Kathmandu, the capital of the Kingdom of Nepal is situated in a valley which
is an open air museum of famous sites, ancient temples and shrines, golden
pagodas and inspiring deities. Several beautiful and interesting villages
and towns surrounding the valley offer ideal destinations for mini treks and
picnic spots.
Kathmandu valley is poignant and is surrounded by a tier of green mountain
walls above which are towering mighty snow-capped peaks. The valley is made
up of three main towns of great historic, artistic and cultural interest
namely, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.
There is always something of interest in and around the city. You might
find a small ancient temple or a small statue or a sadhu in bright saffron
robes meditating or a Tibetan monk spinning his prayer wheel.
The dazzling Himalayan peaks are visible from several points on the
mountains around the valley of Kathmandu which is situated 4,423 ft. above
sea level.
The main attraction of the city is the beautiful alpine scenery, the
magnificent Himalayan panorama, particularly of the Ganesh Himal. Other
peaks that can be seen closely from Kakani are Gaurishanker (7,134m), Bhoba
Bhamre (6,016m), Manaslu (8,163m), Himalchuli (7,893m), Annapurna (8,091m),
and several other peaks. One should not also miss to watch the majestic view
of sunset that Kakani offers.
Fact file
Country : Nepal
Official name : Kingdom of Nepal
Area : 140,800 sq. km
Population : 622,618
Languages : Nepalese
Climate
: Nepal has four seasons. Spring is from March through May, summer is
June through August, autumn is September through November, and winter is
December through February. Summers are generally hot and dusty. Heavy rains
start to fall from the end of June up to mid-September. Winters are chilly,
especially in the central valleys and in areas with higher elevations. The
climate in the Kathmandu Valley is fairly pleasant, and ranges from 19 to 27ºC
in summer to 2 to 20ºC in winter.
Official Currency : Nepalese rupee(NPR) ; 1 NPR = 0.6250 Indian
Rupee = 0.0143 US Dollar = 0.01192 Euro (subject to change).
Location : The city of Kathmandu is situated amidst beautiful
Himalayan Mountain ranges and is 4423 ft above the sea level.
Getting There:
By Air : ‘Tribhuvan International Airport ‘ is 7 km from
Kathmandu. Royal Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier of Nepal, and
other International airlines operate scheduled flights to Kathmandu from
Bangkok, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Dubai, Varanasi, and several other cities.
The international airlines operates their flights to Kathmandu include
Aeroflot, China South West Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Indian
Airlines, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, Druk Air, Singapore
Airlines and Thai International.
Getting Around
By Road : Public buses are the main form of transportation. There
are no trains or drive-yourself rental cars in Nepal but cars with drivers
can be hired. There are several bus services between Kathmandu and other
cities of Nepal. Bike riding is another popular way of moving around the
city. Walking is still the most ideal and most reliable method of getting to
places and for moving cargo. Taxis, buses, tempos (three-wheeled buses),
auto-rickshaws, rickshaws and bicycles are some of the local transports in
Nepal.
Accommodation
There are a number of good hotels in the city to ensure a comfortable stay
for the tourists. A list of some of the good accommodation facilities is
given below:
5
Star hotel in the city
Hotel Summit
Hotel Yak and Yeti
Hotel Malla
Hotel Le Meridien
4 Star hotel in the city
Hotel Dwarika's
Hotel Everest
Hotel Crowne Plaza
Hotel Raddison
Hotel Kathmandu Guest House
3 Star hotel in the city
Hotel Manaslu
Hotel Blue Diamond
Major Tourist Attractions
Machchhendrananth Temple : The temple of Sweta Machchhendra Bahal
is situated between Indra Chowk and Asan. It is a sanctuary of considerable
artistic beauty is also called as “Janmadyo” or “Machchhendra”
deity.
Temple Of Kumari (Kumar Ghar) : This residence of Living Goddess, “Kumari”,
is situated to the Hanuman Dhoka Palace. The building has many carved wooden
balconies and window screens. The Kumari - the Living Goddess, acknowledges
the greetings from her balcony window. Photography is not allowed.
Kasthamandap : It was built by King Laxmi Narsingha Malla in the
beginning of the 16th century. It has been erected from the wood of a single
tree. The city of Kathmandu derives its name from this temple.
Bhadrakali Temple : The temple of Goddess Bhadrakali is situated
near the Shahid gate. This temple is also called as Lumarhi temple and is
one of the main “Shakta” temples of Kathmandu city.
National Museum : The National Museum lies two and half kilometers
west of Kathmandu and has a splendid collection of weapons, artifacts from
ancient, medieval and modern Nepal. Its archaeological and historical
displays are worth seeing. The museum is open everyday except Tuesday and
government holidays.
Natural History Museum : Situated 3-kms west of Kathmandu City
behind the famous Swayambhunath hillock this museum has a rare collection of
butterflies, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, plants and a variety of fossils
collected within the country. Photography inside the museum is banned.
Guheswari Temple : Historic and holy temple of Guheswari is situated
near Pashupatinath. Only Hindus are permitted to enter the temple courtyard.
Chabahil : The breathtaking stupa of Chabahil is believed to have
been built by Charumati, the daughter of the Indian emperor Ashoka, in the
3rd century B.C. There are ancient statues around the stupa.
Chandra Vinayak : It is located about 200 m. north of Chabahil
stupa. This double tiered brass roofed temple houses a tiny image of Lord
Ganesh, the Elephant-headed God.
Bouddhnath
: The Stupa of Bouddhnath lies 8-kms east of Kathmandu and this colossal
and ancient stupa is one of the biggest in the world.
Chobhar : Situated 9-kms south-west of Kathmandu, this place is
famous for its gorge where all the water of the valley drains through it.
There is a small and beautiful temple of Adinath on the top of a hill. From
this top one can have a panoramic view of snow capped mountain peaks.
Dakshinkali : The temple of Dashinkali is situated about 2-kms south
of Shekha Narayan and is regarded as one of most important Hindu Goddesses
pilgrims, where people offer their prayer and animal sacrifices to the
Goddess. Besides this, the place has been developed as a popular picnic
spot.
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