Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge
Nepal
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge
Kandani Danda, Pokhara-Lekhnath 26, Kaski District
Nepal
www.tigermountainpokhara.com
HOTEL INFORMATION
Group
Tiger Mountain Nepal
Shareholders
Privately owned
Date of Creation
October 1998
Hotel General Manager
Manager Guest Relations and Operations, Mr. Jhalak Raj Chaudhary is the focal person for guests.Jhalak is from Meghauli in Chitwan. Initially, he trained as a jungle guide in Sauraha then completed his training at Tiger Tops as a Nature Guide. He has worked at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge ab initio and is a keen birder and butterfly spotter. Jhalak supervises all aspects of the operations, staff training, guest relations, etc.
Hotel Positioning
Responsible Conservation Tourism Eco-lodge, no stars by our own decision; rated 5stars by TripAdvisor.
Affiliated: Secret Retreats and RARE; GSTC Travelife Gold Standard Sustainability Audit 2017
Development Strategy
We intend to remain small and to improve our responsible tourism best practices.
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge
History & Story
Opened in 1998, the lodge site was selected by Gurkha Officer and mountaineer, Col. Jimmy Roberts, founder of Mountain Travel the first trekking company, opened in October 1998 by Sir Edmund Hillary as an alternative to the backpacker haven of Pokhara Lakeside. Rural, secluded, comfortable, the antithesis of a standard hotel, the lodge operates closer to a private club or country house.
Date Renewal
The lodge is refurbished annually due to the rigours of the monsoon climate in Pokhara.
Date added extensions
No additions – the last change was the inclusion of a swimming pool
Main Strengths, Special Touch
Attention to detail and personal service from a staff who have almost all worked at the lodge since the beginning. The focus is a comfortable base from which to explore the local area of rural villages, forest and farmland.
Location
Set on a ridge facing north, the lodge looks onto a spectacular Himalayan Panorama with three peaks over 8,000m (27,000 feet) in view from the lodge terrace. The hills are dotted with villages, forest and farmland typical of the middle hills of Nepal. To the south is the village of Kandani Danda. The village supplies us with an increasing amount of fresh local produce. The lodge is 45 minutes’ drive from the airport in Pokhara.
Key sites/activities in the area
Walks to focus on flora and fauna, cultural exploration or plain exercise are available – all are led by expert local guides on the lodge staff. These range from a gentle wander for an hour through to a full day hike with picnic breakfast and lunch provided and a range of options in between. Guides are there to unfold the secrets of the local communities – they are all local – and to assist guests on the walk. On return to the lodge massage, yoga and meditation therapies are available thus engaging body, mind and spirit all during a day.
Fun Facts
The lodge was literally hand built. Almost all the staff started as workers constructing the property – part of a team of 300 labourers and 40 skilled craftsmen that hand quarried and dressed the local stone used for the buildings, planked the raw timber and built the weathered and mellow buildings seen today.
Children’s Corner
Our skilled local guides love to take children (and their parents are welcome too) off to explore local farms, meet the young goats, calves and other livestock and to engage with local children, sharing stories of life ‘over here’ as compared to ‘over there.’
HOTEL FEATURES
Accommodation
Number of rooms, (keys) in all:
14
Restaurants & Bars
• Head Cook – Lalu Mahato
• Full Board (American Plan) Plus – Lodge rates include all meals, snacks, canapes and non-bar hot drinks
• Speciality – Seasonal Nepali Thali, traditional Nepali food authentically prepared, featuring what is in season
Wellness
• Yoga and Meditation led by Swami Dhyan Sagar (also called Happy Jee)
• Massage – shiatsu or ayurvedic (northern tradition)
• Walks – a scenic meditation
Corporate & Celebration Events
• Retreats and Brainstorming Small Groups only
Extra Notable Features
• Cooking classes – more a rustic immersion in the processes of Nepali cookery are available subject to kitchen commitments.
• The Himalayan Golf Course is 30 minutes away, challenging and charming in equal measure.
Hotel and restaurant Awards
2017-2018
• Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, best in Nepal
• Daily Telegraph UK Best in Nepal
• Conde Nast Traveller ‘Most Stunning Boutique Hotels’
2015 and earlier
- 2008 National Geographic Adventure November – Global Top 50 Eco-Lodges
- Richard Hammond’s Top 30 Green Places to Stay Worldwide – Recommendation, Mountain Section
- Voted one of the leading hotels in all Asia by customers of Asia-hotels.com
- World’s Top “Room with a View” – Independent UK
- Tourism Gold Award, Business Leaders Club Madrid, Spain
- 2003 Global Top 5 Cool Pools, Sunday Times UK
- 2000 Conservation International Ecotourism Excellence
- Conde Nast Traveler Eco-Awards Best Lodge
- 1999 Pacific Asia Travel Association Heritage & Culture Gold Award
- TravelAsia Best New Ecotourism Product
Number of employees
38