Nepal is a beautiful country with an age-old culture and tradition where Hinduism and Buddhism flourished significantly in the past. The country has seen many kings and monarchs rule the nation who have left their mark by building stunning temples, royal palaces, and courtyards. No wonder these sites have now become UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Nepal tour packages are designed to cover all of these finest locations, which shed light on the rich culture and traditions of Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley alone has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites where visitors are treated to age-old royal palaces, beautifully carved temples, Buddhist Stupas and monasteries.
To begin with are the 3 Durbar Square or royal squares namely Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square. All of them are the royal seats of the past kings of Nepal which have great royal palaces, magnificent courtyards and many temples. In fact the Kathmandu Valley was home to three little kingdoms in the past; Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur where three kings used to rule.
Located atop a small hill is the Buddhist Stupa of ‘Swayambhunath’ which provides a panoramic view of Kathmandu City and it’s surrounding mountains. Often called the ‘Monkey Temple’ due to the many monkeys residing in it’s forested area, a visit to Swayambhunath should not be missed once you are in Kathmandu.
Similarly, Boudhanath is another Buddhist Stupa and the largest stupa in the valley. Closer to Boudhanath is the most holy temple of Lord Shiva ‘Pashupatinath’ located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Changunarayan Temple is another of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu Valley.
Cultural sightseeing in these locations is about learning more about the rich culture and heritage of Nepal. For a scenic tour, one can visit the beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara situated on the banks of Fewa Lake. Pokhara offers quite several adventure activities as well like paragliding, bunge jump, zip-line, rafting.
For nature enthusiasts, Chitwan National Park is about 5-6 hours drive from Pokhara which is one of the finest wildlife reserves in South Asia and UNESCO World Heritage Site. One can go on a jungle safari with an elephant safari or jeep safari spotting many wildlife deer, monkeys, wild boar, different species of birds, plants and mammals, Asian one-horned rhinoceros and if lucky, the Royal Bengal Tiger.
If anyone is looking to get a glimpse of the mighty Himalayas then there exist several popular Himalayan viewpoints such as Nagarkot and Dhulikhel in Kathmandu, and Sarangkot in Pokhara. These viewpoints offer spectacular Himalayan views and are specially visited early in the morning to catch the sunrise view over the towering peaks.
Nepal is an amalgamation of all of these unique features making touring in Nepal a one-of-a-kind travel experience and an adventure unlike any other.