Top 10 Best Adventurous Things To Do In Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked gem in South Asia, offering an overwhelming amount of things to do. This beautiful country is famous for Mt. Everest, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. It is home to seven of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, which offer adventurous tourists the best hiking and mountaineering routes. Nepal has the top 10 things to do in Nepal that you need to try for sure.

Nepal’s major attractions include its ancient royal cities, wildlife, temples, monasteries, and many other natural and cultural spots, making this wonderful land a Must Visit Country in the world.

This article will briefly explain the top 10 things to do in Nepal that will be a life-long memory of your Nepal visit. 

1. Trekking In Nepal

Despite being small in area, Nepal is so diverse in its topography. Its altitude is from 59 meters (lowland, Terai) to 8848.86 meters (Mt. Everest) from sea level. However, it is only about 200 kilometres between these two points as the crow flies. It is one of the top 10 things to do in Nepal.

Since Col. Jimmy Robert organized the first commercial trek in the 1960s, trekking has become the leading activity of tourists in Nepal. This naturally beautiful country offers various types of trekking experiences. A few days of hiking on the easy pathways to months-long adventurous Himalayan trails are famous in Nepal.

Everest Region Treks and Annapurna Region Treks are two of the Most Popular Trekking Regions, offering many amazing trekking routes. Similarly, Langtang, Kanchanjanga, and Mustang regions contain many other less-discovered trekking trails.

The Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek, Upper Mustang Trek, Khopra Danda Trek, and others are popular trekking routes in Nepal’s Himalayas. To discover many other popular trekking routes, please visit our Short Treks in Nepal and Off-the-beaten Trails in Nepal.  

Even Kathmandu Valley offers some trekking routes to people who have only a short time but a keen desire to experience trekking in Nepal. Balthali Village Trek, Hike around Nagarkot, Hike to Godawari, Chisapani Hike, Chandragiri Chitlang Trek, etc., are the popular trekking destinations around Kathmandu. 

2. Durbar Squares Visit

The three Durbar Squares, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and Patan Durbar Square, are the cultural and historical heritage of the Kathmandu valley. These monuments and buildings display the full range of artistic and historical glories of the medieval period, or the Malla period, which represents medieval arts and cultures.

These three palaces reveal that the valley was divided into three different kingdoms before the unification of Nepal. These squares are full of temples, courtyards, palaces, and idols built by different Malla kings between the 12th and 18th centuries.

These squares seem to be a museum of ancient art and architecture, including amazing sculptures, woodcarvings, large pagoda-style temples, and picturesque palaces. Returning to the homeland without the experience of these ancient glories certainly makes your trip incomplete. 

3. Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath is the most sacred and oldest Hindu temple of Lord Shiva, one of the most important Hindu gods, on the bank of the holy river Bagmati in Kathmandu. This temple is also one of Asia’s four most important Hindu religious sites.

The temple believed to have been built in the 5th century, is mainly attracted by devotees of a superpowerful god with a tough character who wears the garland of serpents, puts the pest of ashes over the body, and consumes poisonous drugs.

He is also considered the ideal figure that Hindu women and girls pray to find husbands like him. Pashupatinath temple is a classic destination for spiritual devotees, and its temple is filled with amazing architectural designs, which were enlisted in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979.

Since it is the first Hindu pilgrimage site, the non-Hindus are forbidden to enter the main temple but are allowed to enjoy every function on the temple premises.

Facts About Pashupatinath

Although the temple is open throughout the year for regular worshipping activities, you can observe special fairs, especially during festivals like Mahashivaratri. Devotees from Nepal, India, and many other countries gather on the day of Mahashivaratri every year.

The physical structure of the temple is in traditional pagoda style with silver and gold-coated four sides-roofs. The beautiful wood carvings are around the temple. There are many other temples and sub-temples in the Pashupati area for both Hindu and Buddhist devotees, revealing the fact of Nepal.

Nepal is secular and has a high degree of religious tolerance. This also reflects the unity of diversity, which is Nepal’s essence. Pashupatinath is also a popular cremation site for Hindu people. Cremation in Pashupati is believed to make it easier to enter the gate of heaven, so many dead bodies from far and wide are brought here.

4. Things To Do In Pokhara

For foreign tourists, Pokhara is the second most important destination after Kathmandu. The city is considered the tourism capital of Nepal and is located 200 kilometres west of Kathmandu at an elevation of 1400 meters. It is also the gateway to many of the Himalayan hiking, mountaineering, and other adventurous expeditions through the Annapurna region.

It is a magnificent spot to relax before and after trips to the Himalayas. Pokhara is naturally a majestic land full of beautiful lakes, rivers, mysterious caves, amazing waterfalls, temples, monasteries, and more. Lakeside Boating Paradise is the main attraction of the city, full of attractive shops, dreamy cafes, sophisticated restaurants, and bars.

The colossal Phewa Lake, sailed by hundreds of colourful boats, gives the impression of a dreamland. Pokhara is the principal hub for adventurous people around the world.

It offers various kinds of adventurous opportunities. Adventurous activities in Nepal include Paragliding, River Rafting, Zip Flying, Bungee Jumping, Mountain Biking, Hang Gliding, Canyoning, Kayaking, etc. As a tourist hub, Pokhara offers a variety of accommodations to its visitors. It depends on their interests and the budget they can spend.

You can find Western standard luxury hotels and low-cost hostel bunk beds. We wish you the best to enjoy your Pokhara trip. 

5. Paragliding

What an amazing experience it is to fly in the sky like a bird! Paragliding is one of the best thrilling sports for adventure lovers worldwide.

Almost independently flying in the sky along with hawks over the valley and Cold Mountain is an experience you will never forget. Nepal offers you a number of mesmerizing paragliding sites. Paragliding in Pokhara is famous for paragliding, witnessing the towering mountains, spectacular landscape, and pristine lake.

A few minutes of experience will keep you delightful throughout your life. Don’t miss to cherish the thrilling experience of paragliding in Nepal whenever you plan for a top 10 things to do in Nepal trip. 

6. Mountain Biking

Nepal is exactly the right place for adventure seekers. Mountain biking is one of the many adventure activities that are very popular in Nepal, and there are unlimited biking trails.

The bustling cities in the valley always urge us to go away to rejuvenate. Biking through the edge of the valley to the country road offers superb views of the mountains, lush green forest, and terraced farmland.

The higher you climb, the better views you can enjoy. The never-ending rows of hills, stunning views of snowcapped mountains, spectacular landscapes, waterfalls, tranquil valleys, etc. It will never make you feel tired. Bhaktapur, Budanilkantha, Snakhu, Nagarkot, Dakshinkali, Godawari, etc., are the popular biking destinations around Kathmandu Valley. 

Riding through the local villages, lush green forests, terraced farmland, riverbanks, and suspension bridges, highways are excellent ways to explore new places and learn about new cultures, traditions, and lifestyles of the locals.  

7. Rafting and Kayaking

Nepal is a paradise-like country rated as the best whitewater rafting and kayaking destination in the world. Over 6,000 big and small rivers and rivulets offer adventurous visitors the best options for rafting and kayaking. 

The following is the list of white water rafting and kayaking top 10 things to do in Nepal:

• Trishuli
•  Seti Gandaki
•  Kali Gandaki
•  Bhote Koshi
•  Narayani etc

8. Chitwan National Park 

Chitwan National Park is the first national park located in the subtropical inner lowlands of south-central Nepal. Its altitude is 100 to 815 meters. It was established in 1973 and enlisted as a World Heritage site in 1984. Today, Chitwan National Park has become one of the top tourist attractions in Nepal. 

Chitwan National Park contains 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds, 56 species of herpetofauna, and 126 species of fish. It is renowned for protecting the one-horned rhinoceros, the Royal Bengal Tiger, and the Gharial Crocodile.

This park is an amazingly ideal place to go for Wildlife Safari. Also, jungle safari rides on the great Asiatic elephant, searching for the majestic Royal Bengal tiger and one-horned rhinoceros roaming freely. 

The giant gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles basking in the sun on the sandy banks are amazing to watch. The breeding centres of the elephants and the gharials are other attractions of the park. It is also the best way to educate the children about those animals and their life cycle.

Visiting Tharu village adds extra charm to your trip because of the warm hospitality and respect in their traditional mud and stone houses in the evening.

Enjoy the Tharu stick dance, probably sitting around the big campfire and listening to their melodious folk songs. Thus, Chitwan National Park is one of the best-protected parks in Asia.  

9. Lumbini Visit

Lumbini is a top tourist attraction in Nepal. It is one of the world’s Buddhist spiritual pilgrimage sites, believed to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam in 563 BCE. Later, he achieved enlightenment and became Buddha. At present, the whole site is filled with more than twenty Buddhist monasteries built by different countries. 

Mayadevi Temple is the central attraction of this sacred site, which has been identified as the exact place of his birth. Queen Mayadevi had given birth to Siddhartha Gautam. According to mythology, the just-born prince Siddhartha took his first seven steps and delivered his peace message to humanity. 

In recent days, dozens of wonderful monasteries have been built competitively by different countries. Japan, Sri Lanka, China, Germany, France, and many others are the centres of attractions that have spectacular and diverse architectural designs.

Strolling around the beautiful garden and contemplating a quiet place is an astonishing experience that will always remain in your memory. The tall Ashoka Pillar, built by the great Indian Emperor Ashoka on his visit to this holy place in 249 BC, is another focal point of Lumbini.

The whole Lumbini Garden, covering 2.56 square kilometres, consists of three zones. The garden has a subtropical climate with hot summers, a very wet monsoon, and pleasant winters. Winter is considered to be the best time to visit Lumbini. 

10. Himalayan Flight

A trip to Nepal remains incomplete without cherishing the stunning mountain views. Like the helicopter, which includes Mt. Everest and other ranges if you are fond of white snow sparkling brightly upon the mountains. The lakes and glaciers beaming with clear water flowing down from the Himalayas are really astonishing. 

Nearly an hour’s flight, usually from TIA, offers you a glimpse of 20 of the highest peaks in eastern Nepal. The closest peak from Kathmandu is Langtang Lirung Peak, and then to the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest.

Along with the stunning mountain views, mountain flights give you plenty of opportunities to learn about Nepal’s geography. Nepal is home to eight of the highest mountains in the world, and mountain flights are the only way to see them all at once.

The plane takes you so close to the peaks that you feel you are in the snow. Don’t forget to capture the incredible mountain views on your camera, as you will certainly get a window seat. 

The mighty peaks of the Dhaulagiri massif and Annapurna range in the west, and the Everest, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga in the east look stretching far into the distance. The rows of mountain peaks are beyond your imagination.

We highly recommend the ‘Everest Experience’ to discover the ancient mysteries. Enjoy the panoramic views, and bask in the miraculous landscape. It makes your Nepal trip the most memorable event of your life.