Nepal is situated in the central region of the Greater Himalaya and it contains more of the worlds highest mountains than any other country. These include Makalu, Lhotse, Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and of course, Everest. As in Bhutan and Sikkim, the brief but heavy monsoon nourishes an abundance of exotic vegetation which cloak the hills with bamboo and a multitude of other plants, flowers and trees. Pleasant rural villages are linked by paths through paddy-fields, forest and yak-pasture, giving trekkers access to the foothills and mountains beyond.

The Kingdom of Nepal lies along the central section of the Greater Himalaya, bordered by Tibet to the north and India to the east, south and west. It encompasses many of the world's highest mountains, including Mount Everest (29,128 ft./8,878 metres) which lies on its northern border. The terrain and climate define three distinct regions. The southern lowlands (Terai Region) of Nepal has a hot, tropical Indian climate. The central hill areas have a cooler sub-tropical climate and the northern region has an alpine climate. The latter two areas are dissected by deep valleys, formed by run-off from the monsoon and snow melt-water.

The Himalaya range runs along the northern border of Nepal and makes up 16% of the total land area of the country. Some of the country’s most rare and beautiful animals live in this region, including the snow leopard and Danphe bird.

The low lying terai covers 17% of the country, and consists of farming land, sub tropical forest and marshes. Just under 50% of the country’s population lives in the Terai region, and it contains almost all of the industrial towns in Nepal, including Biratnagar, Butwal, and Bhairwara. About ninety per cent of Nepal's inhabited land area is farmland and much of this is in the form of terraced paddy-fields, which reach high into the Himalayan foothills. A similar proportion of Nepal's 18 million population are farmers.

The hill region, made up of the Mahabharat and Churia ranges cover 65% of the land and climb in elevation from 500-3000m. The eastern hills receive more monsoon rain, while in the west the rivers run with meltwater.

For centuries Nepal was divided into principalities, with the Kirats in the east, the Newars in Kathmandu Valley and the Gurungs and Magars in the mid west. The Kirats ruled from 300BC, and were followed by the Lichhavis whose descendants today are the Newars. During this period art thrived in Nepal and many of the beautiful wood carvings and sculptures that fill the country were produced. With the end of the Lichhavi dynasty around 1200 the Malla Kingdom arose lasting for around 600 years. At the end of this period at the end of the 18th century the disunity in the country was halted by the Gurkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah who conquered Kathmandu and united the country into one kingdom. Recognising the threat of the British Raj he ordered foreign missionaries out of the country and for 100 years the borders were shut to visitors.

In the mid 19th century the Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana had become absolute ruler, with the Shah kings remaining as figureheads. The Rana grip on power became hereditary until the 1950’s when with the help of the Indian Government the Ranas were overthrown and the Shah king restored to the throne at the head of a parliamentary government. This government was dismissed by the king who restored the absolute monarchy.

Throughout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s the monarchy fought to retain its control over power, but as the result of mass demonstrations and with support from India the king agreed, in 1989 to a constitutional monarchy. Since then there has been an unsatisfactory and unstable swing between the middle of the road Congress Party and the Communist party which has made impossible any continuity of policy or progression in the country.

Nepal is officially a Hindu Kingdom, and ninety per cent of the population are Hindus. In the northern mountainous areas Buddhism becomes predominant. The two religions coexist, and many Hindu temples share the same complex as Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may likewise regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

At the same time there are localised and minor religions, such as the animism of the Tharus and the ancestor worship of the Kirats that have in turn influenced the two major religions to produce a unique vibrant and generally peaceful synthesis of beliefs in modern Kathmandu. In the capital the main Hindu temple is the Pashupatinath complex, the main Buddhist stupas are at Swayambhunath and Boudhanath.

The deep valleys and high ridge lines throughout Nepal account for the emergence of isolated ethnic groups. They can be distinguished geographically. The sherpas are of Tibeto-Burman stock and occupy the higher regions of central and eastern Nepal. They are mostly Buddhist, with some Bons. In the mid hills there are a variety of ethnic groups, including the Kirats who live in eastern Nepal. They are traditionally ancestor worshippers, but now are mainly Hindu, and ruled the Kathmandu Valley and their eastern Kingdom for 1000 years from the 7th century AD. The Gurkhas are part of this group of peoples.

The Kathmandu Valley is inhabited by commercially and artistically minded Newars, who practice a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism and whose ancestors are responsible for the creation of Kathmandu, Pathan and Bhaktapur. Other groups included the Gurungs of the central Nepal hills, the Khas of western Nepal whose own language, Nepali, is the official language of the country. Tharus are the main ethnic group on the Terai. They have their own animist religion and are immune to malaria. In total there are thirty five different tribal groups, and thirty four languages or dialects. The official language, Nepali is derived from Sanskrit and is similar to Hindi. It is written in script known as Devanagari.

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and the Kathmandu Valley is the political and cultural heart of the Kingdom. Founded in the 8th century AD by King Gunakamadeva at the join of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers the founding point is the Kashta (wood) Mandap (temple), built where two old trade routes crossed, and now the oldest building in the city. The unification of the Valley in the 15th century by Jayasthiti Malla made Kathmandu the administrative centre of the area, and it grew from there. The europhile first minister of Kathmandu in the 19th century, Jung Bahadur Rana, built many classical looking buildings and palaces in the city, in contrast to those of Newari style that existed before.

The urban sprawl that makes up modern Kathmandu is in fact two cities, Pathan and Kathmandu. Kathmandu in turn is divided into two area, the Old City is between the main north south running road (Kantipath) and the Bishnumati to the west (also running north south), while to the east of Kantipath is the New City. Kantipath runs away to the south across the Bagmati river to Pathan, now incorporated into greater Kathmandu.

Traditionally a seasonal market town for Newari and Gurung traders from Nepal and Mustang and Tibetan traders from the north to meet, Pokharas splendid natural setting and position at the foot of the Annapurna massif have made it the main trekking centre in Nepal. Not an old town the area was developed in the 1950’s after the malarial eradication programme. In the 1960’s a hydro-electric dam was built, along with a road to Kathmandu and an airstrip. Pokhara is set beside the Phewa Tal lake, and the town stretches away north from the main hotel area along the shore. Machhapuchhare Peak, one of the most beautiful in the world rises over 7000m behind the town.