Kathmandu Valley

A roughly oval bowl measuring 24 km east-west and 19 km north-south the Kathmandu Valley has always been the politically and culturally dominating part of Nepal. The area abounds with monuments, palaces and temples in an undulating fertile basin that’s a patchwork of terraced rice paddies and traditional red brick villages.

The whole valley is a ‘living museum’ of Newari culture where the kingdoms of Patan, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur jostled for power and fine temples stand as testimony to the enormous wealth and devotion that have been poured into them over the centuries. Though distances between each are small and you could make excursions from one base, it’s worth spending few nights in a couple of places to fully appreciate their differences and have time to absorb the local culture.

On a clear day you may see the peaks of snow-capped mountains in the distance, but head to the valley rim and you are sure of spectacular views of the Himalaya.