Surrounded
by the greatest heights of the Himalaya, the kingdom of
Nepal is a land of eternal attraction, a place where one
visit is hardly ever enough. It's a land of colorful cultures,
ancient history and people, superb scenery and some of the
best walking on earth.
Nepal forms the very watershed of Asia. Landlocked between
India and Tibet, it spans terrain from subtropical jungle
to the icy Himalaya, and contains or shares eight of the
world's ten highest mountains. Its cultural landscape is
every bit as diverse: a dozen major ethnic groups , speaking
as many as fifty languages and dialects, coexist in this
narrow, jumbled buffer state, while two of the world's great
religions , Hinduism and Buddhism, overlap and mingle with
older tribal traditions - yet it's a testimony to the Nepalis'
tolerance and good humour that there is no tradition of
ethnic or religious strife. Unlike India, Nepal was never
colonized, a fact which comes through in fierce national
pride and other, more idiosyncratic ways. Founded on trans-Himalayan
trade, its dense, medieval cities display a unique pagoda-style
architecture, not to mention an astounding flair for festivals
and pageantry. But above all, Nepal is a nation of unaffected
villages and terraced hillsides - more than eighty percent
of the population lives off the land - and whether you're
trekking, biking or bouncing around in packed buses, sampling
this simple lifestyle is perhaps the greatest pleasure of
all.
Travelling in Nepal isn't a straightforward or predictable
activity. Certain tourist areas are highly developed, even
overdeveloped, but facilities elsewhere are rudimentary;
getting around is time-consuming and sometimes uncomfortable.
Nepalis are well used to shrugging off such inconveniences
with the all-purpose phrase, Ke garne ? ("What to do?").
Nepal is also a more fragile country than most - culturally
as well as environmentally - so it's necessary to be especially
sensitive as a traveller.
Topography is obviously a key consideration when travelling
in Nepal. Generally speaking, the country divides into three
altitude zones running from west to east. The northernmost
of these is, of course, the Himalayan chain , broken into
a series of himal (permanently snow-covered mountain ranges)
and alpine valleys, and inhabited, at least part of the
year, as high as 5000m. The largest part of the country
consists of a wide belt of middle-elevation foothills and
valleys , Nepal's traditional heartland; two ranges, the
Mahabharat Lek and the lower, southernmost Chure (or Siwalik)
Hills, stand out. Finally, the Tarai , a strip of flat,
lowland jungle and farmland along the southern border, has
more in common with India than with the rest of Nepal.
Nepal's history is closely related to its geographical
location, separating the fertile plains of India from the
desert-like plateau of Tibet. Its position between Indian
and China meant the country was able at times to play the
role of intermediary - a canny trader between two great
powers - while at other times it faced the threat of invasion.
Internally, its history was just as dynamic, with city-states
in the hills vying with each other for power until one powerful
king, Prithivi Narayan Shah, overran them all. That history
is very visible today with the three great towns of the
Kathmandu valley - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur - still
bearing witness to their days as fiercely competitive mediaeval
mini-kingdoms. Indeed, in Nepal it's often possible to suspend
belief and mentally roll the clock right back to the mediaeval
era.
Behind the old temples and places of the Kathmandu Valley, above
and beyond the hills that surrounding the valley, another kingdom'
rises skyward. The abode of snows' which is what Himalaya means in
Sanskrit, is a natural kingdom' and a magnet to mountaineers from all
above the world. You don't have to be Sherpa or Hillary in order for
you to get in amongst these great mountains. With a touch of enterprises
and a modicum of fitness most travelers can walk the trails that lead
into the road less heights of the Himalaya. In Nepal one trek is rarely
enough, and many visitors soon find themselves planning to return.
Fascinating old town, magnificent temples and great walking are not
all Nepal has to offer. Many visitors come to Nepal expecting to find
these things but also discover how outstanding friendly the Nepalese
are.
Trekking is not the only activity which draws visitors,
it also has some superb white-water rafting opportunities,
mountain biking, which is become more and more popular,
and down in the jungle, safaris on elephant-back into the
Royal Chitwan National Park are another not-to-be-missed
part of the Nepal experience.
Geography
In two of the three dimensions, length and breadth, Nepal is just another
small country. In the third, height, it's number one in the world.
Nepal starches from north-west to south-east about 800 km and varies
in width from around 90 km to 230 km. This gives it a total area of
just 147,181 sq. km according to the official figures.
Within that small area, however, is the greatest range of altitude
to be seen on this earth - starting with the Terai, only 100m or so
above sea level, and finishing at the top of Mt. Everest (8848m), the
highest point on earth.
Often a visitor's overriding goal is to see the mountains, especially
Everest and Annapurna. However, to exclude the people, flowers, birds
and wildlife from the experience is to miss the essence of the country
regions, or natural zones: the plains in the south, four mountain ranges,
and the valley lying between them. The lowlands with their fertile
soils, and the southern slopes of the mountains with sunny exposures,
allow for cultivation and are the main inhabited regions.
Climate
Nepal has four distinct seasons. Spring from March to May, is warm
with rain showers. Summer, from June to August, is the monsoon season
when the hills turn lush and green. Autumn, from September to November,
is cool with clear skies and is the most popular season for trekking.
In winter, from December to February, it is cold at night, with fog
in the early morning.
Because Nepal is quite far south in Latitude (same as Miami), the
weather is warmer and winter is much milder at lower elevations. The
monsoon is determined by the Bay of Bengal. It is hot during the monsoon
with rain almost everyday. During this season, trekking in most of
Nepal is difficult and uncomfortable, the trails being muddy and infested
with leeches. It usually does not rain for more that one or two days
during the entire autumn and the winter season. In the winter, the
mountains are covered with snow including some high hills. Mt. Everest
itself is a huge black rock during the trekking season, which becomes
snow-covered only during the winter.
Population
Nepal's population currently stands at around 23 million (1998 estimate).
Every year population increases by nearly 600,000. The largest city
is Kathmandu, the capital, with more than 700,000 people. In the mountains
the rate of increase is lower than in Terai, but this is because many
people are migrating in search of land and work. Despite extremely
high rates of infant morality, the life expectancy is only a horrifying
54 years, the overall annual rate of population increase is a rapid
2.6%. Family planning is primary importance, but most people continue
to regard children as a blessing. A child is seen as a vital and fulfilling
part of the parents' life, an extra worker and someone to care for
them in old age, not just an extra stomach. Women have an average of
more than four children each.
People
Like the geography, the population of Nepal extremely diverse and highly
complex. Simplistically, Nepal is the meeting point for the Indo-Aryan
people of Indian with the Tibeto-Burman of the Himalaya, but this gives
little hint of the dynamic ethnic mosaic that has developed and continues
to change to this day. In a south-north direction, as you move from
the plains to the mountains, the ethnic map can be roughly divided
into layers: the Terai, the midlands or Pahad zone, and the Himalaya.
Each zone is dominated by characteristic ethnic groups whose agriculture
and lifestyles are adapted to suit the physical constraints of their
environment. In the Himalayan zone, the people are Mongolian of Tibetan
descent. They are know as bhote in Nepali. In the east of the midlands
zone, one find Kirati people known as Rai, Limbu groups. They speak
Tibeto-Burman Language. In the Terai zone, after the eradication of
malaria in the 1950s the only people to live in the valley were Tharus
of Hindu overtones.
Anthropologists divide the people of Nepal into about 50 ethnic groups
or castes with their own culture and traditions. Everyone is proud
of their heritage. Many people use the name of their ethnic group,
caste or clan as their surname. The caste system has many occupational
castes such as Brahmins (Hindu Priests), Chhetris (farmers in the hills
and soldiers), Newars (the original inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley),
Thakalis, Gurungs, Rais, Limbus, Tamangs, Magars, Potters, butchers,
blacksmiths, cobblers, goldsmiths, clothes washers, etc.
Culture, Conduct & Consideration
Nepal has always been a dividing line between cultures and civilizations,
and a cross-roads for the commerce and culture. Here the plains of
the subcontinent climb up to the high plateau of Tibet, the languages
and people of India give way to those of China and the Hindu religion
blends in to Buddhism. Nepal is often a complex blend of the two influences
and this variation is further complicated by the diversity of ethnic
groups within the country.
The challenge for you as a visitor to Nepal is the respect
the rights and beliefs of the local people, and to minimize
your impact - culturally and environmentally. Remember Nepali
is not an adventure park or museum established for your
convenience, but home to a vital, changing culture. Life
for many is extremely hard, but despite the scarcity of
material possessions, there are many qualities that shame
the so-called developed world. Your very presence in Nepal
will have an effect - an increasing number of people say
a negative one. In a totally different culture it is also
inevitable that the visitor will make some gaffe at some
point. Most Nepalis make allowances, but they do appreciate
it when a genuine effort is made to observe local customs.
Following is a miscellaneous collection of simple suggestions
that will help avoid offense.
