Nepal is a small, landlocked country, 800km long and 200km wide. It covers the area of 147,181 square kilometers. It is situated between China in the north and India in the south. Most of the rivers flow southward from the glaciers of Nepal to join the Ganges in India; several rivers flow from Tibet through deep gorges in the main Himalayan range. Nepal supports a vast diversity of forests, animals and people.
Climate and Weather
Nepal's weather is generally predictable and pleasant. There are four climatic seasons: March to May (spring), June to August (summer), September to November (autumn) and December to February (winter). The monsoon is approximately from the end of June to the middle of September. About 80% of the rain falls during that period, so the remainder of the year is dry. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons; winter temperatures drop to freezing with a high level of snowfall in the mountains. Summer and late spring temperatures range from 28ºC (83ºF) in the hill regions to more than 40ºC (104ºF) in the Terai. In winter, average maximum and minimum temperatures in the Terai range from a brisk 7ºC (45ºF) to a mild 23ºC (74ºF). The central valleys experience a minimum temperature often falling bellow freezing point and a chilly 12ºC (54ºF) maximum. Much colder temperatures prevail at higher elevations. The Kathmandu Valley, at an altitude of 1,310m (4,297ft), has a mild climate, ranging from 19-27ºC (67-81ºF) in summer, and 2-20ºC (36-68ºF) in winter.
Population
By the year of 2007, the population of Nepal was 28.9 million. Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks in the world. The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and North Burma and Yunnan via Assam.
Population density is highest in peninsular Malaysia, home to some 20 million of the country's 27 million inhabitants. The remaining 7 million live on the Malaysian portion of the island of Borneo in the large but less densely-populated states of Sabah and Sarawak. More than half of Sarawak's residents and about two-thirds of Sabah's are from indigenous groups.
Transportation
An airport tourist bus now shuttles passengers to and from Tribhuwan International Airport and downtown Kathmandu. There are many buses and mini-buses available at Ratna Park (old bus park) and Gongabu (new bus park) which depart for different destinations in the valley. There is also a Trolley Bus Service which starts at Tripureshwor (near the Dashrath Stadium), runs along the the Arniko Highway and ends at Surya Vinayak (Bhaktapur). Hail a taxi which is easily recognizable by its black license plate and white lettering. One can rent a private car through a travel agent or a car rental company. The mountain bike and ordinary bicycle are cheap and best form of transportation for economy tourists.
The best season to visit Nepal is after the monsoons that end in August, and before the winter sets in. The months between September and December are the most preferred ones by the visitors. The rains wash the dusty tracks and the valley looks magnificent with blooming flowers. Post -Monsoon Nepal welcomes you with flower-laden plains and brimming rivers. It is humid in plains at that time but it is still better than the scorching heat of the summers.
It is best to visit hilly areas in summers; that is, the month of May and June. The average temperature at that time hovers around 22-25 Celsius. Nights are a bit chilly in the lower Himalayan region but are comfortable. Mountainous areas are extremely unsafe in the Monsoons. The persistent rains make the hilly tracts slippery. The landslides are very common in the monsoons. Again in the post-monsoon months, you can start for the hill tours.
In winters, most of the hilly areas become out of bound due to very heavy snowfall and avalanches. But if you are found of snowfall then you can opt for lower Himalayan regions that look beautiful in the blankets of snows.
Food and Drink
National specialties:
• Dal Bhat (lentils and rice).
• Tarkan (spiced vegetables).
• Gurr (a Sherpa dish of raw potatoes, pounded with spices, then grilled like pancakes on a hot, flat stone ground and mixed with milk, tea or water).
• Rotis (flat pancake-like bread made from wheat or rice flour).
National drinks: • Chiya (tea brewed with milk, sugar and spices; in the mountains it is salted with yak butter).
• Arak (potato alcohol).
• Raksi (wheat or rice spirit).
• Chang (beer made from fermented barley, maize, rye or millet).
Local Products/Shopping
There are bargains for those careful to avoid fakes and the badly made souvenirs sold by unscrupulous traders. Popular buys include locally made clothes such as lopsided topis (caps), knitted mittens and socks, Tibetan dresses, woven shawls, Tibetan multicolored jackets and men’s diagonally fastened shirts; and pashmina (fine goat’s-wool blankets), khukri (the national knife), saranghi (a small, four-stringed viola played with a horse-hair bow), Tibetan tea bowls, papier mâché dance masks, Buddhist statuettes and filigree ornaments, bamboo flutes and other folk objects.
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1. Durbar Square.
The best season to visit Nepal is after the monsoons that end in August, and before the winter sets in. The months between September and December are the most preferred ones by the visitors. The rains wash the dusty tracks and the valley looks magnificent with blooming flowers. Post -Monsoon Nepal welcomes you with flower-laden plains and brimming rivers. It is humid in plains at that time but it is still better than the scorching heat of the summers.