The Geography: हिमाल, तराइ, and Everything in Between

Let's take a look at a map, for my visual readers and learners.

Administrative Map of Nepal

Nepal has an area of 147,181 km² (56,956 mi²) it is about 1.5 times larger than Portugal, or slightly larger than the U.S. state of Arkansas. For such a small country, it has a lot happening in it. The Himalayan mountains (हिमाल) are situated in the north, sharing a border with Tibet, with Nepal being home to 8 out of the 10 highest peaks:

1. Mount Everest, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8848m

2. K2, Karakoram, Pakistan/China – 8611m

3. Kangchenjunga, Himalayas, Nepal/India – 8586m

4. Lhotse, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8516m

5. Makalu, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8485m

6. Cho Oyu, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8188m

7. Dhaulagiri, Nepal – 8167m

8. Manaslu, Nepal – 8163m

9. Nanga Parbat, Pakistan – 8126m

10. Annapurna I, Nepal – 8091m

All the peaks that are bolded can be seen on the map, if you look closely. Although most of the mountains are also located in Tibet, China, most tourists climb from Nepal's side because the routes are easier to navigate. For example, climbers aiming to conquer Everest must go through the capital city of Kathmandu, fly to Lukla Airport, and then trek the rest of the way in order to reach Everest Base Camp. The trip from Kathmandu to Base Camp takes about 14-21 days. Climbers then will climb the south side of Everest to reach the summit. Gear and Visas are readily available in Kathmandu and other places, and most climbers are allowed to climb without much trouble. The visas to climb from Tibet's North Side of Everest are a little harder to obtain and are not always readily available to every climber due to mainland China's various security rules. For more information about the climb and other routes, please visit Everest Base Camp Trek - Wikitravel and The Best Trekking Route to Everest Base Camp (mythsandmountains.com)

The plain jungles of the Tarai (तराइ) are located in the south, near the border of India. This region of Nepal is occupied by the large perennial Himalayan rivers Yamuna, Ganges, Sarda, Karnali, Narayani and Kosi that each cover thousands of square kilometers below their exits from the hills. The Tarai region of Nepal is divided into 'inner' and 'outer' and has 20 districts:

Inner Tarai:

- Surkhet Valley (Nepali: सुर्खेत) in the Surkhet district, north of the Kailali and Bardiya districts

- Dang Valley (Nepali: दाङ) in the Dang Deokhuri district

- Deukhuri Valley (Nepali: देउखुरी) located south of the Dang Valley

- Chitwan Valley (Nepali: चितवन) stretching across the Chitwan and Makwanpur districts

- Kamala Valley, also called Udayapur Valley (Nepali: उदयपुर), in the Udayapur district north of the Siraha and Saptari districts.

Outer Tarai: begins south of the Sivalik Hills and extends to the Indo-Gangetic Plain. In the Far-Western Region, it comprises the Kanchanpur and Kailali districts, and in the Mid-Western Region, Bardiya and Banke districts. Farther east, the Outer Tarai comprises the Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusa, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa districts. East of Banke the Nepali Outer Tarai stops where the Indian border swings north and follows the edge of the Sivaliks adjacent to Deukhuri Valley. East of Deukhuri, the Indian border extends south again and Nepal has three more Outer Tarai districts.

Some well-known places in the Tarai districts:

Janakpur: Dhanusa District; mentioned in the Ramayan as the birthplace of Sita; also one of the holy sites on the route of Parikrama (holy circle) which is carried out by devout Hindus as a form of worship.

Dhangadi: Kailali District; it is the perfect starting point for all adventures in the Far West. The airport and Indian border entry point are minutes away.

Biratnagar: Morang District; home to the Biratnagar Jute Mills, the first large scale industry of Nepal; serves as an entry point to eastern Nepal; the birthplace of five prime ministers of Nepal, in addition to being host to a number of revolutionary incidents in the country including the first labor strike which led to the anti-Rana movements; Kali Mandir is also located there.

Birgunj: Parsa District; as an entry point to Nepal from Patna, India and Kolkata, India, it is known as the gateway to Nepal; the second largest city in Nepal and the largest in the Narayani Zone; a multilingual and multiethnic city; the 300,000 population comprises of various ethnic groups, the largest being the Tharus.

Lumbini: Rupandehi District; Siddharth Gautam (Lord Buddha) was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who built one of his commemorative pillars there. Maya Devi Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a famous tourist site there.

Nepalgunj: Banke District; home to Grasscutters' Lane, amazing street food, and Royal Bardia National Park; Hinduism and Islam also dominate the region.

Butwal: Rupandehi District; famous for the Anglo-Nepal War where the English were defeated by the Gurkha force at the Jitgadhi fort. The Manimukunda Sen Park is worth a visit to escape the heat and dirt of the town. HillPark is another potential urban-trek site that would be a nice place to climb early in the morning or in the evening, as it gets uncomfortably hot for a hiking during the day. There are couple of good lakes, which can be a good bird-watching or picnic spot, to the west of Butwal.

Moving onto the rest of Nepal, there are 5 major regions: Eastern, Central, Western, Mid-West, and Far-West. There are 14 zones: Mahakali, Karnali, Seti, Bheri, Rapti, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Lumbini, Bagmati, Narayani, Janakpur, Sagarmatha (which is strangely located in the south), Koshi, and Mechi.

As for the climate, it is hot and humid in the south, mild in the mid-regions, and fairly cold in the north (all year round). Kathmandu Valley can get quite hot during the summer.