Nepal

Kathmandu

Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमाडौ) is the largest city and capital of Nepal and the namesake of the Kathmandu Valley. Once thought to be the fabled and inaccessible Shangri-La, Kathmandu is a fast-growing spot catering to a wide range of holiday types and budgets. As a result of considerable urban growth in recent decades, it is now part of one continuous urban area together with Patan to the south.

Pokhara

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal with about 400,000 people in 2018. It is the starting point for most of the treks in the Annapurna area. It is a very popular location with most people staying around the beautiful Fewa Lake. Dozens of hotels and restaurants are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, and today it is much easier to find modern amenities not common to other locations in Nepal, but Pokhara is losing its small town charm and the lakeside now feels more like Khao San Road (with all the usual: yoga, reiki, massages by blind people, overpriced souvenirs and disingenuous locals). : P70 : P8

Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur (भक्तपुर) is a city in Nepal known variously as City of Culture, Living Heritage, Nepal's Cultural Gem, An open museum and a City of Devotees. Bhaktapur is an ancient city and is renowned for its elegant art, fabulous culture, colourful festivals, traditional dances and the indigenous lifestyle of the Newari community. It is just 12 km east of Kathmandu, the modern capital of Nepal, but you may feel a bit like you've gone back to the Middle Ages, given the ambiance of traditional homes, lifestyles and environment here. The conch-shaped historic city is spread over an area of 6.9 m2 at an altitude of 1,401 m. Bhaktapur was founded in the 12th century by King Anand Dev Malla and was the capital city of the Greater Malla Kingdom in the Kathmandu Valley till the 15th century AD. Many of Bhaktapur's greatest monuments were built during the Malla period.