Lonely Planet Nepal

Bradley Mayhew

Description

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet's Nepal is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the historic temples of old Kathmandu, search for rhinos and tigers in the dawn mist of Chitwan National Park, and trek in the shadow of the world's highest mountain on an Everest Base Camp expedition - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Nepal and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Nepal: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers Kathmandu, Around the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara & Around, The Terai & Mahabharat Range The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Nepal is our most comprehensive guide to the country, and is designed to immerse you in the culture and help you discover the best sights and get off the beaten track. Looking for more extensive trekking coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

Sujets

• Nepal

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781787019256
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 38 Mo

Extrait

Nepal

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Nepal
Nepal’s Top 15
Need to Know
What’s New
If You Like...
Month by Month
Itineraries
Planning Your Trek
Outdoor Activities
Volunteering & Responsible Travel
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

KATHMANDU
Kathmandu
Walking Tour: South from Thamel to Durbar Square
Walking Tour: South from Durbar Square
Around Kathmandu
Swayambhunath
AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
Around the Ring Road
Pashupatinath
Chabahil
Bodhnath (Boudha)
Kopan
The Northern & Western Valley
Budhanilkantha
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
Patan
Town Walk Patan: North of Durbar Square
Town Walk Patan: South of Durbar Square
Bhaktapur
Town Walk Bhaktapur Backstreets
Around Bhaktapur
Suriya Binayak Temple
Thimi
Changu Narayan Temple
The Northeastern Valley
Gokarna Mahadev
Gokarna Forest
Sankhu
The Southern Valley
Kirtipur
Pharping
Around Pharping
Bungamati
Khokana
Chapagaon
Godavari
The Valley Fringe
Nagarkot
Dhulikhel
Panauti
Namobuddha
Balthali
Beyond the Valley
Arniko Highway to Tibet
The Road to Langtang
KATHMANDU TO POKHARA
The Trisuli River to Abu Khaireni
Manakamana
Gorkha
Bandipur
Dumre
POKHARA
Pokhara
Around Pokhara
Sarangkot
Begnas Tal & Rupa Tal
Pokhara to Jomsom
Pokhara to Beni
Beni to Tatopani
Tatopani
Tatopani to Marpha
Marpha
Jomsom
THE TERAI & MAHABHARAT RANGE
Central Terai
Narayangarh & Bharatpur
Chitwan National Park
Siddharthanagar (Bhairawa) & Sunauli
Lumbini
The Siddhartha Highway
Butwal
Tansen (Palpa)
The Tribhuvan Highway
Hetauda
Daman
Western Terai
Nepalganj
Bardia National Park
Sukla Phanta National Park
Bhimdatta (Mahendranagar)
Eastern Terai
Birganj
Janakpur
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Biratnagar
Dharan to Hile
Ilam
Around Ilam
Kakarbhitta
TREKKING ROUTES
Choosing a Trek
Shorter Treks
Life on the Trail
Routes & Conditions
Sleeping & Eating
Everest Base Camp Trek
Annapurna Circuit Trek
Annapurna Sanctuary Trek
Other Annapurna Treks
Ghachok Trek
Ghandruk Loop
Panchase Trek
Annapurna Panorama
Mardi Himal Trek
Khopra Ridge
Langtang Valley Trek
Tamang Heritage Trail
Gosainkund Trek
Restricted Area & Other Treks
BIKING, RAFTING & KAYAKING
Mountain-Bike Routes
The Scar Road from Kathmandu
Kathmandu to Pokhara
Upper Mustang: Jomsom to Lo Manthang
Muktinath to Pokhara
Kathmandu Valley Loop via Nagarkot & Namobuddha
The Rajpath from Kathmandu
Pokhara to Sarangkot & Naudanda
Rafting & Kayaking Routes
Trisuli
Bhote Kosi
Upper Sun Kosi
Seti Khola
Upper Kali Gandaki
Marsyangdi
Karnali
Sun Kosi
Tamur
Other Rivers

Understand

Understand Nepal
Nepal Today
History
People & Culture
Religion
Arts & Architecture
Environment & Wildlife

Survive

Directory A-Z
Accommodation
Activities
Children
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
LGBT Travellers
Insurance
Internet Access
Language Courses
Legal Matters
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Women Travellers
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Health
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Nepal

A trekkers’ paradise, Nepal combines Himalayan views, golden temples, charming hill villages and jungle wildlife-watching to offer one of the world’s great travel destinations.

Mountain Highs
The Nepal Himalaya is the ultimate goal for mountain lovers. Some of the Himalaya’s most iconic and accessible hiking is on offer here, with rugged trails to Everest, the Annapurnas and beyond. Nowhere else can you trek for days in incredible mountain scenery, secure in the knowledge that a hot meal, cosy lodge and warm slice of apple pie await you at the end of the day. Then there’s the adrenaline kick of rafting a roaring Nepali river or bungee jumping into a yawning Himalayan gorge. Canyoning, climbing, kayaking, paragliding and mountain biking all offer a rush against the backdrop of some of the world’s most dramatic landscapes.

Medieval Cities & Sacred Sites
Other travellers prefer to see Nepal at a more refined pace, admiring the peaks over a sunset gin and tonic from a Himalayan viewpoint, strolling through the medieval city squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and joining Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims on a spiritual stroll around centuries-old stupas and monasteries. Even after the 2015 earthquake, Nepal remains the cultural powerhouse of the Himalaya; the Kathmandu Valley in particular offers an unrivalled collection of world-class palaces, hidden backstreet shrines and sublime temple art.

Jungle Adventures
South of Nepal’s mountains lies something completely different: a chain of wild and woolly national parks, where nature buffs scan the subtropical treetops for exotic bird species and comb the jungles for rhinos, tigers and crocodiles. Choose from a luxury safari lodge in central Chitwan or go exploring on a wilder trip to remote Bardia or Koshi Tappu, stopping en route to visit the birthplace of Buddha on the steamy plains near Lumbini. Whether you cross the country by mountain bike, motorbike, raft or tourist bus, Nepal offers an astonishingly diverse array of attractions and landscapes.

Travel Nirvana
There are few countries in the world that are as well set up for independent travel as Nepal. Wandering the trekking shops, bakeries and pizzerias of Thamel and Pokhara, it’s easy to feel that you have somehow landed in a kind of backpacker Disneyland. Out in the countryside lies a quite different Nepal, where traditional mountain life continues at a slower pace, and a million potential adventures glimmer on the mountain horizons. The biggest problem you might face in Nepal is just how to fit everything in, which is one reason why many people return here over and over again.

Annapurna Circuit Trek | ALEXANDER MAZURKEVICH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Why I Love Nepal
By Bradley Mayhew, Writer
If, like me, you get your highs from pristine mountain views and the sense of perspective that a Himalayan journey offers, then you are going to like Nepal. But if, also like me, you’ve always secretly wished that your mountain wilderness came with a warm slice of apple pie instead of a soggy tent, then you will simply love this place. My favourite thing about Nepal? There’s always another adventure. Done Annapurna? Try the Gokyo Valley. Done Gokyo? Try a 6000m trekking peak. It’s adventure heaven, with an espresso on the side.
For more see Our writers
Nepal’s Top 15

Old Kathmandu
Even after suffering damage in the 2015 earthquake, the historic centre of old Kathmandu remains an open-air architectural museum of magnificent medieval temples, pagodas, pavilions and shrines. Once occupied by Nepal’s cloistered royal family and still home to the Kumari, Kathmandu’s very own living goddess, Durbar Sq (pictured) is the gateway to a maze of medieval streets that burst even more vividly to life during spectacular festivals. For an introduction to old Kathmandu, follow our walking tours through the hidden backstreet courtyards and temples of the surrounding warren-like old town.

ANANDOART/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Everest Base Camp Trek
Topping many people’s travel bucket list is this two-week-long trek to the base of the world’s highest, and most hyped, mountain. Despite only limited views of Mount Everest itself, the surrounding Himalayan peaks are truly awesome, and the half-hour you spend watching the alpenglow ascend beautiful Pumori or Ama Dablam (pictured) is worth all the altitude headaches you will likely suffer. The crowds can be thick in October, but the welcome at the Sherpa lodges is as warm as their fresh apple pie.

HEATH HOLDEN/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
Bodhnath Stupa
The village of Bodhnath is the centre of Nepal’s exiled Tibetan community and home to Asia’s largest stupa , a spectacular white dome and spire that draws Buddhist pilgrims from hundreds of kilo-metres away. Equally fascinating are the surrounding streets, bustling with monks with shaved heads and maroon robes, and lined with Tibetan monasteries and shops selling prayer wheels and juniper incense. Come at dusk and join the Tibetan pilgrims as they light butter lamps and walk around the stupa on their daily kora (ritual circumambulation).

LAURA GRIER/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
Bhaktapur
Of the three former city-states that jostled for power over the Kathmandu Valley, medieval Bhaktapur is the most atmospheric. Despite damage in the 2015 quake, its backstreets still burst with temples and pagodas, including the Nyatapola Temple, Nepal’s tallest. Winding lanes lined with red-brick buildings lead onto squares used by locals for drying corn and making pottery – this is no museum but a living, breathing town where residents live their lives in public. Stay overnight in a guesthouse or attend one of the city’s fantastic festivals.

Golden Gate | JAN COBB PHOTOGRAPHY LTD/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
Swayambhunath
The iconic whitewashed stupa of Swayambhunath is both a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Nepal’s most sacred Buddhist shrines. The great stupa – painted with iconic, all-seeing Buddha eyes – survived the 2015 quake with only minor damage and it remains a focal point for Buddhist devotion. Pilgrims wander the shrines, spinning prayer wheels and murmuring mantras, while nearby astrologers read palms, and shop-keepers sell magic amulets and sacred beads. Come at dusk for spectacular views over the city lights of Kathmandu.

TOILETROOM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Annapurna Circuit Trek
This trek around the 8091m Annapurna massif is Nepal’s most popular trek , and it’s easy to see why. The l