Experience the most fascinating city in Terai, also one of the holiest temple areas of the Hindus, who go on pilgrimage to this place on a large scale. Smell the incense and listen to the Hindus chanting "Sita Ram, Sita Ram".
The largest of the national parks in the Terai area, where you can explore the dense jungle from an elephant back, a jungle where numerous birds are flapping in the air, while deer and rhinoceroses look for food. If you're lucky you will see a tiger at close range, and if you want to get active yourself, there's jungle trekking and canoeing.
The area in the middle of the city with the old Royal Palace and the temples is a fascinating place. The strange architecture, the monkeys crawling on the roofs, the incense, the holy sadus and the palace of the live goddess Kumari makes it a place where you can spend many hours. Go there early in the morning and late in the evening in order to see the buildings in different illumination.
Home of the Kumari or the live goddess. A young woman is appointed, which is a great honour for the family, and is kept in this building in the heart of Kathmandu. She's being carried everywhere she goes and must not bleed, so she's naturally replaced when she's 10-13 years old. Maybe you catch a glimpse of her in the window.
One of the country's most peculiar areas, with a Hindu temple (Hindus only), a holy tributary of the Ganges where women and children bathe, and with monkeys playing on the roofs of the temples. It also the home of Sadhus, holy men, who worship the goddess of destruction, Shiva, trough an ascetic lifestyle smoking a lot of pot. They're completely harmless and very relaxed!
This amazing town, where the time seems to have stopped, is situated in the valley of Kathmandu. Cars are not allowed in the centre of the town - a relief in Nepal - and the houses are decorated with impressive wooden carvings. A place near the capital where you can breathe freely.
In the outskirts of Kathmandu, a large group of Tibetan refugees live around a huge stupa (a holy place with a relic or a sacred text inside). Here you'll see monks dressed in red walking around the stupa, while swinging their wheel of prayer. If you're lucky, you'll also experience a prayer, with meditation and music.
This place of sacrifice is located at the edge of valley, and after a beautiful ride you'll end up at temple, dedicated to the god of death, Kali. Here you can buy goats and chicken, whose fate awaits them a few hundred metres away. The Nepalese line up and wait for their turn, the animal is sacrificed and a few prayers are said. Afterwards the family has a picnic - the gods are happy and the Nepalese full.
Home of the Kumari or the live goddess. A young woman is appointed, which is a great honour for the family, and is kept in this building in the heart of Kathmandu. She's being carried everywhere she goes and must not bleed, so she's naturally replaced when she's 10-13 years old. Maybe you catch a glimpse of her in the window.
The greatest historical sight in Nepal and a target of pilgrimage for the world's 300 million Buddhists - Buddha's place of birth. Seldom visited in the moist and warmth of Terai is this jewel, a temple erected 300 years B.C.
8,848 metres high, the world's highest mountain by far surpass the other mountains in the Himalayan range. Non-mountaineers can go as far as Base Camp, from where mountaineers start the climb of the mountain.
The entire trek is a cultural experience, where you see the life in the villages while you an impression of the Sherpa way of living. You'll experience a population that lives in, off and with the nature and the omnipresence of their gods.
40 km from Kathmandu the sun rises above the Himalayas, and the rice paddies, the small village cottages and the majestic snow clad mountains are images which keep appearing in your mind's eye a long time afterwards. Spend the night in Nagarkot (2,136 m) and go for small hikes in the area.
On the way up to Annapurna, this idyllic village has a fantastic view of the Himalayas. Spend the night in simple teahouses and experience the local village life.
You may call it a sight or not, but many people go to Nepal to participate in courses in meditation. In larger houses located out in the nature, you can learn different meditation techniques on courses of different duration.
Walk the streets of these villages and experience the Tibetan way of life. The former refugee camps are now autonomous, and the inhabitants watch over their Tibetan language and culture. They live in provisional tents and teahouses and wait for a time when they can return to their country.
The trek around Annapurna is very tough trek, where you'll have to cross the Thorung La pass in more than 5,000 meters altitude. The trek presents you with several breathtaking views over the more than 8,000-meter high peaks - an imposing sight.
The most popular trek in all of Nepal goes to Annapurna Base Camp, and not without reason, as you can several peaks more than 8,000 meters high from there, which is a pretty impressive sight.
Patan is the world's oldest Buddhist town and the home of a kingdom for several hundreds of years. Patan is exiting, different and full of atmosphere, with Durbar Square at the centre of the town and the royal palaces. The pagodas are majestic with their impressive wooden carvings and statues, and Patan is also known as "the city with a thousand golden roofs". The peculiar architecture is sure to leave you some golden memories, anyway.
In the middle of Pokhara is the Phewa Tal Lake, where you can canoe, watch the snow clad summits mirrored in the calm water or just relax on one of the peaceful shores.
