Global Family Travels visited Nepal in 2015 to scout out locations for new tours. You can see highlights from our journey on our Facebook page. In the meantime, here are 10 fun facts that you may not know about Nepal:
Once the only Hindu Kingdom in the world, Nepal opened its borders to the world in the 1950s and was declared a secular country by its parliament in 2006 (and they are still finalizing their constitution in 2015!)
Nepal has the densest concentration of World Heritage Sites. Kathmandu valley alone has 7 World Heritage Cultural sites within a radius of 15 kilometers.
Nepal 's flag is the only national flag in the world that is not quadrilateral in shape and the two triangles symbolize the Himalaya Mountains and represent the two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism.
Eight of the highest peaks of the world are situated in Nepal, including Mount Everest -which in the Nepali language is Sagarmatha which means goddess of the sky- standing at a staggering 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.
Nepal is the birthplace for the Lord Buddha. Lumbini and a pilgrimage for many devout Buddhists.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April. Happy new year!
The Sherpas are an ethnic group from mostly the eastern mountainous part of Nepal. Many are employed as porters for mountain expeditions as they do not suffer the effect of altitude and due to their genetics and upbringing. Many groups refer to their porters as Sherpas.
Nepal is home to one of the few places on earth where you can see both the Bengal tiger and the one-horned rhinoceros.
People in Nepal greet each-other by putting their palms together and bowing their foreheads, saying Namaste (directly translated as ‘I salute the God in you), which is the same greeting used throughout India.
The Annapurna region was voted one of the top 10 best trekking places on earth.
Join Global Family Travels for a trip to Nepal which includes a trek to this beautiful part of the country. Details coming soon!