Nepal: A unique Tourist Destination

Bestowed with spectacular scenic natural beauty, rich cultural heritage rich bio-diversity and hospitable people, Nepal offers wide ranging attractions to the visitors from mountaineering, trekking, sightseeing, white water rafting, jungle safari to cultural, sports and convention tourism.

Sight Seeing:
It is one of the major attractions of Nepal. In Nepal, one can visit the places of historical, cultural and religious importance and enjoy the scenic beauty at the same time. Famous destinations for sight seeing are Kathmandu valley, Pokhara (with scenic beauty), Lumbini (birthplace of lord Buddha), Nagarkot and Dhulikhel (hill resorts), Gorkha, Janakpur etc.

Trekking:
Nepal's mountainous and hilly regions offer some of the most spectacular trekking sites in the world. The immense contrasts in altitude and climate found in the different parts of the country support an equally spectacular mix of life styles, vegetation types and wildlife. The most popular trekking destination in Nepal is the Annapurna region. Other destinations include Everest region, Langtang region and other remote areas.

Mountaineering:
Nepal is well known for its Himalayan Mountains. Among the ten highest peaks in the world, eight are in Nepal, including the highest peak Mr. Everest. Nepal is a famous destination for mountaineers and every year more than 100 expeditions trudge up the Himalayas.

There are four seasons for mountaineering in Nepal:

• Spring (March-May)
• Summer (June-August)
• Autumn (September-November)
• Winter (November-December)

White water River Rafting:
Nepal has earned a reputation as one of the best destinations in the world for white water rafting. For the rafting purpose, rivers are graded on a scale of one to six depending on how wild they are. Four grades are considered to be quite challenging without being exceedingly dangerous to the novice rafter. Grade five requires some previous river experiences.

Following are some popular rafting rivers:

Jungle Safari:
Nepal offers some of the most exciting safari destinations in the world. There are 14 national parks and wildlife reserves in the country. They offer one of the world's major habitats for endangered species like the one-horned rhino, Royal Bengal tiger, snow leopard, blue bull, and the long stouted fish eating gharial crocodile.

Bird Watching:
Bird Watching is another interesting event in Nepal. Over 800 species of wet land, migratory and resident birds are found in Nepal. They include koklas, giant hornbills, red-headed trogons, paradise flycatchers, herons, kingfishers, Tibetan snow rocks, and many species of pheasants, ogrets warblers and babblers. The popular bird watching spots are Phulchoki, Godavari, Shivapuri, and different national parks like Chitwan.

Mountain Flight:
The mountain flight is one of the popular attractions in Nepal. For those who are restricted by time or other reasons from going to trekking offer a panoramic view of the Himalayas in just one hour. Even those visitors who like the rigors of trekking still usually do not miss this opportunity to have a different perspective of the landscape.
The plane departs from Kathmandu and flies alongside the Himalayas giving the opportunity to view the snow peaks at a close range. During the flight travellers will be able to view various mountains including Mt. Everest.

Sight Seeing by Helicopter:
In Nepal, going to remote corners of the Himalayas by Helicopter is a pleasant and exciting activity. Since the helicopter needs very small place for landing, it can be hired to take tourists to any destination at any time.

Hot Air Ballooning:
The adventure of hot air ballooning is now available in Kathmandu Balloon flights usually begin shortly after dawn when winds are mild. The balloon will float about 1200 to 1500 m above the valley. From this altitude the entire Himalayan range will be in sight along with fantastic downward views of Kathmandu valley.

Convention Tourism:
Congenial weather condition and various amenities including international convention centre and world-class hotels make Kathmandu potentially a very ideal destination in South Asia for organising international conferences. The instant satellite communications, increased airlines operation, efficient services at comparatively low prices, and the wider use of English among the hotel and supporting staffs are other added advantages Kathmandu offers to the business executives and regional and international organisations to hold meetings, seminars, and conferences in this picturesque capital city.

Sports Tourism:
Nepal also offers great opportunity to the sports tourism. With the pleasant climate and the panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains and green hills, Nepal proves an ideal destination for sports such as golf and cricket.

The following tips may help the visitors to make their stay in Nepal enjoyable and memorable:

• The form of greeting in Nepal is "Namaste" and is performed by joining the palms together.
• Visitors are requested to remove their shoes before entering a Nepalese temple or stupa.
• Visitors are requested to seek permission first before entering certain temples.
• Leather articles are normally prohibited to be taken inside the temple precincts
• Walking around temples or stupas is traditionally done clockwise.
• Visitors are requested to dress appropriately while travelling.
• Visitors are advised to take photographs only after receiving permission for the object or person being photographed.
• Public displays of affection between man and woman are frowned upon. Visitors are requested not to do something that is alien to Nepalese environment.