PROGRAMS

Treks - only the best for the best

At Shiva treks we believe in giving you the best. We offer an exciting array of treks throughout the Himalayan ranges east of the Karakoram. Our treks are unique in that we can also show you the insider's view in every country. There is always the opportunity, time and the means to meet and interact with the people of the region and to see things done their way.
Given the altitude and comparative remoteness of most of our treks, there is often scant modern infrastructure, like roads and communications, and therefore few inherent material comforts along the way. But we never want for adequate supplies of safe food, clean water, and comfortable shelter.

We use only top-of-the-line trekking and camping gear, both imported equipment and locally manufactured to international specifications. The cuisine on our treks is the best obtainable - healthy, nutritious & delicious. We use fresh staples, vegetables and fruits whenever available, and when not, we substitute with the best possible alternatives. We can also provide ample opportunity to dabble in a truly ethnic 'a la carte'.

Cultural Tours

Even as Asia modernizes beyond her cities toward the farthest reaches of mountain, jungle and desert, the absolute diversity and richness of her cultural heritage is still being uncovered and revealed. There is yet so much to discover, to see and to experience. But, as with all jewels, one needs to know where to look.
At Shiva Treks we don't want to just "show you the sights". It's not enough, and it's not our way. We coordinate our trip calendar with all the significant national and regional festivals, as well as with other more local religious and cultural events, affording the opportunity to experience our destinations at their best and most aesthetically diverse.

Whether your interest is participating in the customs and traditions of religious and seasonal festivals, in admiring ancient works of art or meeting today's urban artisans, we will accommodate you.

Art, Cultural, Dance, Theatrical and Music Festivals

We have, and continue, great pleasure and long reputation in helping to arrange, organize and coordinate all types of specialized artistic events - from concept, venue-planning, participants, logistics, through creating the right ambiance and interaction, right down to the fine-tuning of last details.
Whether it be a unique inter-cultural specialized event, a group with a special interest, or even an addition to a regular tour group's other activities in our part of Asia - we have the contacts, the experience and the expertise to arrange it for you.

Pottery, Weaving, Carving & Casting

The Potters of Nepal are adept at making terra-cotta and glazed earthenware. They equally supply life's mundane necessities (terra-cotta bowls, cups, vessels and even water supply pipes), to beautiful religious household adornments, and their own personal artistic flights of fantasy and wonder. For those interested in pottery, working with them, learning from them and sharing with them is the experience of a lifetime. Simple tools, simple materials, agile minds and extraordinary results.
Learn the casting of bronze, copper and brass statuary using the ancient "lost-wax method", practice the moulding and engraving of these malleable metals with artisans who still produce the world's finest in Hindu and Buddhist statuary, symbols and physical representation.

In weaving, you can learn to cast raw wool or to spin cotton using a simple wheel, and come to grips with the intricacies of pattern and design in hand-loom Tibetan and Nepalese carpets. Or sit with woodworkers, whose skills have been honed from long years of apprenticeship to the masters in intricate curve and filigree of the traditional carved doors, windows and lattice furnishings.

We also offer specialized classes in the ancient art of religious scroll painting called Paubha (Thankha)

Women's Programs

Programs specially designed for organizations working with or for women. We help arrange for programs on all issues that have special significance for women and their general enhancement. We'll handle all travel and tour arrangements, accommodation and meals for participants in seminars, conferences etc.

Educational Programs

Special programs for Professors & Scholars, Professionals and Researchers:
These programs are directed and tailored to the inquiring specialist in geology, geomorphology, zoological sciences, wildlife preservation, ecology, agriculture or forestry. Nepal has a unique physiographic setting with broad tropical, temperate and alpine regions each containing its own distinct microclimes. These wide variations in altitude and climate have allowed for an immense botanical and zoological wealth. (As an example, the zoological species variations in Nepal are: Mammals: 181, Birds: 850, Fish: 185, Amphibians: 43. There are 640 species of butterflies and 5058 of other insects, reptiles and lower invertebrates. Of the world's most endangered species there are one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, snow leopard, Asian elephant, swamp deer and red panda). Our specialist treks/excursions are accompanied by an expert in the relevant field, and the program includes discussions and meetings with Nepal's most acknowledged leaders in the discipline.

Student Programs

Our student programs include treks, excursions, rock climbing, cultural exchanges and introductory trips to remote areas that are tailor-made to suit students of all age groups. Our various core programs can be adapted to the school/college/institute's or individual group's requirements.

Health Camps and Mountain Clinics

Every now and then international and accredited Private, NGO or philanthropic organizations hold health camps in rural Nepal to provide health care services to those who would otherwise have little opportunity of finding specialised health care within practical reach. We have been involved in these programs for sometime now and consider it one of our worthier missions. To facilitate the work of those involved, we provide all necessary transport, (non-medical) supplies and material needed to set up camp in remote areas or villages at high altitude. In arranging all necessary logistics and amenities (even to interpreters and local clerical help), we try to create as comfortable an arrangement as possible to both health care receiver and giver.

Alternative Medicine Trips

These trips cater specifically to doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine. They are particularly suited to those interested in Ayurvedic medicine, acupuncture, local medicine men and shaman techniques. We arrange meetings with practicing specialists and visits with patients and cases in progress.

Herbs & Medicinal Plants Trips

Another program suited for those in the medical field is our 'Herbs & Medicinal Plants' trip. Nepal's unique topography and climate, in the very centre of the 2400km long Himalayan chain, encourages a wide range of rare and valuable medicinal plants, and has afforded a long history of their use as herbal drugs. According to the Ethno-Botanical Survey, there are 700 plant species in Nepal used as medicinal herbs by Ayurvedic practitioners, 200 of which are aromatic. We can also arrange individual programs to suit every branch and discipline within this field.

Spiritual Tours

The Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim and northern India are steeped in lore and legend of temples, monasteries and mysticism. Indeed the very fabric of these mountain societies is woven of strange legends and uncanny happenings - charted, honoured and celebrated throughout their many spiritual sites and shrines.

At Shiva Treks & Tours, we have developed a long interest and strong familiarity with these places and can help make your spiritual journey into a most meaningful one. We'll introduce you to places where the 'adepts' and the learned men, both of ancient legend and of recorded history, taught and meditated; places where the chosen had mystical divinations or attained enlightenment; places to which ascetics, seekers and pilgrims still journey from every corner. You could meditate in remote caves where yogis and monks have performed their austerities, witness rituals steeped in mysticism and ancient beliefs, or share the wisdom of learned gurus.

Painting Trips

Nepal and its immediate neighbors draw thousands of visitors every year who wish for nothing more than to savour and drink in the sheer physical beauty. Light and landscapes to nourish the imagination, with vistas of snow-capped peaks, hills blanketed in rhododendrons and alpine flowers, glittering turquoise lakes, prayer-flags fluttering against a relentless wind - all make indelible memories.

Working in tranquil, beautiful surroundings, and with all your worldly needs taken care of, what else could the mind do but create? Shiva Treks has compiled, with local and visiting landscape artists, a list of places that we feel are ideal for such painting trips. From our years of experience and our discriminate but unbiased scouting we can advise you on the right season and place to best fit your tastes and aspirations.

Ethno - Tourism

A strange term for what is in reality just the meeting, the mingling and the impartial exchange of views and viewpoints among different peoples. Nepal is justly famous for her mountains and physical beauty, yet it is the people who make a nation. Nepal is one of the world's most friendly and welcoming people, accepting of the different way's of others, never lacking in an inquiring mind and always ready to engage the willing stranger in conversation. (Since we are of 40 different ethnic groups ourselves, we are well used to this!).

Many visitors to Nepal only get a small glimpse into the real lives of her people. But Shiva Treks & Tours offers the chance and the opportunities to get to know them better. On our ethno-tours you live with villagers as their guests, work with them to build their community schools, health clinics and fulfill their own 'grass-roots' projects. You will share and gain insight and understanding on village customs, ways, beliefs and daily lifestyles that few others have the privilege of knowing. "Many come looking, looking; but there are few who see" (attributed to a monk at Thyangboche Monastery after Nepal opened the Everest region to trekking)

Walking Excursions

Pleasantly paced walking along the many scenic trails of the high country is as soothing as it is rewarding. One need not be an aficionado of nature to enjoy idyllic hikes to places like Shivapuri in Nepal, Tiger Hill in Darjeeling and the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. These shorter hikes provide ample time for resting and to explore the surrounding area.

Mountain Biking

Every two-wheel adventure can be memorable for the right or the wrong reasons - it depends on the right planning and preparation, the route and support, the pace, the staff, the equipment, the food - and a host of other small but important details. We know this well, and so offer trips that have the widest choice in locale and comfort as well as in degrees of difficulty. There are scenic and easy one-day rides in and around the Katmandu valley, or the ultimate ride from Lhasa across Tibet to Everest Base Camp - and everything you could dream of in between. In the Himalayas there is a route for everyone.

Family Vacations

A family getaway to the Himalayas has not been easy to plan and arrange since few organisations or services have so far catered specifically to their very particular needs. Shiva Treks and Tours has now defined special programs as exclusively for families. Depending on the family make-up, ages and interests, a typical itinerary includes activities that both adults and children will find enjoyable and fun, and to destinations that are both safe and scenic. We use hotels that are children-friendly and have services such as babysitting etc. You can choose from a variety of guide-led and supported activities such as easy-going wildlife safaris, scenic river rafting, bicycling, lower altitude hiking, chauffeured car touring, etc.

Golfing

Golf is a relatively new sport to Nepal with records of an actual Golf Club dating back just 30 years. But there has recently been a great upsurge in interest in the sport, especially with the completion of the new world-class course just outside Kathmandu. There are three golf courses in Nepal:
Le Meridien Gokarna Forest Golf Resort (Kathmandu Valley)
Designed and developed by Gleneagles Golf Developments of Scotland, this excellent full-length, par 72, 18-hole course spreads across 140 well-tended acres surrounded by forest and jungle teeming with deer, pheasant, peacocks and monkeys.
Royal Nepal Golf Club (Kathmandu Valley)
Adjacent to Tribhuvan International Airport, it is a par 67, 9-hole course that has the distinction of being the oldest green in Nepal.
Fulbari Resort Hotel Golf Course (Pokhara)
A 9-hole course among 50 acres of landscaped gardens & waterfalls.

Filming & Documentary

Over the past few years there has been a steady increase in the number of interesting documentaries and films for international distribution that have been shot on location here in Nepal and its neighboring countries. With so many wonderful locales, the shooting can be a pleasure and a blessing in itself - provided only that the other mundane yet vital back-up logistics in transport, supplies, communications, permits & government-liaison, catering & accommodation etc are fully taken care of. This is where we come in. Shiva Treks handles all the logistics so that filmmaking can go ahead without a glitch. Reliable liaison, smart scouting, efficient planning and unequaled on-the-spot know-how - this is our experience base and these are our fortes.

Incentives & Conferences

There is good reason behind Nepal & India's reputation as the lands of difference and lands of diversity. Inter-Governmental, multi- and unilateral organizations increasingly recognize the attractions of holding their major regional conferences here. We have some world-class conference facilities in our capital and major cities, along with the best in hotel and allied recreational opportunities - all at rates that are hard to ignore. And what better venue than with the heights of the eternal Himalayan snows as backdrop and backstop?

At Shiva Treks we can still recognize the difference between a good and viable incentive program for your corporate staff, and one that is - in real cost-effective terms - perhaps best organized elsewhere. But if it's right for you - cultural festivals, theme events - you name it, we can make it happen for you.

Customized / Specialized Programs

Everyone has special needs; and at Shiva Treks we pride ourselves in understanding and applying that philosophy better than most. There is always flexibility in our programs and ample leeway for us to work with you and to adapt and fit your own special interests around our framework of services. Bird-watching, painting trips, student programs, family vacations, alternative medical trips, health camps and mountain clinics, conferences, film making.… we outline a few below in which we have proven experience and track record.
 

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