Nepal Tours - Kathmandu Valley Heritage & Himalayan Trekking

Nepal rewards patience. The country rises from subtropical plains to the highest mountains on earth within a few hundred kilometres, and most visitors see only the beginning of that range. Landlocked between China to the north and India to the south, it holds eight of the fourteen tallest peaks on earth, Everest among them at 29,032 feet. Few countries pack so much vertical range into so little ground, and the culture climbs with the land: lowland Hindu plains, high Buddhist valleys, and dozens of ethnic groups and languages in the folds between.

The Kathmandu Valley as cultural heart

Kathmandu is the entry point and the cultural centre, three distinct cities sharing a single valley, each with a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a density of temples, stupas, and living traditions that takes several days to begin to absorb. The valley itself holds seven monument zones recognised by UNESCO, taking in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Changu Narayan, Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, and Boudhanath. For travellers drawn to architecture, ritual, and the daily rhythm of Hindu and Buddhist practice running side by side, the valley alone can fill ten days without repetition.

Two kinds of journey

Nepal suits two broad types of traveller, and the tours offered here reflect both. The first is the cultural visitor, drawn to the heritage of the valley cities, the birthplace of the Buddha at Lumbini in the western lowlands, the lakeside calm of Pokhara, and the lowland jungle of Chitwan National Park with its rhinos, Bengal tigers, and crocodiles. The second is the trekker, for whom the country is one of the great walking destinations of the world: gentle valley circuits accessible to beginners, the Annapurna foothills with their rhododendron forests and Poon Hill sunrises, the high passes of the Manaslu circuit, and the long approach to Everest Base Camp through the Khumbu.

When to travel

Nepal has four clear seasons, and timing matters more here than in most places. The two windows that draw trekkers are spring, from March to May, when the rhododendron forests come into flower, and autumn, from September to November, when the monsoon has washed the air clean and the peaks stand sharp against the sky. Winter is cold but clear at lower altitudes; the summer monsoon, June to August, turns the hills green and the high trails to mud.

Before you travel: visas and entry

Most visitors can obtain a tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport and Nepal’s other international entry points, or apply online in advance to shorten the queue. Fees and conditions change, so check the Department of Immigration directly before you travel rather than relying on third-party summaries.

• Visa on arrival, Nepal Department of Immigration
• Nepal Department of Immigration