Western Nepal

OCTOBER 2019

After a busy day we found ourselves waiting for our evening flight out of London Heathrow and bound for Dubai. This overnight flight was the first leg of our journey to Kathmandu in Nepal. By early morning (very early on UK time) we were on the ground in Dubai and in the plush and spacious arrival hall.

From here we had to make our way via train and shuttle bus to a different terminal to catch our onward flight to Kathmandu. Fortunately there was plenty of assistance to help us negotiate the transfer; otherwise it would have been a bit of a challenge.
By the time we arrived in Kathmandu we had been on the go for almost 24 hours, so the extra slow queue at immigration wasn’t welcomed. Finally through, the next job was to get a taxi to our hotel. A simple task you might expect, but not so. The taxi services were eager for your custom but don’t know where many of Kathmandu’s hotels were located, due to the lack of street addresses. But after a few phone calls for directions we were on our way, and eventually very pleased to arrive at our hotel.
A good night’s sleep prepared us for a day of organising and sightseeing, before heading off the next day to the west of Nepal.

Our destination was the Bardia National Park and our transport was by plane and jeep.
First we took a 30 minute domestic flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj then a 2 hour jeep (actually an SUV but referred to as a jeep) ride to our accommodation in the village of Thakurdwara, on the edge of the Bardia National Park. Both sections of our journey provided not only transport but an insight into Nepali life as well.
The terminal building for the domestic flights at Kathmandu was much more basic than the international terminal we had arrived at, but operated efficiently enough. Although it was a bit disconcerting that seats had been used to cover large holes in the floor at our departure gate. Transport from the gate to the plane was by an old weather beaten coach, which also acted as a tow vehicle for the luggage trailers. What was also amusing was how the luggage was prevented from falling off the trailers during transport; basically the luggage handlers sat on the bags and were transported with them.
What followed was a short but enjoyable flight. With the enjoyment coming from the view out of the window, as the Himalayan mountains came into sight as we rose above the clouds. What was less enjoyable was the sweet handed out by the flight crew, which must have been curry flavour.

En route from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, beautiful view over the Himalaya

View from plane as we approach Nepalgunj

Back on the ground in Nepalgunj it was time to collect our bags. Here the arrivals hall didn’t have the usual conveyor belt for luggage, instead the bags were wheeled in on a trolley and you had to shout in recognition when your bag was held up. Quite a straightforward procedure you would think, if it weren’t for everybody pleading for their bag to be unloaded first even if it was at the bottom of the pile. Fortunately the baggage handlers ignored the requests and got on with it in a systematically manner and it wasn’t long before we had our bags and on our way.

Our driver then took us on a two-hour hair rising drive from the airport to our accommodation. Not hair rising due to the state of the roads, although we did have to ford a river at one point, but because of the things we had to avoid on the road. If it wasn’t for cattle and goats lying on the road it was other traffic leaving it late to complete their overtaking manoeuvre, all meaning the gravel verge came into use on more than one occasion.

Cattle on the road

River crossing

River crossing

Finally we reached our destination of Bardia Homestay and were able to relax for the rest of the day.

Although we would return later, this was just an overnight stay at Bardia Homestay, as the following day we were on our way again. Our next destination was the Shuklaphanta National Park in the far west of the country, a four-hour drive away. Our journey was broken up by a visit to the Ghoda Godhi Lake, a lily filled expanse of water famous for its bird life. We spent a few hours exploring its various sections before taking lunch in a local restaurant.

Godha Godhi Lake

White-throated kingfisher

Lotus flower

After lunch we continued our journey to Shuklaphanta in the usual crazy style that we were now accustomed to when travelling by road in Nepal. By mid afternoon we were at our accommodation, the Shuklaphanta Jungle Cottages, which gave us time to relax before embarking on the final activity of the day. Around five o’clock we climbed aboard a jeep, with four other fellow travellers, to visit the Dodhara Chandani Bridge. The Dodhara Chandani Bridge, commonly known as Mahakali Bridge, is a 1.5 kilometre long suspension bridge for pedestrians, bicycles and motorbikes over Mahakali River. It is quite a feat of engineering and serves as a vital link between the communities either side of the river. We spent an hour or so walking on the bridge and watching goods and people being transported backwards and forwards, before leaving as the sun went down.

Suspension bridge 1.5km

Rock harvesting from the river

Back at the cottages it was time for dinner, a very tasty Dhal Bhaat, and some enjoyable conversation with our fellow travellers.

It was an early start the next day and with a mist still lingering on the tops of the trees we entered the Shuklaphanta National Park. One of Nepal’s newest National Parks, which has a population of Tiger, Rhino and Elephant. But with the grass so tall this time of year it was very unlikely we would see any of them. Instead we concentrated on spotting its varied Deer population and abundant bird life. What followed was an enjoyable, if not a bit tiring because of the heat, ten-hour jeep safari. With our guide and driver we explored the dense grassland, where it felt like a Combine Harvester would have been a more appropriate vehicle than a jeep, and the lush forests that surrounded it. The day was very productive as we saw all five species of Deer together with a great variety of bird life.

Swamp Deer in Shuklaphanta NP

Nepalese Alexandrian Parakeets

Shuklaphanta NP

Monitor lizard resting in the viewing tower

Short Tail Macaque in the Shuklaphanta NP

Tall grass keeping us from having a good view around

Herd of spotted deer

From the viewing tower in Shuklaphantha NP

The following day we retraced our steps back to Bardia Homestay to start a proper exploration of the Bardia National Park and its surrounding area. However, we didn’t travel directly, we did make a stop at the Karnali River Bridge, where it crosses the longest river in Nepal (507km).

Moving greenery on the Kanali River bridge

The next day started a new phase in our Nepal trip, as four very good friends were joining us. The get together had two functions, to celebrate the 50th birthday of two of the party and also to explore the country together.
Anne and I started the day with a short walk in the area, before the other four arrived around mid-day. The afternoon was spent catching up, followed by an early evening walk when the heat had subsided a bit.

Modern and traditional life

Drying crops

Goat herding

Bardia Homestay

Bardia Homestay

The emphasis for the following three days was to explore the Bardia National Park, by jeep, on foot and rafting through its middle. The park has a good population of iconic wildlife, but Tiger and Elephant eluded us. However, we were please with the sight of an Asian Rhino bathing in the river and a pack of six Asian Otters feeding. It was also nice to see plenty of Deer, Monkeys and a few Jackals, less so to see a Cobra crossing the river in the opposite direction to which we were wading.

Entrance to Bardia NP

Bardia NP

Langur Monkey

Bird of prey

Cobra crossing the river

Family of Asian Otters

Asian Otter

Otter eating fish

Short Tail Macaque

Asian Rhino

Asian Rhino

Asian Rhino having a great time

Karnali River

Asian open billed stork

Mugger crocodile

Bardia National Park road

Our stay in the area also coincided with Nepal’s Dashain festival, one of the country’s most important. And as we were staying at “Bardia Homestay”, highly recommended by the way, we were invited to witness some of the celebration first-hand.
We joined a parade as it passed through the village on its way to the river to give offerings to the gods. We were also able to join in on some of the activities at the rivers edge, but left the locals to party when the sun began to set.

Dashain Festival procession

Dashain procession

Offering for Dashain Festival

Offering to the Gods

Festival food and drink

Swings ready for Dashain Festival

Swing for the Dashain Festival

A bit of fish, chicken, spinach and other stuff ....

Sharing food and drinks for the celebration

Celebrating Dashain

Food and drinks for celebrating Dashain

Dashain celebration

We were also treated to some local dancing as part of the Dashain festival, a gift from our hosts Sonja and Budhi, and even got roped into joining in, good fun though.

Dashain Dancing

Dashain Dance

In between the organised activities we took ourselves for walks around the surrounding countryside and felt privileged to witness Nepali rural life as it went on all around us.

Water Buffalo being washed

Rice field

Harvesting the rice

Village scene

Intrigued by what we had seen locally we were keen to see more. So when we were offered a trip up to the northern hill villages, we jumped at the chance. This trip started on the Kathmandu highway, but after crossing the Karnali River Bridge at Chisapani, the road followed the river as it climbed into the hills. From here on the road was barely passable, as this year’s monsoon had taken a heavy toll.

Hill road negociation

Goods delivery

Repairing Hill Roads after the monsoon

Karnali River

River Canal

But with some expert driving, not by us I hasten to add, we were able to reach many of the more remote villages. We were able to see how hard life was in these hill villages, we saw where they lived, the crops they cultivated and the communities they lived in. We heard that they could be cut off for weeks during the monsoon, so will stock up with supplies before the rains started. We witnessed the many forms of transport used, including the battered minibuses that passed us while walking, over full with passengers but a vital link to the main town at the bottom of the valley. All the time we followed to Karnali River, paddling in it at one point and crossing it at another, via a local suspension bridge. We had lunch in one of the very few restaurants and took tea in a small café. It was fascinating, informative and very enjoyable day.

Portrait of Local Hill Lady

Hill Family

Hill scenery

Local Shop

Drying Noodle

Hill Family

Hill House

Hill village

Suspension bridge over the Karnali River

And that was the end of our journey in western Nepal. We took a jeep to Nepalgunj airport and flew back to Kathmandu, to start the next part of our Nepal experience.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Road travel in Nepal
The main roads in Nepal are generally in good condition, although still being repaired in places following the 2015 earthquake. However, it was not the condition of the roads that made them memorable, it was travelling along them. Life is at its busiest close to the main road. They connect major towns, trading establishments line them and all forms of transport travel along them. This meant negotiating them was quite a skill. Proficient use of the horn is vital to warn other road users to get out of the way, because I am not stopping. Good brakes are necessary to slow the vehicle enough to swerve around the obstacle that has failed to react to the sound of the horn. And sturdy suspension is required for the times you have to leave the road to avoid on coming traffic.
So what did we see travelling on the road? The usual cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes and bicycles, but also carts being drawn by cattle, tractors towing all sort of farm produce and construction materials and even women carrying piles of grass so big that it looked like it was moving by itself.
And what were those obstacles? Well, the main obstacle is cattle, they roam freely and never seem to be in any hurry to move out of the way. This means you have to go around them or pass between them, but never hit them, as they are sacred. On several occasions a herd would block the tarmac, forcing vehicles to use the gravel verge to get by, this was usually where a tree provides a shady area lay. Other livestock and dogs were also an obstacle to negotiate, together with other road users coming towards you on your side of the road.
All in all an interesting and sometimes a bit scary experience, especially when all this happens at breakneck speed.