Nepal, the land of Himalayas presents a wide range of travel options with its excellent natural beauty, massive mountains, breathtaking adventurous activities and so much more.
For a small country with an area of only 1, 47,181 square kilometers, Nepal has developed its own sense of identity and countenance offering suitable habitations from tropical to alpine vegetations. It has its own unique lore, legends and stories based on the many ethnic groups that occupy the land.
There are many things to do in Nepal – exploring and spending time in the beautiful locations of the country is a great way to get understand and experience exotic things that are unique only to Nepal and not found anywhere else in the world.
The historical aspects of the country are also reflected brilliantly in the old buildings and monuments that are scattered throughout. The religious temples and pious places are also a staple of the country’s rich dexterity. Nepal’s ambiguity is reflected wonderfully in its many facets.
The only choice you need to make now is how you want to tour this beautiful country. With a variety of alternates that range from religious, cultural, and wildlife tours – to mountaineering, trekking and adventure activities, Nepal has something for everyone.
So what are you waiting for?
The next time you want to travel, especially if you’re on a low budget – come to Nepal!
1 Trekking through Himalayas and Hiking in the Hills
Conquer mountains and if that is too adventurous for you, you can pick one from the numerous base camps and Lake Treks that Nepal has to offer.
Trekking in Nepal bestows a stirring chance to walk through spectacular landscapes to the soaring mountains for one of the most exceptional experiences ever. The tremendous views of peak ranges soaring high almost touching skyline allures any trekkers
It is no surprise that Nepal is one of the best destinations for trekking in the world.
With the most affordable and well-facilitated trekking routes in the highest elevations of the world, Nepal is an exceptional destination for trekking. Choose from the popular trekking regions like the Everest, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, and Langtang, to more restricted and unconventional ones like the Manaslu, Mustang and Makalu.
And if trekking isn’t your cup of tea – you could always go hiking. The short hiking trails let you capture the exquisiteness that lies in hills, forested area, valleys, and rivers of Nepal. Hike in the vistas of the Himalayan landscape from some of the famous hill stations like Dhulikhel, Chisapani, Nagarkot, and many more.
2. Mountaineering
Home to the tallest mountain – Mount Everest, it’s no surprise that Nepal is the ultimate destination for mountaineering. Many adventurers risk their lives trying to climb it every year. The fact that Nepal has over 1310 snow-capped peaks with eight out of 14 peaks above 8000 meters also attracts mountaineering enthusiasts from all over the world.
Mountaineering started gaining popularity all over the world when Sir Ed. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay scaled the peak of the world Mt. Everest in May 1953. With eight of the ten highest peaks of in the world, Nepal lures thousands of mountaineers to scale its peaks.
Nepal has been open to around 175 peaks out of 326 peaks for this challenging and persevering sport. Apart from obvious 8000m expeditions, there are many 7000m dream peaks you could opt for depending on your experience and fitness levels.
3. Adventure Sports
Besides trekking and climbing mountains, there are countless other adventurous activities you can undertake in the Roof of the World. Along with natural beauty, Nepal also offers heart racing, adrenaline rushing adventurous sports in order to overcome the fear imposed by nature’s ferocity.
Down from the mountains, you can indulge in other extreme sports like Everest Skydiving, Mountain Biking, White Water Rafting, Bungee Jumping, Tandem Swing, Canyon Swing, Canoeing and Ultralight Flight.
If you want to take it down a notch, try other less thrilling but equally exciting adventures Wildlife Safaris, Hot Air Balloons, Paragliding, zip lining and much more.
Get all of these with prices cheaper than anywhere else in the world! With the priceless bonus of stunning landscapes that will pass you by.
So for all you adrenaline junkies out there, Nepal defines the true meaning of adventure, thrill and excitement.
And if none of this is thrilling enough, you could try some waterfall ice climbing in Langtang Valley in the Annapurna Sanctuary. Yes, you heard right, you literally will be using ice picks to climb vertically up a frozen waterfall.
4. Cultural Tours
The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, is a burst of colour, chaos, sounds and smells that will give you an insight into the root of culture, heritage and tradition of Nepal. Besides the stunning sceneries and amazing landscape, Nepal offers many cultural highlights. There are different customs and traditions that differ from place-to-place all over the country.
Furthermore, more than 35 ethnic groups, each having its unique language, belief, festival, and art call Nepal home. This shows what a unique experience it will be when you visit Nepal and immerse yourself into the distinctive cultures.
Constructed as early as the 3rd century, the Kathmandu Valley hosts three UNESCO recognized World Heritage Sites – the Kathmandu, the Patan, and the Bhaktapur Durbar Squares. Visit Durbar Squares in all the 3 major cities of Kathmandu and witness the spectacular architecture that dates back to the fourth century. These Palaces were where Kings were crowned and legitimized back when Nepal was a Kingdom until 2008.
The Hanuman Dhoka Palace gets its name from Hanuman (the monkey God), an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. Spread over 5 acres, it is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu.
Built by King Mahendra n 1963, the Narayanhiti Place or Durbar served as the residence for the Royal Family of Nepal for generations. Located in the capital city of Kathmandu, the palace was the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. Now a Museum with absolute public access, the Narayanhiti Palace Museum is incorporated in an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings.
5. Wildlife Tours
With 0.1 percent of global land area, Nepal has 23% of it marked under protected areas to conserve exotic floras and faunas, making it a major destination for wildlife tours. These protected areas are easy accessible since the southern plains of Nepal are especially well suited for jungle safaris.
Nepal is an extraordinary destination if you are looking to encounter wildlife. Known to be the Amazon of Asia, Nepal is a wildlife paradise. Rich in its greenery, Nepal hosts and is home to a multitude variety of flora, fauna and wildlife.
You can tick off four of the “Big Five” in Nepal: Rhinos, Elephants, Leopards and Buffalo. And instead of lions, you can spot tigers.
The Royal Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage recognized site, is home to around 50 species of mammals, 544 species of birds and 45 species of reptiles.
Other than these, Nepal has the Sagarmatha National Park, Bardia National Park, Langtang National Park, Khaptad National park, the Shey Phoksundo National Park, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Mustang Conservation Area, Chitwan National Park and the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve that have been sanctuaries to few endangered animals.
Animals: Royal Bengal tiger, the one-horned rhino and the gharial, red panda, mugger crocodiles, Indian rock pythons, sloth bears, elephants, blue sheep, striped hyenas, the four-horned antelope, pangolins, snow leopards, musk deer, monkeys, and wild yaks.
6. Religious Tours
Nepal is also a sovereign country with religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism all living in peace. This multiculturalism and diversity in religion will offer you enlightening experience when you travel here.
Nepal is also the birth place of Lord Buddha. The rubbles of the sacred palace, where he was born, are still preserved in Lumbini. Listed under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, there are many monasteries built by different countries here in Lumbini.
The Pashupatinath Temple is Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple that is situated on the banks of the Bagmati River. Built for the national deity Lord Pashupatinath, the Pashupatinath temple holds a shrine for many other Hindu gods. Pashupatinath draws millions of devotees from the Indian subcontinent along with a motley collection of naked painted sadhus (Hindu ascetics) on his birthday- The Maha Shivaratri.
Perhaps the most interesting times you could visit Pashupatinath is from 7 am to 10 am to see the cremations. Every Hindu corpse is cremated with intense Hindu rituals. Or you could even visit during the evenings to witness the aarti (fire worship).
The Swayambhunath Temple is most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal. It is an ancient religious stupa that sits atop a hill to the west of Kathmandu city. For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is second only to the Boudhanath Stupa; both listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites earlier.
There also are many shops, restaurants, hotels and cafes around that allow public access to everyone. You can either drive up to the south-west entrance or you will need to hike up a flight of 365 stone steps.
Located on the northeast outskirts of Kathmandu, Boudhanath Stupa is one of the largest spherical stupas in the world. If you are visiting the Pashupatinath Temple, Boudha is only a 20-minute walk away. And if you have the time be sure to visit some of the many Gompas (monasteries) around Boudhanath.
The Tibetan Buddhists come out to circumambulate the stupa when the sun sets, accompanied by the gentle chanting of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum as they spin the prayer wheels. With hundreds of cafes, restaurants, shops and hotels around, Boudha is one of the most popular tourist sites in Kathmandu.
7. Art and Architecture
The beautiful palaces and temples built by the Malla rulers during the medieval period with intricate wood carvings on doors, pillar and woods portray the traditional Nepali architecture. And with traditional Mandala and Thangka paintings, Nepal also has a very unique art style.
Legend has it that the popular Kasthamandap temple was built out of single timber. Stone carvings are equally alluring. Nepal is still very famous for wood carvings and stone masonry leading to their demanding export all over the globe.
The Durbar (Palace) Squares built around the 3rd century are decorated with elaborately-carved wooden windows and panels. It now houses the King Tribhuwan Memorial Museum and the Mahendra Museum. These Durbar Squares are excellent examples of the ancient traditional Nepali architecture in its purest form.
Conclusion
With over 7 hundred thousand tourists from all around the globe annually, Nepal has proved to be an enticing destination for tourists to explore its pristine natural beauty and diverse ethnicity of its people.
With this list, you will never have to worry about things to do when you are in Nepal.
Come see it for yourself!