Nepal: ‘Water bike’ attracts tourists in ancient city of Bhaktapur

Aug 30, 2023

Bhaktapur (Nepal), Aug 30 (ANI): Water cycling introduced in the Na Pukhu pond on the way to Bhaktapur Durbar Square is attracting more tourists to get a new experience of pedalling over the water. One of the tourists, Rojin Lama along with his beloved pedalled around the pond built in the 18th century which came as a new experience for him. He had travelled to Bhaktapur from an outlying district of Nuwakot to tour the ancient city which lately has introduced the recreational activity of pedalling on the water surface. The Bhaktapur Municipality had authorized the operation of “water cycling” to a private company following safety guidelines. The influx of people has increased significantly as per the operators. The local body has made it mandatory to wear a life-jacket for people who go over the floating raft, insurance for about half a million, professional divers as well as rescuers in case of any unprecedented happenings as the liability of the company. The hybrid of a boat and cycle enables two persons to operate it over water. Having amphibious floats, the cycle-like structure with pedal and handle would not let the structure drown in the pond and keep it balanced. The Charge of the water bike is Nrs. 200 per person has been labelled for a 15-minute ride which generally gets over after taking two rounds of the pond. This new recreational activity has further made the pond popular which previously was unattended and had remained neglected for a long time.