God Gifted Place: Travel Nepal, Trekking In Nepal, Nepal Tour, Destinations Nepal, Peak Climbing

Explore Himalayas in Nepal, a truly fascinating experience. From the warm and lush vegetation of the lower hills to the icy slopes of the highest mountainous range on earth, one will encounter some of the most stunning scenery of the Himalayas and the friendliest people imaginable.
Sightseeing of the Himalayas is one of the best way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and to relax and enjoy nature at its very best. The following regions defined below is unique and attracted tourist worldwide.

Annapurna Region:
Annapurna (Sanskrit, Nepali, Nepal Bhasa: अन्नपूर्ण) is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a 55 km (34 mi)-long massif whose highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the 10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 "eight-thousanders". It is located east of a great gorge cut through the Himalaya by the Kali Gandaki River, which separates it from the Dhaulagiri massif. (Dhaulagiri I lies 34 km/21 mi west of Annapurna I.) Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which is translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hinduism, Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and agriculture and an avatar of Durga.
The most popular trekking region and easily accessible from Pokhara. Treks in this area range from the lush green hills around Ghorepani to the stark, barren beauty of Muktinath and the snow-covered slopes of the Annapurna Sanctuary.

Everest Region
Mount Everest, also called Chomolungma or Qomolangma (Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ) or Sagarmatha (Nepali: सगरमाथा) is the highest mountain on Earth, as measured by the height of its summit above sea level. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. By the end of the 2006 climbing season there had been 3,050 ascents to the summit by 2,062 individuals, and at least 630 more ascents in 2007. There have been more than 200 deaths on the mountain, where conditions are so difficult that most corpses have been left where they fell; some are visible from standard climbing routes. Climbers range from experienced mountaineers to relative novices who count on their paid guides to get them to the top. This means climbers are a significant source of tourist revenue for Nepal, whose government also requires all prospective climbers to obtain an expensive permit, costing up to $25,000 (USD) per person

The most famous mountaineering destination in the world and home to the warm friendly Sherpa people, the legendary yeti and, of course, the highest mountain in the world, Mt Everest.

Langtang and Helambu
The beautiful Langtang Valley and the picturesque villages of the Helambu region are both wonderful destinations in their own right. They can be also be combined into one trek with a visit to the sacred lakes at Gosainkund and a crossing of Laurebina La.

Kanchenjunga Region
Kangchenjunga (Nepai:कञ्चनजङ्घा) SewaLungma (Limbu language) is the third highest mountain in the world (after Mount Everest and K2) with an altitude of 8,586 metres (28,169 feet). Kangchenjunga is generally regarded as the highest mountain in India and the second highest peak in Nepal. Kangchenjunga translated means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 metres. The treasures represent the five repositories of god, which are gold, silver, gems, grain, and holy books. Kangchenjunga is also called Sewalungma in local Limbu language and considered sacred in Kirant religion. Three of these five peaks (main, central, and south) are on the border of North Sikkim district of Sikkim, India and Taplejung District of Nepal, while the other two are completely in Taplejung District. Nepal is home to the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project run by the World Wildlife Fund, in association with HMG in Nepal, the sanctuary is also home to the Red Panda and other snow animals, birds and plants. India's side of Kangchenjunga also has a protected park area called the Khangchendzonga National Park.
Although Kangchenjunga is the official spelling adopted by Douglas Freshfield, A.M. Kellas, and the Royal Geographical Society that gives the best indication of the Tibetan pronunciation, there are a number of alternative spellings which include Kangchen Dzö-nga, Khangchendzonga, Kanchenjanga, Kachendzonga, Kanchenjunga or Kangchanfanga. The final word on the use of the name Kangchenjunga came from His Highness Sir Tashi Namgyal, the Maharaja or chogyal of Sikkim, who stated that "although junga had no meaning in Tibetan, it really ought to have been Zod-nga (treasure, five) Kang-chen (snow, big) conveyed the meaning correctly". Following consultations with a Lieutenant-Colonel J.L.R. Weir (HMG political agent to Sikkim), he agreed that it was best to leave it as Kangchenjunga, and thus the name remained so by acceptance and usage.
Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world, but calculations made by the British Great Trigonometric Survey in 1849 came to the conclusion that Mount Everest was the highest and Kangchenjunga the third-highest. Kangchenjunga was first climbed on May 25, 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band of a British expedition. The British expedition honoured the beliefs of the Sikkimese, who hold the summit sacred, by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit. Most successful summit parties since then have followed this tradition.

Mt. Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain, lies on Nepal's eastern border with Sikkim. It is a beautiful, unspoiled wilderness area which boasts some of the most impressive mountain scenery on Earth. The pristine wilderness of the Kanchenjunga region in the far east of Nepal, is at its most beautiful in the spring, when an amazing display of rhododendrons colours the hillsides.

Mustang Region
The word 'Mustang' conjures up ideas of remoteness and seclusion, a region lost amongst the mountains. This was an independent country until it was closely consolidated into Nepal just a couple of decades back.

This remote outpost of Nepal is a vast high valley, arid and dry, and has a barren desert like appearance similar to the Tibetan Plateau. Only a few trekkers are privileged enough to visit this amazing area each year.

The kingdom of Mustang lies in the rain shadow formed by the Annapurna & Nilgiri Himalayas thus gets very little rain which makes the area ideal for trekking even in the mid monsoon while the other areas of Nepal remain unviable for trekking due to heavy monsoon rain.

Dolpo Region
The Dolpo region is characterised by stark arid landscapes similar to the Tibetan Plateau. To trek through this region is to step back in time, where village life continues as it has done for centuries and where very few Westerners have ventured.
Trekking in the Dolpo region has it's own charm , people here still leads a primitive life, yet they are friendly. This is also one of few areas where pre-Buddhist Bon Po religion is still practiced. The trail goes over three high passes, the Kagmara La [5115m], Baga La [5090m] and Numa La [5360m] passing the deep-blue tranquil Phoksumdo Lake and finally concludes at Juphal descending the gorge-side path of Tarap Khola.
Rara
This beautiful high altitude lake in Western Nepal, is surrounded by alpine meadows, forests of pine, juniper and spruce, and ringed by the magnificent snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.

Makalu Region
This is an outstanding trek in the eastern region of Nepal which offers a combination of rich culture heritage, unsurpassed beauty and biological diversity. Trekking in the Makalu region takes you through the beautiful Makalu Barun National Park, from the steamy lowlands of Tumlingtar [460m], to the snowy heights of Makalu Base Camp [5000m]

Manaslu Region
If you would like to sample both extremes of the trekking experience in Nepal, and really get to see what all the fuss is about in terms of the most breath-taking mountain scenery on earth, then look no further than the circuit of Manaslu via the Larkya La. The Tibetan enclave of Nupri, north of Manaslu at the head of the Buri Gandaki, was closed to foreigners for years on account of its proximity to Tibet. The area was surreptitiously opened in 1991, but it took several years for the word to get out.

Bratabandhan (sanskrit brata-promise,bandhan-to be bound), Chudakarma or simply bratabhanda is an ancient Hindu tradition carried out in Hindu families. This tradition is based on the four age periods of a Hindu man, namely Bramhacharya(0-25 years), Grihastha(25-50), Sanyasa (50-75) and Banaprasta(75+). A religious ceremony is held where a boy shaves his head and performs various rituals. It is a symbolic representation that a boy is mature enough to perform his duties as a bharmachari(that is to learn). Traditionally these boys were then sent to ashrams of gurus to learn in a vedic system of education. However today it is only represented symbolically by letting the boys beg(the ancient shyshas in ashrams used to beg home to home). At this point, the boys who want to renounce family life and get to the gurus by running (though it is just pretended as doing so)is avoided by the mama (maternal uncle) who lures them to material world or grihastha by offering money. These boys promise to stay home and at the same time perform the karmas of a bramhacharya (studying, earning a living and performing religious rites). Thus after this ceremony the boys are considered men (though not physically). They are given the Janai (yagyopavita-the holy thread from yagya)and are expected to keep with the rules and norms of full-aged men. This promise, taken by wearing the janai, holds them in a bind. This gives its name bratabhandha. From this point onwards they are permitted to take an active part in religious ceremonies (pujas, last rituals, marriages, etc.).

The pictures below are of the Bratabandha Ceremony Held in Sisneri, Lubhu, Lalitpur, Nepal on 24th January 2008. The boy's name is Abhishekh Ghimere of age 9 years old.