A country surrounded by the towering Himalayas in the midst of forests on one side and snow capped peaks on the other with breath taking sunsets and sunrises. An artist’s delight and a visitor’s paradise, this small town is dotted with Hindu and Buddhist temples. Katmandu is the capitol of the mountain kingdom of Nepal.

Visitors to this valley can get a glimpse of the olden world of the monarchs and the rulers who lived in large mansions called bhavans and were attended on by a retinue of servants. This is still so in many households in Katmandu, who are descendants of the royalty. The opulence of their life style is to be seen to be believed.

The town has many interesting spots to visit and the temples and Buddhist monasteries are worth visiting. Spin the prayer wheels as you walk along and you will be on another plain in your thoughts, mingling spirituality with your vacation. Katmandu has many artifacts made by the Nepali people in brass and bronze and embedded with semi precious stones. Step into the by lanes of Patan and you will be dazzled by the shops here.

Katmandu has many activities to keep you occupied during your holiday with the many casinos that have sprung up and are doing roaring business. A daredevil’s experience would be to go down the river in you dinghy. This apart you can travel to all the smaller towns of Nepal and get closer to the mountain peaks. While flying into this valley you can see the complete Himalayan range which is orange during sunset and dazzling white at noon.

You can get into Kathmandu by air from any of the major airports in India like New Delhi, Patna and Kolkata. Going by road takes a long time and the mountain passes could prove to be not too safe. However, one could reach the foot hills by train or road and then go into the valley.