Kathmandu Nepal travel guide – How to travel in style – British GQ

Chasing angels or feeling demons, go to the mountains.” So said writer Jeffrey Rasley and surely there can be no finer range to flee to than those of Nepal. And if landing into Kathmandu is a relatively precarious pursuit, the snow-capped Himalayas peaking out of a perfect sunset fringing the edge of your plane window is a sight to behold.

There’s no need to head to Nepal with a desperate urge to summit Everest or even hike that far into the hills. Nepal has a natural beauty all of its own, and in Kathmandu, a glorious, if polluted, city.

Give yourself several days to visit its sites – the ancient temples along Patan Durba square, the cobbled lanes with tiny shops selling beautiful brass, the 12,600 foot Buddha in Amitaba Park and the monkey temple, and then head to Pokhura (a 30-minute flight from the capital) to walk the mountains near Annapurna. Next, spend a few days at Himalika Camp on the banks of the Trisuli River, about 80 kilometers outside the capital for white water rafting, by day and nights under canvas on the banks of the river. The mountains are breathtaking, and easily visible from the Kathmandu valley. But if you’re spending time in the Khatmandu, there’s no finer place to rest your head at night than at The Dwarika’s Hotel.

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After a day amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, The Dwarika’s (centrally located in area called Battisputali which translates literally as ’32 butterflies’) is an oasis of calm amidst the wonderful hubbub. Opened by Dwarika Das Shrestha, in 1977, it served to salvage ancient carvings that the locals were burning for firewood. As a result, today it’s as a beautifully curated homage to 15th, 16th and 17th century Nepali design. And while the hotel may be a heritage site it’s loaded with five star comfort and exceptional service.






The rooms are regal and extremely comfortable, every window boasts views of the surrounding mountains (on a clear day, of course), and the hotel is set around a courtyard, so aside from the gorgeous rooms, the interior outside space of the hotel offers up Pomelo trees, outdoor dining and a very elegant swimming pool (designed as a replica of a 12th century Malla Dynasty bath, no less).

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Krishnarpan is the hotel’s Nepali restaurant (you can also get excellent sushi and room service if you want a change) but the Nepali fare is delicious and all served on traditional brass and earthenware plates on tables that are low lying (so be prepared to cosy up on a floor cushion). From Thali (a sort of smorgasbord of dhal, curry and chili mixtures,) to Paneer curry (Paneer is touted as being similar to cottage cheese but it’s firmer and utterly delicious), Krishnarpan is a gorgeous, very authentic Nepali dining experience, replete with enormous bottles of Everest beer (ditch the wine in Nepal unless you’re prepared to pay way over the odds for a glass of average Sauvignon).

The yoga and fitness center and the spa are well worth a visit, offering massage and traditional Ayurvedic treatments, but if it’s a full-on wellness retreat you’re after, then The Dwarika’s Resort Dhulikhel, located about an hour’s drive from Kathmandu, should be your next stop.






Perched on a mountain edge about 50 kilometers from the Tibetan border, the latest Dwarika offering opened in 2013 and is a great place for those wanting a recharge. It’s definitely not a party pad, but if chakra meditation and yoga, hiking and even cinetherapy are what you’re after, this is the place for you. There is a Himalayan salt room and a crystal room that defies belief it is so big and bling (both are designed for spiritual healing), chakra chambers and a meditation maze. The enormous spa village offers up yoga both morning and a night but, if a sundowner is more your thing, there is a viewpoint area with 360-degree views of the mountains. Alternatively, suites with rooftop terraces offer panoramic views of the surrounding mountains with every aspect of the room designed to face outwards, with even the bathtub angled ‘just so’….)





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As with its capital city sister, this Dwarika has excellent authentic Nepali food on offer and, if you want to take a bit of it home with you, the hotel will happily arrange private cooking lessons with the resident chef. It’s a place from which you leaving, quite literally, on top of the world.






How to get there
Emirates flies to Kathmandu with a stopover in Dubai.

Thank you
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/kathmandu-nepal-travel-guide