Your Himalaya, planned by locals

Hanuman Dhoka is Kathmandu's old royal palace: the courtyards where Shah kings were crowned, the nine-storey Basantapur Tower rebuilt after 2015, and a museum covered by your Durbar Square ticket. What to see, the ticket and hours, and a simple route through it.

We will not rank companies. This is the checklist we would hand a friend: how to check a trekking agency's licence and TAAN listing, what to get in writing, how staff are insured, how rescues should work, and the red flags to walk away from.

Pashupatinath, Budhanilkantha, Dakshinkali, Changu Narayan, Doleshwor and the Durbar Square temples: deity, what Indian visitors pay, who may enter the inner shrine, festival dates and the ID you need, checked 9 November 2026.

Most trekkers fly to Lukla and walk up from there, but it is not the only way in. We compare the Kathmandu and Ramechhap flights, helicopter transfers and the Jiri and Salleri routes, with drive times, permits and what can go wrong on each.

The Everest Three Passes loop as a stage table: every overnight stop with its height range, where Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La fall, anticlockwise versus clockwise, permits, flights and what was reported on the trail after Cyclone Arnab in late October 2026.

A practical trekking gear list for Nepal's teahouse treks: layers, boots, sleeping bag, water, sun, first aid, documents and power, with real night temperatures by month and straight advice on renting gear in Thamel.

Pokhara Lakeside, explained by a local team: the shore path, Damside and North Lakeside, Phewa boat rules, the night view and late-opening rules, the 65 m demolition story, and how to pick an area and a kind of place to stay and eat.

Budhanilkantha's sleeping Vishnu lies on a serpent bed in a pond at the foot of the Shivapuri hills. Our Kathmandu team explains what you are looking at, which stories are legend, who can go down to the image, what we know about tickets and hours, the Haribodhini Ekadashi fair on 20 November 2026, how to get there from central Kathmandu and how to add a guided walk into Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park.