Participants travelled convoy style from hotel Radisson to the entrance of Shivapuri where the trail began. It ended at Gokarna Forest Resort.

Off roading is driving a vehicle on un-surfaced roads or tracks, made of sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. A four-wheeled vehicle is an engine with a drive train that allows all four wheels to receive torque at once.

 “Adventure tourism has great potential in Nepal and not just for foreigners. People in the valley are just as enthusiastic,” said Avash Nirola, one of the founders of the Yeti 4WD club, a non-profit club which organised the event. Nirola said the club had been working extensively to ensure a genuine experience for all.

Safety was an important factor, and with the club encouraging families to partake in the event, he maintained it was ‘not a race’ but a chance to explore and have fun. Relatively new drivers were asked to go in front with the more experienced ones driving behind as it gets more challenging once the terrain gets rougher.

While there were a few stops where vehicles got stuck and had to be pushed out, all the vehicles were able to complete the track. “It will get more challenging,” said Vivek Basnyat, founding director  of the club. He said the pilot event was to gauge the interest of the people and they had plans to organise such events every three months.

It is not only about recreation but also a great way to explore and provide a platform for domestic tourism, he said. Situated north of Kathmandu Valley, the Shivapuri is the nearest national park from Kathmandu.

“Having participants drive through the national park gave them an idea of the flora and fauna and created awareness as to how we can give back,” said Basnyat, who is also a tourism entrepreneur.

For Priya Thapa, a banker, it was an opportunity to explore.

“It becomes rather congested being confined to Kathmandu. Especially the kids don’t get to explore much.  It was adventurous and refreshing,” said Thapa, also a member of the club.

Along with organising  over landing trips and off road driving events for all owners of four-wheel drive vehicles the club also offers advice and training both in driving and preparation of vehicles and designing off road tracks for leisure and competition, according to the founding members.