CoreTreks

Nepal is a diverse country in many ways in terms of its geographical features, biodiversity, climate, people and cultures. The reason Nepal is famous in the world is because of its diversity. Within the hot plains on the south to chilly Himalayas on the north, there are plenty of reasons you need to visit the beautiful country of Nepal. We will give you some of the prime reasons on why you need to travel to Nepal.

 The Great Himalayas

Among the top 10 highest peaks in the world, eight of them lie here in this small nation of Nepal including the highest one, Mount Everest. The splendors of these mighty mountains are something to behold. Being many in numbers, these mountains have helped in creating a very unique tourist destination where travelers can choose to travel between varieties of Himalayas based on their travel duration and physical fitness. Activities such as trekking, expedition, mountaineering, and exploration has been very popular among these regions of Nepal where people come to get closer to nature and find peace the process of doing so.

 Country full of Adventures

 This is one tiny but mysterious nation, in a good way though! The gradual growth of elevation has filled this country with different land structures with their own variations because of which adventures can be found everywhere you go. Whether it be safari through the plain forests of the south where you'll be able to get close with rich flora and faunas including the royal bengal tigers and one horned rhinos (regarded as endangered species), big cities of the hills and then the obvious, the Great Himalayas. This country of Nepal is an amazing spot for various outdoor adventure sports such as river rafting, paragliding, bunjee, mountain biking, and so and was listed as one of the best places on earth for adventure-tourism by National Geographic.

 Best Value for Money

 Many of the top travel review sites such as Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor and National Geographic has deemed Nepal on their list of top countries to visit where and considering it to be one of the best value- for-money travel destinations around the world. The country is inexpensive in itself where as the products and services provided are second to none. This is one of those few places where you can travel freely without having to stress much about your finances. An average cost for a meal per day would cost you around $15-$20 and a hotel with three star facilities would cost around $50-$60 per night.  

 People and Culture

 Nepal is not only full of natural but also cultural diversity. Nepal in itself has a rich cultures and traditions among many unique ethnic groups scattered all over the country. It has a long history and also considered to be one of the old civilizations of the world. The fact that Nepal being a landlocked country between two huge nations, China and India, it has led to diverse cultures to flourish within one tiny nation. For these reasons there are numerous festivals in Nepal that travelers can witness or take part in all along the year. Experiencing these cultures as you're exploring the wonders of nature in this nation is truly bliss and so are its people. There is a saying in Sanskrit "atithi deva vawa" which basically means guests are a form of god and many people keep it in their hearts. Foreigners are highly viewed as it is also one of the prime sources of income for many people.

 World Heritage Sites

The country of Nepal is gifted not only in through nature but also through its rich history and monuments. There are total of ten world heritage sites in Nepal among which seven of them are within the region of Kathmandu Valley. That makes it easier to explore these unique and special places and it is one of the popular activities done around Kathmandu. One of the most sacred important temples for Hindus; the Pashupatinath Temple, sacred religious site for Buddhists; the Monkey Temple and the Boudhanath Stupa, historic palaces of ancient Malla Kingdoms the Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Square and a temple built during the 3rd century; the Changunarayan Temple are the heritage sites around Kathmandu. Other three heritage sites of the world situated in Nepal are Chitwan National Park, Sagarmatha National Park (this is where Mt. Everest lies), and Lumbini which is the birthplace of the pioneer of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

Flight to Lukla is one of the most scenic air flights in the world as flying over the Great Himalayas will let you experience the beautiful views of the Himalayas from above. It's something you won't get to see everywhere in the world. The Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla, also known as the Gateway to Everest, is the main airstrip in the Everest region from where your travel to Everest region is conducted. Whether it be trekking in Everest region, or any other activities like mountaineering, expedition, and peak climbing; Lukla is the place from where journey to all these activities begins. The flight to Lukla is available only from Kathmandu and it's a pretty short flight taking somewhere between 30 to 45 minutes.

Safety of Lukla Airport

But this is also an airport which has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous airport in the world. So, is it?

One main reason for this airport in Nepal to be technical is because of the topography. Lukla airport elevation lies at an altitude of 2,860 meters and it lies over the top of a hilltop surrounded by other big mountains around. So when a plane takes off or is about to land, it doesn't get many chances to recover itself if something goes wrong as the airstrip is short and runs to the edge of the cliff. This is the reason why this airport is regarded to be one of the most dangerous in the world. However, it would be wrong to come to the conclusion. Why? Let's put things into perspective.

Each day, 20 to 30 aircraft land in Lukla airport. An average of 30,000 tourists flies into Lukla each year. The security and safety of the Lukla airport has significantly went up since the last decade. The last accident involving passenger aircraft in Lukla happened back in October, 2008. Since then, there has not been any aircraft related accident. The passenger safety has been improved greatly since the tragic accident a decade ago. Airstrip is in constant maintenance and the aircrafts have been upgraded as well by most airline companies of Nepal. Still, the flight to Lukla can be thrilling and nerve racking at the same time but it is safe indeed.

Kathmandu to Lukla Air-ticketing

Your flight to Lukla from Kathmandu is pre-arranged by our company. We look after all the logistics regarding your Lukla flight if you're traveling to Everest region with us. There are many benefits in doing so. Because we run a number of trekking groups in Everest region, we get a priority when it comes to ticket booking. Keep in mind though that we pick the flights as the weather fits suitable and getting early flights is one of the key things we prioritize to ensure our guests' safety and to minimize delays. The flight back from Lukla to Kathmandu is also included if you're traveling with Core Treks.

Flight Delays

The flight to or from Lukla is difficult to predict as it heavily relies on the weather condition. Airline companies do not take any chances with the weather conditions and in case of bad landing condition, the plane might as well return back to Kathmandu since it's risky to land at Lukla airport during such circumstances. Because of this reason delays with Lukla flights aren't uncommon. These delays can happen anytime but are more prevalent during the Monsoon season (May-Sep). In such cases, flights

will be rescheduled on the next flight soon as possible. However, it is difficult to say when it'll get rescheduled as conditions can change rapidly. So it could be couple hours after your scheduled departure, or even a few days later in some rare cases. It sounds frustrating but that's a part of a journey one has to make while traveling Everest region, the highest place on earth. For this reason, we highly recommend our travelers to add at least a day or two at the end of your trip so that you may have some flexibility in case of any delays.

The best option for these flight delays in Lukla would be to just plan extra couple days on your trip beforehand and wait for the clear weather. However, if you're stuck for more time than you anticipated or are in tight schedule then we can find other options as well. Some of those are;

Helicopter to Kathmandu: If it's urgent and getting back to Kathmandu soon as possible is necessary, then we can reserve a helicopter flight back to Kathmandu. Keep in mind that it will be expensive and can charge you up to $400 to $600.

Helicopter to Phaplu: If helicopters are in limited availability then what we could do is to take the Heli till Phaplu where there's an airstrip lower in the valley close to Salleri. From there we can arrange a jeep to Kathmandu and the ride will take us around 10 to 14 hours drive.

Trek to Jiri: This is the path used by the first people to reach the Everest summit, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. It was the only trail to Everest region until the construction of the Lukla airport in 1964. The path involves 5 days of trekking along with a long bus ride to or from Kathmandu.

Trek to Salleri: A two long days of hike from Lukla will take you to the village of Salleri. From there jeep can be reserved to Kathmandu. This ride will take about 10 to 14 hours.

Baggage Reclaim Delays

Sometime what could happen is that your baggage might get shifted to another flight or delayed by the airline. It is not a common occurrence yet it is a possibility. So make sure to keep all your valuables and essential things in your hand carry bag. These delays or misplacement caused by the airline are something which is out of our control but we will do our best in getting your things quickly as possible.

Helicopter Flights to Lukla

Food is another factor that adds a beautiful memory during on your trip. The multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Nepal has its own variety of dishes to offer. Every community in Nepal holds its own food culture that is yet to be explored.

Duration is one of the major consideration while planning for a trip. Manaslu Region Treks usually takes around 12-22 days. Find out trek duration for different location within Manaslu in our new blog.

The number one question we get from our visitors is, "Is it safe to trek to the mountains?" Well, it depends on a number of different factors and on our new blog we have answered it all.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha is considered as the holiest place on earth and quite rightfully so. Find out why you must visit Lumbini while in Nepal in our new blog.

Follow the link below:

https://www.coretreks.com/blog/why-you-must-visit-lumbini-in-nepal/

Hinduism being the predominant religion, Nepal is home to many significant temples. Here we have showcased the Top 5 Most Beautiful Temples to visit in Kathmandu Valley. Click the link below to find out