Nepal Bucket List: Himalayan giants and temple nights

With your backpack over your shoulders and a beaming smile, you're standing at the airport of your choosing, ready for your adventure in Nepal! Your plane takes to the evening skies, and you can hardly believe that you'll reach your dream in just about half a day. And speaking of dreams, as you fly through the night, you're already dreaming of hiking in the Himalayas, majestic temples and exciting encounters!

As you catch your first glimpse of the Himalayan mountains and Kathmandu's buildings, your heart leaps in your chest – you can hardly wait to discover this magical country! When you land in Kathmandu, your guide welcomes you with a warm 'svāgatam' and you instantly feel at home.

You're off to your hotel, where you discuss your travel itinerary with your guide. Well prepared, you now have a little time left for your first bit of exploring on Nepali soil. You take in Kathmandu with all your senses: the sounds, smells and the loads of people in the streets. You can feel the wonderfully bustling vibes everywhere, and after a short time, you're gripped by the magical, mysterious feeling of Nepal!

First thing in the morning, you're off into the streets of Kathmandu! Right in the middle of the Asan Market, the largest local market in the city, you find yourself surrounded by colourful hustle and bustle and pure, vibrant tumult as throngs of people scurry about and the aromas of local cuisine waft into your nose. Here at Kathmandu's most important marketplace, you find it all – variety as colourful as Nepal itself! And right nearby, the top of the Kathesimbu Stupa rises majestically above the lively commotion. Come afternoon, it's all about monkeys and valley landscapes. You read that right: you're visiting the Swayambhunath monkey temple! You don't have to wait long before the first little troublemaker scampers into sight, sits on the stone wall and peers cheekily at your bag. And as someone who's wise to their schemes, you always make sure to keep a tight grip on your belongings. Your gaze wanders from the temple into the lush green expanse of the Kathmandu Valley and that’s when you realise that it's not just the building itself that's worth seeing but the surrounding panorama as well. Wow!

Ready for adventure, you ride west along the Trisuli and Marsyangdi rivers and watch in amazement as you pass through rugged nature boasting endless terraced hills and stony riverbed. Then finally, you come to a halt in the middle of what seems like nowhere. You take a couple minutes to tighten your hiking boots, then you're ready to go. Together with your guide, you hike for almost three hours through the incomparable landscape at the foot of the Himalayas – a foretaste of what's to come and leave you breathless on so many levels! Back on the shuttle, you soon reach the former royal city of Gorkha. Then it's time to check into your hotel and recharge your batteries for tomorrow.