While travelling through Nepal I experienced a kaleidoscope of cultural beliefs, and one of the most important places to me was Lumbini, the birthplace of the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddhartha Buddha. For anyone on a Buddhist pilgrimage, where’s a better place than the birthplace of Lord Buddha himself? Lumbini is a

In the foothills of the Nepal Himalaya lives a brave tribe of Gurung people who risk their lives climbing up cliffs to harvest honey from one of the biggest and most dangerous honey bees in the world. This tradition dates back hundreds of years, and holds great religious and cultural

“Alright, 50 more steps and then you can rest. 1, 2, 3…” For the past 4 hours, my thoughts have been dominated by counting my steps and controlling my breathing. Every time my legs get too tired to go further, I pause, look around, and enjoy the view. The sun

We humans are strange animals. We are different and divided, yet our hearts long to connect to other souls. Deep in the mid-hills of Nepal, I stayed in a picturesque village named Tansen on my way between Lumbini and Pokhara. The kind people of Tansen offer their local hospitality through

Early on a summer morning, I woke up from my bed in Sauraha, a village on the edge of the Chitwan National Park. Eight of us, all slightly petrified, all majorly excited, were headed out on a walking safari experience in the core jungle area of Chitwan. We walked past a sleeping Tharu

Only a few more steps, I could do that. I’d already climbed what felt like 100,000, I could manage another dozen or so. Huffing and puffing along with a flock of other early-bird trekkers, we reached our destination on the Nayapul to Ghandruk Trek, Poon Hill. I had just enough time

Nepal is one of my favourite destinations for spiritual journeys. The Himalayan country, full of sacred sites, is a centre of love, peace, and serenity. It’s also a land of age-old myths and traditions. Even today these myths and traditions are deep-rooted in the culture of the Nepali people. During my

A red-faced woman came breathlessly around the corner and was obviously stunned at the sight of me. “How did you get up here? In heels?” Fair enough, we were at nearly 4,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayas after all. Whereas she had taken the energetic and admirable way

The grass was warmed by the gentle sun; the pasture was open before us. Some wild horses stopped for a few seconds to check us out. I guess we didn’t seem to present any danger to them as they continued their relaxed feast. Some wild yaks crossed the river a little

Sometimes it can be necessary to get away from Kathmandu for a day or two. Everybody knows about Nagarkot and Dhulikhel, but a lesser-known destination for a short trip out of the capital is Kakani. It’s 23 km to the north-west of Kathmandu, right next to the Shivapuri National Park. The small