Startpunt Gaindakot-Narayangadh
Nepal, Gaindakot
Itinerary description from Chitwan to Damauli:
Day 1: Narayangadh - Hardi
From the Belcholk in Bharatpur, Narayangadh, follow the main road in north-west direction towards Gaindakot. Cross the big bridge over the Narayani Nadi (big river that flows to India). Directly after the bridge you can take the stairs down on your right side which will take you to the west bank of the river. Follow the water upstream on the west side of the river. Some curious children might show up interested in what tourists might do here. You can also see some cloth washing going on in the river. (A particular view!)
Take the asphalt road to the left until you arrive on a T-crossing where you turn right. The street contains some very nice colourful houses, very peaceful. The street ends up in a jeep road through the forest. You can say goodbye to the last stony buildings. The roads go up and down a little bit but should stay close to the river. When you arrive at the first bamboo houses, the road makes a turn to the left but a small trail on the right continues straight. Though it looks unpromising, take this trail. It gets you right into the jungle with beautiful plants, flowers, rivers and extraordinary shaped rocks. Don't mind the big yellow spiders that hang very close on the trail in their big webs. They are not dangerous, though they look very impressive. You also might encounter some white monkeys on the way as we did. While you climb up, you go through some other small villages (Keladi). The small trail takes you through areas that appear to be private property of the houses. Don’t worry, just say "-Namaste!" and maybe ask for the way by saying the name of the next village -"Hardi? Kahaa cha?"(Hardi, where is it?) while pointing towards somewhere. They will most probable be very happy to help you. If they do, don’t forget to say "-Dhanjebaad!" (Thank you!). You cross a hill side with a beautiful view on the Kali Gandaki Nadi (The Black River) that flows into the Trishuli Nadi. After going down, you'll reach the big farms of Hardi. You cross a big, though empty (at least in November 2013), river after which you can see a big pedestrian bridge on your right side. We took this one the next day. We put our tent on the south bank of the Kali Gandaki Nadi river. The water is surprisingly warm (at least in November 2013) and worth a swim although the current is very strong. Enjoy the view, enjoy the peace and for sure enjoy your package of noodle soup. You deserved it! :-)
Day 2: Hardi - Sikar
The next day we crossed the river on the bridge. If you go to the right after the bridge you will reach Devghat after crossing the Trishuli Nadi (big river comming from Kathmandu). There is a very nice monastery and an easier jeep road going from Devghat to Chipchippe for in case you don't want to take the difficult local trail. We went to the left and followed the Kali Gandaki Nadi upstream. The trail is small and sometimes slippery which makes you proceed rather slowly. In this area (Sadhebagar - Kuwadi - Belswara - Sikar) we had difficulties with finding someone who speaks English, though a few words of Nepali are normally enough for some small talk and to ask some questions about the direction or camping possibilities. This day we didn't proceed much due to the difficult trail but the nature and the bamboo villages we encountered were the most beautiful sights we had on the whole track.
After 4 to 5 hours we reached Sikar, where in the last house we found someone who spoke some words of English. We were happy to learn some Nepali from him and to share food. We placed our tent close to his house so we could use his source of water. When going up, sources for water are more and more difficult to find.
Day 3: Sikar - Boidi
The trail from Sikar to Sanouli is very steep so it is good to do this in the morning when the sun is still reasonably warm. After 1 hour you should reach Sanouli where you arrive at the main jeep road which will be a pleasure for the legs! 2 more hours should be enough to reach Chipchippe where you can find a big hospital, some shops and some houses. (It is possible to take shortcuts and reach it faster but our legs didn't feel like doing so...) The shops provide everything of basic needs, though the possibility that something is run out because the jeep didn't pass by last week of course exists. In Chipchippe it is easy to find a person that speaks English. We bought the best tangerines I'll probably ever have in my life, so please give them a try (3NR/piece). Don't be afraid of the green colour, it is the natural colour. The orange colour only comes after keeping them for a long time in cold places. In Nepali English they call it oranges instead of tangerines. They also have normal oranges, which are called Suntala and are eaten with red chili sauce. (yummy!)
We continued to follow the big jeep road between Devghat and Birkot-Sivapur. After one hour we reached Kotbaidi (recognizable by the big antenna pole). It was very hard to find someone who speaks English in this village. We also felt a little bit uncomfortable as we were probably the first white people passing through and they didn't know how to react or what to expect. Some very young kids appeared to be afraid of us, which is rather understandable with our big bags and strange colour of skin. This reason together with the fact that water was a 10 minutes steep walk down made us decide to continue the road. Apparently the construction of the main road made the normal water supply near the houses impossible. For this reason a lot of villagers have to walk 10 to 20min to find a decent water source.
After 20minutes we reached Boidi which is part of Simlek. A friendly guy capable of understanding some words in English helped us with water and tangerines. We asked for a place to put our tent in Nepali ("Malaai yaha bonaunu porru?" - Can I make shelter here?) and he went searching for us. Very friendly. We arrived in a school where we encountered two very nice teachers. We ended up staying there for a couple of days. One teacher, Bhagwan Tripathi, was happy to show us around in the village. He and Chhabilal Chhetri provided food for us and accompanied us. The village appeared very willing to host and meet more travelers, though this was only the second time ever that a tourist arrived (one German guy came 2 years before).
Day 4: Boidi - Damauli
After 2 days we packed our bags and left together with Bhagwan to Damauli. A small steep trail took us in 40minutes down in the valley of the Seti Nadi (White river). An easier trail took us after another 40minutes to Kanmita where we crossed the river. It might be an option to take an easier trail from Kotbaidi directly to Kanmita (better for the knees). On the other side of the river, a jeep road connects Kanmita with Damauli. There are local busses on this road that charge a little bit more due to the bad condition of the road. It is worth considering to walk because the road is very beautiful. It follows the river side of the Seti Nadi where you probably encounter some rafting people from time to time. After 3 hours you should reach Belwas which is the suburb of Damauli. We stayed 2 nights with homestay in Belwas and visited Damauli (you can reach the center in 20min from Belwas). In Damauli are some temples, the nice Madi Nadi riverside, big common areas, a university, ... all worth visiting. Oh, try to find some buffalo milk, it's much more tasty than cow milk!
Ending:
For people that might want to give the track a try, don't be shy to modify the itinerary. You can easily add another day by following the jeep road from Devghat further to Bhirkot, Shivapur and Damauli. Our first plan was to reach Pokhara which would probably be reachable in 7 to 10 days depending on the difficulty of the trail. In case that you give it a try, please contact me afterwards with the information on how it went. For me it is still one of the things to do, next time in Nepal.
If you pass by Boidi, you have to take contact with the teachers Baghwan and Chhabilal. They will be really happy to cook very nice food and give you a place to sleep inside without expecting anything in return. I added their contact information in the end of this text. If you consider a track with a big group, they will probably be able to arrange a homestay in different houses. They explicitly asked us to spread the word "come to Boidi", so here we go. :-) If you take contact it might be handy to mention us: Two Belgian guys, Klaas and Bram, who stayed there in November 2013.
Bhagwan Tripathi
contact no: 9846375475
facebook no: 9779816169123
Chhabilal Chhetri
contact nr: 9779806581919
Day 1: Narayangadh - Hardi
From the Belcholk in Bharatpur, Narayangadh, follow the main road in north-west direction towards Gaindakot. Cross the big bridge over the Narayani Nadi (big river that flows to India). Directly after the bridge you can take the stairs down on your right side which will take you to the west bank of the river. Follow the water upstream on the west side of the river. Some curious children might show up interested in what tourists might do here. You can also see some cloth washing going on in the river. (A particular view!)
Take the asphalt road to the left until you arrive on a T-crossing where you turn right. The street contains some very nice colourful houses, very peaceful. The street ends up in a jeep road through the forest. You can say goodbye to the last stony buildings. The roads go up and down a little bit but should stay close to the river. When you arrive at the first bamboo houses, the road makes a turn to the left but a small trail on the right continues straight. Though it looks unpromising, take this trail. It gets you right into the jungle with beautiful plants, flowers, rivers and extraordinary shaped rocks. Don't mind the big yellow spiders that hang very close on the trail in their big webs. They are not dangerous, though they look very impressive. You also might encounter some white monkeys on the way as we did. While you climb up, you go through some other small villages (Keladi). The small trail takes you through areas that appear to be private property of the houses. Don’t worry, just say "-Namaste!" and maybe ask for the way by saying the name of the next village -"Hardi? Kahaa cha?"(Hardi, where is it?) while pointing towards somewhere. They will most probable be very happy to help you. If they do, don’t forget to say "-Dhanjebaad!" (Thank you!). You cross a hill side with a beautiful view on the Kali Gandaki Nadi (The Black River) that flows into the Trishuli Nadi. After going down, you'll reach the big farms of Hardi. You cross a big, though empty (at least in November 2013), river after which you can see a big pedestrian bridge on your right side. We took this one the next day. We put our tent on the south bank of the Kali Gandaki Nadi river. The water is surprisingly warm (at least in November 2013) and worth a swim although the current is very strong. Enjoy the view, enjoy the peace and for sure enjoy your package of noodle soup. You deserved it! :-)
Day 2: Hardi - Sikar
The next day we crossed the river on the bridge. If you go to the right after the bridge you will reach Devghat after crossing the Trishuli Nadi (big river comming from Kathmandu). There is a very nice monastery and an easier jeep road going from Devghat to Chipchippe for in case you don't want to take the difficult local trail. We went to the left and followed the Kali Gandaki Nadi upstream. The trail is small and sometimes slippery which makes you proceed rather slowly. In this area (Sadhebagar - Kuwadi - Belswara - Sikar) we had difficulties with finding someone who speaks English, though a few words of Nepali are normally enough for some small talk and to ask some questions about the direction or camping possibilities. This day we didn't proceed much due to the difficult trail but the nature and the bamboo villages we encountered were the most beautiful sights we had on the whole track.
After 4 to 5 hours we reached Sikar, where in the last house we found someone who spoke some words of English. We were happy to learn some Nepali from him and to share food. We placed our tent close to his house so we could use his source of water. When going up, sources for water are more and more difficult to find.
Day 3: Sikar - Boidi
The trail from Sikar to Sanouli is very steep so it is good to do this in the morning when the sun is still reasonably warm. After 1 hour you should reach Sanouli where you arrive at the main jeep road which will be a pleasure for the legs! 2 more hours should be enough to reach Chipchippe where you can find a big hospital, some shops and some houses. (It is possible to take shortcuts and reach it faster but our legs didn't feel like doing so...) The shops provide everything of basic needs, though the possibility that something is run out because the jeep didn't pass by last week of course exists. In Chipchippe it is easy to find a person that speaks English. We bought the best tangerines I'll probably ever have in my life, so please give them a try (3NR/piece). Don't be afraid of the green colour, it is the natural colour. The orange colour only comes after keeping them for a long time in cold places. In Nepali English they call it oranges instead of tangerines. They also have normal oranges, which are called Suntala and are eaten with red chili sauce. (yummy!)
We continued to follow the big jeep road between Devghat and Birkot-Sivapur. After one hour we reached Kotbaidi (recognizable by the big antenna pole). It was very hard to find someone who speaks English in this village. We also felt a little bit uncomfortable as we were probably the first white people passing through and they didn't know how to react or what to expect. Some very young kids appeared to be afraid of us, which is rather understandable with our big bags and strange colour of skin. This reason together with the fact that water was a 10 minutes steep walk down made us decide to continue the road. Apparently the construction of the main road made the normal water supply near the houses impossible. For this reason a lot of villagers have to walk 10 to 20min to find a decent water source.
After 20minutes we reached Boidi which is part of Simlek. A friendly guy capable of understanding some words in English helped us with water and tangerines. We asked for a place to put our tent in Nepali ("Malaai yaha bonaunu porru?" - Can I make shelter here?) and he went searching for us. Very friendly. We arrived in a school where we encountered two very nice teachers. We ended up staying there for a couple of days. One teacher, Bhagwan Tripathi, was happy to show us around in the village. He and Chhabilal Chhetri provided food for us and accompanied us. The village appeared very willing to host and meet more travelers, though this was only the second time ever that a tourist arrived (one German guy came 2 years before).
Day 4: Boidi - Damauli
After 2 days we packed our bags and left together with Bhagwan to Damauli. A small steep trail took us in 40minutes down in the valley of the Seti Nadi (White river). An easier trail took us after another 40minutes to Kanmita where we crossed the river. It might be an option to take an easier trail from Kotbaidi directly to Kanmita (better for the knees). On the other side of the river, a jeep road connects Kanmita with Damauli. There are local busses on this road that charge a little bit more due to the bad condition of the road. It is worth considering to walk because the road is very beautiful. It follows the river side of the Seti Nadi where you probably encounter some rafting people from time to time. After 3 hours you should reach Belwas which is the suburb of Damauli. We stayed 2 nights with homestay in Belwas and visited Damauli (you can reach the center in 20min from Belwas). In Damauli are some temples, the nice Madi Nadi riverside, big common areas, a university, ... all worth visiting. Oh, try to find some buffalo milk, it's much more tasty than cow milk!
Ending:
For people that might want to give the track a try, don't be shy to modify the itinerary. You can easily add another day by following the jeep road from Devghat further to Bhirkot, Shivapur and Damauli. Our first plan was to reach Pokhara which would probably be reachable in 7 to 10 days depending on the difficulty of the trail. In case that you give it a try, please contact me afterwards with the information on how it went. For me it is still one of the things to do, next time in Nepal.
If you pass by Boidi, you have to take contact with the teachers Baghwan and Chhabilal. They will be really happy to cook very nice food and give you a place to sleep inside without expecting anything in return. I added their contact information in the end of this text. If you consider a track with a big group, they will probably be able to arrange a homestay in different houses. They explicitly asked us to spread the word "come to Boidi", so here we go. :-) If you take contact it might be handy to mention us: Two Belgian guys, Klaas and Bram, who stayed there in November 2013.
Bhagwan Tripathi
contact no: 9846375475
facebook no: 9779816169123
Chhabilal Chhetri
contact nr: 9779806581919
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