Blessed with one of the best locations in the world, Nepal is a hugely popular travel destination. Its prime attraction is its setting amidst the Himalayas Mountains, with several of the world's highest peaks within its borders. This makes Nepal one of the great trekking locations in the world, ranging from short and comfortable treks to scaling great mountains and visiting the famous Everest Base Camp, all with stunning views of the Himalayan peaks. Aside from trekking, Nepal has a diverse and fascinating cultural heritage in the Kathmandu valley and the Himalayan hills, with many historic Buddhist and Hindu temples. The Chitwan National Park also offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Asia, with rhinos, elephants and tigers of particular interest. Explore in depth highlights of Nepal.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
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| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +5.75 (Nepal standard time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Nepali |
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| Other languages: | Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Magar, Maithali, Newar, Tamang, Tharu |
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| Currency: |
Nepalese rupees (NPR) €1 = Rs121, $1 = Rs108, £1 = Rs144 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .np | International Dialling Code: 977 |
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For help planning your trip to Nepal including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Nepal trip planning page.
Further information on Nepal
Discover more about Nepal - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 147,181 sq km (4,000 sq km under water)
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Neighbours (border lengths): China (1,236km), India (1,690km)
Climate: Climate varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south. Nepal has two main seasons, the October to May dry season and the June to September monsoon.
Highest mountain: Mount Everest (8,850m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Nepal from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Partly Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Hybrid regime | 105/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Mostly Unfree | 152/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Noticeable problems | 103/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Limited rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | High corruption | 126/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 114/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Status: Independent Country
Population: 30,986,975 (rank: 41/196) Density: 210.5 people/sq km (rank: 40/196)
Ethnic groups: Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)
Religions: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
GDP (PPP): $42.06 billion GDP per capita: $1,500 (rank: 173/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.