Nepal is wonder for travelers - Top 5 places not to miss

Diversity is the key to the growth of tourism, and Nepal - which has been labeled as a landlocked country by the courtesy of China and India - has nevertheless been blessed by Mother Nature with incredible diversity. And, we are speaking not merely of the geographical condition, which indeed is distinctive with Hilly, Himalayan and Terai belts but also of its cultural richness. In other words, the humble territory of Nepal holds big wonders for the travelers, a few of which are mentioned to be subjected for your curiosity.

1. Mount Everest: Top of the World

Just the words "Mount Everest" will be enough to tickle that geography-related memory in your literate mind, and you will immediately cry out in excitement - that's the tallest mountain of the world, isn't it? You bet it is. Towering to a mighty altitude of 8848m, Mount Everest is the world's tallest peak and has been acknowledged by CNN as one of the seven New Natural Wonders. Speaking of this new natural wonder list, the noble Himalayas of Nepal has also been nominees for this honor. As an adventurous traveler, you should sign up for a trek to the Everest Base Camp, or if you have some mountain climbing experience, then try to follow Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's footsteps (they were the first conquerors) to the summit of the world.

2. Lumbini: Birthplace of Buddha

To my knowledge, there are four main religions in the world - Christainity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Now, like Jesus Christ (founder of Christianity) was born in Bethlehem and Prophet Muhammad (founder of Islam) was born in Mecca - sorry to disappoint the Hindus but you have no founding father/mother -, the Buddhists have Lumbini as the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. And, it's a beautiful place for the Light of Asia to origin from.

Speaking of Buddha, when you are at Kathmandu (and you sure will be), you will be damned not to visit the Swayambhunath Stupa. This Buddhist shrine sits atop a lovely hill, accessible by a long stone staircase which you need to tread with caution and while you are around here you got to behave yourself (beware of the holy red monks... umm, monkeys; speaking of these pious monks, if you're lucky you might see them performing amazing stunts at the Monkey Pool).

3. Pokhara: Heralded as Paradise City of Nepal

I did not believe in the existence of paradises (not because I read John Milton's epic poem - Paradise Lost) but my doubt vanished after a tour of Pokhara. It sure is a paradise or, you could say, it is a piece of the real thing. Nestled under Mt. Annapurna, maybe around 200km away from Kathmandu, Pokhara or the Lake City is a spectacular place, blossoming with beauty and youth. One of the most picturesque places would be the Fewa Lake with Fishtail Mountain showering its reflection upon the poignant watery surface. Other incredible sites include the Devi's Fall, Sarangkot (you must try paragliding; it's fun!), Mahendra Cave, Barahi Temple and Seti Gorge among others. And, of course, while you are at Pokhara, you should go out for trekking excursions, either to the nearby Poonhill or all the way to Annapurna Base Camp.

4. Durbar Squares of the Three Royal Cities

Like that ancient quote about all roads leading to Rome, you can say all international flights to Nepal take you to Kathmandu. It's, after all, the capital of Nepal, and hence the number one tourist destination spot of the country. Kathmandu, in the olden days, was part of the three royal cities (the kingship has recently come to an end). This goes on to say that there are palaces, temples and artistic sculptors in all these three Durbar Squares. Now the best part is that you can actually enter these beautiful palaces (as they have been turned into museums) containing royal relics and historical vestiges. If you want to find out about Nepal, start here.

5. Chitwan National Park: Into The Wild

Jungle Safari is always fun, and in Nepal, while there are many national parks and wildlife conservation areas, the most popular one will be the Chitwan National Park. It got this popularity thanks to the One-horned Rhinoceros and the Royal Bengal Tiger, the two last species of exotic wildlife on Earth. Before they completely disappear (not that Nepal is not doing anything to preserve these beauties), it would be kind of you to visit them in person and say hello (and the royal tiger will be happy to give you a love bite!).

To leave the list of wonders with just 5 items ache my conscience. So, here's the 6th wonder - the cultural diversity of Nepal. Imagine 4 main castes, cut into 32 small pieces (excluding the hybrid castes emerging now and then), each with its own distinctive cultures, rituals, gods, language, arts, craft and festivals. It's a wonder that such cultural diversity could survive within such a small territory.

Now the list demands for another Nepalese wonder i.e. if we are to respect the magical number 7. So, to speak out my personal opinion, I vote for their "Architecture" as the 7th wonder of Nepal. You just have to take a look at their temples, old palaces and sculptures, and you will have that same wonder-struck expression that had hit my face while travelling around Nepal.

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When to go for trekking in Nepal?

There are two major factors to weigh as you decide when to proceed to Nepal: gatherings and climate. As a general direct, the better the climate, the more people come to Nepal to go trekking. throughout the high tourist season in October and November, air travel and inns are fully booked and inns and trails in the high grounds can be horrendously engaged.

Trekking in Himalayas of Nepal

throughout autumn the nights are freezing in the hills, but the bright sun makes for pleasing day temperatures - in the high 20s° C, dropping to 5° C at night, between 1000 metres and 3500 metres. At higher altitudes temperatures variety from about 20° C down to -10° C. Mornings are generally clear with clouds building up during the afternoon, going away at night to disclose stunning starry atmosphere. throughout winter it is about 10 qualifications chilly.

Early December generally has a lull, but this is furthermore a good trekking time of the year. The Christmas time span is freezing, but this is the holiday season in Japan and Australia and these nationalities dominate air travel and hotels. High passes, particularly Thorung La on the round Annapurna trek and Laurabina overtake on the Gosainkund trek are usually shut from late November to stride. February is still cold, though less so as the spring trekking season of March and April advances. The Middle high grounds, especially round Pokhara, are full of dirt and haze in April and May, but the high homeland is usually clear. Trekking tapers off in the heat of May except at high elevations.

The monsoon is a good time to visit Kathmandu, but there are few trekkers amidst those who arrive. A monsoon trek is possible if you are willing to put up with the rain, leeches, slippery trails and lousy hill outlooks. air travel function throughout the monsoon to Lukla, Jumla and Jomsom, so it is possible to fly in and trek overhead the leech line.

Many of the new treks to lately opened constrained localities are good summer treks. Mustang and Simikot are partially in the Himalayan rain shaded, so trekking conditions are good throughout the monsoon time of the year. Most of the restricted locality treks are impossible throughout the winter time of the year.

Climate

Nepal has four distinct seasons. spring, from stride to May, is warm and dusty with rainfall showers. Summer, from June to August, is the monsoon season when the high grounds turn lush and green. after summer, from September to November, is cool with clear atmosphere, and is the most popular trekking season. In winter, from December to February, it is cold at evening and can be foggy in the early forenoon, but afternoons are generally clear and pleasing, though there is occasional snowfall in the hills.

Because Nepal is quite far south (at the same latitude as Miami and Cairo) the climate is warmer and winter is much milder at lower elevations, encompassing Kathmandu at 1400 metres. It seldom snows underneath 2000 metres.

The monsoon in the Bay of Bengal governs the climate pattern. The monsoon creates a rainy time of the year from the middle of June to the middle of September. It is warm throughout the monsoon and it rainfall nearly every day, but it is a considerate rain, limiting itself mostly to the evening. throughout this season, trekking in Nepal is tough and painful. Clouds usually conceal the mountains and the trails are muddy and infested with leeches.

It usually does not rainfall for more than one or two days throughout the whole after summer season from mid-October to mid-December. During winter and spring there may be a week or so of rainy evenings and occasional thunderstorms bedding the high grounds with snowfall. The Himalaya makes its own localised climate, which varies considerably over a distance of a couple of km. regardless of the sanguine promises of wireless Nepal that the climate will be "...mainly equitable throughout the kingdom", habitually anticipate clouds in the after noon and be arranged for occasional rain.

Most of the precipitation in the Himalaya happens throughout the summer monsoon. There is less snow on the mountains and on many of the high trails throughout winter. Everest itself is black rock throughout the trekking season, evolving snow-covered only during summer. There are always exceptions to this weather pattern, so be arranged for extremes. Winter snowstorms in December and January may make an early spring overtake traversing tough and can present an avalanche hazard, especially on the approach to the Annapurna Sanctuary.

In Kathmandu, spring and after summer days are comfortable and the evenings are cooling, usually needing a lightweight jacket or pullover. Winter in Kathmandu brings freezing foggy mornings and clear evenings, but pleasant day temperatures with bright sunshine most days after the morning fog has lifted. It not ever snowfall in Kathmandu, though there is frost on cold nights in January and February. The hottest month is May, just before the rainfall start.

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