Nepal holidays

Nepal is the world's mountain-trekking heartland — 8 of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000m are in Nepal, including Everest (8,849m) on the Tibetan border. But the country offers far more than the trek: the Kathmandu Valley's 7 UNESCO sites (Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar, Bhaktapur Durbar, Pashupatinath Hindu cremation ghats, Boudhanath stupa, Swayambhunath monkey temple, Changu Narayan); the Chitwan National Park's rhino-and-tiger jungle safari (the southern Terai region); the lakeside Pokhara with paragliding off Sarangkot and the Annapurna views; the Mustang region's Tibetan-cultural high desert plateau (the "forbidden kingdom"); and increasingly accessible Tibetan-Buddhist monastery experiences (Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace; the Tengboche monastery on the Everest Base Camp trek).

A 14-21 day classic Nepal trip: Kathmandu arrival (3-4 nights — the 3 royal Durbar Squares, Boudhanath circuit, Pashupatinath ghats at sunset, the Thamel district restaurants, day-trip to Bhaktapur) → fly to Pokhara (2 nights — lakeside, paragliding off Sarangkot, the World Peace Pagoda) → optional Annapurna trek: the easy Ghorepani/Poon Hill 4-day trek for sunrise mountain views, or the Annapurna Circuit (12-18 days for the full classic), or the Annapurna Base Camp trek (8-10 days, more accessible than Everest) OR Everest Base Camp trek from Lukla (12-14 days for the bucket-list trek; helicopter return saves 2-3 days descent). For non-trekkers: Chitwan NP (3 nights for jungle safari) → Lumbini (2 nights for the Buddha's birthplace and the international monastery zone).