Nepal, the land sandwiched between the two browbeating landmasses and powerful nations that are India and China, respectively,, stillperintends to sustain its cultural diversity. This land of the Himalayas is full of some of the astounding features that delve everyone into a state of bewilderment. From its astonishing heights to its cultural rendezvous, Nepal offers all the major intriguing traits that make every tired traveler's feet itch again and encourage them to get back into this staggering adrenaline-filled world.
Despite all its magical aspects, Nepal also has a real picture of its darker side that we often neglect. But that negative side is required to be flashed upon as well.
There are several excellent reasons to visit Nepal, which we will share here with you. But we also want you to know about its dismissive and gloomy side so that you may have an actual picture of this well-known country to make a learned decision. So, let's look at the good and bad things about Nepal.
Some of the Good Things about Nepal
Famous as Backpacker's Bottleneck
We all know that Nepal arguably offers us the most convenient access to its most famous peaks, which many adventure enthusiasts visit throughout the year. The Himalayas of Nepal includes around fifty mountains that exceed 7200 meters, including the world's ten out of the fourteen 8000 m peaks. These peaks offer great opportunities for even several non-mountaineers as its foothills deliver tremendous chances for all. Most of the famous peaks include Mount Everest (read: Where is Mount Everest located?), Annapurna, Manaslu, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga, Imja Tse, Lobuche, and Pisang Peak, to name a few.
Nepal's astonishing Diverse Cultures
An amazing country of almost 30 million people with more than 100 castes and subgroups, Nepal offers vast diversity in its culture and ethnicity. The groups here usually differ by altitude and climatic zones, with some inhabiting the alpine region of the high Himalayas while the others living in the middle hills inhabiting temperate zones. Most of the population is living in its subtropical lower regions too.
Languages: The most startling fact about Nepal is that there are hundreds of languages, of which Nepali and Maithili are the most prominent.
Religions: Another astounding fact reveals the diversity in Religions. The majority of the population identifies as Hindus, while other minorities include Buddhists, and Muslims, with others practicing the Kirat Mundham religion and Christianity.
Festivals: All these diverse cultures and ethnicity proffers unique festivals and celebrations that translates into different cuisines, dresses, and customs. More than 50 festivals are celebrated yearly, exhilarating every traveler visiting Nepal for fun, entertainment, and exploration. Some of the major Festivals of Nepal include Dashain, Tihar, Lhosar, Teej, and Indra Jatra, to name a few.
Nepal's unique and famous locals
The people of Nepal are famous worldwide for their friendly and helpful nature. They can make your trip a fantastic and memorable experience. One can never forget the way they welcome and treat their guests. That is why hospitality in Nepal remains a universally accepted fact. They are always interested in chatting with foreigners and often give a flash at their culture and customs. It is quite easy to communicate with them as they can converse smoothly in English.
Nobody can forget the taste of its lip-smacking food.
Food plays an important role while traveling as you need some delicious savories after a tiring day. Indeed, the food in Nepal is always famous for its local spices and unique recipes. People often love to have delicious recipes when they visit Nepal. The favorite meal offered to every visitor in Nepal is Dal Bhat –a uniquely cooked combination of rice and lentils served with cooked vegetables.
Other local cuisines in Nepal(also read: 15 Most Popular Nepali Foods you should Try) include Newari, Noodles soup, and momos. You can also relish the mouth-watering international foods served at many popular restaurants in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Travelers often enjoy delicious falafel, hummus, and Pizza with a cup of tasty coffee.
Convenience in getting Visa to Nepal
We often feel bad when getting Visa to a country planning to visit becomes difficult due to one hurdle or the other. Nepal's government has made this process easy for travelers as it is keen to promote its tourism sector. You can get a Visa on arrival at the airport of Kathmandu. All you need to have is some cash and one passport-sized photograph. Also, you get it easily through online Tourist visa applications.
Prices: $30 for 15 days Visa
$50 for 30 days Visa
$125 for 90 day Visa
Adventurous Experiences In Nepal
Nepal is full of Adventurous and recreational activities. Manyenture enthusiasts gear up for trekking its world-famous trails, where they can always find the best opportunity to have glimpse astonishing nature and lush green forests. Besides trekking, adventure fans would get the best opportunity to experience white water rafting in Trishuli and Bhotekoshi. Also, experience canyoning, bungee jumping, rock climbing, mountain biking, mountaineering, paragliding, etc.
Everest Mountain Flight Tours
One of the best things offered by the Nepalese Government is its Everest Mountain Flight Tours. People who cannot trek due to a shortage of time or other reasons can now feel the beauty of the world-famous peaks by taking a mountain flight. The exceptional experience of drifting over clouds and snow-covered peaks would take you to a different world.
It's miraculous religious Monks and Stupas.
One of the wonderful opportunities for all architectural enthusiasts and religious-minded people is that Nepal offers its world-famous Hilltop Swayambhunath, aka the Monkey Temple, and the largest Stupa in Asia(the Boudhanath) draws the attention of every visitor.
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Some of the Bad Things about Nepal
Nepal's poor infrastructure
The practice of charging the tourists
We are all aware that Nepal is one of the most underdeveloped nations in the world, and thus, it still has very little extra money. But its tourism sector has been proving a backbone for the country's economy. The country has started earning money from tourists by charging to access public spaces, which is not a good tourist practice.
For example, Durbar Squares is a famous spacious place for strolling and hangout. But a bit high entry fees(from 10 to 15 USD) are charged by foreigners when visiting and hanging around in these places. These things somehow impart a negative impact and show the darker side that several tourists dislike Internet access
Almost all of us need access to the Internet while traveling to remain connected with our families and social media. But the worst thing being noticed in Nepal is its poor Internet access. It is quite unreliable and slower as well. Though all the hotels and guesthouses offer the Internet, you shouldn't expect too much from them as you can only do light work on a phone or laptop through that.
The unhygienic atmosphere and dirty streets
The most pathetic part of Kathmandu is its filthy air and dirty streets. On arriving, you will be welcomed with dust and exhaust from the trucks. Pollution on the roads makes it difficult to breathe sometimes. Thamel is one example where the Nepal government has worked for years. Mud during the rainy season offers a different obstacle for tourists. Its overall unhygienic environment is annoying for travelers.
Air pollution and traffic in Kathmandu
Nepal has major pollution and environmental problems. Several of its cities face all such problems, especially traffic problems in everyday life. The major reason is an antiquated road system containing small and untidy roads. Tourists often get annoyed by seeing such conditions and environmental issues.
Impact of Earthquakes
Due to the severe earthquakes in Kathmandu, some sites and monuments remain disrepair in Nepal. Restoration work is quite slow that is usually handled by UNESCO. Such slow processes had already led the Nepal Government to delay its Visit Nepal 2018 Campaign earlier as more time was required to complete the project. Such scenarios are still there, and few improvements have ever been witnessed.
Dozens of monkeys at Stupas
Swayambhunath Stupa is the world-famous stupa in Nepal where thousands of tourists visit every year. Its poor air quality is quite disturbing that deteriorates its spectacular views. Another worst thing is that you will be harassed by several keys which can snatch your food and can even bite without vacation. The foul smell of their debris is another worst thing discouraging sightseers and travelers. Monkeys are already badly ruining the temple area.
Leftovers by Mountaineers
It has been observed that tourists and mountaineers leave a large amount of waste and leftovers during their Everest voyages, resulting in a deteriorating environment. Waste is being thrown from the windows of cars and houses that can be seen piled up on the sides of roads. Plastic bags and debris are clogging rivers. Due to all such rubbish, Kathmandu has converted into 'Trashmandu'.’ There is an ardent need to focus on bringing improvement to ensure that tourists are facilitated with the best options.
Impact of Poverty
Due to poverty, underage girls work in the Bars as dancers and servers, reluctantly ruining its culture and ethnicity. Girls are facing serious issues arising from earthquakes in poor economic backgrounds,s, which seems disturbing. It's high time that the government authorities look into such issues to resolve them through an alternate medium.
Of all the nations in South Asia, Nepal has stored some exceptional breathtaking experiences, including all the colors of its local cultures and great traditions that intrigue even the most intrepid travelers. Now, we need to take some good steps to improve the darker side of the country.
So, we are sure those mentioned good and bad things about Nepal will give you the inside scoop on what to expect on your holidays to Nepal when planning a future trip.
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