Driving on the Tibetan plateau was, aside from the altitude, fairly straightforward. Chinese highways are world-class, the terrain relatively flat and the facilities were good.

But crossing the Himalaya, descending 1,000m in one hour through serpentine roads, negotiating a tin-shed immigration post on the Nepal side, and then bumping along the dusty track from Rasuwa to Kathmandu tested the stamina of the drivers and their 60 plus cars. The drivers said the contrast between China and Nepal could not have been more stark.

“It was the worst road I have ever driven in, actually there was no road. But it was an adventure of a lifetime,” said Steph Duckworth, who drove a classic 1979 Range Rover 2-door named Camel.

Via Jilong Pass on the Kerung side, across the border and on to Kathmandu was only 181km, but it took the 15 cars 18 hours along the earthquake-damaged road. Two of the cars lost their headlights and had to negotiate the dark and dusty tracks with handheld torches as the exhausted drivers and cars wheeled into the Yak & Yeti Hotel at midnight on 9 May.

Trans-Himalayan Adventure 2019 was organised by Rally Round, which sets up challenging vintage and classic car events, including the trans-continental Peking to Paris Rally. But even by its gruelling standards across the most challenging terrain on Earth, the non-competitive China-Nepal-India rally was one of the most difficult so far for drivers and cars alike.

Crews were driving a 1925 Rolls-Royces Silver Ghost, and a 25/30 1937 Coupe named Buttercup. A 1925 Bentley Super Sports and a 1927 Nash Roadster were some of the other elderly cars. Senior vehicles included the Mk2 Jaguar, Bentley Super Sports, a 1952 Studebaker Champion, a 1965 Porsche 911 Coupe and a classic 1970 Mercedes 280SL Roadster.

The mud-caked and dust-covered cars all seemed to have taken the arduous journey from the Tibetan Plateau to Kathmandu surprisingly well. This week six of the cars crossed into India and on to Varanasi, after driving through Pokhara.

Many participants were familiar with the challenge, having taken part in the Peking to Paris rally. On Day 3 out of Chengdu, from Batang to Zuogong, the classic 1970 Mercedes 280SL Roadster of ex-Gurkha officer Richard Cunningham suffered from fuel vaporisation 22 times before being fixed by the sweeps. At the end of the day, an unfazed Cunningham wrote in his blog: “That was a hell of a drive. What a great day. Adventure driving at its best!”

Said Cunningham: “The amazing thing about driving through Nepal was that although the roads are rough, the people are great, the kids came offering water, and you drive through some stunning scenery few people get to see.”

Many villagers took selfies in front of the exotic cars, and a couple of enthusiastic villagers in China even cleaned the caked mudguard of a vintage Bentley Super Sports. ‘They would have given the whole car a wash if time had allowed,’ wrote a driver in the rally blog.

Liz Wenman, founder and director of Rally Round, said the Trans Himalayan Adventure took two years to plan and map. “It is not about competition, it is about the journey, about companionship and shared passion,” she expressed. “Many of the participants are above 50 years of age, they kept in perfect health, and enjoyed every moment of it.”

Hotel Yak & Yeti planned a plantation program with its chairman Radhe Shyam Saraf along with his wife, his son, Executive Director, Arun Saraf and his three sisters. The plantation was done by the Saraf family and the hotel team together, with full of hopes for a sturdy germination and a better environment.

The hotel organized an event in honor of Environment Day 2019. World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. Since it began in 1974, the event has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

As per the theme of this year’s environment day “Air Pollution” we found it to be ideal to plant trees that are the main and the most natural way to resolve air pollution.

An effective session on yoga was conducted by International Corporate Trainer, Neeva Mathema Pradhan in Regal Hall at Hotel Yak & Yeti on June 21

Hotel Yak & Yeti hosted a yoga session at 7:00 am in the Regal Hall on the occasion of International Yoga Day, observed annually on June 21. This event was facilitated by International Corporate Trainer, Neeva Mathema Pradhan and her team from the Art of Living Foundation. The event was attended by yoga practitioners, the in-house guests, staff members and media.

An international day for yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly on June 21, 2015. And today people are celebrating the 5th anniversary of International Yoga Day.

International Corporate Trainer, Neeva Mathema said, “Yoga is a balancing act and it helps me to be centred. Yoga has been an opportunity to get the maximum out of what life has in offer for me and give my maximum effort for any purpose.” She explained, “Yoga is not just physical stretches but also an act of flexing one’s mind, leading one to be more connected to oneself and in turn being more connected to others.” She exclaimed, “It is a cheerful aspect that yoga has become a trend rather than something hidden and only done by old people.”

A refreshing and relaxing yoga session was conducted by the Instructor form the Art of Living Foundation where everyone enjoyed to their fullest. All the guests participated actively in the yoga workshop. After the training, the guests were invited for a fresh and healthy breakfast.

The newly reopened Chimney Restaurant is another hallway of history in the Hotel Yak & Yeti vicinity

Taking in the warmth and opulence of Hotel Yak & Yeti, one can only walk in to experience. Seeped in history, evidently seen through the Neo-classical architecture, the exteriors are as mesmeric as the interiors.

Poised with history and legends of the olden days, The Chimney Restaurant is undeniably a favourite for fine dining. The eccentric Boris Lissanevitch, an eminent figure during his time, gave birth to the popular Hotel Royal and Chimney Restaurant. Later morphing into Hotel Yak & Yeti, The Chimney Restaurant is still a bustling spot where in-house as well as walk-in guests come for a sumptuous meal.

The freshly renovated restaurant is bound to generate curiosity, but the décor does not misplace the familiar warm ambience. Plush comfortable seating, candescent walls ornamented with traditional woodcraft, luxurious cutlery and a revamped menu does the trick.

The extended patio for larger groups who prefer fresh air has a more relaxed, loungey feel. With bright fairy lights under the canopy, live music and a fireplace under construction you cannot deny its allure. Sleek pub tables with high chairs give the restaurant a comfortable yet chic demeanour. Looking to cater all ages and crowds, here are a few specials from their new fusion menu.

The Chimney restaurant, the legendary restaurant of Kathmandu, is now open at Hotel Yak & Yeti,Durbar Marg. It is a trendy, yet classy restaurant, serving modern comfort food. Inside is the historical Chimney room and outside is a relaxed terrace lounge.

It is up-scale and high fashion, yet casual and comfortable, offering guests an option of either a relaxed outdoor seating or an elegant chimney room.

According to a, traditional favorites are honored while an inspired international menu at The Chimney shall achieve a distinction of its own. With the infusion of fresh ingredients we will refine the offerings with homemade pastas, fresh herbs from our own garden.

Speaking at the inauguration, General Manager of the hotel, Gopinath Gopalan said, “I am very proud to start this restaurant and both me and the team are excited to take this project to the next level.”

The all time favorites like Smoked Beckti, Chicken a la Kiev, and the flaming Baked Alaskan Sagarmatha has a special place in the ‘Chimney Classics’ section on the menu.

Chimney Restaurant Opening Hours: 12:00 pm – 22:30 pm

Hotel Yak & Yeti celebrated its 41st year anniversary on 27th September 2018. The hotel opened in 1977 is inextricably linked to Nepal’s colourful history and culture. This five-star property, which has 241 rooms, is designed to complement the style of the Lal Durbar Palace.

Over the years the hotel has been upgraded and extended and now boasts a shopping arcade, swimming pool, two tennis courts and a state of the art fitness centre and luxury spa.

The Lal Durbar Convention Centre at Hotel Yak & Yeti is Kathmandu’s largest convention centre with artefacts and antiques that have been lovingly preserved, maintaining the splendour of the Rana times.

During the 40th year of operation, and in honour of the hotel’s 40th anniversary, the hotel took the initiative to engage in various community service activities to bring awareness to important social, cultural and environmental issues that will contribute to the betterment of our society.

The hotel has also conducted various community service activities line dental camp for schools, lunch and magic shows for underprivileged children, distrubuing gifts to children of bal mandir on Christmas, Durbar Marg cleaning campaign and many more.

Embassy of Sri Lanka and Hotel Yak & Yeti, in partnership with Qatar Airways, is hosting a Sri Lankan Food Festival from Friday, 25th May to Saturday, 2nd June 2018. The food festival will take place at Sunrise Restaurant, Hotel Yak & Yeti.

The world famous Sri Lankan Chef, Publis Silva accompanied by his assistant chef will be present at the food festival.

Sri Lankan cuisine is one of the most diverse cuisines in terms of flavours. The Sri Lankan food culture is rich, exuberating a combination of different curry concoctions, seafood and a variety of tasty dishes made with the best spices. The flavorful array of dishes offers a magnificent tropical experience taking you on a trip to the sunny beaches and blue waters of Sri Lanka.

Head Chef Publis Silva of Mount Lavinia Hotel, Sri Lanka and Executive Chef, Sagar Singh Rawat of Hotel Yak & Yeti have worked in collaboration and shared their expertise, to put together a selection of authentic Sri Lankan dishes for the food festival.

Some specialties that will be served during the Sri Lankan Food Festival at Sunrise Restaurant, Hotel Yak & Yeti, are, Brinjal Moju, Coconut Roti, Steam Hoppers, Egg Hoppers, a variety of curries such as, Fish Ambul Thiyal (Maalu Ambul Thiyal), Prawn Curry, Pork Black Pepper Curry, etc.

Special sweet dishes such as the Watalappan (jaggery pudding), Sri Lankan pancake and (Thala Karali) sesame Karali will also be served during the food festival.

The food festival is open to everyone who is interested to try the delicious delicacies of Sri Lankan Cuisine. There will be a lavish buffet served at the Sunrise Restaurant from 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm daily during the food festival.

Price: 2500 plus taxes

For reservations: 01-4248999

Hotel Yak Yeti is airing the FIFA World Cup 2018 live at Piano Bar this World Cup Season.
This live screening starts on the 14 of June till 15 of July.

Various customer engaging promotions throughout the screening like guessing the winning teams
and a lucky draw contest to win a free round-trip ticket to ‘anywhere in the world’ within
Qatar Airways’ destinations is also being presented in partnership with
Pepsi, Qatar Airways and Budweiser.

Terms and conditions apply to these schemes.

For more details, contact hotel Yak and yeti.

In honor of its 40th year of operation, Hotel Yak and Yeti took an initiative to engage in community service activities to bring awareness to important social, cultural and environmental issues that will contribute to the betterment of our society. The hotel in collaboration with Neeva M. Pradhan from the Art of Living Foundation, hosted a talk program to spread awareness and updated information on the situation of stranded cows, buffaloes and calves on the streets and highways of Nepal.

The purpose of this program was to raise awareness about the existence of the cow/animal shelter and to encourage individuals and organizations to become more conscious about such issues and to spread the influence, supporting ‘Mathmandir Gai Bachha Bachau Tatha Samaj Bikash Aabhiyan – 2071’, a cow shelter to adopt and raise stranded cows, buffaloes and calves on the street.

Starting from the 40th anniversary day on 27 September 2017, Hotel Yak & Yeti has conducted various community service activities such as dental hygiene camp for Shree Bal Bikash School, lunch programs and magic show for the underprivileged, a wish tree and lunch program for underprivileged children during Christmas, Darbar Marg cleaning campaign and dance exercise and lunch program in association with the Nepal Parkinson’s Disease Association (NepDA).