Kathmandu Valley

Once you've experienced Kathmandu, it should come as no surprise that the Kathmandu Valley is not the natural paradise it once was. It's the country's economic engine, after all, supporting numerous industries and with a smoggy capital city right in the middle of it.

Yet this broad, undulating, fertile basin - so unlike the steep-sided hills that ring it - still displays a unique combination of natural and man-made beauty. Only a few miles outside the capital, traditional brick villages maintain their rural ways, and the countryside shimmers in an undulating patchwork of paddy fields - brown, golden or brilliant green, depending on the season.

But above all, it's the valley's incredible wealth of art and architecture that overwhelms visitors, just as it did the early explorers: "The valley consists of as many temples as there are houses, and as many idols as there are men," gushed William Kirkpatrick, the first Englishman to reach Kathmandu, and generations of travellers since have accurately (if patronizingly) described it as a "living museum". Its geography is largely spiritual: most of its places are named after gods, and many were literally put on the map by ancient myths. The valley's one-time name, Nepal Mandala, recalls how for millennia its pilgrimage sites have together formed a kind of gigantic meditation tool. If most of these pages are devoted to temples and holy sites - there are no forts, you'll notice- it's because religion is the best and most fascinating window on Nepali culture.

Until two hundred years ago, this protected bowl was Nepal (and for many hill people outside the valley, it still is). At that time, Kathmandu was only one of three major city-states constantly battling for dominance: Patan , just across the Bagmati River, controlled the southern part of the valley, while Bhaktapur ruled the east. These historical divisions are profoundly ingrained in valley society and live on in distinct religious practices, festivals and even dress. The valley can be divided into three sections, as much for practical reasons as historical ones, since roads and transport developed out of the old patterns of settlement.

Biking and hiking
Most of the valley's main historic and religious sites are connected to Kathmandu and Patan by radial arteries, which nowadays handle a lot of commercial and commuter traffic. For more enjoyable cycle touring , stick to the lateral roads and lesser radial ones. Hiking is best in the rural outer fringes of the valley floor and along the valley rim. For more ideas and fuller route descriptions, pick up a copy of Kathmandu Bikes & Hikes.

Festivals
Most of the festivals are reckoned by the lunar calendar, so check locally for exact dates.
Shiva Raatri On the full moon of Faagun, the Pashupatinath mela (fair) attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims and holy men, while children everywhere collect money for bonfires on "Shiva's Night".

Bisket Bhaktapur's celebration of Nepali New Year (April 13 or 14). Thimi and Bode have their own idiosyncratic festivities.

Buddha Jayanti The anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, celebrated at Boudha.

Dalai Lama's Birthday Observed informally at Boudha (July 6).

Janai Purnima The annual changing of the sacred thread worn by high-caste Hindu men, involving bathing and splashing at Patan's Kumbeshwar Mahadev on the day of the full moon

Krishna Jayanti Krishna's birthday, marked by an all-night vigil at Patan's Krishna Mandir on the seventh day after the full moon.

Haribondhini Ekadashi Bathing and puja on the eleventh day after the new moon. The main action takes place at the Vishnu sites of Budhanilkantha, Sesh Narayan, Bishanku Narayan and Changu Narayan.

The hub of the southern valley is Patan , just across the Bagmati River from Kathmandu. Paved roads fan out from there to the hilltop outpost of Kirtipur , the holy places of Chobar and Dakshin Kali , and the wilds (well, sort of) above Godavari . Things get more rural the farther south you go, and off the main routes you'll find some of the valley's best remaining countryside.

Consider basing yourself in Patan: the valley's second city and a world apart from Kathmandu, it deserves more than just an afternoon's visit. There are also places to stay near Dakshin Kali, Lele and Godavari, though most of them are in the middle and upper price ranges