Nepal

Nepal offers some of the most spectacular and unparalleled travel experiences in the world. Home to eight of world’s 14 highest mountains including the highest Mt. Everest, Nepal with extreme geography is simply an adventurers’ paradise. The adventurous activities that one can enjoy are mountaineering, trekking, wildlife safari, white water rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, bungee jump, paragliding, ultra-light flight etc. Not only the adventures, Nepal also offers some exceptional leisurely pursuits such as cultural tours, day hikes, mountain flights, helicopter tours, city sightseeing, spiritual tours, yoga tours etc. Both in terms of geography and culture, Nepal possesses an extreme example of diversity. From its southern lowland of Terai which is as low as 60 m above sea level to 8848m the highest point on earth Mt Everest in the north, Nepal boasts the extreme geography having subtropical climate in the south to arctic-like climate in the north just within merely 145 Kms. This small, hospitable country is and has always been as it’s said a common garden where hundreds of flowers have blossomed in harmony. Rightly so, in Nepal there are 126 ethnic groups and 123 spoken languages. Despite possessing their own cultures, traditions, festivals, languages, way of life all very different from one another, there has always been one thing in common. That is Nepaliness, the bonding of brotherhood despite the differences.

Geographically Nepal is divided into three regions each stretching from east to west. The northern belt of land is the Himalaya which covers around 15% of the land and boasts the numerous towering peaks including Mt Everest. This is where most of the trekking trails that lead to the base camps and summits of world’s highest mountains are. The culture and way of life in the mountain region is mostly dominated by that of Sherpa. Sherpa is one of the major ethnic communities of Nepal which is immensely popular for their bravery in mountaineering who have set several records in climbing the world famous mountains. The southern region known as Tarai which covers approx 17% of the area includes the fertile land which serves the breadbasket of Nepal fondly called the storage of foods, as well as the natural heritages like Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park which are the home of Royal Bengal Tiger, one horned rhinoceros, elephants, gharials, exotic birds and the cultural and religious hub Lumbini where the enlightened one Buddha was born and set out the journey to find out the path to end the suffering of all mankind. And the central section between the Himalaya and the TArai which covers 68% of the land is formed by the Mahabharat chain, a range of mountains that reach the modest altitudes of 2000m to 3000m. This region includes historical and cultural towns and valleys mainly Kathmandu and Pokhara. Kathmandu being the capital of Nepal, is also known as cultural center of Nepal. Home to the 7 world heritage sites, Kathmandu offers some exciting experiences of cultural as well as the historical and architectural riches. The Kathmandu valley still possesses the medieval culture and lifestyle if one visits the medieval towns like Khokana and Bungamati to name a few. When Kathmandu is more about culture, history and architecture, Pokhara is about nature. The popular lake city has some mesmerizing experiences of enjoying natural beauty to offer. The majority of the popular Annapurna trekking trails start from this very city.

Nepal has four seasons. The spring from March to May is one of the best times to visit Nepal and do the adventurous activities. During this period Nepal sees thousands of visitors who come to go trekking across Himalayas and conquer the some of the most challenging and highest mountains of the Himalayas. The summer from June to August is the monsoon season during which Nepal sees a lot of rain. Although the trekking tails of Everest, Annapurna, Langtang and some others get rain during the monsoon but there are other trekking areas namely upper Mustang, Dolpo which are located in rain-shadow area and see almost no rain. So, the summer is still a very good time to visit these regions. And the autumn from September to November is regarded the best time to visit Nepal and do the trekking and tours. During this season, Nepalese celebrate a lot of festivals which makes the environment so colourful and vibrant. The climate is neither hot nor cold. Travelers can enjoy the activities of their choice with pleasant and delightful climate. And the winter from December to February is cold and the higher regions get quite a lot of snow too. However, if you would like to enjoy some leisurely pursuits, you time will be spent untroubled. Beginning of December and late February are still good time to do trekking too. So, Nepal can be said an all-year-round travel destination.