The Boudhanath stupa is one of the holiest and most recognisable sites in Kathmandu.

Assigned UNESCO world heritage status in 1979, Boudhanath (aka the Boudha, Chorten
Chempo and Khasa Caityais) has a diameter of 120 metres, making it the largest in
Nepal.
The Stupa is built on an octagonal base, is surrounded by prayer wheels, and has
colourful prayer flags draped from its 36-metre central spire.
Boudhanath is rich in symbolism: it has five statues of Dhyani Buddhas, representing the
five elements (earth, fire, water, air and ether); nine levels, representing Mount Meru (the
mythical peak at the centre of the Buddhist cosmos); and 13 rings from its base to its
apex (representing the steps to enlightenment or Nirvana).
The Everest Region
The 1,500 mile long Himalaya range contains every one of the world's fourteen 8000
metre peaks.
Nepal is home to eight of those 8000'ers: Everest (8848 m), Kanchenjunga (8586 m),
Lhotse (8516 metres), Makalu (8485 m), Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m),
Manaslu (8163 m) and Annapurna I (8109 m). The rest are found in Pakistan, China and
India.
The Everest region is accessed by a nerve-racking 30 minute flight in a tiny plane to
Lukla airport (at 2,860 metres). From there, walkers and climbers trek for two days to the
main town in the Everest region, Namche Bazaar (3,440 metres, offering accommodation,
good food, internet cafes, and equipment shops).
Everest base camp is about another week away (bearing in mind that ascent must be
taken slowly because of the altitude), reached after nights spent at small settlements
called Tengboche (3870m), Pheriche (4240m), Duglha (4620m), Lobuche (4930m) and
Gorak Shep (5160m).
From base camp, trekkers can summit the 5545 metre Kala Patthar, which offers great
views of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse (7,816 m).
Trekkers may also be lucky enough to observe Everest climbers, acclimatising
themselves for the trip to the top of the world via the deadly Khumbu icefalls (5,486 m),
four further high camps, the South Col (7,906 m) and the Hillary Step (a 12-metre rock
wall at 8,760 m).

The Annapurna region is accessed from tranquil Pokhara, and is famous for the
Annapurna range and the sacred Fish Tail mountain.
The 10-day Annapurna Sanctuary trek is the region's most popular activity. The sanctuary
is an oval shaped glacial plateau reached via a narrow pass between the peaks of
Hiunchuli (6,441 m) and Machapuchare (6,993 m, aka 'Fish Tail', regarded as sacred and
therefore unclimbed).
Annapurna base camp (4130 metres) is the highest point, providing stunning 360 degrees
views of the Annapurna range, the glaciers running from it, and the near-vertical south
face of Annapurna I (8091 metres).
The alernative Annapurnra Circuit trek, taking 12-19 days with a maximum elevation of
5416 metres at the Thorung La pass, circumnavegates the Annapurna range. The scenery
includes close-up views of Manaslu, Langtang Himal, Annapurna I, II, III and IV and
Gangapurna.
Durbar Square
Even though the Nepali royal family moved from the Hanuman Dhoka palace about a
century ago, Durbar (Palace) Square remains the tourist heart of Kathmandu.
Most visitors are surprised by the sheer number of temples surrounding the square, and
the two adjoining squares, some dating back to the 12th century.
The jewels in the crown are the Hanuman Dhoka itself (the complex of royal palaces), the
magnificent Taleju Temple (built in 1564 by Mahendra Malla, standing on a 12-stage
plinth, and reaching 35 metres in height), and the Kumari Bahal (an intricately carved
three-storey structure built in 1757 in which the 'living godess', a young girl selected from
the Kathmandu valley, still lives).
Other must-sees are the Kasthamandap (aka the 'Pavillion of wood', the building after
which Kathmandu was named and which, legend has it, was constructed using a single
sal tree) and the Maju Deval (a triple-roofed Shiva temple dating from 1690, built by the
mother of Bhaktapur's king Bhupatindra Malla)
Pashupatinath temple

Built in 1696 on the orders of King Bhupendra Malla, Pashupatinath is Nepal's most
important Hindu temple.
Constructed in the pagoda style of architecture, Pashupatinath stands on the banks of the
Bagmati river, has a distinctive gilded rooftop, intricately carved rafters (featuring
members of Shiva's family) and four silver-plated main doors surrounded by statues of
deities.
Pashupatinath reaches a maximum height of 24 metres, and is presided over by piests
called Bhattas and achief priest called Mool Bhatt or Raval. Non-Hindus are not allowed
inside the temple, though a glimpse of Shiva's bull, Nandi, can be caught from outside the
western entrance.
There is nonetheless much to see. The temple's exterior and its surrounding buildings are
worth a look. Sadhus (Hindu holy men) watch the world go by. Traders hawk marigolds,
incense and conch shells. And the riverbanks of the Bagmati river are a popular place for
cremations.
Chitwan National Park
Established in 1973, the Chitwan National Park is a 932 square kilometre nature reserve
of jungle, forest and marshland awarded world heritage status in 1984.
The Park replaced a hunting reserve used by the rich and famous; King George V and his
son, the future Edward VIII, bagged 18 rhinos during a 1911 shooting trip.
Chitwanmeaning 'heart of the jungle'offers visitors an excellent chance of spotting
one-horned rhinos, deer, monkeys, wild boars, hyenas, gharial crocodiles and over 450
species of bird (including parakeets, kingfishers, orioles and drongos). The Park is also
home to (more elusive) leopards, wild elephants, sloth bears and majestic royal Bengal
tigers. Despite setbacks during the Maoist insurgency, animal numbers are improving: a
2011 census counted 501 rhinos and 125 adult tigers. We suggest that visitors should
spend two days in the park, so as to allow plenty of time for foot and elephant treks. One
of Nepal's premier attractions.