Kathmandu - The Gateway to Nepal

Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal and often calledmiss the opportunity to see the sunrise in Nagarkot.
"The Gateway to Nepal" and "Gateway of MountThe golden color cloud with the sunrise makes you
Everest". When anybody who has come to Nepalfeel like you are in Heaven and the spectacular view
thinks of Kathmandu, the first impression he carries onof Mount Everest makes your visit million dollar one. I
his mind is the temples of Kathmandu and its richwould strongly recommend get yourself to Nagarkot,
culture. Pashupatinath, Boudhanath Stupa,one of the premier hill stations, where you will find a
Swyambhunath temple (often called Monkey temple),hotel for any budget and taste. It is not very difficult to
Changunarayan are the world heritage sites ofget to Nagarkot. You can book a taxi or take the daily
Kathmandu that are in the memories of thousands oftourist bus which departs from Thamel at 7 am
tourist who have visited Nepal. Kathmandu is theeveryday in tourist season and on demand out of
melting point of Buddhism and Hinduism. The greatestseason. A great view of mountains, one of the Nepal's
Hindu shrine, Pashupatinath, situated in the eastern partbiggest attractions can be enjoyed on a clear day.
of Kathmandu attracts thousands of tourists everyFrom Nagarkot, views can be seen right from
year. Spectacular stupas such as Swyambhunath andAnnapurna in the west all the way down to
Boudhanath would keep any peace lover spellboundKanchenjunga in the east. The best time of year to
and surrender to the symbol of peace and takesee impressive views of the mountains is from
mesmerizing experience back.September through to February. When you are
Now I would like to scratch some history behindreturning from Nagarkot I would recommend you to
Kathmandu valley. Nobody would ever believe thistrek down through the hillside Tamang Villages to
beautiful city was once a great lake andChangunarayan, the oldest and one of the loveliest
Swyambhunath, a floating lotus. A Chinese warriortemples in the Kathmandu Valley. The entry fee is just
named Manjushree came to Nepal to see the70 rupees.
Swyambhunath. It looked like a lotus floating around theThamel, Narayanhiti national museum, Kathmandu
lake. He then drained the water out of Kathmandu byDurbar Square, Rani Pokhari, Dharahara are other
cutting hill in Chobhar with his sword. Kathmandu valleyinteresting places which are within a 2km radius so I
is believed to have got its name from imposing pagodahope you would you could visit these places without
Kasthamandap in Hanuman Dhoka.any difficulty. Thamel is the gathering point of Tourists
Nepal is a country of great culture and traditions.in Nepal where I believe every tourist will go once they
Believe it or not here are 3 million gods and festivalsgo to Kathmandu. Here you can witness as many
more than there are days in a year. So, if you are intourists as native people. You can find some good
Kathmandu on any month in a year, you wouldrestaurants and good hotels for your accommodation
definitely want to check the festival out there. It's a lotin Thamel. It is worth visiting in Kathmandu.
of fun.Kathmandu Durbar Square is another tourist place
Pashupatinath is the greatest tourist destination.where you must definitely go when you are in Nepal. It
Though on the main temple only the Hindus areseems like there was a competition of putting as
allowed to enter there are several interesting things inmany temples and big museums in the smallest area
Pashupatinath which will make your visit worthy.possible. I would recommend taking a rickshaw (three
Pashupatinath has covered a very big area. Monkeys,wheeler bicycle) and wander around the place. You
dears, beautiful pigeons can be seen aroundcan stay on the top of one of the temples and just
Pashupatinath. Pashupatinath is a temple of God Shiva.watch the activities on busy city as well.
You can see lot of devotees with the ashes putIf you want to go for trekking from Kathmandu you
around their body and smoking weeds. Pashupatinathcan easily go to any popular trekking sites such as
is situated on the bank of holy river Bagmati. On theEverest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Trekking Circuit,
bank of Bagmati River you can see the cremationand Manaslu Trekking etc. If you want to go to Mount
ceremony. IN Hindu culture, when there is death of anyEverest, then you need to take a mountain flight from
person, then they are burnt and at last the ashes areKathmandu to Lukla which is about 30-40 minutes.
flown to the Bagmati River which will ultimately reachLukla is one of the world's most dangerous airport and
the Holy River Ganges. This is quite an interestingthe airport on the highest point.
culture of Hindus which you can witness in Nepal unlikeI hope you learned something about Kathmandu and
the burial ceremony of other religions and culture.hope it will provide some help for your visit.
When you are in Kathmandu you would not want to