Visitors are wooed to Nepal by the Himalayas, which loom massive and magnificent over the small country (only marginally bigger than England). Everest is in the north east, the Annapurna peaks ‒ including Machapuchare, shaped like a fish’s tail ‒ in the mid north. A fantastic trekking country, there are spectacular foothills terraced with tiny rice fields and high pastures where yaks and dzos (cow/yak crosses) graze, peppered with time-honoured villages accessible only on foot.
There are other experiences too: raft down one of Nepal’s myriad rivers; head south to the rhino-rich lowlands; go tiger spotting in the southern Chitwan National Park; explore the Kathmandu Valley where Hindu and Buddhist cultures blend and where several ancient capitals are testimony to a wonderfully colourful history, from Kathmandu itself to beautiful Bhaktapur. Some sites are still being pieced together after Nepal’s severe earthquake in 2015, but visitors help support its restoration.
Pokhara Panorama is a four-day trek around Pokhara that starts in Sarangkot. It ascends to Panchase Peak and follows the ridge overlooking Phewa Tal to the Peace Stupa. The trek finishes with a descent to the lake for a boat ride across Phewa Tal back to Pokhara.
