With the colossal backbone of the Himalayas defining its northern borders, Nepal is a land of magic, mystique and adventure which has captivated the hearts of travellers ever since the summit of Everest was first conquered by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.
 
For an adventure destination, Nepal is hard to beat. With ancient history, fascinating cultures and the great range of the Himalayas dominating the skyline, few can deny the overwhelming allure of this enchanting Kingdom. So beguiling is its charm that, once visited, few manage to suppress the urge to return.

The Kingdom of Nepal opened its international borders to visitors in 1951 after almost a century and a half of complete isolation from the outside world. Sandwiched between Tibet and India, Nepal has played a vital role as a buffer state in this fascinating corner of the world, its turbulent history a legacy of brutal power struggles stretching back over the millennia.

The Geography of Nepal
The Himalayas dominate life in Nepal in every imaginable way. The Kingdom possesses the greatest range of altitude on the planet. In less than 90 kilometres, the summit of Everest at 8,848m gives way to the Gangetic plains of the Terai, just 100m above sea level. Occupying some 147,000 square kilometres (about the size of England and Wales), and measuring approximately 800 x 145 kilometres, Nepal boasts some of the most biodiverse terrain in the world.

There are four distinct mountain ranges in Nepal. The Chure Hills break the monotony of the searing heat of the lowland plains, and in turn these low level hills give way to the Mahabharat range - or the ‘mid-hills’. Between these hills and the great massif of the Himalayas, verdant valleys host a myriad of cultures that cultivate the rich soils and exploit the favourable climate. In the rain shadow of the Himalayas, the peculiar Trans-Himalayan range characterises the bleak and arid landscape of the Tibetan plateau which encroaches occasionally into Nepal’s borders in the districts of Manang, Dolpo and Mustang.

Nepal’s Cultures & Communities
Nepal’s population is truly diverse. With over 45 ethnic groups accounted for, each with its own culture, tradition and often language, the visitor has an opportunity to gain an insight into an extraordinary variety of cultural heritage.

Isolated villages have developed unique practices and traditions over the centuries which distinguish them from villages of similar clans. Yet in practice, there are many parallels that can be drawn between these ethnic groups as the boundaries have blurred over the centuries due to the effects of migration and extensive resettlement.

Over 50% of the population now live in the lowland Terai region, where economic development has radically changed the landscape since the eradication of malaria in the 1950’s. The remainder of the populace is scattered throughout the nation in isolated hill communities and in the inner-valley cities of Pokhara and Kathmandu.

The cultural make-up can be broken down into two very broad camps – people of Tibeto-Burmese origin from the Himalayas, and those of Indo-Aryan origin from the Indian sub-continent, represented by the Buddhist and Hindu religions respectively. In reality, many communities hold beliefs according to both religions. Villages that have temples and shrines dedicated to both Buddha and Shiva are testament to this. In addition, Shamanistic beliefs are found among certain ethnic groups. Whichever culture you encounter on your travels, the plethora of festivals, rituals and traditions will ensure that you are guaranteed a shower of hospitality, colourful greetings and warm welcomes.

Nepal’s History & Political Background
Modern day Nepal is the product of a dynamic and fascinating past, its history characterised by tales of fierce power struggles between rival factions vying for power. As feudal territories battled for supremacy, the boundaries of Nepal expanded to include vast tracts of the north Indian plains, and contracted to little more than the Kathmandu valley. Its position between the two great powers of China and India has defined its history, exploiting the trading opportunities this has presented, and in the process, Nepal has built up a distinctive culture of its own.

Biodiversity
For a small landlocked country, Nepal supports a huge variety of flora and fauna. Given the enormous altitudinal variations, a large number of climatic zones provide habitats in which species have been able to proliferate.

Nepal is located in a region of overlap between two very different bio-geographical provinces - the Indomalayan to the south and the Palearctic to the north. This brings together the zoological diversity of Europe and northern Asia, and those of India and the sub-continent. This meeting point of provinces, along with the essential monsoonal climate, has created a haven for a multitude of species, both resident and migratory.

The biodiversity of Nepal is reflected in the number of National parks, with wildlife reserves and conservation areas located across the length and breadth of the country. Covering some 16,000 square kilometres, or 11% of the country’s surface, all of Nepal’s unique habitats have been painstakingly preserved.

There are 6,500 known species of tree, shrub or flower, and 850 species of birds

(8% of the world’s species) - more than the USA and Canada combined! For a country occupying less than 1% of the world’s surface, this is a remarkable statistic. There are over eighty species of raptor, tigers, wild elephants, snow leopards, one-horned rhinoceros and a whole host of wild animals roaming the lowland plains. For a country so rich in culture, tradition and topography, it is only fitting that it should boast one of the most biodiverse eco-systems in the world.

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