Koshi Camp & Nagarkot, Nepal - April 2012

R&R
At some point on most Habitat international builds, there are a few days of planned Rest and Relaxation (R&R) that provide an opportunity to explore the culture, history and geography of the host country. In the post on Kathmandu, I described some aspects of our R&R, but there was more.

Koshi Camp
On the morning after our last build day, we boarded the bus for a drive of about three hours for the first 24 hours of our R&R. Located within the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, the camp provided an excellent setting to simply kick back and relax while surrounded by the peace and quiet of nature.

Koshi is recognized as one of the finest birding sites in Asia and is also home to wild water buffalo  (which we saw) and fresh water dolphin (didn't see). The reserve provides habitat - wetlands, grasslands and forest - that appeals to a variety of species. It is also located on the flight path for many migrating birds. It is a destination for bird watchers and, even though none of us were in that category, the setting was enjoyed by all.

Our accommodation was in large safari style tents that were very comfortable and, in my opinion, the most comfortable room we had experienced up to that point. 

After lunch and relaxing for a couple of hours, one of the Koshi staff took us on a bit of a bird watching walk. This was a successful endeavor as we saw several birds, with many of them being very colourful. It was good to get out and stretch a bit after sitting for much of the day. In the evening after dinner, we were treated to a participatory display of traditional dancing.

The following morning started well before the sun was fully up with what seemed like hundreds of birds singing and squawking. Truly amazing! After hot showers (not available every place) and breakfast, we were taken on a rafting trip on the river close to the camp. Despite the one of the two rafts getting hung up on a sand bar, we managed to see more interesting birds as well as the water buffalo. Those of us in the first boat to arrive at the downstream landing were treated to seeing a couple of domesticated elephants during the short drive back to the camp.

Then, it was time for lunch and off to the airport for the flight back to Kathmandu.

Nagarkot

Back in Kathmandu, we were met at the airport and taken to our hotel. After checking into the hotel and relaxing/shopping a bit, we headed to the Northfield Cafe and Jessie James Bar for dinner. Most nights we had a set dinner, but this was one of those times when we ordered off a menu and it was a nice change.

The following day started with more exploring in the Kathmandu area, mostly at Bhaktapur Durbar Square, with eventual our destination being Nagarkot in the mountains overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. As the second highest point in the Valley (7,000 feet elevation), Nagarkot provides stunning views of the Himalayas. The late afternoon and evening there were very relaxing as we enjoyed the comforts of the mountain villa, the views and a great dinner. The rooms here were the best of the entire trip.

The highlight of Nagarkot was the next morning when all of us were up by 5:30 am to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas.

Back to bed for a bit longer and then it was time for a leisurely breakfast on the terrace overlooking the mountains. Our stay at Nagarkot was too soon finished and we were on our way back to Kathmandu to finish touring a number of sites on what was a hot day (see the post about Kathmandu).