 If you want a cliff hanger experience in Nepal,
the Kathmandu valley perimeter offers some
hair-raising spots. There are some terrific,
dizzying places for those who get their kicks
from crawling up vertical cliffs. If you are not
making it to some of the kingdom's high peaks,
here's another opportunity to get a high. Of
late, rock climbing has found increasing
popularity among the tourists coming into Nepal
as well as for local enthusiasts, Trekking
agencies too have jumped into the bandwagon and
some of them now offer the rock climbing
experience.
Most of the spots are situated to the north and
northwest of the valley, in the vicinity of the
Nagarjun Royal forest and the shiva puri
watershed and wildlife reserve. Your rock
climbing trip can therefore be combined with
bird watching, game watching and experiencing
some of the last of the valley's wilds. Nagajuna
is a verdant hill located to the northwest of
the Swyambhu Stupa and believed to be the place
where the famous Buddhist philosopher. Nagarjun
meditated.
The cliff here is located inside the Nagarjun
forest reserve suitable for both beginners and
wall rats. The limestone rock face is about
12-15 m high and bears the remnants of earlier
climbs. what purists would describe as "piton
scarred " or a defaced face. You could always do
a free climb if experienced enough or use the
friendlier chocks. |
Rock Climbing
