Introduction to Nepal

Introduction to Nepal
The great outdoors' are truly magnificent in Nepal. Rising up between the fertile plains of India in the south and the desert-like plateau of Tibet in the north, Nepal has been described as the biggest natural museum in the world. With its environment ranging from sub-tropical to artic, it's full of surprises. In addition to its infamous mountain range, Nepal has thick tropical jungles teeming with rare and endangered wildlife, thundering rivers inviting you to conquer them, forested hills and some awesome glaciers. That's a striking record for a country only 880km wide (E - W) and between 145km - 241km deep (N - S).While its population of approximately 23m people speak Nepali, Nepal comprises more than 61 ethnic groups and 70 dialects. These dialects can normally be heard more in rural areas outside Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city. Nepal's key religions, Hinduism and Buddhism will add extra colour to your visit as you'll see shrines to the Gods and experience festivals that take place throughout the year. Striving to differentiate itself from India, Nepal's standard time is 15 minutes ahead of Indian standard time and 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT. The Nepali Rupee (Rs.) is available in denominations of one, two, five, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupees. There are a growing number of ATM's in Kathmandu and other international currencies including the US dollar, Pound sterling and the Indian rupee are readily accepted in most places, although small denominations of the Nepali Rs. are a necessity out of the main cities.Communication is continually improving in Nepal. Internet and telephone services are widespread and reliable in Kathmandu and Pokhara. These facilities are becoming more readily available in other towns although the cost, speed and quality of connection can differ greatly. The same is true of electricity supply, which is found in major towns and some interesting outposts such as Namche Bazaar, 3343m above sea level!