The sensory wonders of Nepal offer some of the most stimulating experiences for the traveller. See, touch, taste, smell, hear–let’s partake of its unique natural, built-up and cultural offerings as we set out to allow our senses to abandon themselves in this banquet of delights of in this tiny Himalayan country. A sensory tour offers a unique take on our connection with the places we visit and the people that we meet. It offers us a fabulous opportunity to ramp up our cognitive, social and emotional, physical, creative, and linguistic skills. With our senses on high alert, we can even alter our perception of the experiences that we go through–yes, even in the most mundane tasks we perform in our daily routines in a new place.

Listening Walk

Kathmandu’s bazaars are a riot of colour. Sounds and scents. Stop for a moment close your eyes and let your ears pick out the individual sounds amidst the clamour of the market street. Even that conscious effort will reveal some unique side of an ordinary walk in the bazaar. Vendors calling to customers, women haggling for juicy fruits, a child laughing merrily. You’ll find yourself even tuning into a veritable Tower of Babel of languages as two small tour groups push through the crowds avidly soaking up the exotic atmospherics.

Riding down a hilly slope on a vintage Vespa scooter, hear the wind rushing past you as head out for a village outside Kathmandu. Country sounds will clamour for your attention–a cocky rooster on a rooftop, the lowing of cattle, the swish of the scythe cutting the harvested crop, the revving up of the truck lumbering its way uphill with fresh produce for the Kathmandu market. Walking through a forested trail, abandon yourself to the birdsong, a dog barking on a distant hillside, the rush of a crystal stream plunging down a hillside.

Reach out and Touch

Gather together sheaves of harvested paddy while helping a local farmer in the fields he ploughs by family tradition that is centuries old. Get down and dirty and touch the rich soil which gives him such a bounty. Feel the touch of the breeze on your skin in the mild morning air. Later, join the family to enjoy the textures, flavours, and fragrances of the exotic delights of a traditional Newari meal cooked in the family kitchen.

In Bhaktapur’s Bolachhen, Pottery Square, take an impromptu pottery lesson. As you knead and mould the cool clay on the spinning wheel, revel in sensory pleasures of touch, pressure and vibrations. Lean deep into memory for the philosophical take on this simple but magically creative local craft.

Eye Spy

Nepal is a visual feast of natural bounty. Home to the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest, it’s an iconic destination for the global nature-loving travelling community. When your eyes feast on the wonderment of up-close views of this dream peak from Everest Base Camp, even the high of that champagne breakfast fades into oblivion when compared to this glorious experience. Following the visually stunning trekking trails of the Annapurna Circuit, or soaking up the scents and verdant beauty of the Chitwan forestlands, is pure sensory delight all the way.

A taste of things to come

In the old streets of Kathmandu straddle the piquant cross roads of culinary delights. Indulge your senses in a food tasting walk as you soak up the rich nuances of aromas and textures at each stopover. Down tumblers of salty butter tea at a teashop, pop into a spice store and soak in its aromatic offerings, bite into a yummy hot samosa, and at a local eatery sample nettle soup, variations of dal-bhat all washed down with Tongba the local beer.

Hear me out

Listen to the rhythmic sounds of the hand-held chisel and hammer of the stone carvers of Kathmandu at a stone carving workshop run by Nepali sculptor Jaya Raj Bajracharya who has attained world fame and to ensure the native tradition of stone carving does not die. Artisans during the Licchavi period (4th-century CE) were noted for their artistry. The medieval temples and durbar squares of Kathmandu are an open museum of some of the most fascinating examples of Nepal’s stone craft traditions. The Newar community of the Kathmandu valley has traditionally been linked to this art form for centuries. Follow the sounds of the stonecutters at Stone Cutters Row in Lalitpur, south of Patan’s Durbar Square. Amongst the many workshops located here, quite a few have a stone carvings ancestry reaching back hundreds of year back. Traditionally made with hand held chisels and hammers, the craft is being introduced to some modern power tools. That said, 75 percent of the work is still done the old way.

Next time you are travelling re-set your senses to gather emotive memories of the most stimulating, enjoyable time of your life.