Top 10: Most Instagramed Pictures of Kathmandu

Instagram is a place of inspiration and countless day dreams. Here, we count down the top 10 Instagrammed pictures from Kathmandu with stunning photography.

1. Swoyambhunath
A golden spire crowning a conical wooded hill, Swayambhunath Stupa is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu valley.

A photo posted by Laura Becker (@lauraabecker_wahl) on Feb 25, 2016 at 1:55am PST

2. Bhaktapur Durbar Square 
Bhaktapur Durbar Square, located in the center of Bhaktapur city, is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara-style temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood.

A photo posted by Saurabh Shrestha (@_saurae) on Feb 24, 2016 at 7:25am PST

3. Boudhanath 
It is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. It is the center of Buddhist culture in Nepal.

A photo posted by @jonaske on Feb 28, 2016 at 8:16pm PST

4. Thamel 
Thamel has been the center of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over four decades, starting from the hippie days when many artists came to Nepal and spent weeks in Thamel. Even though Thamel has been referred to as a "ghetto" by some, many low-budget travelers consider it a hotspot for tourism.

A photo posted by Masaya.S (@msy.shimajiro) on Feb 21, 2016 at 2:42pm PST

5. Patan Durbar Square
Patan means eternity itself and Patan Durbar Square is a spectacular sight. It is full of Hindu temples and Buddhist monuments with bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful carvings.

A photo posted by @travellifesd on Feb 13, 2016 at 5:26pm PST

6. Ason
 A walk through Ason brings you to the heart of “normal” Nepali city life. It is the Kathmandu of many generations of inhabitants. There more temples for the gods than there are houses for people in Ason.

A photo posted by Suraj Shakya (@surajshakya) on Dec 2, 2015 at 6:59am PST

7. Pashupatinath 
 The Mecca of Hinduism attracts millions of devotees worldwide during the last week of February for the Shivaratri festival.

A photo posted by Hopetilltheend (@akpanthi) on Feb 26, 2016 at 5:49am PST

8. Kopan Monastery
Home to 360 monks, lamas. teachers and workers, visitors from all over the world come here to attend courses and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere of the place for study and practice

A photo posted by Mark Foster (@mistersmims) on Jan 8, 2016 at 8:45pm PST

9. Basantapur
Kathmandu Durbar Square in the heart of old Kathmandu city in Basantapur never fails to impress first time visitors with its intricate wood carvings and rich history.

A photo posted by @vlad_butik on Feb 10, 2016 at 11:16pm PST

10. Nagi Gompa
Nagi Gompa nunnery sits on a mountainside high above the Kathmandu Valley and is home to more than 100 nuns. Here, nuns from all over the Himalayan region have come to study, practice and meditate in quiet and peaceful surroundings.

A photo posted by @nono2loco on Oct 16, 2015 at 10:28pm PDT

MEET us at WTM 2015 | 02 - 05 Nov 2015

Elders @ Patan Durbar Square #stillSmiling pic: Rocky Prajapati

As we go into World Travel Market 2015, we are just beyond the six month mark of the EarthQuake that changed the course of Nepal’s history altogether.

The flurry of media activity in Nepal post quake unfortunately only focussed on the destruction, not realising that only a certain portion of the country was affected, and very little was actually destroyed. The effect on the backbone of the economy, tourism was devastating.

Pic: Rocky Prajapati

At socialtours, we have worked through rescue, relief, recovery and since just under a month since the earthquake, have been working hard on reviving Tourism, through various campaigns and programs. Our I AM IN NEPAL NOW campaign viralled online and caught even the attention of international media.

For the past months, we have developed a range of limited edition products, showcasing the strength and resilience of Nepal, in earthquake recovery. We feel that this will greatly enhance your product arsenal for Nepal, giving your travellers a first hand look at how strong and skilled we are, and how Nepal is tuned to react to something like this. This is not Disaster Tourism, we are not showcasing disaster, but we are showcasing the pride and energy that exists in Nepal now. 

Please take a look at our special edition catalog "IN NEPAL NOW" that can be downloaded via this link.

Raj Gyawali (@KingGyawali on twitter), who has been instrumental in development of these packages and who plays a key role in the Tourism Recovery Campaign in Nepal, will be best placed to inform you more about how Nepal is responding and what these packages entail.

Raj will be available at WTM all days and will be delighted to meet up, and discuss possibilities, or even just to have a quick catch up on the situation in Nepal.

Contact him direct at raj@socialtours.com to set an appointment or pick a date and time at the online appointment slots on Google Calendar here

TEAM SOCIALTOURS

In Nepal NOW | Recovery Tours & Short Breaks

Photo courtesy Rocky Prajapati

Post quake, we have been working hard at developing new limited edition experiences to highlight Nepal’s strength and resilience in recovery, and also focus more on income rather than aid. Check out our hand-picked selection of experiences in Kathmandu and one from Pokhara here. Book your spot for one off trips, or combine them to make it into a short break of an inspirational journey of discovery.

All these trips can be booked pretty much last minute but some are popular and all have limited capacity. Most can be conducted daily. 

Download the PDF brochure here -https://www.dropbox.com/s/508k3so5gf9x8xh/CAT2015-11.pdf…‪#‎nepalNow‬ ‪#‎stillSmiling‬

Post Quake, we have been working hard at developing new limited edition experiences to highlight Nepal’s strength and...

Posted by Socialtours on Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Rebuilding Heritage in #nepalNOW | Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath

The Shantipur temple in Soyambhunath has damages on the outside wall and the inside wall and is now closed for worship, though devotees still worship the door outside - there is no stopping that.

I attended a small meeting at Soyambhunath in the morning, and was pleasantly surprised that it was teeming with devotees (supposedly, three days after the August Full Moon, devotees from Bhaktapur have to come to Soyambhunath). I never knew that, and it always surprises me how many times I feel like a tourist in my own country, every time I come in contact with a new tradition from the over 100 ethnic groups we have.

The first thing that struck me was how young the group in the meeting was - and how diverse. Some were the priests family, some were the custodians of that space, the youth club, the sponsors etc. The discussion was revolving around traditions - with the earthquake and the recovery, whether to modify the traditions or find ways to preserve. Fascinating debates that happens in Nepal now.

So here is the story. The main sanctum sanctorum of Shantipur can only be opened by the priests, and no other person is ever allowed to enter. So no one really knows what is in there, even today, except this young guy sitting around the drinking tea (who I secretly hoped would take me aside and tell me, but it was not to be) who comes from the priest clan, and whose grandfather, now 92, is still head priest of this temple. It is said that this slightly bent man with a pacemaker suddenly walks straight when inside this deepest part of the temple. The devotees can only come to the second level, just outside, and of course around the temple too.

The decision. We cannot modify tradition. Tradition and belief systems are a combination of known and unknown, and if you make the unknown known, we destroy ancient beliefs and this is the beginning of the end. If there is way to keep the mystery there, we will preserve tradition. Everyone is agreed on that!

Hence an interesting solution for recovery comes up and is agreed upon. Wood panel walls will be constructed to keep the accessible area separate from the inaccessible. A walled area will be outside the temple, and there will be walls to separate the sanctum sanctorum from the outside too… the priest clan will go inside and work there on their own, doing the restoration and recovery of what is their responsibility, the outside can be done by other people. However, all of them have to be raised from the ground up together to keep the building stable and earthquake resistant.

The most fascinating thing in this whole discussion, I think, is that there is no questions of architects, painters, masons, technique. We know that already - this has been preserved through the ages. The discussion on funds is casual - the Indians, the Thai, the government have all promised something, but no one goes to them… when they are ready to fund, they have to come to these committees who hold the keys to each structure. The agreement - let them figure it out. When they are ready, they will come to us!

Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath, Kathmandu

Later, someone laughs about how lucky we are that the earthquake happened after 86 years of the last one. If it was after a 100 years, everyone who had experience in restoration of these structures would be already dead! That way, Nepal is lucky - this cycle of 80 odd years of earthquakes preserves ancient traditional skills - as the ARTISANS rise again, every time disaster strikes.

We leave after drinking some really, I mean really sweet tea, and feeling a deep sense of pride - in our own ability to restore our heritage.

Check out the RISE of the ARTISAN - a trip focussed on exactly this - the artisan who rebuilds structures that have fallen.

Recovering from the quake

Photo by: Rocky Prajapati

Every century, with a cycle of around 80 years, a devastating earthquake shakes up the two continental plates below Nepal, jolting all life above it. With each repetition, buildings collapse, lives are lost, and normalcy turns upside down for a while.

Yet every time it happens, the country comes together, gets stronger, and works harder to build back. And build back it does. Better, stronger and more resilient. This has been proven time and again.

The two major earthquakes of 25th April and 12th May caused widespread damage in some districts in Nepal, no doubts about that. That was the earthquake doing its thing.

The reaction of the people, considered to be one of the best crisis managers in the world, was extraordinary. Before the government or international aid could kick in, the youth, business-people, monks, nuns, schools, colleges all started to work in relief, and before anything had even arrived in Nepal in terms of aid, had conducted an astounding amount of relief runs, mobilising funds and resources and moving tons upon tons of relief into areas that needed it.

In the far flung villages, the youth had dug up bodies, cremated them, and had started on emergency shelters within a few days already, conditioned by centuries of living in isolated small valleys and knowing how to be self-sufficient.

This strength and resilience is something worth experiencing, the nature of this incredible mix of over 100 ethnic groups living in this stretch of land that is Nepal, nestled between giants of China and India, never colonised and never conquered.

In tourism, the reaction was similar. First priority was getting everyone home safe, so rescue missions were organised to get stranded travellers out of the way. After that, companies started looking after their own - staff, guides, porters etc who needed help. After that the industry rallied together to start a recovery process, running as we write and which has developed into a very unique industry led initiative thats taking the lead in turning the tourism of this country for the better. An understanding of this process and the participation in it, can change ones understanding of how an industry should react in disasters of this magnitude.

At socialtours, we are working hard on several aspects of the recovery process

1. Leading an industry initiative to recover tourism through engaging in designing of mitigating strategies and actions to back it up. A big positive results of this has become the new recovery website endorsed by the government www.nepalNOW.org . We urge all partners to also endorse this, as this is beneficial for the one voice that is required to drive customers to buy trips again. 
2. Developing post quake recovery products that are experiences that encompass what we have described above. Most of our trips have already become relevant in the recovery process, as travellers can now meet survivors, relief workers and real champions in order to understand how a country responds to something like this. This is a strong promise and in Nepal NOW easy to deliver. We ourselves are survivors and socialtours alone has organised and is implementing over 50,000 USD worth of relief works and we continue to do so since day one. 
3. Initiating confidence building campaigns like the I AM IN NEPAL NOW and I AM GOING TO NEPAL campaigns that are viralling on social media. 
4. Finding ways to make the travellers in this two year window feel even more welcome, sometimes things as little as finding out which room is allocated and leaving a nice note for them.  

Together in Tourism!