Highlights
Given the country's primitive transport network, most travellers stick to a well-worn circuit, with the result that certain sights and trekking routes have become rather commercialized. Don't be put off. The beaten track is remarkably thin and easy to escape in Nepal - and this guide is intended, first and foremost, to give you the confidence to do just that. It's the out-of-the-way places, the ones not written up in any book, that you'll remember most fondly on your return. Everyone touches down in Kathmandu at some point, but for all its exotic bustle, the capital is rather rough going these days - logistically it makes a good base, but you won't want to spend lots of time there. Hindu temples, Buddhist stupas, rolling countryside and huddled brick villages provide incentives for touring the prosperous Kathmandu Valley , as do the historically independent city-states of Patan and Bhaktapur . The surrounding central hills are surprisingly undeveloped, apart from a couple of mountain view points, yet a few lesser routes, such as the road to the Tibet border and especially the Tribhuwan Rajpath , make for adventurous travel - especially by mountain bike or motorcycle. The views get more dramatic, or at least more accessible, in the western hills . Pokhara , set beside a lake under a looming wall of peaks, is the closest thing you'll find to a resort in Nepal. Other hill towns - notably Gorkha and its impressive fortress, Manakamana with its wish-fulfilling temple, and laid-back Tansen - offer scenery with history or culture to boot. It's in the teeming jungle and ethnic villages of the Tarai that Nepal's diversity really becomes apparent. Most travellers venture no further than Chitwan National Park , where endangered Asian one-horned rhinos are easily viewable, but Bardia National Park and two other rarely visited wildlife reserves are out there for the more adventurous. Lumbini , Buddha's birthplace in the western Tarai, is a world-class pilgrimage site, as is Janakpur , a Hindu holy city in the east. Rolling tea plantations, weekly markets and a rich cultural mix figure prominently in the spectacular and little-visited eastern hills , most easily reached from the Tarai. And of course Nepal is probably the most famous destination in the world for a growing range of outdoor activities. Trekking from village to village through the hills and up into high Himalayan valleys is an experience not to be missed. The scenery varies from cultivated terraces to lush rhododendron forests to glacier-capped peaks, but the cultural interactions are often, in retrospect, the most rewarding part of a trek. Nepal's rivers, meanwhile, are the liquid counterparts to its mountains, and rafting offers not only adventure but also a different perspective on the countryside and wildlife. Yet another alternative means of locomotion, mountain-biking , brings you in contact with the land and its people at your own pace.
www.hardrocktreks.comLaxman says "Nepal is the best adventure travel destination offering wide range of trekking, rafting, and cultural tours. Birth place of lord Buddha, the land of Mount Everest and the holiest pilgrimage destination for the Hindus is an another identity of this country.
" Trekking in Nepal Himalayanepalguidetrek says "Nepal guide trek offer trekking and tour in nepal himalya, trek to tibet, everest base camp trek, annapurna trek, langtang trekking" www.nepaltravellers.comYour Guide To Himalayas: says "Kathmandu-based tour operator provides trekking and adventure tours in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Indian regions. Includes camping, peak climbing, jungle safaris, and rafting." Nepal LoverPatric Lee says "Nepal is a simple country with poverty and unemployment its main concerns. Vist Nepal with an open heart, learn to love its people who are overly-hospitable, cheerful and helpful. A few simple Nepali phrases would get you around such as Dhanybad (thank you), Kati-ho (how much) also learn the numbers 1-1000, it would prove useful when you ask for the price or try to bargain down. Always have a ready smile and do not bear grudges. Because of poverty, businessmen and taxi-drivers will try to fleece you for as much as possible. Be aware of the prices of taxi trips to and from your hotel so you do not get fleeced. Ask your reception desk for the amount needed to travel to town or the next village etc. Be easy going and life will be a breeze there. The country is so beautiful you will not want to leave, but of course the villages are always dirty and littered with rubbish. Just bear with it and you will have an enjoyable time."
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