Trek Through the Himalayas & Volunteer in Nepal with Mudita!
Enjoy fresh air, stunning scenery and friendly people? Great, Nepal is for you! This epic country boasts many of the tallest peaks on the planet. Along with the many beautiful mountains, Nepal is also vastly rich in culture. Nepal has had some trails in the last years with natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides, and economic struggles. Come with us as we seek out the beauty, heritage, wildlife, and picture-perfect landscapes and volunteer in Nepal to help a deserving community along the way.
Mudita Nepal 2020
OUR PARTNER COMMUNITY & VOLUNTEERING IN NEPAL
Our project in Nepal brought us to the village of Thaprek, in the Tanahun District of Nepal, east of the city of Pokhara. The village is situated high in the Himalayas. Here is a community that lives far from the amenities of urban life. The local school, Shree Saraswati School has been growing in number the last years and, with no upgrades to their facilities in over 30 years, they were in need of improvements to their grounds.
In 2019, Mudita Adventures worked with the longtime operating NGO “Pahar Trust” to provide improved facilities for the students. These improvements included upgrades to their kitchen and dining room. The cooking facilities at the school were poor. We provided new cooking appliances, cooking ware, utensils, and we also added tables and chairs. We did this with the intention of enabling the school to provide healthy and nutritious meals to the students. The next item was to completely refurbish an Early Childhood Development (ECD) room. We tripped the place and added all new carpet, paint, new furniture, and learning equipment, providing the youngest children in the village with a safe space to develop and learn. These children now have a dedicated facility to support their early childhood development. Lastly, but not least important, we added 2 toilet blocks. We supplied local workers to construct new toilet buildings, equipped with sinks and showers to provide new, clean and safe restrooms that will help to keep students healthy and well with improved sanitation facilities. 2020 is here and we will be back to Thaprek again to observe how the community is doing with the new facilities and get our hands on a new classroom development project.
An opening ceremony of our project in 2019
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:
EXPLORE THE CAPITAL OF KATHMANDU
Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal and will be our first stop before getting our hands on the project. It is one of the most famous destinations for all types of travelers whether you are into backpacking, photography, Buddhism, or nature. This place was once known to be an inaccessible Shangri-La inside the Kathmandu valley. We will spend the day with our local guide, exploring the best of what ancient Kathmandu has to offer. Keep hold of your iPhone when we climb the 350 steps of the famous Monkey Temple, one of Nepal’s most holy spots, offering epic views of the city, and a few primates to keep you on your toes! On to the Dubur square, a UNESCO world heritage site no less, which has been around for over 1000 years. Then wander the back streets of the Thamel district, trying local delicacies before a group dinner overlooking the streets.
Kathmandu, Nepal
TREKKING IN THE HIMALAYAS
Day 1 – You can’t visit Nepal without hiking in the Himalayas. After breakfast, we’ll check your gear, and then make our way to the mountains for 3 days of clean air and mountain views. Hope you’ve been doing your squats, there’s a lot of hills in these mountains! We’ll be sleeping in the famous Nepalese tea houses, snuggled up by the fire, swapping travel tales. A perfect end to Day 1 of our hike.
Day 2 – Waking up in the mountains just feels right. After breakfast, it’s all about the Himalayas. Today, we’ll be making our way to ‘Austalia Camp’. Expect 4 hours of hiking with a delicious lunch break on the way, full of Nepalese momos. If the weather is nice (keep your fingers crossed!), we will have nice the Himalayas staring right back at us. Another tea house for a warm dinner, some tea and even time for a local beer.
Day 3 – Aaaaaand you did it. One last morning in the mountains, hot coffee will soon warm those chilly hands. Soak up the views for our hike back down to the transport. It’s a lot easier hiking this way. Before long you’ll be back in Pokhara, with a hot shower, a touch of WiFi and ready for an afternoon off and a group dinner on the lake.
Himalayan trekking
GAME DRIVE AT CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK
Chitwan is the first national park in Nepal located in the Terai Lowlands. It’s known for its rare one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, and Gharial crocodiles. Other than this, the park also has a very rich biodiversity, made it home to 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds, and 126 species of fish. Our private bus will pick us up right from the hotel bright and early and help us traverse half of the Nepali countryside, into the thick of the impressive Chitwan National Park. After a spot of lunch, we’ll enter the park, keeping our eyes peeled for the Bengal tiger. The game drive will take you into the jungle and spots the best wildlife of Asia both on the ground and in the sky. There might even be time for a little cultural dance with dinner.
One-horned rhino in Chitwan National Park
Join the Mudita team in November this year for our give back project in Thaprek and experience all the Himalayas has to offer. Apply HERE – the mountain is calling!
