Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Nepal

On April 25, 2015 Nepal was devastated by a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake the countrys worst in over eighty years and several powerful aftershocks, killing thousands and creating a humanitarian disaster.

Much of the earthquake damage has now been repaired, and there are few visible signs that it had happened at all. However, the UNESCO-protected buildings and temples of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapurs Durbar squares are still awaiting restoration, and its likely to be many more years before these architectural treasures are restored. Throughout this guide, we have mentioned sites where earthquake damage remains significant.

Nepals capital, Kathmandu, is electrifyingly exotic, with its medieval warren of alleys, Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas, and its uniquely relaxed nightlife. The city is increasingly hectic, however, so many visitors make day-trips out to the semi-rural Kathmandu Valley, and the well-preserved medieval cities of Patan and Bhaktapur, while others escape to stay overnight at one of the mountain viewpoints on the valley rim, such as Nagarkot, in the Central Hills. Few take the time to explore the valleys wealth of temples, towns and forested hilltops in more depth, but those who do are richly rewarded.

Most people move on from Kathmandu to Pokhara, six hours west of the capital via tourist bus. An engaging, easy-going resort town in the Western Hills, Pokhara is set beside a lake and under a towering wall of white peaks. While many visitors are happy just to gaze at the towns impressive views, or hang out in its numerous bars, it also makes a great base for day hikes and mountain-bike rides, yoga and meditation courses, and even paragliding and microlight flights. Other towns in the Western Hills notably Gorkha with its impressive fortress, Manakamana with its wish-fulfilling temple, and Bandipur with its old-world bazaar offer history and culture as well as scenery.

Not many travellers head into the flat Terai, along the border with India, unless its to enter the deservedly popular Chitwan National Park, with its endangered Asian one-horned rhinos. The Terai is also home to Bardia National Park and two other rarely visited wildlife reserves all worth considering for those looking to escape the Chitwan crowds. In the west, Lumbini, Buddhas birthplace, is a pilgrimage site of worldwide importance, as is Janakpur, a Hindu holy city in the east.

Yet above and beyond all else, Nepal is most renowned for trekking hiking from village to village, through massive hills and lush rhododendron forests and up to the peaks and glaciers of the high Himalayas. The thrillingly beautiful and culturally rich