Things to do in Nepal
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Sadhana Yoga
This friendly and secluded retreat is hidden away in the village of Sedi Bagar, overlooking Phewa Tal, 2.5km northwest of Lakeside. One- to 21-day courses in Hatha yoga for Rs 1800 per day, including tuition, steam and mud baths, accommodation and meals. Enquire about yoga treks.
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Paddle Nepal
Tiny office in Thamel under Nargila Restaurant, with a main office in Pokhara; also offers kayak clinics.
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Am/Pm Organic Café
This shack run by a Nepali trained as a barista in London has organic Himalayan coffee from Palpa and tasty pastries from its German Bakery. There’s a second branch in Lakeside.
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BK’s Place
This place has a well-deserved reputation for good old-fashioned chips (French fries), with a variety of sauces, as well as good momos. It’s a tiny place, west of the Rum Doodle.
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Helena’s
Helena’s is deservedly popular for its set breakfasts, one of the highest rooftops in Thamel, cosy interior and super-friendly service, with a wide range of coffee, good cakes, tandoori dishes and steaks. It’s warm and cosy in winter. If you are heading off trekking, consider breakfast on the 8th floor a form of high-altitude training.
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Phewa Tal
Spreading majestically westwards from Pokhara, Phewa Tal is the second-largest lake in Nepal. On calm days, the mountains of the Annapurna Range are perfectly reflected in the mirrored surface of the tal. Away from the shore, the water is clean and deep and the dense forest along the south side of the lake provides shelter for brilliant white egrets. The best way to appreciate Phewa Tal is by rowboat.
Many people walk or cycle around the lakeshore - the trek up to the World Peace Pagoda affords breathtaking views over the tal and the mountains beyond.
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Yak Café
Another unpretentious and reliable Tibetan-run place at the other end of Thamel. The booths give it a 'Tibetan diner' vibe and the clientele is a mix of trekkers with their Sherpa guides and local Tibetans who come to shoot the breeze over a cigarette and a tube of tongba (hot millet beer). The menu includes Tibetan dishes, with good kothey (fried momos), and South Indian food, at unbeatable prices.
It feels just like a trekking lodge, down to that familiar electronic sound of a chicken being strangled every time a dish is ready.
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Or2k
This popular Israeli-run vegetarian restaurant is our current favourite for fresh and light Middle Eastern dishes. The menu spreads to crêpes, soups, zucchini pie, coconut tofu and ziva (pastry fingers filled with cheese). The mood is bright and buzzy. All seating is on cushions on the floor; you have to take your shoes off so make sure you’re wearing your clean pair of socks. A small stand at street level serves takeaway felafel wraps (Rs 110).
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Avia Club Nepal
Avia Club Nepal operates microlight flights from Pokhara between October and May. The 15-/30-/60-minute flights cost around US$65/112/198.
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Nepali Yoga Center
Daily hatha yoga classes (1½ hours, Rs 400) at 7.30am and 4.30pm, plus one-/three-day courses (Rs 1000/3000).
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Caffe Concerto
Potted marigolds and jazz on the stereo add to the bistro atmosphere at this cosy Italian place. The thin-crust pizzas are the best in town, wine is available by the glass and the gelato is delicious. Wi-fi is available.
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Asan Tole
From dawn until late at night the six-road junction of Asan Tole is jammed with buyers, sellers and passers-by, making it the busiest square in Kathmandu. Every day, produce is carried to this popular marketplace from all over the valley so it is fitting that the three-storey Annapurna Temple is dedicated to the goddess of abundance, Annapurna, represented by a purana bowl full of grain.
At most times, but especially Sundays, you'll see locals walk around the shrine, touch a coin to their heads, throw it into the temple and ring the bell above them.
Nearby the smaller two-storey Ganesh shrine is coated in bathroom tiles. To the south is the Yita Chapal (Southern Pavilion) …
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Old Tashi Delek Rest
This place, a long-time favourite, feels like a trekking lodge that’s been transplanted from Everest into a Thamel time warp. Prices are decent, the Tibetan momos (especially the richosse momo soup) are authentic, and the spinach mushroom enchilada (Rs 140) is surprisingly good for Tibetan-Mexican food (Tib-Mex?). It’s down a corridor, slap bang in the centre of the Thamel action.
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Third Eye Restaurant
Next door to Yin Yang, and run by the same people, this is a long-running favourite that retains something of the old Kathmandu atmosphere. There’s a sit-down section at the front, and a more informal section with low tables and cushions at the back and a rooftop terrace. Indian food is the speciality and the tandoori dishes are especially good.
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Himalayan Java
Above the Bakery Cafe, this modern and buzzing coffeehouse serves good espresso and fine paninis and cakes, in addition to decent breakfasts. There’s a sunny balcony, lots of sofas and big-screen TV for the football, but from certain angles it feels a bit like a hotel foyer. It’s popular with hip middle-class Nepalis and there’s wi-fi.
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New Orleans Cafe
Hidden down an alley near the Brezel Bakery, New Orleans boasts a relaxed and intimate candlelit vibe and a great selection of music, often live. It’s a popular spot for a drink but the menu also ranges far and wide, from Thai curries and good burgers to Creole jambalaya and oven-roasted vegies, plus good breakfasts.
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Sunrise Paragliding
Paragliding from the top of Sarangkot must be one of the most exciting experiences in the Himalaya. Sunrise Paragliding offers 30-minute flights exploring the thermals above Sarangkot (US$75) and one-hour cross-country jumps across the valley north towards Annapurna (US$120).
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Garden of Dreams
The beautifully restored Swapna Bagaicha, or Garden of Dreams is one of the most serene and beautiful enclaves in Kathmandu.
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Full Moon
Full Moon is a tiny chill-out bar and den of iniquity that draws a mixed Nepali-foreign clientele.
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Nepali Chulo
Closer to Thamel is this 157-year-old former Rana palace, the Phora Durbar. Most people choose the fixed menu of 11 dishes.
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Freak Street
Kathmandu's most famous street from the hippy overland days of the 1960s and '70s runs south from Basantapur Square. Its real name is Jochne but since the early '70s it has been better known as Freak Street. In its prime, the street's squalor and beauty was irresistible.
The smell of sweet incense, children fluttering prayer wheels, cheap hotels, ad hoc restaurants and shops selling enlightenment, were standard sights on Freak Street. Not surprisingly, it made an instant rapport with the dusty-haired 'freaks' who gave the street its name. Love-ins are a thing of the past, but Freak Street's history and plum position in the heart of old Kathmandu still make it a popular de…
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Yak Restaurant
An unpretentious and reliable Tibetan-run place at the end of Thamel. The booths give it a ‘Tibetan diner’ vibe and the clientele is a mix of trekkers, Sherpa guides and local Tibetans who come to shoot the breeze over a cigarette and a tube of tongba (hot millet beer). The menu includes Tibetan dishes, with good kothey (fried momos), and some Indian dishes, at unbeatable prices. It feels just like a trekking lodge, down to that familiar electronic sound of a chicken being strangled every time a dish leaves the kitchen.
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La Dolce Vita
Life is indeed sweet at Thamel’s best Italian bistro, offering up delights such as parmesan gnocchi; excellent antipasti; goat’s cheese, spinach and walnut ravioli; sinfully rich chocolate torte and wines by the glass. Choose between the rustic red-and-white tablecloths and terracotta tiles of the main restaurant, a rooftop garden, the yummy-smelling espresso bar (real Lavazza coffee) or sunny lounge space; either way the atmosphere and food are excellent. It’s right on the corner opposite Kathmandu Guest House.
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Via Via Cafe
This century-old red house at the end of ‘Seven Bends’ is part of a Belgian-run chain of travellers’ cafes that is part restaurant, part lounge bar, and part hostel. The food is mostly European, with some specifically Belgian touches, and the excellent brunch menu stretches to French toast, crêpes and Greek omelettes. If you like the Nepali dishes, sign up for the weekly cookery course (€5). The sociable lounge converts to a small Latin club on the weekends and a movie hall on Thursdays.
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Dechenling
Quality Tibetan and Indian food is served up in this attractive beer garden, and it’s one of the few places in town to offer interesting Bhutanese dishes such as kewa dhatsi (potatoes and cheese curry). The thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup; Rs 150) is the best in Thamel. If you can’t decide, opt for a Tibetan or Bhutanese set meal washed down with a draught Everest Beer. No wonder the Tibetan name means Place of Joy.
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