Nepal

The notorious Prithvi Hwy, which winds through 128 miles (206km) of classic Middle Hills countryside, should be seen as more than just a painful bus ride. While many travelers head directly from Kathmandu to Pokhara, they miss out on some of Nepal's finer attractions. This includes one of the country's architectural gems, the historic town of Bandipur, a lovingly restored, picture-postcard village offering European ambience in the middle of gorgeous Nepalese vistas. As you follow the mighty Trisuli River along the Prithvi Hwy, you also pass its many riverside resorts, with their sandy beaches, laid-back charm and rafting adventures. Add the cultural attractions of Gorkha and Manakamana, and you have more than enough reason to get off the bus.

As the main approach route to Mt Everest (Sagarmatha), the Solukhumbu region has an almost mystical status in the world of trekking. The two-week climb to Everest Base Camp is perhaps the world's most famous trek, and tens of thousands of trekkers tackle the route every year for grandstand views of the world's highest mountain and its even more dramatic neighbours, Lhotse and Nuptse.

Located 22km west of Siddharthanagar (Bhairawa), Lumbini was the birthplace of one of history’s most revered figures, Siddhartha Gautama – better known as the historical Buddha – in the 7th century BC. During the years following the Buddha's lifetime, this was a teeming monastic complex and a major place of pilgrimage, but the site was lost to history until the discovery in 1896 of an inscribed pillar left behind by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka, amidst a sea of monastery ruins.

Vagabonds guide till vandring i Nepal – världens vackraste vandringsnation.

Once a fiercely independent city-state, Patan (pah-tan) is now almost a suburb of Kathmandu, separated only by the murky Bagmati River. Many locals still call the city by its original Sanskrit name of Lalitpur (City of Beauty) or by its Newari name, Yala. Almost everyone who comes to Kathmandu also visits Patan’s spectacular Durbar Sq – even after the 2015 earthquake, this remains the finest collection of temples and palaces in the whole of Nepal.

Arrangörer, säkerhet och praktiska tips och råd.

Most of the towns around Kathmandu sit at the bottom of the valley – you have to travel to the valley rim to really get decent views of the Himalaya. Set atop a ridge at 2073m, just off the road to Trisuli Bazaar, Kakani is the quieter, slower cousin of Dhulikhel and Nagarkot. From a series of high points along the ridge, there are magnificent views of the Himalayan skyline stretching all the way from Annapurna to Everest, via Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Gauri Shankar, Dorje Lekpa and Shishapangma.

Situated in the far east of Nepal, 56 miles (90km) from the border at Kakarbhitta, Ilam (‘ee-lam’) is reached via the Mechi Hwy, one of the Terai's great mountain roads, with plenty of switchbacks, vertiginous drops and valley views. It's also in excellent condition. Upon entering the mountain village you'll notice its charming wooden buildings, their balconies thrust out over the bustling street – unusual in the Terai.

About 15 miles (24km) north of Abu Khaireni, Gorkha is famous for four things. It is the birthplace of Prithvi Narayan Shah, who unified the rival kingdoms of Nepal in 1769, commencing a dynasty that endured until 2008; it is the location of the Gorkha Durbar, the former palace of the Shahs, which looks over Gorkha from a lofty ridge; it is where the famous Gurkha Battalion in the British Army originated; and it is where the annual Dasain festival officially begins, with a procession to Kathmandu. The town remains an important pilgrimage destination for Newars, who regard the Shahs as living incarnations of Vishnu.