Tourist Areas

There are many beautiful and interesting places, to visit outside the Kathmandu Valley - places of historical importance of noted for natural beauty. Most of them can be easily reached from Kathmandu by road or by air.


Gorkha:-Gorkha is the birth place of King Prithivi Narayan Shah - The Great, the founder of modern Nepal. Situated on a hill overlooking the snowy peaks of the himalayas, there is a beautiful old palace known as Gorkha Durbar. There are two attractive temples of Gorakhnath and Kali inside the palace precinct. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple of Gorakhnath. Gorkha can be reached in about 6 hours from Kathmandu and in about 4 hours from Pokhara. A side trip to Manakamana on the way to Gorkha is very enjoyable and interesting.

Pokhara Valley:-The Pokhara Valley one of the most picturesques spot of Nepal, is enhanced by its lovely lakes Phewa, Begnas and Rupa. Situated 200-kms west of Kathmandu, Pokhara is connected by air as well or by bus from Kathmandu and Bhairahawa a border town near India. Situated at an altitude of 827m, Pokhara offers the magnificent views of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapuchhre, five peaks of Annapurna and others. Pokhara’s numerous lakes known as ‘Tal’ in Nepali offer fishing, boating and swimming.

Lumbini:- is the birth place of Lord Buddha, the apostle of peace, and non violence. It is situated 250-kms south-west of Kathmandu. The broken Ashokan Pillar, remnants of old monastery, images of Buddha’s mother Maya Devi, etc. are still preserved in Lumbini. It is accessible by air from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa. Also one can reach Lumbini in about 3 hours by bus or car from Tensen via Bhairahawa. From Kathmandu it takes about 8 hours by bus or car.

Rapti Valley (Chitwan):-From Kathmandu it takes 6 hours to reach chitwan. Situated 120-kms south-west of Kathmandu, the main attraction of chitwan is Royal Chitwan National Park. This is one of the Nepal’s largest forest regions with a wide range of wildlife - the rare great One-horned Rhinoceros, several species of Deer, Sloth Bear, Leopard, Wild Boar, Fresh Water Dolphin, Crocodile, more Royal Bengal Tiger. Visitors to chitwan may view game of Elephant back excursions, nature walks, canoe trips, from window and on jungle treks. There are several authorized agencies to organize such safari. Visitors may also take river raft, driving from Kathmandu to the river Trishuli or Seti Khola.

Janakpur:-A great religious place, Janakpur is famous as the birthplace of Goddess Sita, the consort of Lord Ram. There is an artistic marble temple of Sita (Janaki), popularly known as Naulakha Mandir. Religious festivals, pilgrimages, trade fairs and other festivities are held here on Bivaha Panchami and Ram Navami days.

Biratnagar:-The second largest city of Nepal Biratnagar is situated in the Koshi Zone. The city has some of the largest industrial undertakings in the country. There are a couple of pilgrimage spots in dharan and barahachhetra nearby the city. Biratnager is linked with kathmandu by air and road.

Barahachhetra:-A few kilometers from the main city of Biratnagar, Barahachhetra, the holy place of Hindu pilgrimage, lies at the confluence of the two rivers the Saptakoshi and Kokaha. There is the temple of Lord Baraha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Historians have traced the existence of this image from the 12th century.

dhulikhel:-This ancient town is situated 30-km east of Kathmandu on the side of the Arniko Rajmarga (Kathmandu-Kodari highway). From here one can have a complete panoramic view of the snowy ranges from Karyolung in the east to Himalchuli in the west.