Draped along the greatest heights of the Himalaya, the kingdom of Nepal is where the ice-cold of the mountains meets the steamy heat of the Indian’s plains. It’s a land of yaks and yetis, stupas and sherpas, some of the best trekking on earth and the closest thing that backpackers have to Disneyland.

The Himalaya’s most sophisticated urban cultures took shape here, in the three great minikingdoms of the Kathmandu valley- Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur- home to a world- class artistic architectural heritage.

Nepal is not just a bungee-jumping, apple-pie eating Shangri-la. It’s also one of the poorest countries on earth. However, many visitors, drawn to Nepal by the promise of adventure, leave equally enchanted by the friendliness and openness of the Nepali people.

From the natural rhythm you ease into on a trek to the rhythm of a tabla drum at one of Kathmandu’s palace restaurants, Nepal is an amazingly diverse country that offers something for everyone. One journey through this land is rarely enough. The first thing many people do offer a visit is start planning the next one.