Mountain biking
Mountain biking in Nepal is fun and at times challenging event. There are many popular biking routes in Nepal that are in operation at the moment. They are:
The Scar Road from Kathmandu
Starts from balaju towards kakani to shivapuri ending in budhanilkantha in northern kathmandu.
Kathmandu to Dhulikhel
Starts from koteshwor in kathmandu to bhaktapur to banepa to dhulikhel. you can also continue from dhulikhel to namobuddha to panauti to banepa.
The Back Door to Kathmandu
Starts from panauti and heads to lakuri bhanjyang and then to lubhu in lalitpur ending near patan.
Dhulikhel to the Tibetan Border
Starts in dhulikhel and follows the araniko highway with a night stay on the way.
The Rajpath from Kathmandu
Starts from kalanki in kathmandu and follows the prithvi highway up to naubise. then tribhuwan highway route is taken with overnight stay in daman. from there, ride downhill to hetauda, with the option of heading towards narayangarh or the indian border.
Hetauda to Narayangarh and Mugling
Starts from hetauda and heads along the mahendra highway to narayangarh. you could take a detour to sauraha near from taandi.
Kathmandu to Pokhara
Starts from kathmandu and traverses through naubise, mugling to pokhara.
Pokhara to Sarangkot and Naudanda
Starts from lakeside pokhara and heads towards sarangkot and from there towards naudanda. from there, ride downhill towards the highway.
The best time to go for biking is between mid October and late March, when the atmosphere is clear the the climate is temperate - warm during the days and cool during the night. Biking in other times of the year is also okay but great care should be taken while biking during the monsoon season June to September as the roads are slippery. Biking can be done independently or can be organized through biking companies of Nepal.
You can rent mountain bikes from simple indian made to real good ones locally, but remember that if your'e going on a longer or harder ride, at least your own saddle would be a good option to bring. Rent goes from anywhere november 2009 3 simple bike to 30 US Dollars western bikes with suspension.
Buddhism
Rangjung Yeshe Institute
(http://www.shedra.com). an international institute for buddhist higher studies in baudha - modeled on a traditional tibetan buddhist college. the institute is affiliated with kathmandu university, and located on the premises of the monastery ka-nying [short for "kagyu and nyingma"] shedrup ling. it offers bachelors and masters degrees in buddhist studies with himalayan language tibetan, nepali, and sanskrit, as well as six week stand alone intensive courses in each.
Kopan Monastery
(http://www.kopanmonastery.com). founded by lama yeshe and lama zopa as the core of what has become an international network of gelugpa dharma centers, the foundation for the preservation of the mahayana tradition fpmt. located near baudha, kopan offers ten-day meditation courses regularly throughout the year, and a month-long course for which it is famous every november-to-december. reservations are necessary.
Library
TU Central Library
(http://www.tucl.org.np). it is one of the largest library of nepal situated within tribhuvan university premise at kirtipur. you can get there by regular bus or micro-bus for kirtipur. it has a large collection of old and new books, journals and newspaper.
Yoga courses
Bikram Yoga College of India
(http://bikramyoganepal.com/) daily hot yoga classes in the heart of thamel on a drop-in or monthly basis.
Meditation courses
Nepal Vipassana Centers
(http://www.np.dhamma.org). vipassana meditation a popular buddhist meditation as taught by s. n. goenka.
Tsering Art School
Offers a professional thangka painting course. a minimum study period of 3 months a year for 3 years is recommended.due to the sacred nature of this art form, those who wish to study here must have taken refuge in the buddha, dharma and sangha, and consider themselves to be buddhist. there are no boarding facilities offered at the tsering art school for foreign students. the school fees are 1,600 nrs per month. basic drawing and painting implements are required and can be purchased in nepal. for study enquiries and enrolments please contact the school administrator, miss lobsang dolma by email on: [email protected]
motorcycling
Nepal's geography and climate makes for some of the best motorcycling roads in the world. The traffic is a little chaotic, but not aggressive, and the speeds are low. Be aware that you need an international driving licence in Nepal, even though you might never be stopped by the police as a tourist on a bike.
Perhaps the best and most original way to explore the country is by motorcycle. Kathmandu should be avoided by beginners, but the rest of Nepal is simply amazing. Hearts and Tears Motorcycle Club, Wild Experience Tours & Blazing Trails Tours are the better known Names in the industry. They specialize in motorcycle touring, and have a great collection of custom bikes. They are professional set-ups with imported safety equipment, structured training, and well organized group tours.
The Healing Hands Center
(http://www.ancientmassage.com). classes in ancient massage / thai massage. five-day course, ten-day course and one-month professional course, runs every month and recognized by thai thai healing alliance international worldwide and natural health practitioners of canada nhpc.
rafting
Rafting trips for various durations and all levels of experience leave from Kathmandu and Pokhara. For detailed itineraries visit the Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (http://www.raftingassocia...). The main rivers are:
Bhote Koshi
Kali Gandaki
Karnali
Seti
Sun Koshi
Trisuli
Arun
Tamor
Marshyangdi
Bheri
It is also possible depending on the river to practice Kayaking and canyoning. Rafting is considered dangerous on most rivers in Nepal on all during monsoon so check that your travel insurance covers that.
trance parties
"The Last Resort", near the Tibetan border, has frequent Full Moon Trance Parties, lasting 2-3 days. Watch for posters and check music shops. Pokhara has started featuring its own brand of Full Moon raves and interesting Western takes on Nepali festivals.
KEEP
(http://www.keepnepal.org/) kathmandu environmental education project have a center in kathmandu behind kilroy's, which provides environmental information about nepal. they provide books for trekkers to record their experiences in for others to read before they set off. you can ask to see a bbc film entitled "bearing the burden" about nepalese porters. they also provide a water bottle refill service that is also cheaper than buying new bottles rs 10. you can also buy there some biodegradable soap and iodine for your trek.
jungle safari
Chitwan National Park offers elephant rides, jungle canoeing, nature walks, and birding, as well as more adventurous tiger and rhino-viewing. There are also many other less visited parks like Bardiya and Sagarmatha.