Four reasons that make Trisuli a go-to destination of Nepal’s ‘Golden Triangle’

KATHMANDU: In Nepal, the first batch of passport-carrying tourists arrived on 8 March 1955. Since then, Nepal has become a go-to, if not a must-go, destination in Asia. Within Nepal’s tourism magnet, the collective package of Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan has been widely known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Nepal’s tourism. All tourists in Nepal either visit only these places or include them in their itinerary, which gives ample reason to call this travel corridor the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Nepal, offering Nepal’s signature nature, culture, and adventure.

Trisuli, a Tibet-originated river , has been developed as a go-to destination between this Golden Triangle travel corridor. It is almost equidistant from Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan.

What makes Trisuli a go-to destination in between Nepal’s famed Golden Triangle? Having personally experienced this once-in-a-lifetime adventure recently, I am here to recommend the four fundamental reasons to pick Trisuli as your next go-to destination between the ‘Golden Triangle’.

1. Rafting

Rafting is Nepal’s latecomer in the world of commercial adventure tourism. Mountaineering started in the early 1950s, whereas rafting took commercial shape only in the 1970s. British and French were leaders in the mountaineering world of Nepal. However, in the realm of rafting, it was America that took the lead. For example, Americans like Al Read and Mike Yager are leading names in Nepal’s first rafting company, named Himalayan River Exploration, established in 1976. Al Read was a pioneering figure in this sport, and Mike Yager was a trained river guide. It is interesting to note that Americans had explored Trisuli in November 1975, a year before establishing their pioneering company. According to Lisa Choegyal, a noted travel writer familiar with the pioneering rafting run, the first route was from Trisuli Bazaar to the Indian border. The 3+ rapid river now has many local rafting operators along the shores of the Trisuli river, with local trained river guides, mostly from indigenous communities, readily available.

2.Sky cycling

Sky cycling is a newly added package along the shores of the Trisuli river. It is offered by Trisuli River Side Resort, operated by local river guide Uddav Kandel, a returnee from Greece, who provides an exciting experience of pedaling above the roaring river with picture-perfect scenes in the hilly surroundings. The 200-meter-long sky cycling has packages for both solo and tandem pedaling.

3.Zip-lining

Offered by the same company, this adventure runs parallel to the sky cycling, connecting both sides of the Trisuli river. It measures the same length as the sky cycling.

4.Village hike in ethnic communities

Dhading district is home to one of Nepal’s noted minority ethnic communities, the Chepang. Hiking along the hamlets of Chepang and other ethnic communities, along with the hotels, motels, and resorts of the Trisuli corridor, is an added advantage of this corridor. If you have the luxury of driving a couple of hours, you can visit the Nuwakot Durbar and other ancient monuments of the Nuwakot district. For this, you have to drive through Battar and Bidur, two major cities of Nuwakot, along the banks of the Trisuli tourism corridor.