Bungee Jump in Bhote Koshi

• A 160 m Free Fall: Off a purpose-built suspension bridge into the Bhote Koshi gorge — one of the longest jumps in Asia.

• The Original Nepali Bungee: The site that started it, run to New Zealand procedures with a twenty-five-year record.

• The Canyon Swing: A 240 m arc across the gorge, taken instead of or as well as the jump.

• Three Hours from Kathmandu: A day trip on the Araniko Highway, with lunch at the riverside resort included.

• Pairs with the Rafting: The Bhote Koshi whitewater runs directly beneath the bridge and can be added to the day.

The bridge spans 166 m across the gorge and the jump is a 160 m free fall into it. It was built by a Swiss firm to a specification set by the bungee operator, is anchored into rock on both sides, and is rated to hold six tonnes — the load in normal use is a fraction of that. There is a steel safety walkway and the jump platform sits at the centre of the span.

You are weighed on arrival and your weight is written on your hand, which determines the cord. Harnessing is done twice and checked by a second person. The jump masters are trained in New Zealand and the procedures are the ones used at Queenstown and Kawarau. Most people are on the bridge for around twenty minutes from harness to landing, and the fall itself lasts a little over three seconds.

From the same bridge you can take the canyon swing instead of, or as well as, the bungee. Rather than a vertical drop it is a free fall of around 100 m followed by a giant pendulum arc across the gorge — roughly 240 m of swing at up to 150 kph, which lasts considerably longer than the jump does.

Opinions divide sharply. The bungee is more frightening for the first two seconds; the swing is more frightening overall, because you can see where you are going for all of it. It can be taken forwards, backwards or in tandem with a friend, and a combined bungee-and-swing ticket is available as an add-on if you cannot decide.

The minimum age is 16 (under 18 needs a parent or guardian present to sign), the minimum weight is 40 kg and the maximum is 110 kg. You will be weighed on the day and the figure on the scale is the one that counts.

You cannot jump with heart disease, high blood pressure, epilepsy, a neurological or spinal condition, a recent fracture or dislocation, or if you are pregnant. Alcohol on the day is an absolute bar. If you have any medical condition at all, declare it at booking rather than on the bridge — the jump masters will refuse anyone they are not satisfied about and there is no refund at that point, whereas a conversation in advance usually finds a way through.

Around three hours from Kathmandu on the Araniko Highway toward the Tibetan border, with the last stretch running above the gorge. Transport both ways is included and the day runs roughly 6 am to 7 pm. In the monsoon allow longer; the road is repaired in sections after the 2015 earthquake and the landslides that followed.

Bring comfortable clothes you can move in, closed shoes, sunglasses with a retainer or none at all, and something warm for the gorge, which is cooler than Kathmandu. Leave loose items — phones, hats, jewellery — with the ground crew or in the vehicle, because anything not attached to you will end up in the river. Lunch at the riverside resort is included, and there is a bar for afterwards.

• Bungee Jump in Bhote Koshi: The Complete Guide — The original bungee in Nepal and still the benchmark — a straight 160 m drop from a purpose-built suspension bridge over the Bhote Koshi gorge.

• Rafting the Bhote Koshi: The Complete Guide — The steepest river commercially rafted in Nepal — 26 km over two days at fifteen metres per kilometre.

• Bungee Jumping and the Zip Flyer in Nepal — Nepal has one of the world's highest bungee jumps, one of its steepest ziplines, and a canyon in Parbat that has become an adventure hub.