Nepal Travel Guide

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Soaring ice-topped mountains shimmer with rainbows of prayer flags, while the intense streets of Kathmandu are a ceaseless frenzy of honking mopeds, chattering vendors and garish signs: Nepal is a thoroughly colorful slice of Asia.

If there is a hikers' paradise, then this is it. Nepal's craggy chunk of the Himalayas offers world-class trekking terrain - from leafy Annapurna to distinguished Everest - peppered with rustic mountain villages, and hundreds of undulating trails that have been trodden upon for centuries.

But spiritual and nature-rich Nepal is certainly not only for mountaineers set on scrambling to Everest Base Camp; from the lime-green grasses of Chitwan National Park rustling with the charcoal flash of an Indian rhino, to the eclectic cafés and bohemian vibe of lake-side Pokhara, Nepal is an intriguing and welcoming destination for all.

Geography

Nepal is a landlocked kingdom sharing borders with Tibet to the north and northwest, and India to the west, south and east. The country can be divided into six zones: the Terai, the Chure hills, the Mahabharat range, the Pahar zone, the Himalaya and the Trans-Himalaya.

The greater part of the country lies on the southern slope of the Himalayas, extending down from the highest peaks through hill country to the upper edge of the Ganges Plain. The hilly central area is crossed by the Lower Himalayas, where there are eight of the highest peaks in the world, leading up to Mount Everest. Wildlife in Nepal includes tigers, leopards, gaur, elephants, buffalo, deer and rhinos.