Hidden gems

Taplejung, Koshi Province

Timbung Pokhari

A sacred high-altitude lake near the Sikkim border, walked to by Limbu pilgrims for the Janai Purnima full moon.

Taplejung, Koshi Province

Olangchung Gola

An old trading village near the Tibetan border, with a 17th-century monastery and stone houses of the Walung people.

Sankhuwasabha, Koshi Province

Chainpur Bazaar

A 19th-century Newar bazaar on a ridge above the Arun, known for its brass and bell-metal craftsmen.

Khumjung and Khunde

Twin Sherpa villages in a quiet bowl above Namche, with Hillary's first school and a monastery that keeps a 'yeti scalp'.

Thame

A peaceful Sherpa village west of Namche where Tenzing Norgay grew up, with a cliff-side monastery that hosts Mani Rimdu in spring.

Pikey Peak

A sacred Sherpa hilltop in lower Solu with a sunrise view from Kanchenjunga to Annapurna — Hillary's favourite Everest view.

City & bazaar

Salleri, Phaplu and Chiwong

The green Solu valley below the Khumbu: the district headquarters, an airstrip, apple orchards and the clifftop Chiwong monastery.

Mai Pokhari

Ilam, Koshi Province

A sacred, forest-ringed wetland with nine corners, listed as a Ramsar site and loved by birdwatchers.

Sandakpur (Sandakphu)

Ilam, Koshi Province

The highest point of Ilam, on the Indian border, where Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Kanchenjunga line up at sunrise.

Tehrathum, Koshi Province

Tinjure–Milke–Jaljale

Nepal's 'rhododendron capital': a high ridge walk through forests that blaze red, pink and white in spring.

Tehrathum, Koshi Province

Gupha Pokhari

A small sacred pond and trail stop on the Milke ridge, with a wide Himalayan panorama at dawn.

Tehrathum, Koshi Province

Hyatung Waterfall

A tall ribbon of water dropping down a forested cliff in Tehrathum, claimed as one of the highest waterfalls in Nepal.

Namaste Waterfall

Dhankuta, Koshi Province

A waterfall whose two streams seem to join like hands pressed together in greeting.

Salpa Pokhari

Bhojpur, Koshi Province

A sacred lake in the high forests where Bhojpur meets Solukhumbu, revered by the Rai as the home of their ancestors.

Chaudandigadhi

Udayapur, Koshi Province

Hill fort of the Sen kings of Chaudandi, defeated in the Gorkha unification, now a ridge of ruins and temples.

Rauta Pokhari

Udayapur, Koshi Province

A forest pond in the Mahabharat hills of Udayapur, a pilgrimage and picnic spot with a small temple to Rautamai.

Satasi Dham

Jhapa, Koshi Province

A shrine of the Rajbanshi community and the old Satasi kingdom in south-east Jhapa, with ponds and ancient trees.

Betana Wetland

Morang, Koshi Province

A community-managed pond and forest on the highway near Belbari, with boating, birds and a small park.

Dhanusha, Madhesh Province

Mithila Art Centre, Janakpur

Watch women artists paint the bright, line-filled Mithila style that once decorated only village walls.

Dhanusha, Madhesh Province

Janakpur–Jaynagar Railway

Nepal's only passenger railway, relaunched in 2022, running across the Mithila plains to the Indian border.

Saptari, Madhesh Province

Chhinnamasta Bhagawati

A shrine to the self-beheaded goddess at Sakhada, one of the most revered Shakti temples of the eastern Terai.

Salhesh Fulbari

Siraha, Madhesh Province

The flower garden of Raja Salhesh, folk hero of the Dalit communities of Mithila, where a tree is said to bloom only at his festival.

Simraungadh

Bara, Madhesh Province

Ruins of the medieval capital of the Karnat kings of Mithila, with scattered temples, ponds and sculpture.

Parsa National Park

Parsa, Madhesh Province

Chitwan's quieter eastern neighbour: sal forest and Chure hills with elephants, tigers and gaur, and hardly any tourists.

Kirtipur

A Newar hilltop town that resisted Prithvi Narayan Shah three times, with temples, lanes and valley views.

River & gorge

Chobhar Gorge and Jal Binayak

The narrow gorge where, legend says, Manjushri cut the hill to drain the valley lake, with caves and a riverside Ganesh temple.

Tokha

A quiet Newar town on the northern edge of Kathmandu, famous for chaku molasses sweets and the Chandeshwari temple.

Sankhu and Vajrayogini

An old Newar trading town on the route to Tibet, with a forest temple of Vajrayogini on the hill above.

Lalitpur, Bagmati Province

Bungamati and Khokana

Twin Newar villages south of Patan: Rato Machhindranath's home, woodcarvers, and Khokana's mustard-oil presses.

Bhaktapur, Bagmati Province

Madhyapur Thimi

An old Newar town of potters and mask-makers between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, famous for its Sindoor Jatra at New Year.

Kavrepalanchok, Bagmati Province

Panauti

A small, intact Newar town at a sacred river confluence, with a 13th-century Indreshwar temple and Nepal's first community homestays.

Kavrepalanchok, Bagmati Province

Balthali

A terraced Tamang and Brahmin hill village south of Panauti, with a small resort and a big mountain view.

Nuwakot, Bagmati Province

Kakani

A strawberry-growing ridge north-west of Kathmandu with close views of Ganesh Himal and Langtang.

Tamang Heritage Trail

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A short circuit through stone Tamang villages like Gatlang and Briddim, with homestays, hot springs and Tibetan border views.

Rasuwagadhi Fort

Rasuwa, Bagmati Province

A 19th-century stone fort on the Tibetan border, guarding the old Kathmandu–Kyirong trade route.

Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province

Panch Pokhari

Five sacred glacial lakes at about 4,100 m below Jugal Himal, a quiet trek and a Janai Purnima pilgrimage.

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

Dolakha Bhimsen

A roofless shrine in an old Newar town, whose stone image of Bhimsen is said to 'sweat' before national disasters.

Dolakha, Bagmati Province

Tsho Rolpa and Rolwaling

One of Nepal's largest glacial lakes, at the head of the hidden Rolwaling valley under Gaurishankar.

Ramechhap, Bagmati Province

Sailung

Rolling grassy hills of a hundred small summits, with a 180-degree Himalayan view and rhododendron in spring.

Sindhuli, Bagmati Province

Sindhuligadhi

The hill fort where Gorkhali soldiers routed Captain Kinloch's East India Company force in 1767.

Dhading, Bagmati Province

Ruby Valley

A little-known trek below Ganesh Himal through Tamang and Gurung villages, hot springs and old mineral mines.

Makwanpur, Bagmati Province

Chitlang

A peaceful valley on the old porters' route into Kathmandu, with homestays, goat cheese and a Licchavi past.

Makwanpur, Bagmati Province

Kulekhani (Indrasarowar)

A hydropower reservoir in the hills south-west of Kathmandu, with boating and fresh fish at Markhu.

Makwanpur, Bagmati Province

Makwanpur Gadhi

Hilltop ruins of the Sen kings' fort, taken by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1762 after defeating Mir Qasim's army.

Chitwan, Bagmati Province

Bis Hajar Tal

The 'twenty thousand lakes': an oxbow wetland in Chitwan's buffer zone, a Ramsar site full of birds and crocodiles.

Chitwan, Bagmati Province

Upardang Gadhi

An 18th-century hill fort on the ridge above Chitwan, built during the unification wars, with sweeping views.

Chitwan, Bagmati Province

Siraichuli

The highest point of Chitwan district, a Chepang hill with views from the Terai to the Himalaya.

Begnas and Rupa lakes

Two quiet lakes in Pokhara's eastern valley, divided by a forested ridge, with fish farms and homestays.

Dhampus and Australian Camp

An easy overnight walk from Pokhara to a Gurung village and a grassy ridge facing the Annapurnas.

Panchase

A forested hill where Kaski, Parbat and Syangja meet, with a sacred pond, orchids and a quiet trek from Pokhara.

Sikles

One of the largest Gurung villages in Nepal, in the Madi valley under Lamjung Himal and Annapurna IV.

Nar–Phu valley

Manang, Gandaki Province

A hidden valley off the Annapurna Circuit, with medieval stone villages, gorges and monasteries; opened to trekkers only in 2003.

Mustang, Gandaki Province

Kagbeni

A fortress-like medieval village at the gateway to Upper Mustang, with a red monastery and a sacred river confluence.

Mustang, Gandaki Province

Tukuche

The old salt-trade capital of the Thakali, with grand merchant houses, a distillery and Dhaulagiri towering above.

Tsum Valley

Gorkha, Gandaki Province

A sacred hidden valley on the Tibetan border where hunting is forbidden and ancient nunneries cling to the hillsides.

Barpak and Laprak

Gorkha, Gandaki Province

Large Gurung villages near the 2015 earthquake's epicentre, rebuilt and welcoming visitors on a new homestay trail.

Lamjung, Gandaki Province

Ghalegaun and Bhujung

Model Gurung homestay villages in Lamjung, with cultural shows and close views of Lamjung Himal and Annapurna II.

Tanahun, Gandaki Province

Cave

Siddha Gufa

One of the largest caves in Nepal, a vast chamber of stalactites below Bandipur.

Tanahun, Gandaki Province

Cave

Byas Gufa, Damauli

The cave at the Madi–Seti confluence where the sage Vyasa is said to have been born and composed the Mahabharata.

Syangja, Gandaki Province

Sirubari

Nepal's first model village-tourism project (1997): a Gurung village of ex-Gurkha families hosting guests in their homes.

Syangja, Gandaki Province

Chhangchhangdi

A Magar village above the Kali Gandaki with homestays, the Bhirkot fort ruins and Syangja's terraced hills.

Baglung, Gandaki Province

Dhorpatan

Nepal's only hunting reserve: high meadows and forest under Dhaulagiri and Putha Hiunchuli, with blue sheep and a Tibetan settlement.

Khopra Ridge and Khayer Lake

Myagdi, Gandaki Province

A quiet alternative to Poon Hill with community lodges, a face-to-face view of Dhaulagiri, and a sacred lake at 4,660 m.

Rupse Falls

Myagdi, Gandaki Province

A tall, powerful waterfall that crashes down right beside the Beni–Jomsom road in the Kali Gandaki gorge.

Nawalpur, Gandaki Province

Amaltari Tharu homestay

A Tharu village on Chitwan's western edge with community homestays, rhinos by the river and far fewer tourists than Sauraha.

Rupandehi, Lumbini Province

Devdaha

The ancient Koliya kingdom, maternal home of Queen Maya Devi, where the Buddha spent time as a child.

Kapilvastu, Lumbini Province

Niglihawa, Gotihawa and Kudan

Ashoka pillars and stupas marking the birthplaces of earlier Buddhas, and Kudan where the Buddha met his father.

Ramagrama Stupa

Parasi, Lumbini Province

An unexcavated brick mound believed to be the only original stupa still holding relics of the Buddha.

Rani Mahal

Palpa, Lumbini Province

A white 1890s palace on the bank of the Kali Gandaki, built by a Rana general in memory of his wife — the 'Taj Mahal of Nepal'.

Resunga

Gulmi, Lumbini Province

A forested hilltop above Tamghas, sacred as the hermitage of the sage Kashyapa, with views and cool pine air.

Pyuthan, Lumbini Province

Swargadwari

The 'gate of heaven': a hilltop ashram where an eternal sacred fire has burned since the time of its founding saint.

Jaljala

Rolpa, Lumbini Province

A high grassland in Rolpa sacred to the Kham Magar, with rhododendron forest and views of Sisne and Dhaulagiri.

Rukum East, Lumbini Province

Rukumkot and Kamal Daha

The old seat of the Rukum kings, with a lotus lake and temple, headquarters of remote Rukum East.

Banke National Park

Banke, Lumbini Province

A young, little-visited park of sal forest and Chure hills whose tiger population has grown rapidly since 2010.

Monastery

Shey Gompa and Upper Dolpo

Dolpa, Karnali Province

An 11th-century monastery below the sacred Crystal Mountain, in the high, remote world of Upper Dolpo.

Dho Tarap

Dolpa, Karnali Province

A high valley village of Dolpo with stone houses, chortens and one of the highest schools in the world.

Limi Valley

Humla, Karnali Province

A hidden Tibetan Buddhist valley in far north-west Humla, with the ancient Rinchenling monastery at Halji.

Sinja Valley

Jumla, Karnali Province

The capital of the medieval Khasa Malla empire and the cradle of the Nepali language, with ruins and ancient inscriptions.

Kalikot, Karnali Province

Pachal Jharana

A waterfall pouring off a cliff in the Karnali gorge country of Kalikot, which gives its name to the local municipality.

Dailekh, Karnali Province

Dullu and the eternal flames

Old Khasa capital of Dailekh, where natural gas flames burn at shrines said to mark parts of a fallen god's body.

Jajarkot, Karnali Province

Jajarkot Durbar

The palace of the former Jajarkot kingdom, one of the Baise states, on a ridge above the Bheri river.

Rukum West, Karnali Province

Syarpu Lake

One of the largest lakes in the middle hills, among terraced fields near Musikot in Rukum West.

Kupinde Lake

Salyan, Karnali Province

A sacred lake in Salyan's hills, said never to rise or fall, with fairs at the full moon.

Surkhet, Karnali Province

Kakrebihar

The stone ruins of a 12th–13th century temple complex in a forest above Birendranagar, with Buddhist and Hindu carvings.

Surkhet, Karnali Province

Deuti Bajai

A much-loved goddess shrine in the Surkhet valley, where devotees offer bells and pray for wishes.

Kanchanpur, Sudurpashchim Province

Jhilmila Lake

A forest lake in the Chure hills of Kanchanpur, near the Indian border, surrounded by sal jungle and birds.

Kailali, Sudurpashchim Province

Ghodaghodi Lake

A Ramsar-listed complex of forest lakes on the East–West Highway, rich in birds, turtles and lotus.

Kailali, Sudurpashchim Province

Tikapur Park

One of Nepal's largest public parks, beside the Karnali in a planned Terai town, with gardens, lawns and a lake.

Doti, Sudurpashchim Province

Shaileshwari and Silgadhi

The goddess temple of Silgadhi, protector of the Doti kingdom, above the Seti river and twin town of Dipayal.

Achham, Sudurpashchim Province

Ramaroshan

Twelve lakes and eighteen meadows in the hills of Achham — the 'Switzerland of the far west'.

Dadeldhura, Sudurpashchim Province

Ajaymerukot

Ruins of the palace-fort of the Doti kings on a forested ridge, the first capital of the far-western kingdom.

Baitadi, Sudurpashchim Province

Tripurasundari and Melauli

Baitadi's great goddess temples on the hills above the Mahakali, with stone devals of the Doti–Kumaon style.

Bajura, Sudurpashchim Province

Badimalika

A high grassland shrine at over 4,000 m above Martadi, reached on a pilgrimage at the Janai Purnima full moon.

Bajhang, Sudurpashchim Province

Surma Sarovar

A sacred glacial lake below Surma Devi peak in Bajhang, a remote pilgrimage in the shadow of the Saipal range.