Nepal

Nepal compresses more altitude variation into 200 kilometres of north-south distance than almost anywhere on earth. From the subtropical Terai plains at 70 metres to Everest’s summit at 8,849 metres, the landscape passes through subtropical jungle, middle hill terracing, rhododendron forest, yak pasture, alpine moraine, and permanent glacier. A single Nepal journey can take in one-horned rhino in lowland jungle and summit views of a quarter of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks. No other small country offers this range.

The trek to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) from Lukla airport is 130 kilometres return, passing through Sherpa villages, rhododendron forest, and high-altitude yak pasture to the moraine camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. The route passes through Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital — where acclimatisation days are best spent — and Tengboche Monastery, with the Everest massif visible directly behind it. Take the acclimatisation days seriously; skipping them to save time is the primary cause of serious altitude illness.

The scale of the mountains above Namche doesn’t register in photographs. The Khumbu valley is narrow and steep; the peaks — Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, eventually Everest’s pyramid — are so close and so massive that the human brain struggles to process them at first sight. Trekkers regularly just stop and stand in silence.

The Annapurna Circuit, a 200-kilometre loop around the Annapurna massif, is the finest mountain trek on earth in terms of landscape variety and cultural richness. The route crosses the Thorong La pass (5,416m) and descends into the rain-shadow plateau of Mustang, where Buddhist culture has been preserved in relative isolation from both Nepal’s modernisation and Tibet’s political upheaval. Ancient walled cities, cave monasteries, and a landscape of wind-sculpted red and ochre desert await on the Mustang side.

Kathmandu’s three Durbar Squares — at Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur — are the surviving remnants of medieval Newari civilization, which dominated the valley for over a thousand years. The pagoda temple form, invented here and later exported across Southeast Asia, reaches its most elaborate expression in these woodcarved struts, gilded roofs, and detailed metalwork. Boudhanath Stupa, east of the old city, is one of the world’s largest Buddhist stupas and a major Tibetan pilgrimage site. Walking the circumambulation path (kora) at dusk as butter lamps are lit and monks begin evening prayers is one of the most affecting experiences in Asian travel.

Nepal’s tea house network along the trekking routes has evolved from basic huts into mountain lodges offering private en-suite rooms with valley views at altitude. The best in the Everest region have solar-powered hot showers, yak cheese and Sherpa stew menus, and shared dining rooms where trekkers from 20 countries trade stories around a central stove. Bring cash — there are no ATMs above Namche Bazaar on the Everest route.

The Chitwan lowlands offer a completely different dimension: wildlife lodges on the edge of Nepal’s first national park — one-horned rhino, Bengal tiger, sloth bear, Gangetic river dolphin — that operate much like African safari lodges. Guided elephant grass walks at dawn, jeep drives through sal forest, canoe trips on the Rapti River where gharial crocodiles sun on muddy banks.