we saw birds and crocodiles. Then we hiked in the forest for 8 hours. We found some tiger footprints in the mud, some of which were very fresh. We also discovered a python, several large turtles at a river, some deer and antelopes, and the highlight was a group of 5 rhinos that we could observe up close!

On 21.10., I took the bus back to Kathmandu and received the good news at my agency's office that I should get back 30000 rupees. That's about 235€. I received 6000 rupees in cash, most of which I exchanged for Indian rupees, and the rest was credited for the Chitwan tour. On my last day in Nepal, I visited the Hindu temple of Changu Narayan, which was advertised in my travel guide as the most beautiful temple in Nepal. Unfortunately, this trip turned out to be a disappointment: the temple is currently being renovated, it is completely scaffolded, and the temple grounds are a construction site. On 23.10., I left Nepal for India.

Conclusion: Nepal is a beautiful country with unique nature and a spectacular mountain landscape. One should not be discouraged by Kathmandu. This city is completely chaotic and the people are very intrusive. If you enjoy being in the mountains, you can stay in this country for months. In the Annapurna region alone, there are enough opportunities for a complete trekking season from early October to mid-December. Not to mention the Everest region or other lesser-known areas! Unfortunately, the roads are in terrible condition and even short distances take a lot of time.