About Nepal Travel
Nepal travel is fast becoming a major world pastime. Despite being closed to outsiders for centuries, travel to Nepal and Kathmandu has emerged as a prime travel destination on the world stage.
Nepal is a Hindu and Buddhist country sprawled across the spine of the Himalayan range. A landlocked nation, located in Southern Asia, between India and China, Nepal is known to many travelers to be a land of extremes, unmatched mountain splendor, and a travel mecca for the culturally inquisitive. For the curious traveler it offers a wide variety of habitat, climate, elevation, people culture and numerous time worn temples.
With Kathmandu as its capitol, and Pokhara the hub of outdoor adventure activity, Nepal is a small country, but what it lacks in size, it makes up with variety for which there is simply no equal.
Nepal’s vegetation and habitats are vast, spanning from the subtropical to arctic and support 2% of the worlds flowering plants, near 600 indigenous plant families and over 300 species of orchids.
If that’s not enough, Nepal is home to 8% of the worlds birds, more than 850 species, along with 4% of all earth’s mammals and also 11 of 15 families of butterflies, containing a staggering 500 unique species. Travel in Nepal certainly is not short on adventure.
From high altitude deserts to lush jungles, it’s all here in Nepal.
Within the borders of Nepal are over 250 Himalayan peaks over 6000 meters, and 22 of the 31 Himalayan peaks over 7600 meters. Nepal’s terrain is also host to 8 of the 10 tallest mountain peaks in the world, including that of THE highest, Sagarmatha (Mt Everest).
These 8000+ meter giants are…
SAGARMATHA (MT. EVEREST) – 8848 meters
KANCHENJUNGA – 8586 meters
LHOTSE – 8516 meters
MAKALU – 8463 meters
CHU OYU – 8201 meters
DHAULAGIRI – 8167 meters
MANASLU – 8163 meters
ANNAPURNA – 8091 meters
See our Nepal Travel Attractions Encyclopedia for specific attractions.
Nepal’s rugged terrain is host to not only the tallest mountain peaks, but also the Kali Gandaki gorge, the deepest gorge in the world.
Travel in Nepal can be thought of as visiting three countries in one. Nepal’s geography is divided into three strip like zones, which span across the country West to East. These areas, are the Himalayan, Tarai and Hilly.
The northernmost and highest “Himalayan” region (~5000m-9000m) meaning “abode of snow”, is known to travelers as the roof of the world. This region is sparsely populated by people speaking forms of the Tibeto-Burman languages who practice Tibetan Buddhism and significantly differ from those in the southern parts of the country. At the base of this region are places like Muktinath and high trekking passes such as the Thorong La.
The southern Tarai (0m-500m) region, is the extension of India’s Gangetic plain. Fostering, jungles and a wide variety of wild life; Monkeys, tigers, rhinos, elephants and many others. This area, and it’s population contrast greatly from the yaks and peoples of the Himalayan region just 100km to the north. The people inhabiting the Tarai, speak languages of Indo-European origin and practice Hinduism. Popular travel destinations within this region are the many National Parks & Reserves such as Chitwan, Parsa, Shukla Phanta & Bardia.
Sandwiched between the Himalayan and Tarai regions is the “Hilly” region (~500m-5000m), defined by the Mahahbarat range, is a melting pot of cultures and religion. The population inhabiting this zone speak both the Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European languages with dialects ranging based on many factors and location. Religiously, this area defies categorization. Hinduism is practiced by most of the population with varied levels of Buddhist influence throughout the region. Popular destinations within this region are Kathmandu valley, Pokhara, Bandipur, Gorkha, Manakamana and countless others.
It is this stark variation in altitude and habitat, (Sea Level to 8848m) within a relatively small distance of 150km, that creates such unparalleled cultural and biological diversity people traveling to Nepal come to see.
Although Nepali is the official language, Nepal has dozens of distinct cultural groups and over 70 different dialects with English being commonly spoken as well.
For more on Nepal’s ethnic groups, visit our “ethnic groups” page.
Until 1951, Nepal was totally closed to travel and only later, ‘officially’ opened its doors to tourists.
Today, tourists flock to Nepal, to experience a land time forgot. To this day, most Nepalis live as they did hundreds of years ago. It’s this cultural treasure that people travel to see and experience by the hundreds of thousands each year.
Most who travel to Nepal, find it spiritually and culturally enlightening. Common folk, dignitaries and celebrities flock to this land, to gain from it enlightenment about themselves and power to achieve their goals.
Nepal is a small country, covering just 0.1 percent of the world, but Nepal’s rugged terrain has blessed the country with numerous ecosystems that together, cannot be found in any one other country.
Ecosystems
Sub-Tropical Evergreen Monsoon Forest -Has an elevation upto 1200 meters. This is the lower of the three major ecosystems running west to east of Nepal. It is home to tropical jungles and fertile plains which include many different types of plants and animals from tigers, rhino and crocodiles to different plants such as bamboo, oak, and cane reed.
Temperate Deciduous Forest – Has an elevation upto 2100 meters. The middle land of the country is made up of some plains but is mostly known to be the “hilly” region. It is home to mostly forests and three rivers the Sapta Khote, the Karnali, and the Narayani rivers. Though this is a very green area, it is not over populated with wild animals. Some animals you might find in this altitude are the barking deer, plenty of birds, and wild bears.
Temperate Evergreen Coniferous – Has an elevation usually ranging from 2100 meters upto the highest peak in the world Mt. Everest at 8848 meters. This is the northern most section of the country usually referred to as the “mountain” region. It is home to snowy peaks and the Himalayan dessert. Some of the animals you can find in this region are wild boar, ghoral, and the Red panda. A few different trees you can find here (usually below 5000 meters) are pine, maple and furs.
To view pre-designed Nepal travel packages, see our programs page or the encyclopedia for more Nepal Travel items.