©
David Debrincat
Nepal Travel Guide
©
David Debrincat
After the powerful earthquakes which struck Nepal in April and May 2015, the country is rebuilding itself little by little. This article was written before the catastrophe.
During a trip to Nepal, the towns of Kathmandu and Pokhara are the ones most tourists want to see. Make a stop between the two and explore Gorkha.
Here you are in a town with a very rich historic heritage. It is the ancient capital of the Shah dynasty. You really shouldn't miss the beautiful Tallo Durbar building, nor the fortress which dominates the town, Gorkha Durbar. After that, you can take a beautiful walk through pretty villages like Tallokot, which will take about 3 hours. This is your dream chance to explore Nepalese country life.
Also leaving from Gorkha Durbar, but in less than an hour's walk this time, you can go to Upkallo. From up there, there is an absolutely fantastic view over the Himalayas. If you are going to Gorkha, don't forget that there are some Maoist groups in the region. Although the situation is very calm, and there have never been any problems with tourists, you should still check before you go travelling, which you can do on the site of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
To explore the heartland of Nepal's countryside, and see the very basic lifestyle of the local peasants, you can take a superb, 3 hour long walk, which will take you through typical little villages like Tallokot . You should expect to have a day full of interesting snapshots of local life and great meetings with locals.
If, like the majority of tourists, you enter the country at Kathmandu, and then, also like the great majority, decide to go west to Pokhara, then you have a long bus ride in front of you. Since the terrible earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015 the journey between the two towns is sure to take longer than the 9 hours advertised.
If you don't want to waste a whole day stuck on a bus during your trip to Nepal, you can take a break in the long journey by stopping off at Gorkha. It's definitely the most interesting stop on the route. It takes about 6 hours by bus from the capital, Kathmandu, or about three hours from Pokhara.
