11 Reasons to visit Nepal

by Sanjog pandey

Nepal is a small landlocked country in South Asia that lies between the 2 large countries i.e. China to the North & India to the (west, east & south) with the area of 1,47,181 square km. Though, a  small country, Nepal is well-known for its natural & cultural beauty throughout the world. Nepal is also called a paradise on the earth & seems like a playground for the beautiful flowing rivers, lakes, flora & fauna & so on. Mt. Everest, kisses the sky is known as the roof of the world. The world recognizes Nepal as the ‘’Land of Gurkhas’’ known for their bravery throughout the world. Nepal is a land of biodiversity, cultures, scenic beauty, historical & cultural aspects. The hospitality of the Nepalese people will surely overwhelm you to visit Nepal again.

If you have not thought of making a trip to Nepal, Here are some interesting facts about Nepal that you may be unknown which are the 11 reasons to visit Nepal.

1) Land of Highest Peaks

Mt.Everest is known as the roof of the world with an altitude of 8,848m. The Everest is called ‘’Sagarmatha’’ in the Nepali language which means ‘’Forehead of the Sky’’.The 8  highest peaks of the world, including the highest Mt. Everest, belongs to Nepal with the height over 20,000 ft from the sea-level.

  • Everest
  • Kanchenjunga
  • Lhotse
  • Makalu
  • Cho Oyu
  • Dhaulagiri
  • Manaslu
  • Annapurna

The snow-capped mountain/peaks & their majestic view will surely make you feel like you are on the top of the world.

2) Best Trekking routes in the world:

Nepal is a country with the best trekking routes in the world. The Annapurna region is one of the best trekking & hiking routes & very popular throughout the world. There are many trekking trails leading towards the natural beauty of Nepal. A large number of mountaineers & trekkers are drawn to Everest Region popularly known

as ‘’Khumbu’’ The hiking to the Everest Region leads you to the beautiful ‘’Sagarmatha National Park’’ & have the majestic view of some mountains. Treks in Langtang Region unfolds the colorful culture, religion & traditions of the Tibetan origin ethnic groups at the stunning mountain scenario as the background.

One can have great views on the trekking enjoying the trekking trails. Flora & fauna is just amazing.

3) Hub for Adventures:

Nepal is a hub destination for the adventure-lovers. You can have the breathtaking experiences in rafting, paragliding, bungy, ultralight-flight, rock-climbing, caving, mountain biking, honey-bee hunting & many more.

Rafting in the stunning rivers of Nepal, Trishuli, Sunkoshi, Kaligandaki, Marshyangdi & Bhotekoshi will give you the awesome experiences. Paragliding from the Sarangkot in Pokhara will make you feel like flying over the heaven of Phewa lake. You can even have the view of Kathmandu valley at the eagle-view by paragliding flying over Godward. Possibly one can have a spectacular bungy jump on the planet,160m of fall at the Nepal wildest river Bhotekoshi.

4) Geographical Diversity & Climate:

The geographical conditions vary from the height with 8848m of the Mount Everest to the lowland of Terais(plain) from the sea level. Geographically, the area of Nepal is divided into 3 regions:

  • Himalayas in the North,
  • The Terais to the South,
  • The hills in-between consisting of the Mahabharat range & the Churia Hills

Visitors can get an opportunity to explore the different geographical features at the same visit.

Climate is the most exciting feature of Nepal. Due to the attitudinal variation, there is diversity in the climate in the various regions. You will feel chilly while moving towards the cold Himalaya regions, enjoy the moderate climate(neither too hot nor too cold)in the Hilly regions & will find the weather warm & hot moving down to the Terai belts. You will really enjoy the climatic variation throughout the tour.

5) Birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha & Living Goddess Kumari lives in Nepal:

Lord Gautam Buddha, regarded as the symbol of peace & harmony was born in Nepal. Nepal is the only place in the world who worship the living goddess Kumari.

6) World Heritage Sites:

Nepal is well-known for the various heritages, monuments, temples, stupas, vihars, monasteries, inns, etc having cultural significance. Nepal is a home of 7 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

(1)Inside Kathmandu valley(cultural perspective)

  • Pashupatinath Temple-(holy shrine for Hindus)
  • Boudhanath (one of the largest stupa in the world)
  • Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)
  • Kathmandu Durbar Square
  • Patan Durbar Square
  • Bhaktapur Durbar Square
  • ChanguNaryan ‘’where Nepal’s history starts’’

(2)Lumbini ‘’Lord Place of Buddha’’  regarded as the symbol of peace & harmony

(3)Chitwan National Park (wildlife diversity)

(4) Sagarmatha National Park(top of the world)

7) Religious & Pilgrimage Importance:

Nepal has great religious & pilgrimage importance. There are numbers of holy places which are believed to be visited at least once at a lifetime.

Pasupatinath, the world’s greatest Hindu Shrine is the Shiva temple located at the heart of Kathmandu city on the bank of Holy Bagmati River.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha is the religious pilgrimage for Buddhists as well as other people.

Swayambhunath, the famous monkey temple, Boudhanath has great religious importance to the Buddhists. Muktinath is believed to be the temple to wash off the sins & misdeeds of our lifetime. One should not forget to visit Janakpurdham, Janakpur in the South having both historical & religious significance.

8) Bio-diversity:

The natural diversity of Nepal is incredible. The distinct geographical regions provide a wide range of variation in the types of flora & fauna found in the various regions. Nepal has a large variety of plants & animals. One can get to see many species which are unique to Nepal such as Spiny Babler.

The endangered species One-horned rhino, Red Panda & Royal Bengal tiger can be seen in the national parks of Nepal. There are 10 National Parks in Nepal working for the conservation of flora & wildlife. The beautiful trees of the Rhododendron(Lali Gurans), the national flowers can be seen on the walking trails in the higher hills.

Nepal is a habitat of about 850 bird species. Nepal is a paradise for the birdwatchers. From the lowland jungles of the Terai & Koshi Tappu barrages and the green forest in the middles to the high Himalayas, you will always find something twitching on your way.

9) Value of the Price:

The tourism activities in the hiking trails in Nepal is surprisingly affordable if we compare with the other countries. The trekking trails, if compared to other trails of the world such as Kilimanjaro & soothers, you will surely find it very affordable.

Source: Nepal Tourism Board

The hotel room will cost you about $19 with the extra $10 for the food. You will find the local markets cheap while shopping & collecting the local products & goods than you have thought. You will really enjoy a good shopping in the local markets of Nepal.

10) Diverse cultures & Beautiful hearted people:

The diversity of people is one of the most interesting with over 100 ethnic groups living together speaking over 125 different languages with peace & harmony. They have their own cultures & traditions. You will really enjoy the living

cultures of the people in Nepal. The multiple languages, religions, cuisines, music influences, festivals will let you leave your comfort zone. Kathmandu city is known as the city of festivals. Lhosar, Sakala, Dashain, Tihar, Bisket Jatra, Rato Machindranath Jatras & many more other festivals.

Nepalese, are the loveliest people you will ever meet. They are always there for you with a smile on their face as there is a tradition in Nepal that the guest is to be treated as a god. You won’t feel lonely among the friendliest people on the earth. Nepalese people have always managed to have the warmest smile you have ever seen & always holding their hands to greet the visitors to welcome you saying ‘’Namaste’’ which means ‘’Hi’’ in English.

11) Extreme Places on the Earth:

Nepal has records of extreme places on the earth. The highest lake on the earth ‘’Tilicho Lake’’ (4800m), the deepest George in Kaligandaki at 1200m, the highest valley on the earth ‘’The Arun Valley’’.

Naturally, Culturally Nepal, ‘’Once is not Enough’’.