Zip Flyer in Kushma

• 1.8 km of Cable: Among the longest zip lines in Nepal, crossing one of its deepest river gorges.

• Over 100 kph: A 350 m vertical drop and roughly ninety seconds of flight, in a seated harness.

• The Kali Gandaki Gorge: The river a long way below and the Kushma-Gyadi bridge alongside you.

• Two Hours from Pokhara: A comfortable day trip from the lake, on sealed road most of the way.

• The Mild One at a Wild Site: Shares the gorge with the 228 m bungee and swing, and is by far the gentlest of the three.

The launch tower stands on one wall of the Kali Gandaki gorge and the cable runs roughly 1.8 km to a braked arrival platform on the far side and well below, a vertical difference of around 350 m. You are clipped into a seated harness — feet forward, upright, facing down the line — rather than lying prone in a full-body rig.

Speeds exceed 100 kph in the middle of the run and the whole thing takes about ninety seconds, which is a good deal longer than it sounds when you are doing it. Braking is automatic and progressive at the far end; there is nothing for you to operate. Staff clip you in, check the harness twice and dispatch, and a second team receives you at the bottom and drives you back up.

The line uses a twin-cable system with a redundant trolley attachment, so a single point of failure does not release the rider. Harnesses are checked by two people before dispatch, the braking system is mechanical and self-arresting, and the cables and trolleys are inspected on a documented schedule rather than by eye.

There is a radio link between the launch and arrival platforms and a rescue trolley that can retrieve a stalled rider from the middle of the span — an event that is rare but planned for, which is the mark of a site being run properly. Staff will refuse to dispatch anyone who is intoxicated or who will not follow the harness instructions, and they are right to.

Minimum age 10 with a guardian present, minimum weight 35 kg, maximum 125 kg. The weight range is wider than the bungee's because the load path is entirely different, which makes the zip line the option for anyone who cannot jump.

You cannot ride with a serious heart condition, a recent spinal injury, a dislocated shoulder that has not fully recovered, or if you are pregnant. Beyond that it is far more forgiving than the bungee: there is no jumping, no free fall and no need to commit to anything at the edge — you sit down, get clipped in and are dispatched. It suits families and nervous first-timers considerably better than anything else at this site.

Around two to two and a half hours west of Pokhara by road through Naudanda and Kusma bazaar, sealed for most of the way. Transport both ways is included and the day runs roughly 7 am to 5 pm, with lunch at the site. From Kathmandu this is a very long day and we would sequence it with a Pokhara stay instead.

Bring comfortable clothes, closed shoes, and tie back long hair. Sunglasses need a retainer. Leave phones, loose hats and anything in an open pocket with the ground crew — the gorge below the cable is several hundred metres deep. There is a fixed camera on the line and the footage is sold at the arrival platform.

• 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.

• 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.