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$987
per person
Travel for a Cause, a Charity tour or trek to Nepal,- Experience the real Nepal while helping rebuild after the earthquake
“Knowing is not enough, we must implement” – Buddha
In addition to our travel and trekking business, Earthbound Expeditions believes in our responsibility towards our society and good Karma (deeds). We have always been dedicated to Nepal and its future by organizing past past social activities & philanthropic events, such as building schools, clinics and libraries (you can read more at Our-Philanthropic-Activities).
Particularly during this time of great need, Earthbound Expeditions wants to give back by offering a philanthropic tour, Travel for Cause, to help bring relief to Darkha, a remote and earthquake-hit area in Dhading district of Nepal. Donating money is good and necessary at this time, but if you are looking for a meaningful way to directly participate in rebuilding Nepal after the earthquake, please join in this effort. This is an opportunity to build good karma and contribute to the positive energy across Nepal.
It has long been said that you come to Nepal the first time for the scenery, you come back for the people. Now is your chance to interact with the Nepali people and experience first hand their amazing kindness, self-sufficiency, and resilience. From Mid. Dec to May 2016, we will be building 4 schools – 27 classrooms, and a temporary medical clinic in Darkha where you can get your hands dirty.
Your tour will begin with two days in Kathmandu starting with a day tour of the heritage sites and to see first hand the effects of the earthquake. Following, we will provide a briefing and overview of the building efforts, provide a finalized itinerary, and assign duties to each volunteer. We will also stage the supplies to be transported to the village.
The next day we will begin travel to Darkha. The road is currently open, so you will travel by bus along with the supplies and building materials. If the road is closed due to landslides, you will be transported to the nearest drop point, and then hike for no more than one day to get to the village. We will spend 3 days helping villagers construct the building and the clinic. If you wish can stay longer too.
This volunteering tour or the charity trek is a safe organized adventure combined with philanthropic activities. We will provide safe drinking water, food, and shelter to participants (hotel in Kathmandu, tents in the village). You will provide much-needed volunteer labor. Each participant will be provided with one porter to carry your backpack, but your proceeds will also fund an extra porter per person to carry supplies and building materials for the village. The guides and porters will act as translators to allow you to communicate with the villagers and will also provide additional labor for the construction efforts.
This tour is not for profit. The cost of the tour and charity trek will cover the cost of transportation, food, shelter and treks, building materials, and support. Not only are you helping needy villagers, but you are simultaneously keeping Nepalis employed
See and be a part of the real Nepal, apart from the familiar trekker tea houses and crowded hiking trails. You will still enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and vistas while you trek through the sub-tropical jungle, rural villages, passing terrace farms with locals caring for goats, cattle, and buffalo. You will interact directly with Nepali villagers as they rebuild their lives after the earthquake. You will also learn affordable earthquake-proof construction methods.
We understand that this type of volunteering tour or trek can be physically and emotionally demanding. At the end of the tour, we will provide each participant with an option of a stay at a yoga retreat and spa to recenter your body mind and spirit, and share your good karma with your fellow participants. The retreat offers locally grown organic food, a hand-picked a team of yogis, therapists, guides and chefs to ensure your stay is sublime, worthwhile, secure and memorable. In addition to yoga, they also offer spa and naturopathic services which are independent of or integrated into yoga packages and can also offer Ayurvedic treatment.
Combine your trip with other adventures in Nepal:
If you would like to extend your stay, either before or after the philanthropic tour, and visit other parts of Nepal, Earthbound Expeditions would be happy to organize additional treks and tours to compliment your journey. We have field tested tours to the Everest Base Camp, Ghorepani Poon Hill, Annapurna Base Camp, Chitwan, and the Kathmandu Valley Rim, and other locations. We also have tours running to India, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Make this trip an epic adventure.
How your contribution helps:
The most sustainable recovery is to give someone a job. Building schools and library to the locals.
You will be welcomed on your arrival by our representative at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Later, you will be transferred to your hotel. Check in to hotel, freshen up and have some relaxing time before we meet for the trip briefing in the evening. You will be informed with the time for the briefing on your arrival at hotel.
Go for the sightseeing tour of Kathmandu valley heritage monuments after breakfast where you will see the firsthand experience of the effects of the devastating earthquake. Visit Swoyambhunath, famously known as monkey temple, which is a Buddhist stupa and the oldest monument in Kathmandu valley situated on top of a small hill. Go to Patan Durbar Square, a medieval palace square decorated with exotic carvings of wood, stone and metal on the medieval palace and temple buildings built in beautiful pagoda architecture. Later on, drive to Bouddhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in the world to see the glimpses of the Tibetan Buddhist ritual and history. Last but not the least, visit Pashupatinath temple area, the most important Hindu temple of Lord Shiva, the destroyer, in Nepal where you can see the cremation ritual for the Hindu dead people in an open area on the bank of a holy river, Bagmati. Return back to hotel late in the afternoon and stay overnight there.
Munch your breakfast in the morning at hotel. You check out the hotel today to go to Darkha, which is about 105 km north west of Kathmandu. Driving about more or less 10 hrs on beautiful mountain road takes you to the beautiful village of Darkha which was one of the unfortunate areas to be badly hit by the quake in Nepal. Even though the place was shattered by the quake, it couldn\'t spoil the ever smiling nature of locals. Despite they are living a very difficult life, you will find them full of energy, humble sublimity and hospitality, so, you will feel warmly welcome. Your stay here will be either on a local house or on a tented camp.
You will be teaching school kids in a local school, visiting and exploring the local area in these 8 days. This period will be also a great opportunity to immerse into local culture. You will be helping local people return back into the normal life in the wake of the earthquake. Your stay will bring a great change in many ways in their life. Enjoy a nice stay.
You will be driving back to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu after a long and nice stay in peaceful countryside. Stay in hotel.
Take and enjoy your free time today. You can go for yoga class, massage therapy, souvenir shopping and exploring the vicinity and take an easy day. Or if you want to do some hiking or touring activity around Kathmandu, that can be organized at an extra cost. Should you wish to do so, please let us know.
Today is the last day of the trip, so, we will drive you to airport for final departure home. Namaste!
We excel by experience and have been recognized for our excellence.
Reviews
KSRose86
Wonderful Nepal Experience!
Rajan helped us organize an awesome tour and trek in Kathmandu valley! During our city tour, our guide Assok was extremely knowledgeable about all of the different World Heritage Sites that we visited that included the Monkey Temple, Pashupatinah, Boudhanath and Patan Durbar Square. Our trek guide Anjur was equally wonderful and we had a great trek through Kathmandu Valley. Trekking through the country side we enjoyed good conversation, beautiful views and a glimpse into the lives of people who lived and worked around us. The Kathmandu Valley Rim Trek was a nice route, even during monsoon season. It was a great mix of moderate terrain (might be challenging for smaller children), great views, and countryside exploration. Earthbound Expeditions made our all of our activities happen so easily, and the communication was excellent as we made our plans. Rajan was so flexible with adjusting our experience around our schedule in Nepal. We could not have asked for a better experience with Earthbound Expeditions and highly recommend using this organization for any of your travel!