Location : Situated between India and Tibet, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China
Area : 147,181 sq.km.
Altitude : 8848m Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) the highest peak in the world.
Latitude : 26 22' and 30 27' North.
Longitude : 80 4' and 88 12' East.
Capital : Kathmandu
People : 100 ethnic groups and over 125 spoken languages.
Population : 23.4 million
Topography : From the world's deepest gorge 'Kali-Gandaki' to highest point on earth 'The Everest'
Vegetation : Nepal possesses wide range of vegetation due to its unique topographical variation
Weather : Climate ranges from Tropical in the low lands to Arctic in higher altitudes.
Seasons : Winter (December - February), Summer (March - May), Monsoon (June - August), Autumn (September - November)
Monsoon : Mostly rains day & night, making the following days crispy clean and fresh. Most of the northern belt of the Trans-Himalayan zone is rain-shadowed and ideal for trekking.
National Flower : Red Rhododendron
National Animal : Cow
National Bird : Danfe (Impeyan Pheasant)
National Weapon : Khukuri (heavy iron knife)
World Heritage Sites (Cultural)
1. Kathmandu Durbar Square
2. Pashupatinath
3. Swayambhunath
4. Bouddhanath
5. Changunarayan
6. Patan Durbar Square
7. Bhaktapur Durbar Square
8. Lumbini (birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha)
World Heritage Sites (Natural)
1. Sagarmatha NAtional Park (1,148 sq.km.)
2. Royal Chitwan National Park (932 sq.km.)
KATHMANDU CITY
Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal which is also the largest city in the whole country. This mysterious city can seem, in places, to be a huge intricate sculpture unchanged since the Middle Ages. At other times it can be just another Third World capital rushing carelessly into the 20th century. For many people, arriving
in Kathmandu is as shocking as stepping out of a time machine - the sights, sounds and smells can lead to sensory overload. Streets and lanes are narrow with carved wooden balconies leaning over tiny shops. Squares packed with extraordinary temples and monuments, markets bright with fruits and vegetables and a constant throng of humanity.
Other beautiful cities in Nepal are Pokhara, Janakpur, Lumbini, Tansen, Palpa. Pokhara offers the most scenic views of the mountain known as Annapurna Range. In fact most of the popular trekking in the western Nepal starts from Pokhara. Janakpur has the most beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Rama. Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. Tansen and Palpa are some old but beautiful towns.
CLIMATE & WEATHER
Nepal has a typical monsoonal two-season year. The dry season start from October and lasts till May and the wet season, the monsoon, from June till September.
In the summer (May till early part of June) Kathmandu, the capital city, get very hot with temperatures often in the 30s. Even during winter the bright sunny days often reach 20ºC although with nightfall the mercury may plummet to near freezing. It never actually snows in the Kathmandu Valley and higher up the coldest weather is also the driest weather so snow is unusual. Due to its lower altitude Pokhara is warmer and more pleasant than Kathmandu in the winter, but hotter when the temperature builds up and wetter during the monsoon.
CURRENCY
Nepali money called 'rupees' comes in the note of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. There is no problem for changing any major foreign currencies such as dollar, pound, euro, mark, francs, etc. There are numerous money changing counters approved by government all around Thamel. Travellers with major credit cards such as VISA, MASTERCARD, JCB, AMEX, can use their cards without any problem to pay in most places. Travellers checks are bought and sold in all major banks such as Standard Chartered Bank, Himalayan Bank, Nepal Indosuez Bank, Nepal Arab Bank, Bank of Kathmandu.
COMMUNICATION
Nepal is linked with the rest of the world by satellite and there is international direct dialing IDD. Any inquiry regarding phone numbers of any important places can be had by dialling 197 (information) from any corner of the Kathmandu city. For making international calls there are numerous places in all the major cities. A lot of places in Thamel offers internet access too with a very good price of Rs. 25-50 per hour. The speed may not be as good as in other American and European countries. If you are low in budget but needs to contact your home, try one of these internet cafes for internet phones. Most places charge about Rs. 10 to 25 per minutes for internet phones. Letters, postcards and any mailing services you need, are offered at the Central Post Office at Sundhara. But if it is just to send a postcard, you can buy postal stamps at many book shops around Thamel and many other parts of the city. Most of these bookshops do free mailing service for you.
VISA
Nepalese Visa can be had at any of the Nepalese consulate or Embassy abroad. But it is not necessary to have Nepalese Visa to buy a ticket to Nepal. Visa can be obtained without any problem at the International airport in Kathmandu upon arrival for US $ 50 a month. Once you enter Nepal, you can stay as long as five months with Tourist Visa and it can be extended for a price of US $ 50 a month for five months.
IMMIGRATION
All government offices in Kathmandu are open from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. from Monday till Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are government holidays. There are other numerous national festivals when these offices will remain closed.
BOOKSHOPS
Kathmandu has a large number of very good bookshops. Many of them has interesting selections of books on Nepal including some rare books that are not usually available outside the country. Prices for British and US books are surprisingly much better than in their home countries. There are many second hand bookshops too that buy and sell used books for half the price. Mandala Book Point in Kantipath has a beautiful selection of Himalayan titles with good range of French and German selections.
VISITING HOLY PLACES
Kathmandu city is full of holy temples and shrines and both Hindus and Buddhists have their own sacred places of worship scattered all around the city. Tuesdays and Saturdays are the main worshipping days. Most Buddhist temples allow non Buddhists too but many Hindu temples are strictly for Hindus only. Whenever you visit one of these temples please make sure that you read the signboard that tells whether or not a non-Hindu is allowed. Most Hindu places restrict photography too and we request you to respect that. A lot of places in the narrow streets of Kathmandu, you will find stones with red powder, please make sure you don't step onto one of those as they too are holy spots.
MUSEUMS & ART GALLERIES
Kathmandu city also has a large number of museums that are open six days a week from 10:00a.m. till 4:00p.m. Basantapur Musuem has a large collection of historical Rana belongings and paintings. The house itself is one of the most beautiful architectures of ancient Nepal. Do not forget to climb the nine storey wooden palace. The views of the Kathmandu city from the top of the palace is awesome. Other museums are located at the base of Swayambhu Stupa. Natural History museum has a fine collections of birds and reptiles found in Nepal. Museum of Numismatics and sculpture is located just about 20 minutes walk from Natural History Museums. Patan Museum also has a large collection of fascinating handmade sculptures, woodworks and paintings.
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