The living capital — seven UNESCO sites, medieval durbar squares, and the sacred stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath.

Lakeside serenity beneath the Annapurnas — paragliding, boating on Phewa Lake, and the world's best breakfast view from Sarangkot.

The trek of a lifetime through Sherpa villages, glacial valleys and prayer-flag passes to the foot of the world's highest mountain.

Rhododendron forests, Gurung villages and the natural amphitheatre of Annapurna Base Camp — Nepal's most varied trekking.

UNESCO-listed jungle where one-horned rhinos wade the Rapti River and Bengal tigers move through elephant grass.

Birthplace of the Buddha — a vast sacred garden of monasteries built by nations across the Buddhist world.

The forbidden kingdom — a Tibetan desert of walled cities, sky caves and thousand-year-old monasteries beyond the Himalaya.

A perfectly preserved Newari hilltop bazaar, car-free and draped in Himalayan panoramas — Nepal's prettiest pause.

The valley of glaciers — closest Himalayan trek to Kathmandu, through Tamang villages rebuilt with remarkable spirit.

Nepal's largest lake, a sapphire held in pine forest silence in the remote far-west — the queen of lakes.

The best-preserved medieval city in the valley — pottery squares, pagoda temples and the famous juju dhau king yogurt.

The city of fine arts — bronze casters, thangka painters and the valley's most elegant durbar square.

The valley's classic Himalayan balcony — on a clear morning the panorama runs from Annapurna to Everest.

Birthplace of Goddess Sita and heart of Mithila culture — dazzling temple architecture and living folk-art traditions.

Where modern Nepal began — the hilltop palace of King Prithvi Narayan Shah with Himalayan views to match its history.

Nepal's Darjeeling — rolling emerald tea gardens, misty ridgelines and the red-panda forests of the east.

Nepal's wildest park — the best tiger-sighting odds in Asia, wild elephants and Gangetic dolphins, without Chitwan's crowds.

A temple sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike, ringed by 108 water spouts beneath the Thorong La pass.

The jewel of the Annapurna Circuit — a high desert valley of stone villages, ice lakes and soaring Himalayan giants.

Nepal's remotest corner — turquoise Phoksundo Lake, snow-leopard country and Bon monasteries unchanged for centuries.

A whitewashed stone village in the Kali Gandaki valley famous across Nepal for its orchards — apple brandy, cider, dried apples and the best apple pie on the Annapurna Circuit.

A medieval mud-walled village where the green Kali Gandaki oasis meets the desert of Upper Mustang — narrow tunnels, a 600-year-old monastery, and Hindu ancestor rituals at the sacred river confluence.

A gorgeous Newari trading town draped over a hillside between the plains and Pokhara — famous for dhaka fabric weaving, the riverside Rani Mahal palace, and chukauni, its beloved yogurt-potato dish.