Nepal is one of those countries in the world, which can be proud of their rich culture, breathtaking nature and ancient history. When travelling to Nepal you get a feeling of stepping into an entirely new world. Nepal is charming with its extraordinary natural beauty, warm and hospitable locals, the amazing scenery opening from snow-capped peaks and green valleys. The valleys are full of astonishing ancient temples and pagodas.
There’s hardly anyone, who would disagree that the main attraction of the country is the abundance of the high peaks. Here you will find the highest point of the Himalayas with the famous Mount Everest. Next to it are located Annapurna and Mount Machhapuchchhre, which are no less appealing, especially for the groups which are interesting in mountain climbing. If you’re a fan of sports but do not want to risk, then the best activity in Nepal will be kayaking.
The historical part of Nepal is mostly preserved. This is why there’s a list of sites which are included in UNESCO World Heritage list, such as Buddhist temples Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath Hindu temple and a few more.
The Royal Chitwan National Park once used to be a place for hunting for the Nepalese kings. After the proclamation about the protected area in 1973, the park is one of the few places in the world where you can watch wild animals in their natural habitat. Most part of the park is covered with jungles, which makes it an adventurous travel.
Nepal’s most popular valley is Kathmandu with its three major cities: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhadgaon. Kathmandu is the historical, economic, political and cultural center of Nepal. The city has not faced crucial changes since the 17th and 18th centuries. The place has a huge number of
Buddhist and Hindu temples, which are filling the city with a mystical energy. The locals even state that Kathmandu Valley is hosting around 10,000,000 gods. The main places worth visitting in Kathmandu are Stupas and Boudhanath Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Durbar Square, the building of ” Kasthamandap”, the Royal Palace and Patan. And it’s actually rather nice to just wander through the streets, where everywhere you can find a monument of world importance.
Pashupatinath temple complex is a sacred place for all Hindus, who worship Shiva. The place, being located on the banks of a sacred river, called Bagmati is amazing. Every single year it gathers together pilgrims from all over Nepal and India, and sometimes there are even visitors from farther countries. This is one of the reasons, why the place is almost always crowded. During religious holidays Pashupatinath Temple becomes an amazing place with all kinds of decorations. It’s too bad that most of the tourists are only allowed to go up to the gate, but cannot enter the temple itself.
Patan is one of the ancient settlements in the Kathmandu Valley. It’s not clear whether the city can be called a separate one, as the connection with Kathmandu became so coherent, that you simply do not realize when you cross the cities. The former name of the city was Lalitpur, which means “city of art.” Most of the locals still call the place with that exact name. The name was given due to the concentration of pagodas and temples in the city center. Their number is even greater than in the capital. And it’s interesting to know that most of them are concentrated around the main Durbar Square. The city is the best place for purchasing some souvenirs to take back home. The local masters are famous for their arts made of steel and other metals.
Bhaktapur is the smallest of the three cities of the valley. The place was formerly known as Bhadgaon, which when translated means the “city of devotees”. The place used to be the capital of the country back in the 14-16th centuries. This is when most of the historical monuments in Nepal were built in. The inhabitants of the place preserved most of the architectural masterpieces in their original form. This is the best place for those who wish to learn more about the history of Nepal and get acquainted with its original artwork.
