12 Best Reasons To Visit Nepal In 2024
February 2, 2024
Nepal
By guy yefet
Nepal, the rooftop of the world! In this Nepal travel blog, you will find the best reasons to visit Nepal, so be sure to add Nepal to your bucket list!
Once upon a time, when I was younger, I thought that only hikers and mountain climbers came to Nepal, climbed snowy mountains and risked their lives to conquer nature.
I probably have a lot left of the movies I saw about climbing Everest.
In recent years I have often wondered if Nepal has become closer to everyone, or just me - I have fallen in love with this magical country, and it seems to me that it is not only me.
More and more people are going there for different types of hikes, young people for long treks, adults for short treks, and some hikers go there without doing any hiking at all.
So it seems that even those who have not been in Nepal, know at least one "ordinary" person who was in Nepal and so, Nepal is no longer behind the mountains of darkness.
Every time I think of Nepal, I know why Nepal.
More than once, I have wondered if Nepal is worth a visit despite the great distance and the rather tedious arrival.
Maybe instead it is possible to organize a trek in Europe? There is no shortage of mountains in Europe either.
But the day I arrived and started a trek in wonderful Nepal, I was immersed in this beauty from all sides, and I am once again convinced that this is the place to be.
First, as I wrote, the landscape.
It is not by chance that people from all over the world come to travel to Nepal which is considered one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The endless ridges of the snowy mountains, the bright green in every direction, the amounts of water flowing in rivers, streams, and every corner of the forest. All thrill the heart.
There is, of course, also the aura of Everest.
From childhood, I dreamed of seeing Everest, and every time I overcame some challenges in my life, I used the term "I feel like I was able to climb Everest"
For me getting to the Himalayas was a dream come true as well as overcoming fears of a foreign and obscure place.
READ MORE: Trekking the Annapurna circuit trek: A day by day itinerary
The fact that people come from all over the world to travel in Nepal adds something interesting to the trip.
It's common to talk to other hikers during the trek, and so you find yourself chatting with hikers from countries you would not get to meet on other hikes.
Another reason why to visit Nepal is that it is a fairly convenient peak to the east.
You wanted to travel to India, but poverty deters you? Do you have concerns that this is too much? Nepal is considered to be India Lite.
One can see in it most of the sights that one encounters in India in a more refined way.
You will see people in temples praying devoutly while bringing an offering to the gods, circling the temple several times while prostrating for prayer, a cremation ceremony, and more, and all this without meeting the harsh sights of India.
The magic of the colors in the East, the clothes, the flags, the color powders they sell, and the spices that you find in stores and the food - all of these captivate the eye and the palate.
I already said colorful?
The smells and tastes are so different from what we are familiar with. Maybe not everyone likes this different food or seasoning, but it's interesting.
Finding new worlds, even culinary ones, gives us a sense of excitement and novelty, and suddenly we see ourselves as those explorers of the past.
The different cultures, religions, and tolerances characterize Nepal and attract many tourists.
True, there are other places in the East where you will find all of these, but smiling and hospitable people like in Nepal are hard to find.
Despite the relative poverty and difficulty in their simple lives, the people we encounter during the journey are surprising in their cheerfulness, politeness, kindness, and strong desire to help.
In every village and city, we talked to locals, and they were happy to talk, help and exchange impressions.
The contrast between the noise and chaos in Kathmandu compared to the silence in the mountains.
One of the things I love most about Nepal is the sharp contrast between the city and the village. We always start our journey in Kathmandu, where international flights arrive, and each time I am amazed by the noise and chaos in the Tamil district, the tourist district.
The overcrowding there, the incessant whistling, the shouts of the hawkers of all kinds - all of this stun the novice tourist in Nepal.
The quiet transition of a trek in Nepal is so sharp that you wonder during the trek if indeed the noise and commotion were so terrible.
You walk around the quiet and calm mountains there, amazed at this immense contrast.
READ MORE: How to spend 3 days in Kathmandu
In previous years there was not even communication during a trek in Nepal, so throughout the trek, you did not hear phone calls and loud conversations.
Recently the communication situation there has improved, and now there are certain places along the trek where you can call and receive calls.
We are so used to waiting for our phone to ring that it usually takes me several days of walking the trek to internalize that there are no phones and one can stop listening and relaxing.
Fun to travel to a cheap place.
Unlike in Europe, when buying a cup of coffee causes you heartache due to the height of spending, in Nepal you can enjoy food, drink and shopping at ridiculous prices.
You eat and drink as you please, without checking the price because you know the price will be low by any scale we know. In addition it is also possible to purchase hiking equipment in Nepal.
True, everything is imitations, nothing real, but if you do not care about the firm of the products you buy, there is no doubt that you can find good equipment at low prices.
The quality is reasonable, in most cases good even in my opinion. However you must be vigilant and check carefully what you are buying.
You can buy hiking shirts, hiking pants, walking sticks and any hiking gear you want.
You can sew hiking pants to measure, in exactly one day, according to what size you want.
Nepal is for travelers, so it is pleasant to do a trek in Nepal.
So convenient there for the traveler. You don't need to carry gear, and porters will be happy to do it for you.
The tourist season there is limited and short, and this is their way of earning enough money for the other months of the year, without the tourists.
If you do not want to settle for the knowledge of the porter and want guidance, you can also take a certified tour guide (who does not carry equipment), but sometimes the porters speak English and will share their knowledge and familiarity with life there.
The villages are scattered along the trails and offer accommodation. Although simple and basic, it is part of the magic of trekking in Nepal.
The trek is not a place for lovers of comfort and pampering. However you also do not have to be an ascetic to enjoy it.
The level is reasonable (at least on some treks) and is constantly improving.
Bhaktapur is one of the three ancient capitals located in the Kathmandu Valley, and it has been remarkably well preserved despite the earthquakes that struck it during 2015.
Fortunately, most of the city's temples, which are its main attractions, have managed to survive unscathed, and even now, you can enjoy a visit to its bustling streets and winding alleys.
One of its most enchanting sites is Durbar Square, an area that includes the magnificent 55-window King's Palace, a 15th-century building that now serves as the home of Nepal's National Gallery of Art.
In addition, in Nepal you can visit 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
7 of them are located in the Kathmandu Valley.
In Nepal you can find the most important temple in the world to the god Shiva, the temple of Pashupatinath as well as visit the birthplace of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in Lumbini about 2,500 years ago.
The Pashupatinath Temple is built on the banks of the Bagmati River across the entire valley and separates Kathmandu from nearby Patan.
Like the Ganges River, to which it eventually merged, this river also has sanctity in everything to do with the ashes of the dead.
The Temple of Pashupatinath is considered the most important Hindu temple in Nepal. Many pilgrims from all over the country and also from India visit it, and due to the laws of purity entry to it is forbidden to anyone who is not Hindi. You will have to settle for a peek from the doorway.
Around the entrance to the temple you will see many hawkers selling flowers, relics and paint powders, shoemakers and money changers. The place of the beggars did not miss either. They all provide an interesting bustle.
Near the temple there is a descent to the banks of the river. Here is the central fire ghetto of the city of Kathmandu.
Unlike other places, such as Varanasi in India, there is no ban on filming cremation ceremonies, but it is important to maintain a distance as a sign of respect.
It is easy to see that those present at the fire are only men.
Women and children, if coming, are waiting at a certain distance from the hotspot.
The reason for this lies in the belief that the absence of crying makes it easier for the dead soul to break free from its body and move on. Women and children who may burst into tears easily may cause the soul to wander in a world without a body.
If someone bursts into tears, they hurry to remove him from the place. The lack of crying in such a class may make tourists think that Nepalis do not grieve the death of their loved ones, but this is not the case.
Nepal has a huge number of over 3,000 temples and 1,200 monasteries make the trip to Nepal a particularly spiritual journey.
The park is home to wild elephants, 100 Bengal tigers, 350 rare Asian rhinos, tigers, wild cats, elk, monkeys, snakes, birds and much more.
In 1964 the King of Nepal declared an area of 932 square kilometers called Chitwan as a reserve for the protection of the Indian rhinos that lived in the area.
Nine years later our son declared Chitwan as the first royal nature reserve. He appointed an administration to take care of the reserve, and provided it with a budget and military force to protect the area and the animals from hunters.
The name Chitwan means "heart of the jungle" and indeed the reserve is rich in impressive forests.
The combination of the three rivers and the plains between them, the abundance of animals and birds, and the Himalayan peaks, make up the charm of the place. Add to this the unconventional means of transportation - canoeing and safari on elephant backs - and you will find out why the reserve is so popular with hikers.
Those looking for some of adrenaline , Nepal is the destination for you.
Nepal is best known for the quality rafting it offers to the many travelers.
Streams of varying difficulty and hikes that start from several hours and last several days.
You will not have to worry about equipment, everything is included through the various travel agencies in Pokhara and Kathmandu, or you can book it online.
Apart from rafting you will find in the Kathmandu Valley a bungee jumping site alongside the possibility to learn to kayak on the Bhote Koshi River or paragliding in the Pokhara area.
Beyond everything I have listed so far, Nepal is a magical place.
It has trips and entertainment for all ages and all fitness.
You do not have to trek in Nepal - there is also rafting, safaris, various trips by car and in the cities and countless options.
Do you want to trek in Nepal? You can plan a trek for any level of difficulty and length that suits you.
From a day or two to long weeks. one way or another, You will get to see the landscapes, smell the scents, enjoy the people and thank you for your good luck getting there.
In 2015, a major earthquake shook the country, killing about 8,000 people and causing extensive destruction. Ancient temples that symbolized the country were badly damaged.
To this day the rubble caused by the earthquake that has not yet been completely renewed on the streets of Kathmandu can be seen.
Also, if you hike on the Langtang trek, you will be able to help the locals who were badly affected by the earthquake.
Beyond that, we are after a difficult period of global crisis. Some of the countries in the world are starting to receive tourists again.
Nepal was closed to tourists and has now reopened.
So go trekking in Nepal, You will be on the roof of the world, and also help the local population.
Therefore, right now, a trip to Nepal could help the locals who live mainly from tourism.
A trip to Nepal will give you a significant taste of East Asia in its incarnation.
If all these reasons are not enough, the best thing is to visit and experience this wonderful country for yourself.
After visiting Nepal for the first time, it׳s hard not to want to come back again.
Here are some websites I use whenever preparing for my next journey anywhere around the world.
Read My Other Blogs:
Scotland road trip Itinerary for 14 days
How to plan the ultimate norway road trip
15 most amazing places in Norway
8 most scenic routes in norway
how to spend weekend in Amsterdam
2 weeks in sicily: the perfect sicily road trip
.png)
.png)