Last month Ms. Joshi took a 3-day weekend getaway trip with her friends along the Bhotekoshi river. In this edition’s travel feature, she recounts this memorable luxury adventure that took her to the Bhotekoshi Heli Resort.
As someone professionally engaged in Nepal’s tourism and hospitality industry, I have been to several places around
the country. More recently, several new unexplored places have also emerged as popular new tourism destinations, and as an industry insider I can reveal that we are beginning to experience a kind of resurgence after the pandemic. But for me, the charm of Sindhupalchowk just never fades, although I have been there
dozens of times! In spite of sitting just around 100km away from Kathmandu, Sindhupalchowk really feels like a wonderful serene world located far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
So last month, when I and some of my close friends were meeting together for dinner, I proposed going on a luxury adventure trip to the Bhotekoshi Heli Resort and its surrounding areas. Altogether six of us got on board with the plan and set the next Friday as the starting day of our adventure.
After a hectic week, Thursday evening had finally arrived and I was eagerly looking forward to the next day’s plan. I messaged all the other five friends on the team to be ready for the next day. Turns out that one friend from our initial team wasn’t feeling well, so she informed me that she couldn’t get on the tour team this time. In the hospitality industry, last- minute cancellations are something that we are used to handle on a regular basis, so I told her to take care and have some rest, and just be ready for next time! But the good news was that the other four were still on board and the next day’s plan was still on. So once I was back at home,
I began packing my bags to be ready for the next few days with all the necessary clothing and daily essential items.
Day 1
I woke up around 6 am in the morning and soon after I messaged my friends joining me on the tour, just to remind them again that we had to reach Koteshwor by 7:45 am. With all things looking good, I changed my clothes to
be comfortable and ready for the day’s travel, and finally ordered a Pathao ride from my home towards our on-boarding spot at around 7:20 am. By 7:45, although four of us had arrived, one of our friends was still nowhere to be seen. So we called him and to our shock he didn’t even pick the phone. Now we were beginning to anxious about whether we had to leave him out of the tour team. But to our relief, he finally showed up 10 minutes late! Since we were all here, we were all finally ready to commence our 3-day adventure at Sindhupalchowk.
The ride taking us to our vacation destination was a Toyota 12-seater HiAce microbus. It looked new and comfortable, and the front five seats were reserved for us. There were also three international tourists joining us on the bus who were planning to return the next day. We
then placed our bags and things in the
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outer luggage compartment. Once all the arrangement was complete, the driver told all of us to take our seats. Finally, the microbus was ready and our driver began the journey from Koteshwor toward our destination.
So our journey took us over the 6-lane highway ending at Suryabinayak and then climbed upwards at Sanga, overlooking the giant Shiva statue. And within 45 minutes of driving, we finally reached Dhulikhel. A little ahead, we took our
first stop at the Paanchkhalko Lassi place which is famous for its khuwa dishes and thick lassi. They also serve nice tea and some healthy light breakfast options in this place. I really like the lassi here, so that’s what I ordered, while some of my friends ordered tea and light breakfast. After a break of around 30 minutes, we resumed our journey on the Arniko Highway as we passed through winding roads, lush green hills and rivers! After around 30 minutes we reached the famous riverside market of Dolalghat. Since we were at Dolalghat, I was definitely not going to miss the tasty fried fishes here. So with our driver stopping our microbus for a few minutes, we took the opportunity to order a few quick plates of freshly fried fishes and some cold drinks.
After this quick and delicious break,
our journey towards Sindhupalchowk continued as we finally crossed Kavrepalanchowk and cross the district border to finally touch our destination district. From here onward, our journey would be accompanied by views of the Bhotekoshi river until we would reach our end destination. After around 20 minutes our driver asked us if we wanted to take
a quick photo break at Sukute and we were all up for it. So after a few selfies and group photos, we were back on the road, and soon after we passed the famous market town of Khadichaur.
We further passed the notoriously famous Jure Pahiro region. According to the
local tales, Jure Pahiro actually used to
be a very dense village, although any settlement seems to be non-existent now. It’s said that on one occasion some local villagers killed a big serpent that was trying to get into a borrow, and the next day the entire hill fell over in a massive landslide and took away hundreds of villagers with it. The locals say that since that incident, people have hesitated to build homes and it has been kept isolated.
Anyway, at around 11:15 am, we finally reached the famous town of Baahrabise. Although the roads leading until this town is mostly good, North of this spot though, it seems fairly neglected and broken. This area sustained a lot of damage in the earthquake of 2015 and despite being barely functional, the roads around here still needs a lot of work. A few meters ahead from Baahrabise, are these massive rocky hills where there
is a constant fear of rocks falling on vehicles. This is actually a place people often pray to the gods to save them from any accidental falling rocks. We have to hope that in the near future, people don’t need to depend upon god’s mercy and this stretch of road is made safer by the authorities.
So charting some rough roads, we finally reached our destination at Bhotekoshi Hill Resort at around noon! After this nearly four-and-half-hour journey, we were somewhat tired, so we checked into our rooms and took a shower, and were ready for lunch. We were glad to see a wonderful Thakali Thali with the options of Kalij meat, trout, or local chicken. I chose the Kalij option and really enjoyed a very satisfying thali! After a fulfilling lunch, we went back to our rooms for some short rest and social media checking and updating.
At around 3 pm, we were now readying up for the day’s biggest adventure: BUNGEE! After signing in on our disclaimer/consent forms and getting a short briefing from the bungee masters, we took the short but nervous walk to the
suspension bridge. A few minutes into the briefing, we were told to get ready for our jumps. Despite the obvious nervousness, all five of us decided to take the jump.
After around 20 minutes of waiting, it was my turn to take the jump. I have done bungee before from this spot and
I will say that the sight of the massive drop and the raging Bhotekoshi river
can make even the most experienced bungee-lovers nervous. But despite the inner scare, I was definitely not willing to miss this adrenaline-inducing adventure. Soon enough, the bungee master called me and placed me right at the edge of
the jump area and seconds later he spoke ‘1….2….3…. Bungee’! I was now taking
a freefall towards the Bhotekoshi river and I could feel my heart pumping loudly. I shouted with excitement and fear,
and every time the rope would stretch upwards, I felt more excitement. After a few minutes, I was being pulled upwards back towards the bridge. Soon I landed on the bridge and I had this relieved and joyous feeling overwhelming my head.
By around 3:30 pm, the rest of our team had also finished their jumps, and then we decided to take a short hike to the nearby village. Throughout the hike, we were excitedly recounting our bungee achievements! Then after around an hour of walking, we came back to our hotel and relaxed at our rooms. We then decided
to take an hour for a relaxing swim and Jacuzzi session. After completing the session, we went back to our rooms and spent some time resting.
At 7:30 pm, we were told by the hotel
staff that dinner was ready. After the day’s wonderful adventures, we were more than eager to get a full-belle worth of meal. We were served a traditional Nepali dinner along with chicken and fish dishes. After spending an hour on dinner and chit- chat, we were served desserts at 8:30 pm, and after finishing it we decided to end this adventurous day and head directly to bed.
Day 2
This day started early for me as I woke
up at around 5:30 pm with the peaceful sound of the flowing Bhotekoshi river
and the local birds. One of my friends woke up early as well and with the other three still appearing quite asleep, we decided to take this short walk to the nearby height and gaze at the sunrise. After catching the mesmerizing sunrise view, we further hiked for over an hour and finally returned to the hotel at around 8 am. Our friends had finally got out of bed and were enjoying the views of the river. At around 8:30 am we were served a wholesome breakfast with Tibetan bread, eggs, vegetable curry, and tea. Then we returned to our rooms and changed into our hiking outfits as we prepared to spend the day moving toward the famous Listimai Temple. The hotel had packed our mid-day lunch for us and then at around 10:00 am, we began our uphill hike.
Ugrachandi Listimai Temple is an
ancient Hindu temple revered around the region where the goddess Ugrachandi
is worshipped by tens of thousands of devotees every year. The road between the hotel and the temple is mostly an uphill trail and moves around hills and woods. It could be called an easy-to-moderate trail and offers some serene views of the local hills and mountains. After walking for around three hours, we finally reached Listimai temple. We offered our prayers to the goddess and then sat down over a grassy meadow below the tree shades and opened our packed lunch boxes.
After finishing lunch, we stayed around the area and took some pictures,
and further enjoyed the views of the surrounding village and temple. At around 2:00 pm we began our two-hour downhill journey back to our hotel. Hiking after a few weeks of gap did actually give my feet some aches, so I was eager to return to the hotel soon. As we passed through the forests blooming with the edible ‘Koirala’ flowers along with
many other seasonal flowers, we reached our hotel at around 4:00pm and headed straight to our rooms. Soon after we took our showers and retreated to our couches and beds.
But as sunset was closing in, we were looking forward to the evening’s special unlimited barbecue dishes. There were
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Bungee
options for pork, chicken, and trout barbecue. This time we decided to be kind of experimental and try a bit of each of the options on offer. So we put all of those in our order and eagerly waited to try them out on the rooftop balcony. Finally, at 5:30 pm we were served our first barbecue dishes. First came the cooked chicken, then came trout, and soon after we were also served pork. The experience of enjoying barbecue along with friends in the dusky settings in the midst of this natural paradise just can’t be expressed
in words. Perhaps these are the moments
that get imprinted right among life’s best memories.
As the skies got darker, we were also treated to a wonderful sight of the night skies. A couple of decades back, we could see so many stars from Kathmandu’s skies, but now it feels like more and more stars are just disappearing from our city skies! Perhaps, we have come
to an age where we would need to book luxury holidays in distant locations just to look at the stars in the night skies. Anyway, at around 7 pm we finished
our barbecue and then spent some relaxing time outdoors accompanied by the sound of the local faunas and the peacefully flowing Bhotekoshi river in the background.
Time seems to pass so soon when you
are in such a peaceful place beside your favorite people. Until we were called by the hotel staff, we hadn’t even realized that it was already 8:30 pm! So we headed to the dining area and went to take our dinner. Then after finishing our desserts, we were ready to call it a day and so headed to our rooms for dozing off.
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Travel Diary
Travel Diary
Travel Diary
Day 3 Day 3
The wonderful hiking and the fulfilling meals of the previous day seemed to have given my body the signal to get some quality sleep. Maybe that’s why I ended up waking up at around 7:30 am! I still proved to be the early bird in my group, as my friends woke up a little bit later than me.
At around 8:30 am, our breakfast was ready and we all went to the dining area. I then realized that we would be checking out today and leaving this wonderful place in a few hours! Despite being here for just two days, I was already beginning to miss this area. But I also knew that I would be back here very soon, so that gave me some sense of relief too. So we went back to our rooms, freshened up, and began packing our luggage and bags as we prepared to head back home. Then by around 10 am, we were done with
our packing and headed to the lobby
to check out. Soon after, our microbus arrived at the hotel and with the check- out completed we proceeded to put our baggage in the vehicle. With everything in its place, our driver signaled us to get on board and after taking our seats, the driver started our journey back at
10:30 am.
But we still had one last adventure to complete before finally heading home: we would be rafting above Bhotekoshi! So at around noon, our bus took us to Balefi where our rafting captain Sandip was waiting for us along with all the needed rafting equipment. We were given the regular briefing and instructions for around 15 minutes. Then we put on our helmets and life jackets, and then took our seats on our raft. And soon after, we began our rafting journey downwards.
The upper portion of Bhotekoshi
is considered to be one of the most dangerous rafting routes in Nepal with
a fair share of injuries and even deaths reported in the past. So of late, the local authorities haven’t handed any new permission along the route with heavy rapids. However, the route below Balefi is considered to be relatively gentle and easy even for first-timers.
Passing a few rapids and mostly gentle streams, our guides took us to an open sandy area for some rest around the halfway point. While there, we were entertained by some fun group games led by Sandip and his assistant Maila bhai.
After around a half-hour break, we were back on the river enjoying the wonderful views and adventure. We were also allowed to swim in a gentle portion of the river. At around 3:00 pm we reached the end point of our rafting route as we landed at Bhotekoshi Beach Resort. Soon after, we headed to the shower area and washed our bodies of the sand and dirt we had collected as part of the adventure! After changing our clothes, we sat down on the reclining seats right overlooking the beach and the river.
With all the adventure complete, we were now eagerly looking forward to our lunch, and we headed to the dining area soon. We were served a nice Nepali-style lunch along with some local fish fries and curries. By 4 pm, we were done with lunch and now we were more than ready to return home.
At 4:15pm, our driver told us to take our seats. Then soon after, we were on the highway again and making our way back to our homes! Soon enough, the microbus crossed Sindhupalchowk and was headed towards Kathmandu.
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Hiking
Schedule Summary: DAY 1:
07:45 am: Reach Koteshwor and on-board bus/micro
08:00 am: Start the journey along the along the Arniko Highway
08:45 am: Reach Dhulikhel and at Paanchkhalko Lassi place for a light breakfast
09:15 am: Resume journey
09:45 am: Reach Dolalghat and short stopover for light fish dishes
10:00 am: Journey to Sukute
10:20 am: Short Sightseeing Stopover around Sukute
10:30 am: Reach Khadichaur
11:00 am: Pass Jure Pahiro
11:15 am: Bahrabise town
12:00 am: Check-in at Bhotekoshi Heli Resort
01:00 pm: Lunch
03:00 pm: Bungee and short village walk 05:00 pm: Swimming and Jacuzzi
07:30 pm: Dinner
08:30 pm: Desserts
DURATION: 3-Days 2-nights DAY 2:
06:00 am: Short sunrise view hiking around local village
08:00 am: Return to Hotel
08:30 am: Breakfast
10:00 am: Begin uphill hike to Listimai Temple
01:00 pm: Reach Listimai and take a short rest and packed lunch
02:00 pm: Begin downhill walk back to hotel
04:00 pm: Reach hotel and take rest 05:30 pm: BBQ session
08:30 pm: Buffet dinner and desserts
DAY 3:
08:30 am: Breakfast
10:30 am: Hotel checkout
12:00 pm: Reach Balefi for Rafting 12:30 pm: Begin Rafting
03:00 pm: Reach Bhotekoshi Beach Resort and end rafting/bathing and relaxing
04:00 pm: Lunch
04:30 pm: Begin return journey to Kathmandu
07:30 pm: Reach Kathmandu
