Nepal

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.

One of the oldest towns in Nepal, Panauti offers a poignant look at the passage of time. From the crowded bus stand in the sprawling concrete mess of the new town, you slip down a brick street into the Old Bazaar, the remains of an ordered and prosperous medieval city that would have been a wonder to behold in its heyday. Located at the sacred confluence of the Roshi Khola and Pungamati Khola, it is dotted with ancient temples.

For scenery and cultural diversity, this has long been considered the best trek in Nepal and one of the world’s classic walks. It follows the Marsyangdi Valley to the north of the main Himalayan range and crosses a 5416m pass to descend into the dramatic desert-like, Tibetan-style scenery of the upper Kali Gandaki Valley.

Dhulikhel is one of the more popular places from which to observe the high Himalaya. From the edge of the ridge, a stunning panorama of peaks unfolds, from Langtang Lirung (23,710ft/7227m) in the west, through Dorje Lakpa (22,854ft/6966m) to the huge bulk of Gauri Shankar (23,405ft/7134m) and nearby Melungtse (23,560ft/7181m), and as far as Numbur (19,505ft/5945m) in the east. The most common itinerary is two nights with a side trip to the sacred stupa at Namobuddha, a 7 mile (12km) drive or three-hour walk south.

For many, stepping off a plane into Kathmandu is a pupil-dilating experience, a riot of sights, sounds and smells that can quickly lead to sensory overload. Whether you’re barrelling through the traffic-jammed alleyways of the old town in a rickshaw, marvelling at the medieval temples or dodging trekking touts in the backpacker district of Thamel, Kathmandu can be an intoxicating, amazing and exhausting place.

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.

Vagabonds guide till vandring i Nepal – världens vackraste vandringsnation.

One of Nepal's most charming towns, Bandipur is a living museum of Newari culture, a beautifully preserved village crowning a lofty ridge, its main street lined with traditional row houses. Time seems to have stood still here, although it has taken a lot of effort to preserve this magic while developing the town as a destination. Derelict buildings have been reborn as cafes and lodges, and temples and civic buildings have been pulled back from the edge of ruin. With its attractive 18th-century architecture, pedestrian zone and outdoor dining, it has a distinctly European feel.

The Annapurna region is a dream for independent trekkers. It combines some of Nepal's most iconic mountains, including fish-tailed Machhapuchhare and massive Annapurna itself, with a superb trekking infrastructure and easy access, as most trailheads are just an hour or two from Pokhara. The region's charming Gurung, Manangi and Thakli villages add a cultural highlight.

The Langtang Valley is a superb short trek that packs a lot of scenic punch into a small amount of time. The trail ascends the Langtang Valley from just 1470m at Syabrubesi to hit 3870m at Kyanjin Gompa, following the rushing Langtang Khola river past lush forests and bamboo groves to a collection of high alpine pastures, glaciers and peaks on the border with Tibet.