Nepal is considered one of the top destinations for trekking where a wide range of trekking options are available. These include short and easy treks to moderate grades including strenuous and challenging treks in the Himalayas. Every year thousands of trekkers visit Nepal for trekking in it’s beautiful and scenic Himalayan trails. Trekking in Nepal offers spectacular Himalayan panorama, beautiful landscapes and to know it’s fascinating culture and traditions of the people living in the High Himalayas. Trek in Nepal is so very unique experience and quite different than trekking at other locations in the world. One gets to witness the mighty Himalayas which are the highest mountain series in the world. Here are the top reasons to go trekking in Nepal.
1. Trekking for all fitness level
It isn’t true that trekking in Nepal is only for the best fitness level individuals. There are several trekking options that anyone can accomplish and also don’t need to have previous trek experiences. Trekking in Nepal is divided into different categories as per altitude and number of days involved. These include easy, moderate, strenuous and challenging treks. Whether it’s easy or demanding, there is something for everyone who wishes to hike the world’s beautiful trekking trails and get to know different cultures along the way. Some of the short easy treks in Nepal are Ghandruk Loop trek, Everest View trek, Nagarkot trek etc.
2. Eight of the world’s tallest mountains are in Nepal
There are fourteen peaks in the world that are above 8,000 meters where eight of them are inside Nepal. They are namely Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna. If you aren’t thinking of climbing any of these giants then trekking in Nepal to get a closer look at these peaks is a good choice. And it is possible to get to the base camp of some of these mountains by trekking. Such most popular treks on offer are Everest Base Camp Trek and Annapurna Base Camp trek. Other trekking programs to witness the spectacular beauty of these world’s tallest mountains includes Makalu base camp trek, Around Dhaulagiri trek, Manaslu circuit trek, Annapurna Circuit trek.
3. Flora and faunas
Nepal is a beautiful country with lush green flora including varied faunas. There 6391 flowering plants – 2532 vascular plant species and 130 endemic species. More so, a total of 2,8% of plant species in the world are found in Nepal. One can witness the magical natural beauty of Nepal while trekking. Trekking trails offer to spot rare plants like golden Michelia, Serpentina, Spikenard, Himalayan Yew, Panch aule, Yarsagumba and many more. During the spring season in Nepal (March – May) trekkers will see gorgeous forests of Rhododendron blooming along the trekking tails. Rhododendron or ‘Laliguras’ in Nepali language is the national flower of Nepal. The best trek to observe Rhododendron is on Ghorepani Poon Hill trek in spring season.
4. Delicious Nepali food
Though wide varieties of international cuisines are available in Nepal, the country’s own local foods are also something special. One can try many Nepalese cuisines which visitors will find interesting and many go loving it. If compared to western food, Nepali cuisines are spicy where chilies, different spices, vegetable oils are used. During teahouse trekking in Nepal, the chances are you’ll be eating some of the most delicious cuisines. The most popular are momo ‘steamed dumplings’, thukpa (noodle soup), sel roti (Nepalese doughnut-like bread) etc. ‘Dal Bhat’ which is rice lentil and served with either meat or vegetables is the staple meals for Nepalese taken two times of the day (morning and evening). On the trek, you can enjoy dal bhat which gives more energy to walk thus the slogan ‘Dhal Bhat Power, Twenty-four hour’.
5. High Himalayan pristine lakes
If you are trekking in the high Himalayas you are sure to encounter some of the beautiful and pristine lakes. Rara Lake is one of the many most beautiful lakes in Nepal located in Western Nepal’s Mugu District. It is remote and almost untouched with only a few hundred people visiting each year. Rara Lake trekking takes you to this most beautiful pristine lake in the Himalayas. It is Nepal’s largest and deepest freshwater lake and a bird-watchers paradise. Another popular trekking routes that lead to spectacular Himalayan lakes are Gokyo Lake trekking located in the Everest region. Tilicho Lake can be visited during the Annapurna Circuit trek as a side-excursion. Phewa lake, Begnas Lake, Rupa Lake are inside the Pokhara Valley which is also worth visiting and don’t require trekking.
6. Cultural sightseeing at UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The only international airport in Nepal is at Kathmandu ‘Tribhuvan International Airport’. If you are to trek anywhere in Nepal you must land at Kathmandu. So, before trek one can go sightseeing around Kathmandu City where six of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites are inside Kathmandu City. Namely, they are Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath ‘Monkey Temple’, Pashupatinath and Boudhanath. All of these sites offer great insight into the culture and tradition, art and architecture of Nepal. If you are planning a trek to the Annapurna region then the starting point is Pokhara – the natural wonder and beautiful lakeside city of Nepal. One can explore the wonders of Kathmandu during Kathmandu Sightseeing tour.
7. Culture and traditions
Nepal is a multicultural, ethnic and lingual country presenting you with different cultural and traditional variations. There is a unique way of living and unique traditional rituals in different parts of the country. Nepalese population is divided into many communities as per altitude, terrain, origin, etc. Nepal has a total of 26 million people which has more than 40 tribes speaking dozens of languages in 93 different dialects. While trekking in Nepal, one crosses over many villages of different ethnic communities according to different trek regions such as Everest, Annapurna, Langtang etc. Thus hiking in Nepal is the best way to explore Nepal and to know it’s cultural diversity.
8. Safety Security with friendly locals
One finds people of Nepal friendly and helpful and you are welcomed everywhere. If you are lost in the cities any locals will guide you in the right direction. Nepalese are happy to make new friends. So, any traveler visiting Nepal feels safe and secure. During the trekking, the trails are safer to walk for the solo trekkers also with friendly locals helping you out in need but here not counting the technical part of the trek.
9. Comfortable accommodations
Nepal is acclaimed for its admirable infrastructure for trekking and comfortable lodges, commonly known as’ teahouses.’ Like the other mountainous regions in the world where you need to camp during the trek but in Nepal, one can stay at cozy and comfortable lodges readily available at the popular trekking trails. These teahouses are common throughout most of the trekking routes in Nepal. Trekkers enjoy a warm bed, a bathroom and fresh, delicious traditional food after a tiring hike of the day.
10. Heart-stopping Views
Whilst trekking in Nepal one gets to witness some of the breath-taking views of the mighty Himalayas, lush green landscapes, high mountain villages, pristine lakes etc. There are many viewpoints that offer spectacular mountain panoramas. To capture these views one should commit to few days of trekking in Nepal. Some of the popular Himalayan viewpoints are ‘Kalapathar (5550 meters) during Everest Base Camp trek, Poon Hill (3210 meters) on Ghorepani Poon hill trek, Gokyo-Ri( 5,357 meters). Nagarkot is another popular viewpoint closer to Kathmandu City. Likewise, Sarangkot in Pokhara is the popular Himalayan viewpoint located in Pokhara.
