Why travel Nepal? There are lots of reasons of why people around the world to visit Nepal, the Himalayan nation with a multi-culture and diversified natural heritage. However, here, we present the top 10 reasons for traveling to Nepal.

1. Himalayas including Mount Everest & other 7 high peaks above 8000 meters

The Himalayas are the world’s high snow-capped mountains. Nepal’s northern region is covered all by beautiful Himalayan range. In the world, there are only 14 mountains which are above 8000 meters above sea level. Out of 14 in Nepal, there are 8 mountains. They are Mt. Everest 8848 m, Mt. Kanchenjunga 8586 m, Mt. Lhotse 8516m, Mt. Makalu 8463m, Mt. Cho Yu 8201 m, Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167m, Mt. Manaslu 8163m, and Mt. Annapurna 8091 m. Besides them, there are also several high peaks below 8000 m. Every year thousands of people visit Nepal to go for trekking in the different Himalayan region to see the Himalayas. The Himalayas can also be experienced by one hour flight which most of the domestic airlines organize every morning from Kathmandu airport.

2. Ten World Heritage Sites in Nepal

In Nepal, there are 10 World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, the sister organization of United Nations. Out of 10 sites, 8 places are cultural and 2 are natural heritage.

Cultural World Heritage Sites:

• Pashupatinath temple: One of the highly sacred Hindu Temples in the world dedicated to God Shiva which is located on the bank of Bagmati River in Kathmandu.
• Boudhanath Stupa: One of the largest Buddha temple in the world built on mandala formation design lies 4 km east of Kathmandu city.
• Swayambhunath: Looked magnificent Buddhist temple located in the western hillock of Kathmandu city from where a good view of whole Kathmandu valley.
• Kathmandu Durbar square: Old Royal Palace of Nepal. It has a cluster of different designed architectural valued temples and monuments.
• Patan Durbar Square: Also old Royal Palace which has a masterpiece of wooden, stone and metal artifacts. The museum inside this palace is Asia’s one the best heritage museums.
• Bhaktapur Durbar Square: It’s the open museum of 18th century back art and culture of Nepal. Here is gorgeous Nepal’s tallest temple, 55 windows palace and many other monuments built in different architectural style.
• Changunarayan Temple: The oldest temple of Nepal built in 464 AD. This two roofed pagoda style temple is located on a northeastern hillock of Kathmandu valley which is 12 km or 7 miles from Kathmandu city.
• Lumbini: The birthplace of Buddha, who is considered as the light of Asia, is also the fountain of peace. This site is the west southern region of Nepal close to India border.

Natural World Heritage Sites:

• Chitwan National Park: This is Asia’s one of the most protected area famous for elephant-back safari to encounter different endangered animals including tiger, canoeing in the Rapti river to see Gharial Crocodiles, jungle walking, village tour to indigenous Tharu community, bird watching and to visit elephant breeding center.
• Sagarmatha National Park: This Park is an outstanding zone with magnificent mountains (Himalayas), glaciers and deep valleys which is dominated by Mt Everest, the tallest peak in the world (8,848 m). In this protected area, rare species like the snow leopard and the lesser panda are available. This area is also the home of legendary Sherpa people.

3. Diversified Cultural mix

Nepal has diversified geographic and cultural combine. Here there are over hundred ethnic communities living in different parts of the nation from the mountain range, hills to flatlands of Tarai. It provides tremendous chance to induce insight into their culture, history, and lifestyle which might actually be the new learning experience.

4. Plenty of wildlife and bird watching destination

In Nepal, there are eleven national parks and two wildlife reserves. They provide you to come cross varieties of wildlife animals and watch many species of birds. Here, zoologists recorded 181 mammal species, 844 bird species, 100 reptile species, 43 amphibian species, 185 freshwater fish species, and 635 butterfly species.

Names of National Parks

• Chitwan National Park – 932 km2 (360 sq mi)
• Sagarmatha National Park – 1,148 km2 (443 sq mi)
• Langtang National Park – 1,710 km2 (660 sq mi)
• Rara National Park – 106 km2 (41 sq mi)
• Khaptad National Park – 225 km2 (87 sq mi)
• Shey Phoksundo National Park – 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi)
• Bardiya National Park – 968 km2 (374 sq mi)
• Makalu Barun National Park – 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi)
• Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park – 159 km2 (61 sq mi)
• Banke National Park – 550 km2 (210 sq mi)
• Shuklaphanta National Park – 305 km2 (118 sq mi)

Names of Wildlife Reserves

• Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve – 175 km2 (68 sq mi)
• Parsa Wildlife Reserve – 637 km2 (246 sq mi)

5. Experience adventurous activities

Nepal is one of the best destinations in the world for the adventure lovers. Here you can experience varieties of adventure sports like paragliding, white water rafting, zip-flying, bungee jumping, ultra-light flight, canoeing, and mountain expedition. They provide you the true meaning of adventure, thrill, and adrenaline.

6. Visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha

Lumbini, where Buddha was born in 623 B.C, has become the center of peace lovers and Buddhist pilgrims. The beautiful garden, the commemorative pillars erected by Indian emperor Ashoka, holy pond and various monasteries, temples built by different nations are the major attractions to be visited in Lumbini.

7. Worthy handicrafts and fine arts

Nepal is famous for handicrafts and fine arts products. In Nepal, there are more than thousands of different handmade products which are useful for daily life and also use to build and decorate the palaces, temples, stupas, monasteries, offices, and houses. Handicraft in Nepal has been very popular from ancient time to now. The best handicrafts markets in Nepal are in Patan and Bhaktapur city. The small town of Thimi on the way to Bhaktapur is very popular for ceramic products. In Nepal mainly three different types of handmade products are available.
• Handicrafts made of woods, small plants, and grasses
• Handicrafts made of metals
• Handicrafts made of soil

For detail information of Nepal Specialty for shopping, click here.

8. Delicious variety of cuisines

Nepalese food is delicious with a unique style of taste. It also reflects a wide variety of culture and traditions. In Nepalese food different spices and flavorings are used such as ginger, garlic, coriander, pepper, cumin, chilies, mustard oil, ghee and occasionally yak butter. The most famous Nepalese cuisines are Daal Bhat Tarkari, Gundrook- Dheedo, Alu Tama, Vegetable Pulao (Fried Nepali Rice), Masu, Chatamari, and Momo. For detail information about Nepalese cuisines, click here.

9. Colorful Festivals

Nepal is multi-cultural country. Here, in a year, different ethnic groups celebrate various festivals with full of joy in different time and occasion. Nepalese festivals are colorful. They are connected with tradition, religion and social events. Most of the festivals are celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Therefore, the festivals do not have the specific day matching solar calendar or English calendar’s date. Generally, the exact date of festivals is declared one year before. Most of the festivals are observed with music and songs. Music is integral part celebrations. National celebrations like Democracy day, Republican day are celebrated with possessions and demonstrations. For detail information of Festivals of Nepal, click here.

10. Safe Travel destination with friendly people

Many travelers opine that Nepal is one of the safest travel destinations in the world. It’s true also as there is quite low violent crime rate. The people of Nepal have been named the ‘Nicest People on the planet’ in a number of traveler surveys. They are so friendly and offer warm hospitality with a smile. They are always ready to welcome you.