Nepal Travel Guide

The morning of 25 April 2015 brought destruction to central Nepal. Thousands of buildings collapsed in the initial tremor and in subsequent aftershocks, killing more than 8500 people, and leaving thousands more homeless. Landslides destroyed entire villages and an avalanche at Everest Base Camp killed 18 climbers in Nepal's worst mountaineering disaster. Aftershocks followed for weeks, including a major tremor on 12 May, which killed hundreds more. Around the epicenter in Gorkha district, and across the Kathmandu Valley, communities were devastated and centuries-old monuments were reduced to rubble. Many of Nepal's most famous tourist sights were damaged beyond recognition. The earthquake has been described as the worst disaster to hit Nepal since the deadly Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 1934.

A huge international response has helped Nepal to cope with the immediate aftermath of the crisis but rebuilding lost homes, monuments and livelihoods is likely to be a slow and drawn-out process. Tourism has been severely affected by the disaster, and this comes at a time when Nepal is desperately in need of the revenue from tourism to rebuild. It is our hope at Lonely Planet that this guidebook will inform travellers about the damage caused by the earthquake, and encourage people to return and help the people of Nepal as they rebuild their lives after the crisis.