Kathmandu is popular for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Historical monuments, festivals and cultural splendor.
Pokhara is famous for its close-up mountain views, pristine nature, sparkling lakes, limestone caves, deep gorges and waterfalls.
Chitwan is popular for jungle safari and Terai-life experience.
On clear day the hill resorts of Dhulikhel ( 30 km from Kathmandu ), Nagarkot (28 km from Kathmandu ) and Daman ( 80 km southwest of Kathmandu ) afford magnificent views of himalayan range. These hills stations are very popular for nature lovers and honeymooners.
Nepal biggest tourist destination after Kathmandu the Pokhara valley is an extra ordinary beautiful place. Most travelers’ comes for trekking, rafting, or other adventure sports but live with a deep sense of the cities scenic beauty and rich mosaic of ethnic culture. Pokhara lies in the very heart of central Nepal, and its population is representative of the ethnic patchwork of the region.
The valley surrounding Pokhara is home to thick forest, gushing rivers, clear lakes and the world famous views of the Himalayas. Situated km west of Kathmandu, Pokhara is connected by air as well as by road from Kathmandu and Lumbini, birth place of Lord Buddha. Pokhara offers magnificent views of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Macchapucchara, and 5 peaks of Annapurna range and others. Pokhara is also home t o many ethnic groups: Thakalies, Gurungs, magars, and Newars, is having their own social and cultural traditions. Hindu casts now dominates the orginal Gurung inhibatanta, whose large slate-roofed villages still dot the country side. Once, Pokhara belonged to the independent kingdom of kaski, and on the surrounding Hill-tops stand the ruins of ancient stone fortresses (kot), water less and lonely, but virtually impregnable. The town is sprawling but largely undeveloped, with neighborhoods, scattered far apart from one another.
The center piece of pokhara is the beautiful lake of Phewa tal, the second biggest lake in Nepal. Besides Phewa Lake, Bagnas Lake and Rupa Lake lie 15 KM to the east of Pokhara. They are separated by a forested hillock named Panchabhaiya, and their relatives’ seclusion makes them a perfect retreat. One should not miss the breath taking loss of Seti River. The best palace to view the rivers away some power is on the Mahendra Pul. Another site seeing, place is Devi’s fall, a water fall at 2 KM Shouthwest of Pokhara air port. There are many other sightseeing Pokhara, such as, Mahendra cave, Chamara (Bat) cave, and Old bazaar, Bindhyavasini Temple, world peace Stupa, Annapurna and Pokhara Museum.
Chitwan Is on the plains that encompass rivers, jungle, swamps and savannas. Safaris on elephant back are exciting and reminiscent of yesteryear when it was the King hunting grounds. Although game was hunted the area was protected from poachers, habitat destruction by farming or logging. It was declared a national park but was not fully protected during latter times with poachers and an influx of people escaping conflict in the mountainous regions. Chitwan has many resorts to stay in which also include bungalows with your own view of awe inspiring sunsets on “Indian summer” evenings a magical serenity in contrast to the rugged hills of the Annapurnas ranges.
Chitwan which means the ‘heart of jungle’ is among the last surviving example of the continuous bans of frosts and grasslands which once extended from the Indus River in Pakistan to Burmese border. The park that includes in its area a part of Shivalik hills, is covered with deciduous forests overlooking the floodplains of Narayani, Rapti and Reu rivers and offering a wilderness of rich ecosystem that includes mammals, birds, reptiles and water animals of several kinds . There are around 600 plant species, 50 mammals 526 birds and 49 amphibians reptiles found in the park , the highlights, of course are the 500 Asian one-horned rhinoceros an some 100 nocturnal Royal Bengal tigers that live in the dense forests of the park . Sharing home with these are other animals like rhesus monkey, grey languor, deer, leopards, white stockinet gaur, wild dogs and wild cats.
The sub-tropical climate with the temperature reaching highest during December through February, The average rain fall record here is about 2400 mm .one can easily discover prehistoric one horned rhinos, lumberin elephants, gharial crocodiles, birds s such as colorful king fisher’s green parakeets, blue tailed bee eaters and other inside the park the typical jungle safari is an ideal model to have a good glimpse of many of these fabulous creatures in their natural habitat. Including of culture tour, Tharus stick dance, Bird Park watching etc are also important activities in the best time to visit is autumn (September through December).
Lumbini, the Birth place lord Buddha in the west Nepal is a tourist asset of Nepal which is already a big tourist draw- and has a big potential. This place, sacrosanct to the Buddhist of the world was identified by Dr. Aloes Anten Fuhrer- a germen archaeologist, in 1895 AD; the area may have been thriving region in the days when Buddha’s fathers held away over the remote principality with its small capital situated at Kapilvastu.
The sacred remain that have surfed are a broken Ashoka pillar, the stone image of Maya Devi, the mother of lord Buddha, the ruins of an old monastery, besides a few object of archeological interest. International al interest has been evinced in the preservation and development of this important religious site. The late You Thant issued and apple for international help to maintained and improve the state as a great center of pilgrimage for devout Buddhist from all parts of world.
The Maya Devi temple is the main attraction for pilgrimage and archaeologist a like. here and find a bas relief of Maya Devi, the buddha’s mother giving birth to him, standing west to the Maya Devi shrine the oldest Monuments of Nepal, the Ashokan pillar, the pillar was erected by Emperor Ashoka in 249 B C to commemorate his pilgrimage to the sacred site to the south of the pillar we find the sacred pond, Puskarni where Queen Maya Devi had taken a bath just before giving the birth to the Buddha.
There is also a sacred stone marked with a “Foot imprint” the Emperors Ashoka, which had been placed her to make the exact birth place. There are other places of interest to near by. It is accessible by air from Kathmandu to Bhairawa. From Kathmandu it takes about 8 hours by bus or car.