Lumbini :

Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the apostle of peace, and nonviolence. It is situated 250 kilometers southwest of Kathmandu. The broken Ashokan pillar, remnants of an old monastery, images of Buddha’s mother Maya Devi, etc. are still preserved in Lumbini. It is accessible by air from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa. From Kathmandu it takes about eight hours by bus or car. From Bhairawa it is just 1 hour away.

Sometime during the sixth century BC, a solitary, wandering ascetic sat to meditate beneath a shady tree at Bodh Gaya, resolving not to rise until he had attained the ultimate knowledge of spiritual enlightenment. Thus began Buddhism, one of the world’s great religions and pilgrimage traditions.

Historians, religious scholars, and various Buddhist sects debate the actual year of the Buddha’s birth; it may have been as early as 644 BC or as late as 540 BC. It is, however, relatively certain that he was born as Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the son of Suddodhana, king of the Shakya tribe. His birthplace was the forest grove of Lumbini in the hilly regions of what is today northeastern India and Nepal. Miraculous events surrounded his birth. Sages prophesied that he would become either a powerful king or, renouncing his royal life, an enlightened being and religious leader. King Suddhodhana, wanting the former and fearing the later, sought to insulate his son from religious and philosophical concerns by surrounding him with a life of ease and plenty. Enclosed within palace walls, the prince grew to manhood and fatherhood never having seen old age, sickness, poverty or death.

Yet this blindness to the full range of human experience was not to last. One day the prince ventured beyond the castle walls and, witnessing the inevitable sufferings of human existence, recognized the shallowness of his pampered life. Metaphysical questions filled his mind and along with them the conviction that he must seek and know the great truth of life. Thus, at the age of twenty-nine, he let go the constraints of family and worldly responsibility to tread the path of self-discovery.

Following the ancient traditions of Hinduism, Siddhartha sought out spiritual teachers, or gurus. Inquiring of their knowledge, he diligently practiced various yogas and meditations. Seven years passed, the last three in extreme asceticism, yet still he had not achieved his goal of enlightenment. Finally recognizing that such practices had served him well but were no longer appropriate, Siddhartha journeyed toward the ancient sacred forests of Uruvela (modern Gaya in Bihar, in north India) with the intention of finally and completely realizing the infinite. Guided by visionary dreams and following in the footsteps of Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kasyapa, the Buddhas of three previous times, Siddhartha sat beneath the Bodhi Tree. Touching the earth, thereby calling it to witness the countless lifetimes of virtue that had led him to this place of enlightenment, he entered into a state of deep meditation. Three days and nights passed and his intention was realized. Siddhartha became the Buddha, meaning the ‘Enlightened One’.

Buddhist Monks at Bodhi Tree (The site of Buddha’s enlightenment)

Buddhist monks at Bodh Gaya.

By AIR :
Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu is the only international airport in Nepal.

By land :
The entry points at Nepal-lndia border are, Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Belahiya (Bhairahawa), Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, and Mahendra Nagar. The only entry point at Nepal-China border is Kodari.

Passport and Visa : All visitors to Nepal except the Indian nationals must hold valid passports and visa.

Nepal contains part of the Himalaya, the highest mountain range in the world. Eight of the fourteen eight-thousanders are located in the country, either in whole or shared across a border with Tibet or India. These awe-inspiring, majestic mountains of Nepal attract the tourists from far and wide. Adventure activities like mountaineering, trekking and hiking can be enjoyed in this mountain range. Journey on these mountains transcends one to an entirely different world.

Mountain	Height	Ranking in the World
Everest	8848m (29028ft)	Highest mountain in the World
Kanchenjunga	8586m (28169ft)	# 3
Lhotse	8501m (27890ft)	# 4
Makalu	8463m (27765ft)	# 5
Cho Oyu	8,201m (26,906ft)	# 6
Dhaulagiri	8167m (26794ft)	#7
Manaslu	8156m (26758ft)	# 8
Annapurna	8091m (26545ft)	# 10

Mt Everest

Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world measuring 8,848m (29,028feet) in height. It was first climbed on May 29, 1953 by a New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal .Mount Everest is also known by the Tibetan name Chomolangma (goddess mother of the snows), and by the Nepali name Sagarmatha (Mother of the Universe).

Everest had been attempted many times before the important expeditions being that of 1922, 1923 and 1924. The body of George H.L. Mallory, who died in an earlier attempt (1924), was discovered on the mountain in 1999.More than 600 climbers from 20 countries have climbed the summit by various routes from both north and south. Climbers’ ages have ranged from nineteen years to sixty. Climbing on Everest is very strictly regulated by both the Nepalese and Chinese governments. Climbing Everest treks to Everest Base Camp are becoming increasingly popular on both the north and south sides of the mountain .On the north side, a Buddhist monastery is one of two whose locations were selected specifically to allow religious contemplation of the great peak. The other side is the Thyangboche Monastery in Nepal. The once active Rangbuk monastery in Tibet has required much rejuvenation from the destruction it experienced following China’s invasion of Tibet.

Kanchenjunga

Kanchenjunga (8,586) is the third highest mountain in the world. From 1838 until 1839 was believed to be the highest .It is an enormous mountain –mass and many satellite peaks rise from its narrow icy ridges. It is located on the border of Nepal and Sikkim, just 46 miles northwest of Darjeeling .It is the most easterly of the great 8,000 meter peaks of the Himalaya.

Though not successfully climbed until 1955, it was first attempted in 1905, but four members of that international party were killed in an avalanche. As inspiring as Kanchenjunga’s beauty is at least the first three parties to ascend the mountain never attempted the final few feet to the summit our of voluntary respect or those who considered the summit sacred. The successful British expedition of 1955 set the standard by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit, in honor of the local religion.

Lhotse

Lhotse (8,516) is the fourth highest mountain in the world. Its long east-west crest is located immediately south of Mount Everest and the summits of the two mountains are connected by the South Col, a vertical ridge that never drops below 8,000 meters. Lhotse is sometimes mistakenly identified as the south peak of the Everest massif. No serious afternoon was turned to climbing Lhotse until after Everest had finally been ascended. Lhotse was first climbed in 1956 by two Swiss, Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss.

In addition to the main summit, there are two subsidiary peaks, Lhotse Shar, which is immediately east of the main summit, and Nuptse, a high peak on the mountain’s west ridge.

Makalu

Makalu (8,463) is the fifth highest mountain in the world. It is an isolated peak, located just 14 miles east of Mount Everest. Its size alone is impressive, but its structure, that of a perfect pyramid with four sharp ridges, make this mountain all the more spectacular.

It has proved to be a challenging climb, as only five of its first sixteen attempts were successful. Previously, it had been admired and studied by several Everest parties, but like so many other giants in Khumbu region, it was not attempted until the summit of Everest had been attained in 1954.A French group first climbed Makalu in year 1955.

Chomo Lonzo(25,650 ft) is a subsidiary peak of Makalu, rising just north of the higher summit, separated by a narrow saddle.

Cho Oyu

Cho Oyu (8,201) is the sixth highest mountain in the world, located a short distance to the west from Everest and Lhotse (the fourth highest) in the Khumbu region of Eastern Nepal along the Tibetan Border, its towering peak stands with Everest well above the surrounding mountains. It become a familiar landmark to climbers ascending Everest ‘s north face .Just west of Cho Oyu is the Nangpa La, a 19,000- foot glacier pass, and the main trade route between the Khumbu sherpas and Tibet. Cho Oyu’s proximity to the Nangpa la has earned it the distinction among some climbers as being the easiest 8,000 meter peak. It was the third such peak climbed, and the first climbed in autumn by two Australian.

Dhaulagiri

Dhaulagiri (8,167), whose name means White Mountain, is the seventh highest mountain in the world. It is an enormous Himalayan massif, located in north central Nepal. After its discovery by the western world in 1808, it replaced Ecuador’s Chimborazo (20,561 ft) as the postulated highest mountain in the world. It maintained this standing for nearly 30 years, until the discovery of Kanchenjunga which was then falsely believed to be the world’s highest mountain.

Dhaulagiri’s crest stretches for thirty miles, lending structure to an otherwise tangled topography of twisting ridges, glaciers, and ice falls. Along the main crest, several pyramid-shaped peaks rise. Four of these summits, numbered form east to west, rise above 25,000 feet.

In 1960, the Swiss/Australian expedition who first reached the summit did so despite their airplane having crashed during the approach. This was the first Himalayan climb supported by an airplane, although the plane was subsequently abandoned on the mountain.

Manaslu 

Manaslu (8,163) is the peak of the Gorkha massif, and is the eight highest mountains in the world. It is located about 40 miles east of Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain. The mountains long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions, and it culminates in a peak that towers steeply above its surroundings landscape, and is dominant features when seen from afar. The name Manaslu is derived from the Sanskrit word Manasa and can be roughly translated as mountain of the spirit. An all-female Japanese expedition successfully ascended to the summit, thereby becoming the first women to climb an 8,000 meter peak.

Annapurna

Annapurna (8,091) is an enormous Himalayan massif, the tenth highest mountain in the world. In 1950, it becomes the first 8,000 meter mountain to be successfully climbed. It is located east of great gorge cut through the Himalaya by the Kali Gandaki River. The mountain has the glaciers on its western and north western slopes, which drain into the gorge.

Annapurna is a Sanskrit name that can be translated as goddess of harvests or more simply the provider. Of Annapurna’s many highs peaks, five are labelled using some variations of the name Annapurna. Of these, the two highest (Annapurna I and II), stand like bookends at the western and eastern ends of the massif.

The splendid rivers of Nepal can be divided into three categories in accordance to their origins. The first category comprises the three main river systems of the country – the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali river systems, all of them originating from glaciers and snow-fed lakes.

The Koshi River System
• The Koshi river system consists of Tamor, Arun, Dudhkoshi, Likhu, Tamakoshi, Sunkoshi and Indravati rivers.
• The Arun and Sunkoshi originate in Tibet. The confluence of these rivers is at Tribeni (near Dharan) in Sagarmatha Zone.
• Flowing for almost 10 kms through a narrow gorge before entering the plains, the ‘Sapta Kosi’ or simply the ‘Koshi’, swollen with the waters of the seven rivers, finally merges into the Ganges.
• The Kali Gandaki originates in Mustang and converges with the Trishuli at Deoghat in Chitwan. The river is then called the ‘Narayani’ and goes on to meet the Ganges.

The Gandaki River System
• The Kali Gandaki originates in Mustang and converges with the Trishuli at Devghat in Chitwan. The river is then called the ‘Narayani’ and goes on to meet the Ganges at Patna in Bihar.
• The Gandaki river system in central Nepal consists of the Kali Gandaki, Budhi Gandaki, Marsyanghi, Trishuli, Seti, Madi and Daraundi rivers.
• The Kaligandaki is the longest river and the Trishuli, the main tributary of this system.

The Karnali River System
• The Karnali river system in Western Nepal consists of the Humla Karnali, Mugu Karnali, Seti and Bheri rivers and is the longest river system in the country.
• The Humla Karnali, which rises in Tibet, is the main tributary. After entering India, this river assumes the name Gogra.