Nepal

One hour drive from Siliguri is Nepal’s bordering town Kakarvitta. Nepal like Bhutan is a landlocked Himalayan country in South Asia. Nepal is bordered by the People’s Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. This is the only Hindu state in the world and 80% of its people follow Hinduism. A small country like Nepal, landscape is quite diverse, ranging from the Terai in the southern part to the lofty Himalayas in the north. In a very small width the elevation of Nepal increases from the plain terrain to the tallest Himalayas leading to great vegetation and to cold desert. This country is known for the eight of the world’s ten highest mountains including Mount Everest. Nepal as a whole has quite a few UNESCO sites spread over the length of the country. Captivating with an incomparable diversity of temples and historical sites makes Nepal as an international tourist destination. Ultimate destination for leisure, adventure, historical, trekking, religious, pilgrimage, etc, holidays. Lush meadows, green woodland, historical temples, monuments, Pilgrimage center and high altitude lakes along with other beautiful options attracts tourist from all over the world. Spectacular views of the Himalaya are one options available from many of the destinations of Nepal and each one of them are beautiful in their own way. Few of the peaks which can be viewed from close proximity are Mount Everest, Mount Kanchendzonga and their range. Nepal is known for tourism. The options of tourism are trekking, mountain flight, paragliding, rock climbing, birding, angling, hiking, camping, mountain biking, wildlife parks, jungle safaris, Rafting, Kayaking, canoeing and for its temple / Cultural / Religious/ Buddhist tour program.

Kathmandu :-
Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is one of the world’s oldest cities and is worth visiting. Well connected with roads and airways is always teeming with tourist all year round and bit lower in Monsoon. Attractions for travelers are great. History, Adventure, Activities or just leisure is few of the main options. The City is old and new mixed in a typical style. Old part of the city with narrow medieval streets and lovely little shrines, centers on the Durbar Square along with modern times building are all so beautifully arranged. Guest can come across distinctive pagoda-roofed temples, stone sculptures, old monasteries and historic monuments. Kathmandu and the other places of Nepal seem to be developed for world tourism. The local people are ready to help tourist, government developing tourist infrastructure, hotels and the transport suits all types of travelers.

Bhaktapur :-
This city of Bhaktapur is a part of Kathmandu. It is also known as Bhadgaon in earlier days. It can be said that this city is a museum of medieval art and architecture with many fine examples of sculpture, woodcarving and colossal pagoda temples consecrated to different gods and goddesses. Bhaktapur is shaped like a conch shell-one of the emblems of the god Vishnu and was founded by King Ananda Deva in A.D. 889. The elevation of this place is nearly 1402 meters with lovely sight seeing views. Pottery and weaving are its major traditional industries. The city lies fifteen Kilometers to the east of Kathmandu and is on the way to Nagrakot. 800 kilometers stretch of the Nepal Himalayan is the greatest in the world with eight peaks that rise above 8000 meters including the highest in the world Mount Everest best viewed from Nagrakot only 35 kilometers from Kathmandu. Bhaktapur, Nagrakot Kathmandu trip is one night two day trip with a night stay at Nagrakot to watch the sunrise view. Siddha Pokhari a the largest tank teeming with fish and is occasionally open to the public for fishing and boating, Nyatapola is a five storied and rises above the city as a remarkable landmark, Batsala Temple built out of stone is the Batsala Devi of Bhaktapur which has many intricate carvings, Bhairavnath Temple the three storied temple of Bhairavnath has only the head of Bhairav in the inner sanctum, Thimi is the potter’s town is worth visiting.

Patan :-
Patan is also known as Lalitpur. Lalitpur literally means the city of beauty. This is covered in one day tour from Kathmandu. Patan is indeed a city of beauty and grace and is planned on a circular format with Buddhist stupas at each of the four points of the compass. Nearly four kilometers from Kathmandu across the river Bagmati is this beautiful town of Patan. Like Kathmandu it is believed to have been built during the reign of Vira Dev in A.D. 299. The center of attraction is its Durbar Square complex, situated right in the middle of the market place. Like Kathmandu, it is full of Buddhist monuments and Hindu temples with fine bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful carvings. Patan is known for its craftsmen and metal workers it is also know as the city of artists. Hiranya Varna Mahabihar the three storied golden pagoda of Lokeshwar in Patan was built by King Bhaskar Varma, Kumbheshwar is a five storied pagoda dedicated to Lord Shiva, Jagat Narayan temple consecrated to Lord Vishnu, Mahaboudha is known for its thousand little images of Buddha in terracotta, Ashoka Stupas marking the four corners of Patan, Machhendranath Temple is of great importance in Patan and the Tibetan Refugee Camp has become a tourist attraction with its souvenir shops that sell carpets and handicrafts such as prayer wheels made of wood, ivory, silver or bronze along with an assortment of belt buckles, wooden bowls and jewelry.

Pokhara :-
Pokhara is the second most popular tourist destination after Kathmandu. It is an enchanting city nestled in the tranquil valley situated nearly 827 meters. It is also the base camp for many of Nepal’s most popular trekking and rafting destinations. Few of the tourist destinations are worth visiting and one of them is the serene Phewa Lake. The summit of Machachhapuchhre nearly 6980 meters rising behind it is a symbol of peace and magic. Surrounding Pokhara is dense forests, gushing rivers, clear lakes and the spectacular views of the Himalaya generally from November to April. This destination is nearly 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu and is 5 – 7 hours drive. Pokhara is also connected by air. This destination of Pokhara offers magnificent views of Dhaulagiri, Manasalu, Machchhapuchhre, few more peaks of Annapurna and other Himalayan range. Pokhara like other destinations along with the view of Himalayan range has been an attraction to many people, be they saints, philosophers, researchers or adventures.

Lumbini :-
This is a religious center. Lumbini is said to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam. Shakya prince and the ultimate Buddha also known as the Enlightened One was born here. It is the pilgrimage destination of the world’s millions of people faithful to all schools of Buddhism. UNESCO lists this historical site. It was also identified in prehistoric times by Indian Emperor Ashoka’s commemorative pillar as a World Heritage Site. The main attraction of Lumbini remains the Sacred Garden which spread over nearly eight square kilometers. This garden possesses all the treasures of the historic area. Also the Mayadevi temple remains one of the main attractions for pilgrims and archaeologists alike. One can come across a bas relief of Mayadevi, Lord Buddha’s mother giving birth. West of the Mayadevi shrine is the oldest monument of Nepal, the Ashoka Pillar. Emperor Ashoka erected the pillar in 249 BC to commemorate his pilgrimage to the sacred site. South of the pillar is the sacred pond also known as Puskarni, where Queen Mayadevi is said to have bathed before giving birth to Lord Buddha. It is accessible by air from Kathmandu to Bhairawa and it takes nearly 7 – 8 hours from Kathmandu by bus or car.

Chitwan :-
The center of wild life activity the famous Chitwan National Park and is one of the largest forests regions in Asia teeming with wildlife. This is the third most popular sites after Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal. Kathmandu – Pokhara – Chitwan perhaps is the most popular circuit of Nepal tourism. It is one of the finest national parks in Asia and is known for its wildlife and beautiful lodges. The activity in these destinations is diverse and guest can choose from the range of activities. Guest can have the opportunity to see animals in their natural habitat. Chitwan in Sanskrit is known as the heart of jungle. Its wildlife consist of attraction rare great one-horned rhinoceros, several species of dear, sloth bear, leopard, wild boar, four-horned antelope, fresh water, dolphin, crocodile, more than 350 species of birds and the rare Bengal tiger. Chitwan National Park is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Nature list. Travelers visiting Chitwan may enjoy elephant back excursions, nature walks, canoe trips, jungle treks and river rafting. Five hour drive to Chitwan nearly 165 kilometers from Kathmandu is with thrilling views of the hills, rivers and plains with forest on either side.