5 Blow-Your-Mind Experiences You Didn't Know You Could Have in Nepal

2. Camp on a white-sand beach

Photo: A typical river beach along Nepal’s Sun Kosi River. Elen Turner

Just because Nepal is landlocked between India and China doesn’t mean you can’t have an authentic beach holiday experience. Nepal’s many rivers, originating high in the Himalayas, are flanked by clean, glittering white sand. Multi-day rafting and kayaking trips along rivers such as the Sun Kosi, Trisuli or Tamur camp overnight on these undeveloped beaches. One of the best parts is that because Nepal is not well-known as a river-and-beach destination, your group will likely have it all to yourselves — apart from a few curious, friendly locals who come down from their towns in the evenings to play.

3. Stay in the pinnacle of luxury

Photo: A 600-year-old carving above the entrance to Dwarika’s Hotel. Christophe Noel

Nepal is better-known as a budget travel destination, with plentiful cheap lodgings in Kathmandu and elsewhere. But, the luxury tourism sector has been under development since the 1960s, and has developed impressively in the past few years. In Kathmandu, the opulent Dwarika’s Hotel gives guests a full heritage experience along with exquisite rooms, as the founder, Dwarika Das Shrestha, made it his mission to collect and preserve the ancient handicraft traditions of the Kathmandu Valley. In the mountains, the network of Everest Summit Lodges redefine the ‘teahouse trekking’ that Nepal is famous for by providing a level of comfort previously hard to find along remote trekking routes—think, a welcome drink, electric blankets on the beds and lodges decorated with local art. On Nepal’s jungly plains, the Tiger Tops resorts in the Chitwan and Bardia National Parks have been investing in natural and cultural sustainability since the 1960s. Their accommodations are low-key and blend in with the landscape.

4. Go on safari

Photo: Visitors can help bathe elephants in Chitwan National Park. Elen Turner

Because Nepal is well-known for its high mountains, many would-be visitors don’t realize that it is also home to steamy, tropical jungles on the plains bordering India. The most popular and accessible of these is the Chitwan National Park, about equidistant from Kathmandu and Pokhara. On a jungle safari here, you are almost guaranteed to spot a rhino, as conservation efforts over the past couple of decades have been very successful. Royal Bengal Tigers also live in the park but are more elusive, although footprint sightings in the mud are not uncommon. Nepal is also one of the few places in the world where elephant tourism should be encouraged. While tour operators STA Travel and Intrepid both announced in 2014 that they were removing elephant tourism from their tours worldwide, the UK-based Responsible Travel stated that after much research, Nepal’s national parks would be exempt from their policy of not promoting elephant rides. There, elephant tourism has been a positive force for conservation as the money generated has gone back into protecting endangered wildlife and encouraging local communities to safeguard the park. It is still important to select a good provider for elephant-back safaris or elephant bathing experiences, to ensure that the elephants are well cared for and not over-worked.

5. Check out world-class museums

Patan Museum, Patan Durbar Square. #Kathmandu #patandurbarsquare #patanmuseum #nepal #nepalnow

A photo posted by Eddie Ryan (@ryaner99) on Oct 3, 2015 at 12:09am PDT

As Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world, it may be a surprise to learn that Kathmandu has what is often considered one of South Asia’s best museums. The Patan Museum, housed in the palace compound in the Patan Durbar Square, is part of the Patan UNESCO World Heritage site. It opened in 1997 and was heavily funded by the Austrian government. Exhibits span Nepal’s long history and include ancient bronze Buddhas and other gods and goddesses, Tantric texts and architectural drawings. People-watching in Kathmandu doesn’t get any better than sitting in the cushioned alcoves with a view over the Patan Durbar Square. To understand the culture and architecture of the Kathmandu Valley and Nepal more generally, the Patan Museum is one of the first places travellers should visit. And the courtyard restaurant out the back does excellent dal bhat.