Nepal is one of the most spectacular and beautiful countries in the world. And for most visitors it doesn’t take long to realise they are now in a country that is very, very different too.

It’s no surprise that many visitors come back to Nepal again and again and again.

Why? Because there is a “magic” to Nepal. It is something you feel, but can’t describe in words.

To experience the “magic” of Nepal and feel that “magic” you have to visit Nepal.

Here are 10 reasons why you should visit Nepal and experience the “magic” for yourself….

Nepal is quite a small country, yet it has one of the most diverse landscapes on the planet. From the hot and steamy lowland jungles, which are almost at sea-level, Nepal rises in just around 50 miles to the highest point on earth, Everest! So, yes you really can bask in sub-tropical warmth yet see the mighty, snow-covered Himalayas at the same time. The Himalayas are of course often referred to as the “third pole”.

So, in Nepal you really can travel from somewhere sub-tropical like Florida to the Arctic in just a matter of a couple of days. On that journey everything changes. Jungle gives way to arboreal woodlands and then to conifer forest and beyond that it’s a mountain wilderness. The landscape changes from flat to rocky peaks. The people change too, from the Tharu tribe of the lowland Terai to the Sherpa people of the Everest region. Of course with the changes in habitat the wildlife of the mountains is very different to the wildlife of the jungles. Even religion changes from Hindu to Tibetan Buddhist as you climb higher and higher into the Himalayas and of course the higher you go, the colder it gets.

Nepal and the Himalayas are of course synonymous with trekking. Some of the world’s most spectacular treks are in Nepal. The likes of the Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek and Annapurna Sanctuary Trek are on many people’s bucket list.

Probably about 80% of people trekking in Nepal jam themselves onto these three world famous treks.

That leaves a great deal of Himalayas for the remaining 20% to explore!

That leaves a great deal of Himalayas for the remaining 20% to explore!

Indeed one of the best treks and least visited is to be found over in the far east of Nepal beneath the world’s third highest mountain. Trekking to Kangchenjunga North & South Base Camps takes some beating.

But, of course many of these treks require considerable time as well as being very physically challenging.

The good news is that there are also many short treks in Nepal nowadays too.

Whilst Nepal may well be famous for Himalayan treks, there is so much more to Nepal than trekking.

It’s said that within the Kathmandu Valley itself is the greatest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are magnificent and ornate towering pagoda temples to discover, breath taking Tibetan Buddhist Stupa’s, intricate Newari wood carvings and traditional artisan craftsmanship to discover. Just a short distance from Kathmandu the medieval city of Bhaktapur is akin to exploring a living museum.

Yet Nepal is not a country of numerous large cities and towns. Rather it is the myriad of tiny rural villages where the “heart and soul” of Nepal can be found.

You can’t visit all the villages as there are so many, but a wonderful example is the seemingly timeless, traditional hill village of Nuwakot, which can be reached from Kathmandu in just a few hours.

Even closer to Kathmandu a day trip to visit Hindu Panauti and Buddhist Namobuddha is a great way to experience that diversity we talked about Nepal having and all amongst the peaceful rurality of the Kathmandu Valley.

High in the Himalayas lives the “ghost of the mountains”, the elusive and almost mythical snow leopard. Down in the lowland jungles lurks the magnificent bengal tiger.

World famous Chitwan National Park is where most people head to to experience a jungle safari as it is within a days reach of Kathmandu.

However, hop on a plane, head east and visit Bardia National Park if you’re a more serious wildlife enthusiast.

Yet, on the outskirts of Kathmandu are the steep, forested hills of the Shivapuri National Park. The rare clouded leopard lives here as does the common leopard and a lot more too.

But, that’s not all. Nepal is a bird watchers paradise and all of the national parks mentioned above host a dazzling array of colourful bird life. However, birding enthusiasts rave about Koshi Tappu.

Whilst Nepal may well have drastic and diverse landscapes most visitors to Nepal will you that the true “jewel in the crown” of Nepal are the wonderful and equally diverse people of Nepal.

There are many tribes such as Tamang, Gurung, Sherpa and Tharu and each with their own unique culture. But, they have one thing in common. The people of Nepal are quite possibly the friendliest people in the world.

Just don’t be surprised to find yourself in someone’s village home having a cup of tea and remaining friends for life with a wonderful person whom just five minutes ago was a complete stranger.

Like we said just before. It’s not just trekking in Nepal. In fact to have an adventure activity vacation in Nepal you don’t need to go trekking at all, although you might want to squeeze in a day or two of hiking.

You can enjoy a multi-activity holiday and combine varied activities. Try some two wheel fun from extreme Himalayan mountain biking to more gentle cycling on backroads. If you’re in need of an adrenaline fix then there’s numerous places to try bungee jumping, zip line action, canyoning, hot air ballooning and even even a tandem Himalayan paragliding flight. If you’ve got the money, then a private helicopter flight up to Everest Base Camp takes some beating.

Then again the world’s highest mountains also created powerful rivers

For whitewater rafting rivers such as the Karnali, Kali Gandaki and Sun Khosi are renowned as being amongst the best in the world.

But, don’t worry. If a wild and wet rafting expedition isn’t your thing there’s some enjoyable day rafting experiences on gentler rivers like the Seti.

The food of Nepal has been a well kept secret for far too long and it almost seemed at one time Nepal had forgotten about its own wonderful cuisine. Visitors would find that pretty much every type of international cuisine was readily available in Nepal, from burgers to bakeries, pizzas to puddings and the closest they would get to Nepali cuisine wold be Dal Bhat in a teahouse on trek.

Then along came Santosh Shah, a Masterchef finalist and all of a sudden Nepali cuisine was both introduced to a large audience, wowing the food critics with his elevated flavoursome versions of traditional Nepal classics.

So, particularly in Kathmandu an increasing number of restaurants with dynamic, creative young chefs are providing fine dining Nepali cuisine experiences.

A typical example is Chef Suresh Giri who has taken the Nepali staple Bara to a new level.

But, there’s great street food to enjoy too like Choyela, a real favourite of Kathmandu locals.

It is however the momo that Nepal is most famous for. Although the momo originates from Tibet, the Nepali people have fallen in love with this stuffed dumpling and come up with so many spicy and tasty varieties.

You’ll find momo cafes just about everywhere in Kathmandu. To identify the best ones just look inside and see if the locals are in there. If they are, then you know it’s gonna be good.

Think of Mustang as a a country within a country. Which, in fact it was. It’s also true to say that Mustang is very, very different to the rest of Nepal. This is because Mustang is the only part of Nepal that is on the “other side of the huge Himalayan wall”.

In simple terms, Mustang is Tibet but in Nepal. And geographically it is. Mustang is a part of the Tibetan Plateau, essentially a high altitude mountainous desert and for centuries cut off from the rest of the world both by geography and that foreigners were not allowed into Mustang either.

In fact tourists have only been allowed to visit Mustang since the early 1990’s and even they had to obtain a costly permit (you still do) and the only way to get around Mustang and reach the fabled walled city of Lo Manthang was demanding trekking at relentless high altitude.

Nowadays there is a road (of sorts) meaning that intrepid, discerning travellers can explore Mustang by Jeep!

There are very few parts of the world left that remain relatively culturally intact and not despoiled by tourism.

For now Mustang remains one of those.

It sometimes seems like there’s some sort of festival happening every week in Nepal. It’s hardly surprising as Nepal celebrates both Hindu and Buddhist festivals alike.

There are local festival like Tiji in Mustang and Mani Rimdu in the Everest region to ones that happen throughout the country like Holi and Dashain.

Our Nepal Festivals Guide features the main ones.

It’s a fact that some places are becoming so over run with tourists that many local people are objecting and starting to make tourists feel like they are no longer welcome. Think Venice, Barcelona and more!

Not in Nepal!

You’ll find that Nepal really does make you feel welcome as a tourist and not only that Nepal is also one of the safest countries in the world too.