For the first-time visitor, a trip to Nepal can be an overwhelming experience. Jet lag and culture shock, thin air and smog, streets with no names and gods with many names all conspire to confuse, challenge, and astound visitors to this Himalayan kingdom. Before you immerse yourself in the cultural crossroads that is modern-day Nepal, it pays to have a clear idea of where you are going and what you want to see and do.

Nepal is home to the highest peak on earth and almost completely closed to the outside world from the mid-19th century until the early 1950s. When this tiny Himalayan kingdom finally opened its borders to the outside world, some of the first visitors were mountain climbers headed for Mount Everest.