Nepal has always attracted tourists and travellers, scholars and people in search of spirituality. For Lonely Planet it is the cheapest country to visit in 2017
Nestled between India and China from which it is separated by the spectacular Himalayan chain, birthplace of Buddha, a land that makes you dream of peace and spirituality, Nepal has always attracted tourists and travellers, scholars and people in search of spirituality, but it is in truth very different from what you can expect.
According to the annual ranking Best in Travel by Lonely Planet, Nepal is the cheapest country to visit in 2017.
It all starts Kathamandu, an evocative and always unknown city, which fascinates and disorientates at the same time. The best way to discover it is to get lost among the streets and chowks (crossroads) of the centre, walking among the fruit and vegetable sellers, fabric sellers or sikarni sellers (a drink similar to Indian lassi, but prepared with whipped, sweet yoghurt, with nuts or pistachios and cinnamon), discovering the alleys and bakeries of the central area Thamel neighborhood, which today has more the appearance of an immense bazaar, with objects and clothes that can now be found almost everywhere) or along the Jochne, the famous "freak" street destination of the hippies in the 60s, now out of fashion but equally fascinating for its air of a place stuck in time.
Still walking, you can go as far as the western end, cross the river and go up (the most suggestive and even best moment is in the evening, at sunset, or early in the morning) up to the Swayambhunath, , Monkey Temple, one of the most evocative Tibetan places of worship in Nepal. The other, but for different reasons, is represented by the immense stupa of Bodhnath, one of the largest in the world. Evocative site for the scent of incense, the Tibetan music that accompanies the walk (to be done clockwise) around the stupa, perhaps turning with your hand the small prayer wheels contained in the niches all around the structure, on which it is engraved ' om mani padme hum' (perhaps the best-known Buddhist mantra), south-east of Darbar Square, a 20-minute walk from another very important sacred place, the most venerated Hindu site in all of Nepal: And Pashupatinath for the Hindus, a complex built along the sacred Bagmati River where the cremations of the deceased, but also to prayers and purification baths.
Very close to the capital is the splendid Patan (formerly He was flattered which means 'City of Beauty', also called Yala in the Newari language), declared byUnesco a world heritage site is considered one of the oldest (and most beautiful) cities in the entire Kathmandu valley. His Darbar Square is so full of temples that it is almost impossible to fully grasp its beauty with a single glance, without considering the four large stupas located at the four extreme corners of the city, the over 600 small and medium stupas to be discovered in the courtyards and around 185 bahal. South of Kathmandu there is also the other: è Bakthapur, a true jewel halfway between the ancient medieval village and a small modern center dedicated to tourism, quiet and lively at the same time, all to be discovered on foot, from Lion's Gate, To Durbar Square, and Potter’s Square, da Taumadhi Tole, Tachuoal Tole, old center of the town. A few kilometers away, following a road that is half asphalted and half not, you arrive at the small village and the temple of Changu narayan, the oldest – they say – in all of Nepal: a small open-air museum, on top of a hill, with bronze sculptures.
Along the road from Kathmandu to Lumbini passing through Pokhara (the lake and the... Peace Pagoda, on top of the hills) in the westernmost Terai, and Tansen (small town perched on the mountain), along the Siddhartha Highway, better to allow yourself the luxury of some small detours: the funicular of Make friends and of the ancient temple of the same name where the sacrifices in honor of the goddess Kali, Gorkha, to admire the valley from the top of the hill on which stands an ancient castle-temple-fortress which, in the monsoon period, is surrounded by clouds, sinking into infinity, and Bandipur, a small village suspended in time and space, surrounded by lush green hills and fruit fields.
Finally, Lumbini, an oasis of peace and tranquility, to be explored in its entirety bicycle, passing by the structure that preserves the stone, where legend has it the prince was born Siddharta, To Peace Pagoda passing through the temples dedicated to Buddha.
