About Nepal

NEPAL- at a Glance :

Nepal borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China in the North and India in the East, South and west respectively. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. The country extends upto 147,181 sq. kilometers and altitude ranges from 70 meters to 8848 meters. Nepal Time is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT. The population of Nepal is approximately 2,24,91,097. Nepali is the national language of Nepal; educated people understand and speak English as well. Nepalese people are mainly divided into two distinct groups the Indo-Aryans and the Mangoloids. Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. Hindu Temples and Buddhist shrines are scattered all over the kingdom. Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the Light of Asia.

Nepal has four major seasons, namely, Winter: December-February, spring: March-May, summer: June-August and autumn: September- November.
Nepal has one international airport in Kathmandu - Tribhuvan Internaitonal Airport.

At the customs all baggage is subject to customs' check at the point of entry. Visitors are allowed to bring in 15 rolls of photo film and 12 rolls of movie camera film. Visitors are also allowed to carry one binocular, one camera, one movie camera, one video camera, one radio, one tape recorder, one bicycle, one wrist watch, one set of fountain pen, one perambulator, 15 radio cassettes & 10 disk records into the country on the condition that they are declared and are to be taken back on return.

Nepal has every type of accommodation facilities. This ranges from the international standard star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. In order to have an assured quality service it is advisable to use the facilities and services of government registered hotels, lodges, travel agencies the licensed tour guides only and engage an authorized guide or porter only through a registered travel/trekking agency.

Of the 14 peaks above 8000 meters in the world eight are located in Nepal. It is the land of Sagarmatha (Mount. Everest, 8848 meters), the highest peak in the world and other 1310 mountain peaks. There are mountain flights, which fly around the Mount Everest and provide a close look of the top of the world. Nagarkot (32 kilometers East of Kathmandu) and Daman (80 Kilometers south-west of Kathmandu) one can have a distant view of Mount Everest and beautiful Himalayan ranges.

Kathmandu Valley possesses several historical monuments, old palaces and palace squares, shrines and temples, ageless traditions and legends all make it a living museum. Nepal is the land of Lord Pashupatinath, which is supposed to be the holiest Hindu temple in the world. Not only for the Hindus but also for the Buddhists Nepal offers a unique place of pilgrimage, as it is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. The most important aspect of Nepali culture is the religious harmony and understanding prevailing among the Hindus and Buddhist.