Nepal

Nepal is a small country located on the border between two giants: China and India. With a mountainous territory that includes some of the peaks of the Himalayas, It is a perfect destination if you like hiking or climbing to appreciate the impressive landscapes that can be seen from the Annapurna or own Everest.

But, if you don't have an adventurous spirit, Nepal also has many other things to offer you. You can visit cities like Patan, Kathmandu o Bhaktapur, with its medieval areas, sumptuous palaces and hidden temples. You can also know natural parks. And, in any case, Nepal is the perfect destination for you to reach the Nirvana. If you want to know it, we invite you to follow us.

What to see and do in Nepal

We can start our trip to Nepal with a little exercise and then get to know its main cities and its sacred places, without forgetting other natural areas whose beauty does not detract from that of the mountains.

Everest and Annapurna

You don't have to be an accomplished climber to get close to the two main attractions of Nepal: the Everest and Annapurna. You can go up to the base camp of the first one, that is to more than five thousand meters of altitude. As you can deduce, it is not an easy excursion as it lasts about fourteen days and altitude sickness makes it even more difficult. But it is affordable for most visitors. You will need a special permission, but the experience is worth it.

You can also go hiking on the Annapurna. Together, they form a two hundred and fifty kilometer route that you can do in stages and separately. But, in any case, you will enjoy with unique mountain landscapes in the world.

On the other hand, keep in mind the climatology. The best months to access these mountains are October, November and December on the one hand and March, April and May on the other. January and February are not recommended due to low temperatures and snow. As for June, July, August and September, they are the rainy season that make the routes difficult. However, it is also true that, in the most appropriate months to visit the mountains, there are a huge number of tourists who want to do their routes.

Natural parks of Nepal

The Asian country has several natural parks. You can visit that of Bardia, located to the southwest and known for its Bengal tigers and its giant crocodiles. OR the one in Langtang, where there are snow leopards and bears. But, above all, you must know two parks cataloged as Heritage.

The first is the one from Sagarmatha, which is in the region of kumbu covering a good part of the Everest massif. You can start your tour of the visitor center, which is in the city of Namche Bazaar. As for the autochthonous species, it is the area of ​​the Tibetan antelope.

The second, for its part, is the Royal Chitwan National Park, located in the south of the country and that was a royal reserve. Your name means "Heart of the jungle", which will give you an idea of ​​the vegetation that you are going to find. As for its fauna, it has several endangered species such as the Indian rhinoceros or the Ganges gharial, a huge sauropsid whose small snout only allows it to feed on fish.

Kathmandu, the capital of the country

To visit Kathmandu is to enter a city of a million inhabitants with unpaved roads, enormous pollution and deafening noise. But it is also accessing wonderful monuments, some of which were damaged by the 2015 earthquake.

The first thing you should visit in Kathmandu is Durbar Square, , the nucleus that served as a residence for the royal family. In fact, durbar it means "palace." It is made up of a square and its adjacent streets, with its palatial buildings and temples. But the most curious thing is the house of the Kumari. This is the name given to a young girl chosen to represent the deity of the same name. She is a figure of the Newar culture and to become a Kumari, the little girl must pass numerous tests. Furthermore, while his role lasts, he cannot leave his house-temple at all.

You should also see in Kathmandu the Boudhanath stupa, one of the largest in the world and crowned by the eyes of Buddha. Every afternoon, monks from all over the country gather around it praying. In addition, around you have numerous cafes and shops of Tibetan crafts.

Also, you should approach the Swayambhunath Buddhist temple, full of the characteristic monkeys, which is a World Heritage Site and is located on a hill from which you will see the entire city. Finally, visit the Kopan and Phullari temples and relax in the Garden of Dreams, a beautiful neoclassical design park in the middle of Kathmandu.

Kathmandu Valley, another essential route in Nepal

You cannot leave the capital without knowing the so-called Kathmandu Valley, which includes that and also two other cities: Patan and Bhaktapur, as well as a total of one hundred and thirty monuments of such importance that the area has been classified as World Heritage Site in Danger.

Patan also has your private Durbar Square, , which is also the courtyard of the palace of the ancient kings. It also has several temples such as Krishna's, made of octagonal stone; the Degutale o the Vishwanath, with its stone elephants. All of them were built in the seventeenth century and are separated by patios that are named after chowks.

Respecto a Bhaktapur, considered the main cultural focus of the country, also has as its nerve center the durbar square. In its environment, you have constructions like the Palace of the Fifty-Five Windows, Golden Door and temples like the Batsala, with its huge bell, or the Pashupatinath, with its peculiar erotic engravings.

They are not the only ones in town. The temple Changu narayan, five kilometers from it, is the oldest in the whole country, while the nyatapola, in the Taumadhi square and with five heights representing the elements, it is the highest in Nepal.

Pokhara, the other tourist city of Nepal

This city has a very different character from the previous ones, the second most touristic in the country. Because visiting it with its surroundings does not imply seeing great monuments (although there are also them), but Wonderful views.

In just thirty kilometers, the mountains rise almost seven thousand meters forming spectacular gorges. Stand out among them the one on the river Gandaki, which is the deepest on Earth. You also have in the Poghaka area the pewha lake, with two impressive waterfalls in which its waters, after falling through them, disappear.

Just on an islet in the lake you have the Barahi temple, while in the old part of the city you have those of bindhyabasini y Bheemsen. In addition, Pokhara is one of the main starting points for excursions to the Himalayas.

biratnagar

It is the second city of Nepal by number of inhabitants and one of its main centers of industrial production. That is why we mention it to you. However, it is one of the few expendable visits on your trip to Nepal since it does not have especially remarkable monuments.

What to eat in Nepal

The gastronomy of the Asian country is the result of numerous influences. The most important are those of its Indian, Chinese and Tibetan neighbors. But it also has elements of Thai cuisine. In any case, you will never find dishes with beef, since it is a sacred animal for a good part of its population.

Instead, you have the buffalo and the goat. But the country's national recipe is dal bhat tarkari, a combo dish featuring lentil soup, rice, and curried vegetables. It is served on a tray with its components separately and is accompanied by pickles, lime, lemon or green chili.

Another traditional dish is momo, consisting of a kind of meatballs in the Tibetan way and with spices. They are prepared, precisely, with buffalo, goat or chicken meat, but also only with vegetables. For his part, chow mein or stir-fry noodles come from Chinese cuisine.

Other typical dishes are kachila or minced meat with spices, the feel or fried liver, the pukala or fried meat, the kwati or bean soup and the wo or lentil cake. As for desserts, it is very common to dhau or yogurt and the abate, a kind of sour jam.

Finally, regarding drinks, tea is the national. In the mountainous areas, to warm up, they take it very strong and with butter. But you can also try the millet or rice beers; the cane juice of sugar; the mahi, which is buttermilk or the rakshi, a millet distillate.

How to get to the Asian country

The Asian country has an international airport, the Tribhuvan of Kathmandu, to which flights arrive from all over the world. Once there, you have trips to other cities. However, we do not recommend them as the other airports in Nepal are small and some are quite dangerous due to their mountainous nature. In addition, the planes that make the routes are also of poor quality.

Many travelers prefer to travel to Nepal from New Delhi. They do it in train to the border town of Rahaul, which still belongs to India, and then take a bus to Kathmandu.

In any case, communications are not exactly Nepal's strong suit. The roads are in very poor condition and the buses that link the various cities are as uncomfortable as they are cheap. There are other vehicles from private companies that are a little more expensive, but also somewhat more comfortable.

In any case, it is not recommended that you travel in them at night. Drivers often take advantage of empty roads to run and accidents are common. Likewise, luggage theft often occurs, so we advise you to lock it with a padlock.

Moreover, Nepalese laws prevent you from driving a rental car. Instead, it will be easy for you to hire one with driver and it is not too expensive. Finally, to move around the main cities, you have the popular rickshaw both pedals and electric (the so-called times, which are larger), as well as minibuses. As a curiosity, we will tell you that, to get off them, you must hit the ceiling with a coin.

Tips for traveling to Nepal

In order to enter the Asian country you must have the passport valid for at least six months. Also, you need a special visa what can you process online in the websites from the Immigration Department or at the Consulate of Barcelona. If you are going to visit the Himalayas or other mountains you also need the TIMS, a special permit that you can process upon arrival.

On the other hand, you have to wear various vaccines. The most common are typhus, yellow fever, cholera, MMR, hepatitis, and tetanus. Malaria is also frequent. However, your GP will inform you about this. In any case, our recommendation is that you hire a good travel insurance so that you are well cared for in case of accident or illness.

As for the country's currency, it is nepalese rupee. We advise you, before traveling, to change euros to dollars and, once at the Kathmandu airport, do the same with these to the local currency. There are also exchange houses in the cities, but they charge an additional commission.

Finally, we recommend that you sign up for the Travelers Registration from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain to be more easily located in case of problems. And that, once in Nepal, you just drink bottled water and that do not taste unwashed fruit or salads to avoid the call "Traveler's diarrhea".

In conclusion, Nepal is a beautiful country that offers you the highest mountains on the planet. And also numerous monuments and a gastronomy very different from the western one. If you want to live a different experience, we encourage you to travel to the Asian country.