3 independent reviews for Nepal vacation, encompassed
Reviews for Nepal vacation, encompassed
Adele Watts review 18 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Too hard to say. Waking up in Pokhara to the view of Annapurna range. We just sat there with a cup of coffee in awe. Most memorable2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Find out before hand how the tipping works. Who gets what. In the hotels do you tip the porter or just put money in the general tip jar. How much is a good tip in a restaurant? It was a bit tricky to find out. No one wants to talk about it.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely benefited local people. Can’t say it reduced environmental impact. We flew there, drove around and flew back. Supported conservation…I think in some ways yes. In Chitwan National Park we felt the Safari carefully supported conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We both loved the vacation. We became inspired in many ways. One of us is beginning training to trek. We both gained appreciation for the religions in Nepal. The friendliness and acceptance of the people inspires us to be more so ourselves. It was a vacation that gave us more than beautiful sights.Marija Naumoska review 7 Sep 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
It is difficult to decide the most memorable, as there were many wonderful parts. Learning about the Nepalese culture as well as exploring the beautiful nature of Nepal were equally amazing.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
If traveling in the summer months (June to August) be prepared to the humidity and monsoonal rain. Make sure to bring enough cash to exchange into Nepalese Rupee as it wasn't always easy to make card transactions, especially outside of Kathmandu.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We were frequently introduced to local people (and preferred ot that way). By eating in local restaurants we felt that we were often supporting small businesses. Being able to provide tips to our local guides helped ease our anxiety around not knowing how much they had been paid to provide their service. In terms of conservation, we were able to learn much about this throughout the trip from our various guides. Having said that, we were saddened by the ongoing practice of Elephant riding for tourists (we chose not to do it). It was nice to know that our guide at Chitwan National Park also believed that this practice should be stamped out. As an idea, it might be helpful to have a warning on your website that this practice still occurs in Nepal and provide some education around the unethical aspects of Elephant riding.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was an unforgettable vacation. It has inspired me to travel to Nepal again.Read the operator's response here:
Hi Marija,
Glad you had a great vacation. We have hardened our stance on elephant riding and have made the decision not to promote elephant safaris in national parks anywhere. While elephant safaris have both pros and cons, we feel that on balance, this is not an activity that we can support, and we don't view it as either necessary or ethical.
Here are a few links to our stances on Elephant rides:
https://www.responsibletravel.com/vacations/elephant-conservation/travel-guide/elephants-conservation
https://www.responsibletravel.com/vacations/elephant-conservation/travel-guide
We hope you find these links useful.
Thanks,
Responsible Travel
Kevin Toner review 23 Apr 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Most memorable would be seeing the colourful flags and rolling the prayer wheels at Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in Kathmandu. From this vantage point there is also a fabulous view of the city. The most exciting part was the drive from Kathmandu over the mountains via Daman to Sauraha in Chitwan. The views were wonderful, the small hillside stops were amazing places to visit and the road itself was...well an interesting mix of hairpin bends; part tarmac part gravel and even wide enough for two vehicles - in places. However the most wonderful thing about the vacation was the local people we met.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
In places toilet facilities were very basic so make sure you take a sufficiency of portable toilet/tissue paper. Make sure you take insect repellent if you are traveling in the Terai. We travelled in April and were only bitten four times between us but the critters are there waiting for the unprepared! On a more general note be aware that Nepalese people are very poor so don't try to beat them down on the price of everything you buy. Have fun haggling over an item but sometimes make someones day by giving them the top price - the extra could feed a family for a day.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our visit to Chitwan was on a controlled basis and our entrance fees helped to preserve the animals that reside in the park and support government efforts to stop poaching. Where possible we chose to eat in local restaurants/bars rather than hotels as this helped support local businesses and people. While we used the services of a driver and guide which may not be as environmentally friendly as taking public transport , it ensured that two local people were fully employed for ten days (and well tipped for their efforts on our behalf).4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A magnificent adventure for two people not in the first flush of youth. If you have been thinking about going to Nepal for years but have never made the effort then just go for it. Our trip did not involve any trekking (at our request) and we were wonderfully looked after by the tour company staff.Holiday Reviews
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