The Himalayas, without the extreme altitude

The hill station east of Kathmandu offers a 360-degree panorama including Everest, Langtang and Ganesh Himal. An overnight stay means you wake in the mountains and watch the pink light hit the snow.

The holiest Hindu temple in the world — cremation ghats on the sacred Bagmati River, sadhus draped in ash and marigold, evening aarti. Overwhelming and unforgettable.

The great whitewashed stupa — one of the largest in the world — is ringed by Tibetan monasteries. An evening circumambulation with hundreds of pilgrims twirling prayer wheels is deeply peaceful.

The terai grasslands in the south are home to one-horned rhinos, royal Bengal tigers, dolphins and over 400 bird species. Elephant safari at dawn gives access to terrain no jeep can reach.

The lakeside town offers the most accessible high-Himalayan panorama in Nepal — Annapurna, Machhapuchhre and Dhaulagiri reflected in Phewa Lake. Sunset from the World Peace Pagoda is iconic.

The best-preserved medieval city in Nepal — the 15th-century royal palace, 55-window carved wood balcony, and pottery square have changed little in 500 years.

The hilltop stupa with its all-seeing Buddha eyes overlooks Kathmandu Valley. Arrive with the monks for morning prayers as the city wakes below.

A gentle half-day walk through Sherpa and Tamang villages with terraced fields, mani walls and yak herders — the beginning of the Himalaya without any of the altitude.

A short wooden boat ride on Phewa Lake to the small island temple, followed by lunch at a lakeside restaurant with Annapurna directly above you — a quietly perfect Nepal afternoon.

The finest collection of Newari art and architecture in the Kathmandu Valley — courtyards of intricately carved wood, ancient bronze and copperwork, and a museum that is genuinely world-class.