We wanted to see this fantastic, landlocked ,mountainous country, but from a cultural point of view, but not doing the trekking or climbing that attract most visitors.
After cancelling an earlier tour after the horrendous May earthquake, we still had our airline tickets. Finally we decided it was" now or never" so researched a company offering tours. Friendship tours had good reviews, so we contacted by email.
We received a prompt , positive reply, offering a standard tour , including a trekking element. After knee surgery, we requested a purely cultural tour and were offered an excellent alternative private , guided tour. We addedEverest mountain flights and a flight on the longest journey.. A wise decision it turned out, as the roads are in a poor state, crowded with fume belching trucks.
We chose 3* hotels! changing a couple for ones with better reviews! and looked forward to this" trip of a lifetime"
After the natural disaster of the earthquake, we were horrified to read of the border fuel blockade, resulting in terrible shortages and much hardship. We sought advice from Friendship, and were assured by Roka, that we would be able to have our tour as arranged. This turned out to be the case as black market fuel is freely available,at highly inflated cost.
Incredibly, despite huge logistical problems, we were able to see so much of this glorious country, with drivers meeting us or picking us up promptly each day, and transporting us from destination to destination, though it was clear that fuel supply remained a constant problem. It was heartbreaking to see endless lines of trucks and buses hoping for a few litres of fuel at controlled prices, and equally sadly, hundreds of cooking gas bottles lined up in the vain hope of a refill. Meanwhile, people walk miles collecting wood for cooking, even restaurants have to wait for wood to cook with, so menus were often limited, but always prepared with care and served with a smile.
Our favourite place was lovely lakeside Pokhara, our least favourite noisy, polluted Kathmandu; the highlights were the chance to take the Everest mountain flight, a breathtaking hour, and the flight from Pokhara back to Kathmandu , with glorious views of the Annapurna range.
Friendship offered us the chance to briefly see some of this lovely country, one we'd strongly recommend to any traveller