The most well-known traveller zone, Thamel comes first when you start the journey and Thamel comes last when you end it before flying off from Kathmandu. This is my story! My unending love for Thamel. They say it’s kind of auspicious to visit Thamel before you start your trek journey! What if I say, Thamel in the pre-base camp for the hikers and the mountaineers. Strange it may sound but that’s what every trekker religiously follows. It all started in the hippie era of the 60s, where peace-lovers, musicians, and the western artist jammed Thamel to the current chaotic tangle of boutique bistros and hotels, one-for-all trekking gears shops, cheap and cheerful bars, clubs, and eateries. At night Thamel awakes from its deep slumber to a twinkling hub of perfect nightlife in Kathmandu.
To give you a good head-start, here are the 10 most incredible experiences surely making you fall in love with Thamel.
1. Nightlife:
Count it as the only 24/7 lively place in entire Nepal. Swathes of pubs, bars, and clubs and not to forget the casinos line the street of Thamel once the sun bid adieu for the day. A wild night of shots and dancing you name it…Thamel has it all.
2. Best place to shop anything:
Be it hiking gears to luxurious Kashmere scarves, pashmina, blanket to cheap electronics to jewellery; Thamel has it all. But be very smart to haggle them down.
3. Wellness hub:
Thamel has an amazing collection of spas to choose from. From aromatherapy to beauty treatments to shiatsu massages, simply get into the chill mode!
4. Paradise for the mountain lovers:
Being the pre-base camp for mountaineers, Thamel boasts of a plethora of mountaineering gear shops, cheap and expensive, both. No worries.
5. Food and flavour to savour:
Limitless is the right word here. Just call yourself a foodie and Thamel surprises you with Chinese, Indian, continental, and its very own Nepali recipes food corners. Stone-baked pizzas to Dal-Bhat to Gundruk Dhido, such are the food discretion at disposal. Live music! It’s just so common here.
6. Paradise for book lovers:
This one is my favourite! Bibliophile Heaven exists right here in Thamel. Look around and you will find plenty of bookstores. Grab your cup of coffee and escape the commotion of Thamel for a while.
7. Ride a Rickshaw:
Streets of Thamel look at you when you ride a Rickshaw for a good reason. Get accustomed to the richness of the place before you think of exploring every nook and corner.