Nepal

Nepal. Världens kanske främsta trekkingnation, med de högsta bergen, de mest dramatiska vyerna, och ett stort urval av leder som passar såväl light- som extremvandrare.

The view of the Annapurna Himalaya from Sarangkot (foreigner/Nepali Rs 50/20) is almost a religious experience. From here, you can see a panoramic sweep of Himalayan peaks, from Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the west to the perfect pyramid of Machhapuchhare (6997m), the tent-like peak of Annapurna II (7937m) to Lamjung (6983m) in the east. Most people come here at dawn or dusk, when the sun picks out the peaks, transforming them from a purple-pink to a celestial gold. If you feel noisy teenagers are ruining the peace at the viewing tower, try walking further along to the secluded grassy helicopter pad.

Everybody wants a glimpse of the world’s highest mountain and that’s the reason why the Everest Base Camp Trek is so popular. The trek has a number of stunning attractions, not least of these is being able to say you’ve visited the highest mountain in the world. The trek gets you right into the high-altitude heart of the high Himalaya, more so than any other teahouse trek. There are some lovely villages and gompas (monasteries), and the friendly Sherpa people of the Solu Khumbu region make trekking through the area a joy.

When you think of Nepal, it's usually the northern half that comes to mind, the extraordinary, world-famous Himalaya. But what about the southern half of the country? Most of it is the very opposite, a hot, subtropical plain known as the Terai, which stretches north from the border with India. The Mahabharat Range and Chure Hills stand in the middle, as if mediating between snow-capped peaks and a flat horizon.

The notorious Prithvi Hwy, which winds through 128 miles (206km) of classic Middle Hills countryside, should be seen as more than just a painful bus ride. While many travelers head directly from Kathmandu to Pokhara, they miss out on some of Nepal's finer attractions. This includes one of the country's architectural gems, the historic town of Bandipur, a lovingly restored, picture-postcard village offering European ambience in the middle of gorgeous Nepalese vistas. As you follow the mighty Trisuli River along the Prithvi Hwy, you also pass its many riverside resorts, with their sandy beaches, laid-back charm and rafting adventures. Add the cultural attractions of Gorkha and Manakamana, and you have more than enough reason to get off the bus.

Vagabonds guide till vandring i Nepal – världens vackraste vandringsnation.

The Annapurna region is a dream for independent trekkers. It combines some of Nepal's most iconic mountains, including fish-tailed Machhapuchhare and massive Annapurna itself, with a superb trekking infrastructure and easy access, as most trailheads are just an hour or two from Pokhara. The region's charming Gurung, Manangi and Thakli villages add a cultural highlight.

With the upgrading of the path to Jomsom (Dzongsam) into a road, growing numbers of travellers are heading north into the mountains to savour the views and clean mountain air. As well as offering a shortcut to explore mountain villages such as Tatopani and Muktinath, which used to take days of trekking to reach, the road opens up opportunities to several trailheads.

Located 22km west of Siddharthanagar (Bhairawa), Lumbini was the birthplace of one of history’s most revered figures, Siddhartha Gautama – better known as the historical Buddha – in the 7th century BC. During the years following the Buddha's lifetime, this was a teeming monastic complex and a major place of pilgrimage, but the site was lost to history until the discovery in 1896 of an inscribed pillar left behind by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka, amidst a sea of monastery ruins.

Katmandu. Hjärtat i Nepal, huvudstad för Himalaya. Vagabondmedarbetaren Mikael Persson tipsar om allt från bästa äppelkakan till klosterboende och höghöjdskaffe.