Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between the Tibet autonomous region of China and India. It contains 8 of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest – the world’s tallest – on the border with Tibet, and Lumbini, the birth place of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between the Tibet autonomous region of China and India. It contains 8 of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest – the world’s tallest – on the border with Tibet, and Lumbini, the birth place of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
However, the overwhelming majority of the Nepalese population follows Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the famous Lord Shiva temple, the Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage.
Visitors to Nepal generally associate the nation with snow-capped mountain peaks. Whilst there are over 90 peaks which lie above 7000m (22,966 ft), approximately one-third of the country is low-lying and subtropical. The nation’s altitude rises from less than 100 metres (328 ft) elevation in the tropical Terai (the northern rim of the Gangetic Plain) to Sagarmāthā (Mount Everest) – the world’s highest mountain at 8,848m (29,029 ft).
A monarchy for hundreds of years, Nepal was declared a republic in June 2008. It’s largest metropolis and capital is Kathmandu, with a population of 1.4 million in the city, and 2.5 million in its urban agglomeration across the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu is also the largest metropolis in the Himalayan hill region.
Located at the foot of greatest mountain range in the world, Everest Base Camp makes for a spectacular trek. Mount Everest, soaring at an altitude of 29,029 feet, can be quite daunting to say the least – making Everest Base Camp a popular alternative. This trek explores small villages, decorated by iconic prayer flags of the Buddhist and Hindu traditions.
The Annapurna Circuit – rightly known as Nepal’s classic trek – is an incredibly varied and exciting journey. It offers more variety than any other equivalent length trek. Dramatic deep gorges, bleak high mountain passes, Buddhist temples, picturesque farming villages and at every turn a different view of the Annapurna summits, we are taken through virtually every type of scenery that Nepal has to offer!
