8 reasons why you should visit Nepal

There are many reasons why you should visit Nepal, there are flaws but when it comes to exploring a country we should keep aside all the perceptions. As to know about the country, you should go visit a country and here are 8 reasons why you should visit the country of Everest, Nepal.

1. Number of things to do

Nepal is naturally and geographical blessed, within a linear distance of around 220km in the west and around 120 km in the east, vertically, you will experience all the terrains, low flat lands to the tallest mountains in the world. Majority of the travelers flock down to Nepal with the intention to see one of the 8 highest mountains in the world above the sea level, which includes Everest 8850m, Kanchanjunga 8586m, Lhotse 8516, Makalu 8481, Cho Oyu 8201, Dhaulagiri I 8167, Manaslu 8156m and Annapurna I 8091m. When it comes to adventure, of course walking above thin air is the first choice but there are some other things not to miss. The ones that have made to my list are Bungee jumping from Bhotekoshi bridge, white water rafting on the tides of raging tributaries of Bhotekosh, Karnali and Trishuli, paragliding from Sarangkot with the view of Annapurna, mountain biking on the trails of highest Himalayas, canyoning and high altitude rock climbing.

2. Culture

The culture of Nepal is both rich and unique. The culture of Nepal is original at places where as we can see some Tibetan and Indian influence as well. Whatever the culture is, it has been molded over centuries to what it is in the present days. Nepal was the only Hindu kingdom in the world some years back and is the country where Buddha ‘the sage upon whose teachings Buddhism was found’ was born. There are 125 recorded ethnic groups of people who speak their own dialect, there are 123 recorded dialects but the common dialect is Nepali. Nepali weddings are one of the most rejoiced lifetime events by the travelers, which is completely different in all the groups of people living in the country.

3. Festivals

Festivals are as unique as the culture. The father of all festivals is Dashain and Tihar. Dashain is the time of the year when everyone gets a long break and rejoices time with family members where as Tihar is the festival of lights. There are festival year around and one of the major festivals that all rejoice is Holi which is a festival of color. There are other festivals celebrated by indigenous community which is not less attractive like Loshar, which embarks new year in the Buddhist community.

4. Architecture

The ancient pagoda style houses, temples and palaces are the kind of architectures which is not available is all parts of the world. The architecture that of Patan Durbar Square, Basantapur Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar square, Boudhanath stupa, Swayambhunath stupa are amongst the one which has not only been praised by the travelers but also UNESCO, which is why these architectures have been archived as world heritage sites by UNESCO. There are several architecture which will steal the show while in Nepal like ‘Dreams of Garden’,‘Singhadurbar’, ‘Krishna Temple’ and many more.

5. Food

The food is something not to miss while in Nepal. People in Nepal eat a lot of spicy and hot food, besides the staple meal of rice and lentils ‘Dal Bhat’. My personal favorite is momo, momo is dumplings in Nepalese style with the option of meat or veggies in it. Beside momo if you are not worried about having heart burns or upset stomach I would recommend you try Newari cuisine, which consists of Choila, chatamari, bara. You can also find food from all over the world is available in major cities but when in Nepal eat like Nepalese do.

6. UNESCO world heritage sites

The ones that made to UNESCO world heritage site are the ones which carry a lot of cultural heritage on their back. UNESCO world heritage sites receive one of the most national and international tourists throughout the year. The sites those have been listed to UNESCO world heritage sites are Basantapur Durbar square, Patan Durbar square, Bhaktapur Durbar square, Boudhanath Stupa, Pashupatinath temple, Changu Narayan temple, Swayambhunath temple, Lumbini. The natural sites making to the list are Chitwan National park and Sagarmatha National park. These UNESCO world heritage sites are must see and is easily accessible throughout the year.

7. Spiritual Experience

Nepal is the Birthplace of Buddha and many other religious philosophy and philosophers. Nepal is still considered as one of the most peaceful destinations on earth. Travelers from all over the world come to Nepal to practice the age old practice carried out by the disciples of Buddhist religion and Buddha and you may not want to miss that for a very low contribution or no contribution at all. There are increasing numbers of people who travel to Nepal not for tourist attractions and adventure but to find spiritual self. You may not want to miss yoga, meditation and temples which have been the heart throb of travelers traveling to Nepal and gateway to insight and new way of life.

8. Shopping

If you are shopping for brand Nepal may be a wrong place to shop. You will find all the exotic to basic brands from around the world ranging from Louis Vuitton to Adidas and Nike but not genuine. It may look genuine; the price would be as genuine as it is, but not the product. The best things to shop from Nepal are souvenirs which include metal crafts, oil paintings, thanka paintaings, cotton t-shirts with the name and image of mountains printed, cashmere shawls, handicrafts, incents, organic tea leaves, hemp product and stones. There are many other things that would catch your attention as well

Being a Nepalese citizen I would say that there are many things that will put you in a cultural shock as some author said Nepal is a country where livestock walk undisturbed on a busy road but humans get hit on the side walk. Travel is all about discovering and experiencing things that is different from your culture, country and way of life and all I would say is indulge yourself in this beautiful land and be a story teller for the rest of the world.