The Sham Valley is one of the shortest treks in the Ladakh region of India. You’ll often hear it said that this is one of the ‘easier’ treks in this part of the world, but just how easy is it? While there may be more technically difficult trails throughout Northern

A red-faced woman came breathlessly around the corner and was obviously stunned at the sight of me. “How did you get up here? In heels?” Fair enough, we were at nearly 4,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayas after all. Whereas she had taken the energetic and admirable way

Standing in the lobby of our hotel in Gangtok, we wondered whether it was really safe to go north. Should we really go ahead with our plan and try to visit Lachung and Yumthang? Just two days earlier, north Sikkim had received such heavy snowfall that routes were impassable. The

The grass was warmed by the gentle sun; the pasture was open before us. Some wild horses stopped for a few seconds to check us out. I guess we didn’t seem to present any danger to them as they continued their relaxed feast. Some wild yaks crossed the river a little

  The British rulers of colonial India loved to ‘summer’ in Mussoorie. Evidence of their occupation is still visible in the architecture they left behind, and in the names of the streets, buildings and even mountains. Subsequent generations of middle-class Indians have continued the tradition of escaping to Mussoorie. Given

Sometimes it can be necessary to get away from Kathmandu for a day or two. Everybody knows about Nagarkot and Dhulikhel, but a lesser-known destination for a short trip out of the capital is Kakani. It’s 23 km to the north-west of Kathmandu, right next to the Shivapuri National Park. The small

At 5 am, Kanchenjunga wakes under a blanket of saffron clouds. The sky is an unnatural shade of pink, but the air tastes cold and clean, and is a welcome change from the grey stuff back in Delhi. Admittedly, I’m hungover and sore from having lost three games of Mahjong.

The Government of Nepal is putting a special emphasis on encouraging travellers to visit Nepal in 2020, promoting it around the world as a destination for adventure, luxury, and everything in between. While any year is a good year to visit Nepal, here are 20 reasons to visit Nepal in

The verdant rolling hills, cows grazing in the valleys and the plate overflowing with Emmental cheese at your homestay would lead you to believe you’re vacationing somewhere in the Swiss Alps. But this is a common scene here in Bumthang, Bhutan. It is the perfect place for farming, and the

For travellers looking for an alternative to the tourist highway of Ghandruk to Ghorepani, take the less well-trodden path up to Isahru and Dobato to reach Muldai Viewpoint. My friends and I headed up on the first day of the season, and while we were prepared for some snow, a

I have a tendency to make travel plans on my own, not because I don’t want the company of others—I do! But in my experience, it’s difficult to find friends who can take time off work, who have similar traveling styles and budgets, and who won’t drive me insane (and

“Should we go back?” I asked myself, as the pelting rain and thunderous rivers created an unrelenting cacophony in my mind. I stopped to flick two thumb-sized leeches off the rubber grips of my trekking poles in an attempt to avoid another feeding frenzy—a horrific sight I hadn’t gotten over since

Nepal is, of course, famously known for trekking, mountaineering, and the world’s highest peaks. But there’s so much more to the country. On a recent one-week tour of Nepal, I got to know the country just a little bit better by visiting homestays, villages, nature reserves, and national parks. Starting in

When most people think of hiking in Nepal, they tend to think of the high mountains and trails surrounded by snowcapped peaks. But there are many options around Kathmandu as well, which do not require a 10-hour bus ride or a flight to the trailhead. These trips are perfect for travelers short on

Most travellers to Nepal visit several of the country’s well-known UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites. These are must-visit attractions that shouldn’t be missed, but they’re not the only worthwhile heritage sites in the country. There are currently 15 sites in Nepal that are on UNESCO’s tentative list. This means that although

A sudden crack comes from the direction of the mountain. Dust is rising from behind a rocky crag. Then I see it, gathering speed, ploughing over the scree down the mountainside, a trail of debris behind. I watch as the huge boulder continues unforgivingly, crossing my walking path and slapping

While my daughter and I have done many hikes throughout Nepal in the last few years, we had never considered doing the Annapurna Base Camp Trek. The words ‘base camp’ sounded so exposed and rough that I didn’t want to add this to my to-do list while my daughter was

Our group piled into two Jeeps. Five hours, I was told. Though I had walked to Sikles from Tangting before, this was my first time riding in a vehicle along the bumpy road leading from Pokhara. The sun shone perfectly through the trees, but I was grateful when our caravan