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The
Himalayan Country - Nepal
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Nepal, the native homeland of famous Sherpa climbers and Gurkha
Soldiers. This Himalayan country is situated in the
heart of Asia, on the southern slopes of the great
Himalayan range, sandwiched between China in the north
and India in the southeast. Nepal is about 800
kilometers long and 180 to 220 kilometers wide. Altitude
varies from 60 to 8848 meters, from Tarai (lowland,
bordering Nepal and India) to Himalaya (including Mt.
Everest. The highest peak in the world, bordering Nepal
and Tibet). Nepal is divided into four physical
divisions (Terai, Mahabharat foothills, mid- green
mountains and the high Himalayan peaks). The major
religions are Hinduism and Buddhism (Lumbini is situated
in Nepal, which is the birth place of Lord Buddha). Due
to its landlocked nature, visitors can enter Nepal by
flights or overland via India and Tibet. There are
direct flights from most of the important cities of the
world. |
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Season: Nepal has four climatic seasons. Spring:
March to May (Ideal time for sightseeing and trekking in
the mountain areas. Summer: June to August (off-season
for trekking. Autumn: September to November (ideal time
for sightseeing and trekking in the mountain areas.
Winter: December to February (Ideal time for sightseeing
and low altitude trekking).
More...... |
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Places of interest
in
Nepal |
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Kathmandu:
Kathmandu valley (the capital) is indeed a unique type
of valley, wearing an exotic setting. Twenty-five
centuries back it stood as a titanic lake. It is
completely surrounded by a tier of green mountain walls
above which to the north tower the mighty snow-capped
peaks during the winter. It consists of four major
cities carrying great historic, artistic and cultural
interest. They include
Kathmandu (Kantipur),
Patan (Lalitpur),
Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon)
and
Kirtipur.
Ironically speaking, Kathmandu valley was an empire
consisting of for petty kingdoms till the Seventeenth
Century A.D. The four kingdoms of Kathmandu (Kantipur),
Patan (Lalitpur), Bhaktpur (Bhadgaon) and Kirtipur have
today appeared as independent modern cities. |
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Pokhara:
This mountain city is the main trek starting and
ending points for
Mt. Annapurna Region and situated 200 kilometers
away from Kathmandu. The
Pokhara valley stands one of the most picturesque
sites of Nepal. Some believe it to be the Nepalese
Paradise in the ecological sense. The perpetual beauty
of the valley is enhanced by its three renowned lakes
including Phewa, Begnas and Rupa, which own their
natural resource in the glacial sector of the Annapurna
Range of the Supreme Himalayas. The Annapurna Range is
virtually the abode of five major peaks namely Annapurna
I, Annapurna II , Annapurna III, Annapurna IV and
Annapurna South. The scenic beauty of the tall deep
waterfall also makes our trip more enchanting. The
striking landmark is none other than Mt. Machhapuchhare
(the metaphorical usage of Fish-Tail). |
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Lumbini: Lumbini is
the
birthplace of Lord Buddha, born in 623 B.C. A holy
place in southwest Terai (lowland) of Nepal (about 22
kilometers from Taulihawa Bazar), evokes a kind of holy
sentiment to the millions of Buddhists all over the
world -as do Jerusalem to Christians and Mecca to
Muslims. It is situated 250 kilometers southwest of
Kathmandu. The broken Ashokan pillar, remnants of an old
monastery, images of Buddha's mother Maya Devi, etc. are
still preserved in Lumbini. |
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Mt.
Everest (Sagarmatha
National Park)
Region: Sagarmatha National Park lies in the northeastern part
of Nepal covering the Khumbu region. The Park was
gazzetted on 19 July 1976 with an area of 1,148 square
kilometers that includes the world's highest peak of
Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha). Essentially, it consists
of the upper catchment areas of the Dudh Kosi and Bhote
Kosi Rivers. The high mountain peaks of Mt. Everest,
Lhotse, Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Khang, Khangtega, Ama Dablam,
Thamserku, Kwangde and Pumori enclose the park boundary. |
National Park:
The geography of Nepal can be divided into
mountains, hills and plains. A wide range of the
earth's topography and climate zones are found
within its area of 147,181 square kilometres
including in it a wide range of ecosystem from
subtropical jungles of the Terai to the arctic
conditions of Himalayan highlands. Nepal's rich
bio-diversity renders it ideal as an eco-tourism
destination. Almost 19 percent of the country's
total land accounts for its sixteen protected
wildlife areas across the country. Among these nine
are designated as national parks (the popular
National Parks are:
Chitwan National Park ,
Bardiya National Park ,
Rara National Park ,
Shey Phosumdo National Park ,
Khaptad National Park ,
Langtang National Park and
Makalu Barun National Park ), three are wildlife
reserves, three are conservation areas and one is a
hunting reserve.
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