Nepal - a country of amazing extremes, is the home of the World's highest mountains, historic cities and the forested plains where the lordly tigers and the great one-horned Rhinoceros trundle at ease. in fact enchantment is everywhere for anyone in search of Shangrila!

Nepal, a sovereign independent Kingdom, is bounded on the North by the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, the East-south and West by India. The length of the kingdom is 885-kms East-West and it's breadth varies from 145-241-kms North-South. The country can be divided into three main geographical regions: The altitude of this region ranges between 4877-m.- 8848 m. it includes 8 of the highest 14 summits in the world, which exceed altitude of 8,000m including Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and others. This region accounts for about 64% of total land area. It is formed by the Mahabharat range that soars up to 4,877m and the lower Churia range.

The low-land Terai occupies about 17% of the total land area of the country. Nepal - a country with a long historical tradition is an amalgamation of a number of medieval principalities. Before the campaign of national integration launched by King Prithivi Narayan Shah the Kathmandu valley was ruled by the Malla kings, whose contributions to art and culture are indeed great and unique. In 1768 A.D. the Shah dynasty ascended the throne of the unified kingdom. His majesty king Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was tenth king in the Shah dynasty.

The new democratic constitution of the kingdom was promulgated on November 9, 1990. Nepal is one of the founder members of South Asian association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC, of which the third summit was held in Kathmandu in November 1987 Nepal has a population of more than 18 million people made of different races living in different regions with diverse culture, languages and dialects. The Gurungs and Magars live mainly in the west. The Rais, Limbus and Sunuwars inhabit the slopes and valleys of the eastern mid hills. The Sherpas live in the Himalayan region. The newars constitute an important ethnic group of the capital valley Kathmandu. There are Tharus, Yadavas, Satar, Rajvanshis and Dhimals in the Terai region. The Brahmans, Chhetris and Thakuris are spread generally over all parts of the kingdom.

Hinduism and Buddhism constitute two major religions of Nepal. A remarkable feature of Nepal is the religious homogeneity what exists, particularly between the Hindu and Buddhist communities. Apart from the Hindus and Buddhists, Muslim from the third largest religious group.

The exquisite medieval art & architecture of the Kathmandu valley vividly reflect the artistic ingenuity and the religious tradition of the people. Nepal has four climatic seasons
(a) Spring : March-May
(b) Sumer: June-August
(c) Autumn: September-November
(d) Winter: December-February.

There is no seasonal constraint on travelling in and through Nepal. Even in December and January, when the winter is at its severest, there are compensating bright sun and brilliant views.
Air:
There are 15 International carriers operating to and out of Kathmandu International airport. There are ten passenger airlines operating to almost 30 destination in nearly all parts of Nepal - remote airfields to major hub cities. Today it is possible to reach most of the tourist destinations by air. Some of the major tourist destinations in Nepal operated by domestic airlines are:

Helicopter Services:
Nepal with its high mountains and beautiful scenic countryside is known as "Helicopter Country." The helicopter services industry in Nepal is now well established with many types and categories of helicopters. The pilots are very experienced professionals with thousands of flying hours experience in Nepal. Rail:
Nepal-Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway (NJJR) operates a freight and passenger service in the eastern Terai.

Roads:
Buses, mini-buses and three-wheeler tempos ply on fixed routes at regular intervals. The services, are fairly frequent. The last city buses stop running around 8 pm. City buses that ply within Kathmandu and go to Patan as well as those going to Kirtipur, Banepa, Dhulikhel and Thankot, leave from the City Bus Park located at the eastern side of Tundikhel parade ground. Trolley buses to Bhaktapur leave from Tripureswor near the football stadium. Their are no international Car Rental agencies in Nepal and even the locals usually have a driver assigned to their personal car rather than deal with the terrible traffic conditions around the city.
Language:
Nepali, serves the purpose of the Kingdom's Lingua-Franca in Nepal. The educated people speak and understand English as well.

Clothing:
Clothing depends on place and time, however, it is recommended to have both light and warm clothing. In the mountain areas warm clothes are generally a must.

Licensed Guides:
All the travel agencies of Kathmandu have licensed English speaking guides, however, many agencies have also guides who can speak other international languages for the convenience of tourists. As unlicensed guides are not allowed to serve clients, it is advisable to confirm that your guide has valid license. To have a quality service it is recommended to arrange the sightseeing programmes only through the government registered travel agencies.