Yetis and yaks, mountains and base camps, stupas and shrines combine to make Nepal a unique destination unlike any other. Mt Everest is naturally one of the most notable sights, but there are plenty of other outdoor adventures and activities just waiting for your trip to Nepal.

 

To help you choose the right Nepal tour packages for you, we’ve compiled a list of our top things to do in the landlocked Himalayan country.

 

Mount Everest and the Himalayas

 

Unforgiving but seductive, Sagarmāthā – the Forehead of the Sky – is the tallest mountain on Earth. Thousands of plucky climbers have attempted the peak since Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay’s effort in 1953. For most of us, reaching Kala Pattar-Everest Base Camp along the tea house trail is as far as is possible medically and economically. Joining a tour alongside yaks, sherpas and formidable porters is without a doubt one of life’s most epic and rewarding challenges.

 

Trek with Sherpas

 

For incomparable scenic glory and a cultural rush, trekking is the undisputed magnet of Nepalese tourism, with at least 8 of 10 visitors packing their boots and poles. There are plenty of options apart from Everest Base Camp, such as the Langtang Valley Trek and the Manaslu Circuit Trek.

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Browse Namche Bazaar

 

Residents of this acclimatisation station, also home to a lively trading market for yak cheese, cold beer and milk chocolate, probably enjoy one of the most stunning views on the planet. Nearly every Everest trekker passes through here, and it is the trading epicentre of Sherpa life.

Namche Bazaar Nepal, Tourism Nepal

 

Incredible views at Gokyo Lakes

 

Do not miss the opportunity to extend your trek to the Gokyo Lakes, where you will gape in awe at the jaw-dropping blue and white view the nearby peak of Mt Everest commands. Organised tours guarantee a route that is well-acclimatised, while experienced Sherpa staff insist on porter welfare.

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Durbar Square in lively capital Kathmandu

 

Frenetic tuk-tuk traffic and blackouts overwhelm the weary traveller on first arrival in the capital, but give it a few days – you’ll soon discover calm in Durbar Square’s layered pagoda roof temples and enjoy chatting to the famously effervescent Nepalese people.

 

Join monks at Boudhanath Stupa

 

There’s something calming about joining the groups of meditative circumambulators around one of the world’s largest stupa, guided by butter lamps and spinning prayer wheels, with maroon robed monks in tow.

Boudhanatha monks. Boudhanatha Stupa, Nepal tours

Explore the Thamel markets

 

Most visitors pass through these hippy backpacker markets at least once, where North Fake jackets and dodgy Chinese trekking poles are sold alongside Tibetan singing bowels and exquisitely painted Thangka scrolls.

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Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini

 

In a country where religion is centrally ingrained into daily life, pilgrims flock to the stone pillars of Buddhism. The town is said to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as Buddha, where he lived until he was 29 years old.

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The alternate trek: Annapurna Circuit

 

Nepal’s ‘other’ mountain trek is just as challenging. Prayer flags flutter along the route up to high Thorung La pass, with unrivalled access inside ancient Himalayan monasteries and greetings from friendly Buddhist monks.

 

Chill out at Pokhara

 

With bandaged blistered feet after an epic adventure at Everest Base Camp or Annapurna circuit, Phewa Lake is your just reward. If you have any juice left, explore the sensational snow-capped Himalayan surrounds by boat, paraglider or microlight airplane.


Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC

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