Official Book Launch of the Nepal Guidebook

Official book Launch of the Nepal Guidebook
Official launch of the best guidebook to Nepal with a discounted price!
Official launch of the best guidebook to Nepal with a discounted price (free shipping on international orders!)

The official launch of Nepal’s best guidebook

Having an official book launch was not something I was expecting to do for my guidebook. It’s already been out for the past month or so. But this is Nepal and this is the wonderful charming part of Nepal I enjoy so very much.

Rajan Sakya the CEO of KGH Group in Nepal offered to host the event.

Rajan Shakya the CEO of the KGH Group
Rajan Sakya the CEO of the KGH Group

His words were generous:

“10 years of so much work telling the world about Nepal and now writing the most unique and insightful guidebook to Nepal is something that needs to be recognized and celebrated.”

“For decades Kathmandu Guesthouse has hosted great writers on its grounds, today we are proud to have David and his book launch with us to continue this tradition. It’s another feather in our gap too!”

This past Sunday was the official launch of the paperback edition of my guidebook to Nepal.

Official invitation for the book Launch
Official invitation for the book Launch

The event took place at Kathmandu Guesthouse (the original hotel of Thamel and Nepal’s leading hotel chain) in Thamel, Kathmandu. It took place in the dining hall which is themed after the Beatles following George Harrison’s stay there.

Preparation for the book launch at KGH dining hall where the George Harrison from the Beatles stayed
Preparation for the book launch at KGH dining hall where the George Harrison from the Beatles stayed

Discover the Undiscovered

The event was coordinated by Rajans wife Shaguni who has an amazing passion for heritage in Nepal. We chose a theme for the launch: “Discover the Undiscovered in Nepal”

Discovering the undiscovered in Nepal with the best guidebook
The presentation was all about discovering the undiscovered in Nepal – something this guidebook focuses on to make it easy for tourists to discover new places!

A presentation on both rediscovering Nepali heritage sites and discovering new ones.

Attendees

Nepal Tourism Boards Sarad Pradhan & Subhasini Shresta alongside Rajan Shakya and other attendees
Nepal Tourism Boards Sarad Pradhan & Subhasini Shresta alongside Rajan Sakya and other attendees at KGH’s Beatles dining hall

Nepal Tourism Board, leading hotels, authors, tour agencies, local celebrities, industry leaders along with the press attended the event.

The presentation

I gave a 30 minute presentation on one of the heritage walks described in the book. A walk through of how much there is to discover in Kathmandu right outside on the streets that few people ever come across.

Heritage walk presentation for the book launch in Nepal
Heritage walk presentation for the book launch in Nepal

There’s so much more to Nepal than just the main attractions. I wanted to get that message across.

People taking photos at the book launch
Discovering the undiscovered of Nepal was a popular topic!

An ethical guidebook

I don’t accept sponsored hotel stays, tours, meals or gifts. I’ll be writing about this a little more next week. But in an age when so many are happy to take a free hotel stay in exchange for a review, I refuse.

Tourist with the best guidebook to Nepal
A guidebook written specifically for Nepal and for travelers coming to Nepal who want to discover the real country

I believe this is what makes The Longest Way Home one of the most trusted online travel guides in the world and the writer of the most trusted guidebooks in the world. We don’t accept freebies, period. What I experience is what you as a tourist to Nepal will also experience.

Rickshaw driver with a guidebook to Nepal
This is a guidebook that gives back to the local community – 100% printed in Nepal by Nepali people and printed on recycled paper! We also support ecologically friendly rickshaws in Nepal!

A guidebook that goes to places no other book goes

There are so many places in this book that are not mentioned in any other guidebook in the world to Nepal.

Attendees at the Nepal Book Launch
Attendees at the Nepal Guidebook Launch

I didn’t write these places into the book just to say I’m the first. I wrote about them because they are fantastic places to visit for visitors to Nepal!

Looking at the new guidebook
Nepali people were happy to learn more about their own country at the event – something very few other nationalities would admit to! A badge of approval.

No more “off-the beaten path”. It’s time to Explore Nepal Like Never Before!

Happy man with a Nepal guidebook
It was fantastic to see so many happy people at the book launch … everyone was happy that Nepal finally has a book that shows tourists new places – moreover it’s a book designed and written especially and specifically for Nepal

A book launch for tourists too!

Tourists buying the guidebook
New friends came to discover about eastern Nepal and I’m delighted to learn more from them too!

Shaguni from Kathmandu Guesthouse was on hand throughout the event and kept things going wonderfully.

Shaguni Shakya at the book launch
Shaguni Sakya at the book launch

Rajan Sakya attended the book launch and was kind enough to provide opening and closing speeches.

Kathmandu Guest House and the great staff there provided a wonderful cocktail reception following the book launch

Buffet table at Kathmandu Guesthouse at the book launch
Some excellent dining from the Kathmandu guesthouse for all the guests at the book launch

It was also an opportunity to but some real handwritten ink on to some of the books at the request of some of the guests.

Signing books at the book launch
Signing books at the book launch

Thank you for everyone who helped at the book launch

My thanks once again to Rajan and Shaguni Sakya, along with the entire Kathmandu Guest House staff for hosting the book launch.

Amir Bagale from Direct Way Exporters
Amir Bagale from Direct Way Exporters who handle the international distribution of the guidebook.

Thank you to Amir for handling so much of the logistics on the on the day along with Carmen for taking so many of the photographs you see on this page today as I was making the presentation and didn’t have a camera in my hand for once! Thank you to the Amir, Asmit, Bipin and Mila from the Direct Way Exporters team who manage the international shipping of the guidebooks.

To Narayan, Mina who traveled so far to be there and to Rabin who took the cool photo of the Rupa Shiva Temple!

Photographing the book launch
Photographing the book launch

Thank you also to Nepal Tourism Board for coming, members of the press along with everyone else who took the time out during a wet monsoon day to attend the book launch.

To Pawan Shakya and all the staff at Himalayan Travel Guides who worked so very diligently to publish the book.

Finally. Thank you to all the readers of The Longest Way Home. Both new readers and those who have been following and supporting my journey for the past 12+ years here.

Presentation at the books launch
The book launch presentation for the best paperback guidebook to Nepal in the world!

This is Nepal’s best paperback guidebook

This paperback guidebook to Nepal has been written by a traveler, tested by local Nepali and other travelers LIVE on the streets, mountains, jungles, flatlands and cities of Nepal in 2017 and is now available to everyone worldwide. It has been 100% printed and published in Nepal by Nepali people.

It’s currently on sale in all major bookshops throughout Kathmandu, Pokhara and ships worldwide below.

Nepal guidebook print edition cover
(Email/RSS subscribers please click here to purchase)
All Himalayan Map House bookshops in Thamel, Kathmandu are currently running a 10% discount if you mention this website to them and ask for the discount at their checkout till.
For readers ordering right here the price includes worldwide shipping!
For more details and to order now see – Nepal guidebook (paperback edition) or you can also get the Nepal Guidebook in PDF format for immediate download.

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36 Replies to “Official Book Launch of the Nepal Guidebook”

  1. Huge fan of your guidebooks. They helped us out so much. Glad to see this happening!

  2. Many congratulations on the book launch! Looks like a great event and book.

  3. I’ve been following your journey for years. Just wanted to pop in and say well done. It’s very rare in the world that we can read and see someone such as yourself go out into the world and accomplish so much like this!

  4. Nice to see the big boys get some competition. Shaking things up makes it better for everyone.

  5. Good work. It’s not easy doing something like this these days. Well done to the Kathmandu Guest House for recognizing this!

  6. Very happy to see the book launch. I was wondering there was such a thing of a guidebook vs a fictional book! Well done.

  7. Can I get this in Europe? I am planning to come and visit Nepal this November (is it a good time for trekking?)

  8. I bought a copy last week!! Great book. So detailed. Greetings from Pokhara!

  9. Please visit Germany. We desperately need a better guidebook too!

    1. Yes, absolutely. In fact this is the only guidebook in the world with duel trekking maps. We have GPS co-ordinate maps and color maps from the Great Himalayan Trail that cover all the treks in the book in detail!

  10. Just curious as an author myself. Is this self published?

  11. A Great achievement for one mans work, authoring it.
    It is very readable, having had a copy for 2 weeks, and hoping to get the chance to try it out on the ground in Nepal when I can.
    Well done!
    Graham

  12. Congratulations! I can’t wait to get a hold of your guide book!

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