Last time I went paragliding in Pokhara was nine years ago. Only a handful of companies were operating then, and there were more mountain peaks visible than fliers. My tandem pilot was five months pregnant, and we had a cushy ride floating in the thermals, seemingly as high as the

The Sham Valley is one of the shortest treks in the Ladakh region of India. You’ll often hear it said that this is one of the ‘easier’ treks in this part of the world, but just how easy is it? While there may be more technically difficult trails throughout Northern

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

Standing in the lobby of our hotel in Gangtok, we wondered whether it was really safe to go north. Should we really go ahead with our plan and try to visit Lachung and Yumthang? Just two days earlier, north Sikkim had received such heavy snowfall that routes were impassable. The

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

  The British rulers of colonial India loved to ‘summer’ in Mussoorie. Evidence of their occupation is still visible in the architecture they left behind, and in the names of the streets, buildings and even mountains. Subsequent generations of middle-class Indians have continued the tradition of escaping to Mussoorie. Given

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

At 5 am, Kanchenjunga wakes under a blanket of saffron clouds. The sky is an unnatural shade of pink, but the air tastes cold and clean, and is a welcome change from the grey stuff back in Delhi. Admittedly, I’m hungover and sore from having lost three games of Mahjong.

The Government of Nepal is putting a special emphasis on encouraging travellers to visit Nepal in 2020, promoting it around the world as a destination for adventure, luxury, and everything in between. While any year is a good year to visit Nepal, here are 20 reasons to visit Nepal in