FAQ's after the Earthquake...

We have been receiving a lot of questions about all sorts of things since the earthquake. A group working on reviving tourism after the earthquake has complied this list of frequently asked questions. We hope they help!

1.       Are the ATMs working? 

YES all as normal, just ensure you have told your bank you are travelling and will be using ATMs in Nepal

2.       Is there a Cholera Outbreak? 

NO but follow all the usual precautions as previously advised

3.       Is electricity still working? 

YES but we are still subjected to the normal ‘load-shedding’ schedules. Most hotels have back up power so it shouldn't affect your trip too much.

4.       What is the drinking water situation? 

Mineral water is still available for travellers but if you want belt and braces there are many makes of water purification units around and readily available in the market

5.       Can I get from point A to point B? 

Travel is fine at the moment, the monsoon will no doubt loosen hill sides as it always does but there are many geologist groups in Nepal monitoring the situation, and will continue to do so after the monsoon. ICIMOD expect that there will be a very high risk of landslides in the 14 worst earthquake affected districts but the rest of Nepal will be at the same level of risk as pre-earthquake.

6.    Is Everest Buried? 

It is believed that Everest has sunk about a centimetre but so far no scientific surveys have been completed with published results. It’s definitely still there!

7.    Is Kathmandu flattened? 

Definitely not! Most parts of the city are working as normal. In many places you would not know there had been an earthquake - this includes the major tourism hub of Thamel

8.    Are you living above a rubble mound?

No and there are very few piles of rubble around, the majority have now been managed or are in the process of being managed and removed.

9.       Which ones are the safest hotels in Kathmandu, Nagarkot? 

Nearly all of the top end  hotels have been checked and are now open as before, certainly the high profile (not necessarily the most expensive) ones are. The majority of Thamel hotels have not yet had  government engineers surveys but they are open for business as normal. When considering a hotel choice please look for the ‘Green Sticker’, the official survey stamp that the building is safe.

http://www.drupartment.com/nepal-hotel-status  Check our portal for hotels that are open for business as normal

10.   Is Wifi free at all the hotels and restaurants?  

Those that have this service are still providing it.

11.   What about food?

Most of the favourite and popular restaurants are open for business as usual, there are no food shortages but the same travel advice applies as it always has done – use hand gel and avoid small ‘local’ back street restaurants to stay healthy. Many restaurants are closing early (9pm) but only because there is so little trade

12.   Does the phone and Internet work? 

All communication systems work as you would normally expect.

13. Is there lawless behavior and looting? 

NO!

14.   Is there a likelihood of aftershocks during my visit? 

Nepal has always had earthquakes, on average it gets over twenty per year, many under 4 magnitude so there always have been tremors. These are now happening in a very short and mostly gentle form on a regular basis however most people are not even aware of them happening.

15.   If yes, what happens if there is an aftershock during my visit- what should I do?

Initially on any visit to a new destination, do a good risk assessment, where are the safe areas and areas to avoid. Once you have done that have a plan so that all of your group react in the same way more to the same points. If you are in a building pillars and door frames are generally the safest places but obviously if you can get outside into open spaces then that is the best course of action. Regroup and take care of your own safety first.

16.   What is the situation of Pokhara, Chitwan /Nagarkot/Bhaktapur, Thamel.. is it safe to go there? 

Yes it is safe to travel to these regions and locally safety advice is available at the tourist sites and temples. Both districts were virtually untouched by the event. Hotels are open and ready to receive visitors

17.   What can I do and see around Kathmandu/Patan/Bhaktapur.... basically in Nepal after this earthquake...? 

All these areas have obviously been affected but there are many tourist sites, temples and treks that have been unaffected, these and the Durbar Squares and UNESCO sites are now open. An added attraction is to watch the craftsmen busy at work reconstructing the damaged areas.

18.   I have kids with me...is it still safe to come to Nepal? 

Yes just as long as you take into consideration the other relevant Q & A advice above

19.   Is petrol available? 

Yes all services requiring petrol are working normally

20.   Are trekking staff available or are they all working in their villages? 

Many of the trekking staff live in Kathmandu, even if they don’t reputable trekking agents will have a list of contacts in their trekking areas and all staff will welcome the opportunity to work to earn money to help improve their situation.

21.   Are hill airstrips still in good condition? 

Yes all are operating as usual subject to the normal weather conditions

22.   Are there any food shortages and can I buy supplementary trek food in Kathmandu? 

All super-markets are open and they still stock all the food stuffs as pre April 2015, there is a wide choice of trekking ‘snack’ type food available. All other food is available as before

23.   Is Kathmandu still safe or has there been an increase in the crime rate against tourists? 

Kathmandu and Nepal have always been very safe in this respect, just be sensible and follow all the usual ‘travel in foreign destination’ advice

24.    Are there still 'cheap rate' hotel rooms available or is it just the more expensive hotels that are functioning at present? 

There is  a good range of hotels open for business both in Thamel as well as in other areas in the Valley and further afield.

28.   Are the Lodges safe and operational or should I intend to use tents and camp? 

Lodge treks are available especially in the Everest and Annapurna regions. Langtang is still closed and other effected routes are getting reinstated and opened for trekkers. Advice differs for different areas seek specific advice from your trekking agent.

We hope this helps a bit when planning your trip to Nepal. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us info@grgadventurekayaking.com

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award 2015

We are delighted to announce that GRG's has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award for the 4th year in a row!!

It is a great achievement for us and we'd like to take the opportunity to our fantastic team of staff who make our trips possible and to all our awesome guests who took the time to review us on Trip Advisor. 

Want to Help Nepal? Come and Visit This Fall….

Come to Nepal this Fall. Raft, Bike, Trek, Relax, Explore and SPEND your money directly with the people who need it to rebuild their lives. Help Nepal by giving them their jobs back. Tourism is the way to rebuild this incredible country.

In the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Nepal on the 25^th April 2015 many people are asking me, ‘how can we help Nepal’. My answer changes pretty much daily. To begin with the advice I was giving was to send your money – anything you ship over will take to long to get here and we needed immediate access to food, shelters, blankets, the list goes on. Then my answer was KEEP sending money (and this one still stands). Nepal is going to need a huge amount of money once the rebuild starts and my continuous answer is to help spread the word and keep Nepal in the media as much as you can.

If you ask me today what you can do to help, my answer is COME AND VISIT. I don’t mean now, I don’t even mean tomorrow, but come the fall, once the monsoon is over and the land has settled, Nepal will NEED your tourism now more than ever.

Anyone who has visited Nepal before will tell you how Nepali’s are the most generous and friendly people they have ever met, how the mountains are awe inspiring and how somehow, Nepal gets under everyones skin and once you have been here one time, you will be back before you know it. It is truly a very special country with so much to do and so much on offer.

Over 1 million foreigners travel to Nepal every year and without their valuable income, Nepal will find it hard to get back on it’s feet. Nepal Tourism accounts for hundreds of thousands of local jobs and a huge percentage of the countries national income.  From taxi drivers, hotel owners, bar staff, restaurants, rafting companies, trekking guides, tea house owners, porters, mountain biking companies, paragliders, bus companies, internal flights….the list goes on and on and on. All these people are currently out of work and can then not support their families, thus causing more undue hardship.

At the moment the media is (rightly so) focusing on all the destruction to the country, however, it is only certain areas, and most of the tourist destinations in the country are totally unaffected. I do not want to detract from the devastation that has happened, because it is bad, it is serious and it should not be taken lightly. But it is only in certain areas and most of these villages survive on money sent back by relatives working the cities, and if they have no work, the villages have no money to rebuild.

Thamel, the tourist district of Kathmandu has been relatively unaffected, as has Pokhara one of the main destinations on every ones hit lists when they travel to Nepal. Whilst the Langtang region has been harmed, many other trekking regions are unaffected and theses guides need employment. Annapurna, Mustang, Makalu, Kanchenjunga are all fine. For those interested in wildlife, Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park are open and unaffected.

And from our personal point of view, the rivers are still flowing and screaming out for the rafters and kayakers to come back. The only rivers we will not commercially running at the moment are the Upper and LowerBhote Kosi and the Belephi, as although the river is fine, the areas surrounding it have been devastated.

Mohan Krishna Sapkota, spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation said “Our priority is to bring more tourists and provide them quality, safety, hospitality and other services to their satisfaction,” he says, expressing a desire to re-establish Nepal as a “safe, unique and attractive tourist destination.”

In a country where tourism is the largest domestic industry, what Nepal doesn't need is potential visitors to be scared off because of over exaggerated media. The whole of Kathmandu has not been flattened, I have seen for myself, it is only certain areas. If you love Nepal and want to see it rise once again, please help by giving donations to reliable organisations to assist the rebuild, but also come here on holiday yourself this Fall.

In the meantime, we as a company are focusing our efforts on rebuilding the homes of many of our staff members but we are OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS NORMAL. 

If you have any questions about certain areas of Nepal and whether they are safe to travel to or not, or you would like to enquire about travel here next season, please email us on info@grgadventurekayaking.com

Check out this beautiful video of Nepal to wet your appetite! 

Nepal from Jamin Walsh on Vimeo.

#AwesomeNepal #NepalTourism 

GRG Highlights of 2014

As 2014 is coming to a close, we've been looking back over our highlights from last year and thought we'd share with you our top 10  of the year 2014!

1. Although we are a Rafting and Kayaking company, every now and then we like to mix things up a bit. In May, owners Chrissy & Maila ventured to Everest Base Camp with a group of trekkers. This is a 14 day trek taking you to an altitude of over 5000m! Not bad for people who spend most their life on the rivers!


2.Another highlight for us has to be having the Hereford Expedition Group with us over the monsoon. 30 under 20's came for a total of three weeks and did a variety of volunteering, homestay, trekking, rafting and safari. It was so great to organise their program for them and it was a really interesting trip for us to run, and have given us lots of new ideas for the future (stay tuned!)

3. This year has been an incredible year for GRG and we have run all time record amount of Expeditions. In the Autumn season alone we ran 6 Sun Kosi's, 1 Karnali and 2 Tamur's! We are very proud of our team for working so hard and making this possible, and are looking forward to breaking this record next year!

4. One of the biggest events for us this year was opening our own hotel. Located next to Nursingh Chowk, we are now running Hotel Prayer Flag which has 20 rooms and plenty of space for your kayaks. We had a really successful first season and were full nearly every day with kayakers, trekkers and bikers coming and going. We've had some great parties on our rooftop and are looking forward to more to come!

6. In the Spring we were joined by a group of trainee guides from Bhutan. Kali (Maila's brother) spends about 5 months of the year working in Bhutan running rafting trips for international companies, but he has also started training up the first Bhutanese guides. They then visited Maila to get more experience and training from Nepal. It's always nice to be able to pass on skills and knowledge and wonderful to see the industry growing in Bhutan. We hope to get there ourselves as soon as we can.


7. Always a highlight for us - the Himalayan Whitewater Challenge. Many of the staff from GRG entered (Maila, Tusc, Biki, Papu, Uttar, Jeevan & Shambhu as well as a raft team). For us it signifies the end of the season and it's a great party. We are always very proud of how well the guys do in the events and it's a chance for us all to get together and enjoy the rivers.

8. We've also been working hard on our yoga expeditions this year. Mahendra is now a fully fledged member of the GRG team and has joined us on the majority of our Sun Kosi and Tamur Expeditions this year. Waking up on multiday trips and doing yoga in front of the river is one of the highlights of these trips. We would like to say a massive thank you to Mahendra for all his hard work this year and we are hoping to introduce more yoga packages in 2015.

9. Although not trip related, a highlight for us is that we have been able to collect over 20 new kayaks this season, meaning that we now have the biggest kayak hire fleet available in Kathmandu. We have many brands and models and full paddling equipment. If your coming to Nepal next season, ask us about hire.

10. And the biggest highlight of all was when GRG won the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2014 for the third year running! This means the world to us and would not be possible without your support so we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts, and a thank you also has to go to our wonderful staff without who, we wouldn't get these fantastic reviews!


We hope your year was just as awesome and look forward to welcoming many of you on the rivers with us in 2015! Happy Holidays everyone.

If you fancy coming on a trip with us, please email Chrissy on info@grgadventurekayaking.com or check out our website www.grgadventurekayaking.com

Kayak Hire in Nepal.

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to fly to Nepal with kayaks (although it is still possible on several airlines). If you don't want the hassle of flying with your boat, we have a collection of over 50 available for hire along with full paddling equipment. If you are interested in hiring any of our kayaks for a day or a couple of months, please email us on info@grgadventurekayaking.com

• Pyranha Burn (S x 1) (M x 4), (L x 1), (XL x 1)
• Pyranha H3
• Pyranha Everest (M x 3)
• Pyranha Shiva (M x 3)
• Pyranha 32
• Pyranha Z One (L)
• Liquid Logic Stomper ( x 2)
• Liquid Logic Jefe Grande
• Jackson Karma
• Riot Magnum (72 x 3), (80 x 3)
• Riot Nitro ( x 2)
• Dagger Nomad (8.5 x 5), (8.1 x 1)
• Dagger Axiom (9.0),
• Dagger RPM
• Perception Blaze (x 2)
• Perception E-Z
• Wavesport Habitat 70
• Jackson Villan S
• Liquid Logic Remix (59 x 1), (69 x 1)
• Liquid Logic Jefe Chico
• Blistic Mini Mystic
• Zet Raptor x 3
• Salto
• Wavesport Transformer
• Rainbow Zulu
• Prijon XL Pure

2014 Himalayan White Water Challenge Highlight reel

We've just got back from this years Himalayan Whitewater Challenge. An event put together by NARA (The Nepal Association of Rafting Agents) to bring together Nepali and International Kayakers in one great event. This year we had almost 100 competitors from Nepal, India, Sudan, UK and the USA to name a few. We had a Slalom, Boater Cross, Downriver race and Freestyle, and not to mention great parties in the evenings.



Big thanks to Liam Kelly for putting this video together, we hope you enjoy it.

Best places to eat in Pokhara

Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal and where most trekkers come to relax for a few days before or after their trips. Listed below are some of our favourite places to eat and drink in this stunning lakeside town.

Moondance - Although a little pricey, we think it offers some of the best food in town. Offering a special BBQ on certain days they have a lot of variety. They are famous for their Lemon Pie and have the best pitchers of cocktails. A perfect treat after your trek.

Almonds - If your looking for something a bit cheaper and a bit more local, Almonds is ideal. Mostly Indian food, their local Thali (Nepali Dal Bhat) is the best in town. Make sure you get one of their giant Nan bread, we can particularly recommend their Kasmiri Nan.

Silk Road - Hands down the best cocktails in town and at a reasonable price. This is a great place to come during the day or night, and they have live acoustic music on Wednesday and Sunday nights, you can even pick up a guitar yourself if you know how. Their signature drink is the Thirsty Camel, which is a fruity treat! A trip to Pokhara wouldn't be complete without a drink here.

Maya - If you fancy some fresh fish from the Pokhara Lake then this is the place to come. They have the best Grilled Tangy Fish for just $5. Live cultural music on the middle floor and a stunning rooftop where you can sit and enjoy their two for one cocktails as the sun goes down.

Pokhara Steak House - One of the few places you can actually get real beef (rather than buffalo). Many varieties of Steak a great option for the meat lovers!

Lemone Tree - Another great restaurant which covers most meals from Nepali and Indian to Mexican and Italian. Good quality food at a reasonable price. Also offers two for one cocktails.

These in our opinion are the best tourist restaurants in town, however if you are looking for something a bit more local, why not try Pani Puri from a street selling, or head toward the lake from Halan Chowk and try one of the many local Momo restaurants.

One things for sure is that you won't go hungry in Pokhara!

Matepani Monastery Outing

We have recently befriended Michelle, a volunteer from the States who is spending her time, energy and creativity making the lives of 80 Buddhist Monks that little bit better. Focusing primarily on education, Michelle could also see the need for some extra curricular activities and quickly set fundraising for a variety of activities. The first of which was taking the whole monastery (that's 80 monks!) to Lumbini and Chitwan for a cultural tour.

The week after, Michelle approached us and asked whether we would be able to run a rafting trip for the older monks. And of course, we said yes!! A few people we have spoken to have been surprised that monks would want to go rafting...but why not? They are normal young lads, that want to enjoy themselves, and they certainly did!

It was the middle of September when we took them so the rivers were still very high from the monsoon. We decided the safest and most fun river they could do would be the Trisuli. At 7am in the morning, they all piled in the bus eager to get to the river and the whole trip from start to finish was one laugh after another. We had a few unexpected swims and a lot of games. It was lovely to see how much they were enjoying the trip. In the evening we had a great camp fire and were ready for the next day of adventures. All too soon it was time to get back on the bus, but each and every one of them vowed they would come back. We are hoping that when the rivers settle a bit at the end of the monsoon we will be able to take the younger monks (some are as young as 5) to the Lower Seti river.

If you are part of a charitable organisation and would like to run a rafting trip, but are maybe concerned about the costs involved, please contact us as we are more than happy to run non-profit trips for a worthwhile cause. Send us an email for more information. 

Top 10 things to do in Pokhara...

1 - Go Paragliding, no, better yet, go Parahawking

Pokhara boasts one of the best spots in the world for paragliding with spectacular views of the Annapurna Mountain Range and the Few Tal lake. You can paraglide pretty much all year round and it's a great spot to learn. Parahawking takes the experience once step further and you can glide in the sky with these incredible birds whilst supporting a great cause.

2 - Trek up to the World Peace Pagoda

Originally built by Japanese Buddist Monks, you can see the Pagoda where ever you are in Lakeside. The best way to get there is to paddle across the lake then trek 45 minutes up the hill where you will be greeted by the most fantastic views. For those of you who are short of time (or not as fit), you can also get a taxi up to the top.

3 - Go Rafting on the Kaligandaki.

One of the best shorter rafting trips on offer in Nepal. 2 nights 3 days of whitewater rafting/kayaking, camping out under the stars, swimming and enjoying the wilderness. Best season is Oct-Dec with two trips leaving Pokhara a week on average.

4 - Take a trek to Poon Hill

Our favourite short trek, from 3-5 days (5 recommended so you can visit the natural hot springs). Or is you have more time why not go a bit further and reach Annapurna BaseCamp?! This in our opinion is the best short trek you can do from Pokhara getting you close to the mountains and up to an altitude of 3200m

5 - Chill out and get a massage

Many people come to Pokhara to escape the chaos of Kathmandu, to relax after a strenuous trek or simply just to chill out. My favourite spot to have a traditional Nepali massage or a Hot Stone massage in the Winter is Jive Cafe and Spa. They also have an excellent food and smoothie menu!

6 - Take a boat out on the Fewa Tal (and spot of at Bahari Temple)

The lake is the focal point when traveling to Pokhara so you can't really come and not go out on it. You can hire wooden boats (which you can either row or you can hire someone too for relatively cheap), you can take them out for just an hour or a whole day. A highlight is to paddle to the middle where the Bahari Temple stands. Or simply paddle to the center and enjoy the view of the mountains behind.

7 - Grab a cocktail down by the lake

There's nothing better to do on an evening thansitting by the lake and sipping a cool cocktail. A few of our favourite spots are Silk Road, Busy Bee and High Tide.

8 - Visit Devi's Falls & the Bat Caves

This is on most tourists 'to do lists'. Devi's falls is most impressive during the monsoon when the water levels are huge, you can then cross the roads and visit the caves to see where the falls goes under ground. There are several caves in Pokhara, the best being the bat caves where you can take a guide and explore the hidden caves. Don't forget to take a torch!

9 - Go to a museum

The two best museums in Pokhara are the International Mountain Museum and the Gurkha Museum which are well worth a visit. You'll need at least a few hours at both of these to make the most of it and read all the information. If you have children then the Mountain Museum is maybe more interesting (especially the Yeti with gloves on!0

10 - Enjoy fresh fish from the lake.

There are many incredible restaurants in Pokhara offering all sorts of meals from local Nepali to Italian, from Indian to Korean. Our favourite is the grilled Tangy fish from Maya. See our post on the best places to eat and drink in Pokhara for more info.

11. Yoga!

(I know we said 10, but here's a bonus idea for you!) Pokhara is an ideal place to do a spot of yoga whether you are a beginner or a pro. There are many organisations offering all sorts from yoga retreats to morning sessions. One of the better and more organised seems to be Pranamaya Yoga which operates out of Jiva Cafe.

If you would like any information on activities in Pokhara, please fee free to email us and we'll be happy to help.

Money & ATM's when you travel to Nepal

People regularly ask us about whether they should bring US$ or GB£ cash with them when they arrive, whether they can use their debit/credit cards or if travelers cheques are possible. Here's a few hints and tips to help you organise your money when traveling to Nepal.

1. Which Cash to Bring?
To be perfectly honest, it doesn't really matter. I've met many British tourists who have been told in the past to change their cash into dollars are they are more widely accepted, however recenty, it doesn't matter, in fact the exchange rate on the Sterling is actually stronger. So don't loose out on exchange rates, bring the currency you use and change that.

2. Where To Change your Money?
In Thamel (Kathmandu),. Lakeside (Pokhara) and Sauraha (Chitwan) you will find   many money exchanges all offering a fixed price. You will find better commission rates here than at the airport. Aside from these 'touristy' areas, you will not find any money exchanges, although a few are popping up in Namache, the trekking hub on the way up to Everest. Exchange rates change daily, so keep an eye and try to change when it is highest.

3. Are there ATM's in Nepal?
Yes, of course there are, similar to the money exchanges, you will find them in the touristy areas. They will let you take out up to 35,000 rupees per transaction depending on which machine you use (Nabil bank is one of the few that give that much, others only give 10,000 rupees at a time). Most common ATM's found are Standard Chartered, Nabil Bank and Himalayan Bank)

4. Can you pay using you Card?
Most of the bigger hotel, restaurants and tour companies will accept payments by cards, although the smaller souvenir shops and restaurants will not. And you should expect around a 3-5% service charge on card payment. 

For an up to date exchange rate check on xe.com.