I hear that Kathmandu is far from the Himalayas actually.
Is anyone thinking about doing something more after the meeting too?
(still hoping this might work for me to come join in)
thx @jamaica @dusjagr @gaudi (for any further info too)
@Harold any chance you can make it?
=)
Lake Pokara might be a nice place to aim for to at least see some peaks, I heard, if not be actually up in them ?
=)
I’m planning to take my bicycle to Nepal, if I can get it done in time. And ride west to Pokhara, then head north on the Annapurna circuit, but stop and backtrack to Kathmandu at half time (it would be impossible for me to complete it, Thorong La pass is 5.5km above sea level and COLD).
Glad to see you can make it!
hahaha you can do that??? by ship it by plane? how?
Kathmandu to Pokhara road crosses through the flood affected area, and roads might take time to recover. It shouldn’t be a problem for a bicycle, but I’d still plan a backup.
It’s not a great idea to take that main road. Too dangerous. It’d be better to look at the alternative paths follow informal hiking trails/jeep tracks etc.
Coming with no return tickets actually, so I’d probably be up for anything my body allows me to do : )
What’s your take on the road to Lumbini? Or, going the opposite way, towards Darjeeling?
thanks for all these responses!
I thought that area was far from the big tragedy zone…
what is the best recommendation by locals to get to see some real peaks, if I will probably have just a few days after the meeting? Are Lumbini or the route to Darjeeling something to consider?
Would any open science participants or other locals care to join in to help us see the best of Nepal possible under these circumstances?
so exciting that it seems to be coming together… (@jamaica hope my last mail made sense and we are all good - bookings hopefully to be done today!!)
=)
There’s Sagarmatha Park northwards from KTM and a few attractions in th vicinity towards east (Dhulikhel iirc). The route to Darjeeling is a ~17 hour bus ride, and you need to confirm if there are any entry points to India available to you. On the Nepali side that road doesn’t have a lot, but I was suggested Ilam for the tea gardens.
Lumbini no mountains, it’s also a pilgrimage site. OTW Chiwan national park for some safari.
thx! will check on Sagarmatha Park! Any peaks potentially visible?
=)
Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mt. Everest 
Any further info I can provide will just be based on Wikipedia, so…
ok, then, probably we should see what the people in the know say about that park, and whether one can actually get there these days…
=)
seems unlikely that this is feasible after the meeting…
going upstream a bit, up the Bagamati River, might be something interesting? any locals with suggestions for a day trip after the meeting? =)
A good trek to do to potentially see some good peaks could be Panchpokhari in Sindhupalchowk. A 75 km ride(mostly off-road, 6ish hours in a public bus) from Kathmandu takes you to Chimti. And then you walk a couple of days to get to the sacred Panchpokhari(literal translation: five ponds) from where you get good views of Jugal, Dorje lhakpa, and other central region himals. Very rustic, no roads and only a walking trail beyond Chimti, but popular with nepalis so you’ll meet people and teahouses along the way. I might do this trek the week after the gathering. Westwards - going to Pokhara(if the roads are functional by then, or flying) opens you up to several different possibilities. The rains this week heavily flooded Kaligandaki river though, causing landslides in Manang and completely cutting off some roads. But Sikles, and Tanting, seem to be fine so far. Easy to get to, just 2-3 hours(mostly off road ride) from Pokhara and you see Annapurna from these beautiful villages with a nice homestay culture. Eastwards, if the BP highway will be functional by then, taking a bus to Solukhumbu opens up so many options to see good himals.
if only I had time for such adventures…
more rain and mudslides sounds a bit worrying, still. Take care!
will save these recommendations, and there will certainly be others able to try to join in.