Nepal silently booms as a prime attraction for travelers in the region. A south Asian landlocked country tucked at the base of the Himalayas, Nepal lies between two Asian giants, China and India. The nation, geographically and culturally diverse is well known for the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, and Lumbini, birth place of Buddha.

The nation also offers a bevy of religious, spiritual and cultural experiences. Nepal tops many travelers lists of  must visit place on earth. Popular travel guides have ranked Nepal very highly on their lists of must visit travel destinations around the world.

Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2013 ranks Kathmandu eighteenth under Top Travel Destinations in Asia and second in South Asia after New Delhi. Lonely Planet ranks Nepal fifteenth in the list of Must visit Travel Destination in Asia whereas for meeting other travelers  lonely planet’s  Travelers Choice ranked Nepal third.

Traveler’s Choice of lonely planet rated Nepal sixteenth top travel destination of the world and in the list of adventurous destinations of the site Nepal was in the third position.  Similarly, USA Today ranks Everest top seven in the list of Top Tourist Destinations in Asia whereas CNN Unseen Asia ranks Garden of Dreams of Thamel fifth in its list of Most attractive overlooked sites in Asia.

Similarly, on the trekking side lonely planet and Exodus UK rank Everest Base Camp Trek 4^th and 3^rd respectively in their lists of most wonderful treks in the world. One of the most popular trekking trials in the world Annapurna Circuit is ranked first and third respectively by Travel Channel and BootsnAll in their lists of Best Treks in the World.

As per the lonely planet the largest travel guide book in the world, Nepal puts forward the best price for the Himalaya trekking.

Lonely Planet that has listed Spain, Bolivia, Slovenia, Rio de Janeiro, Portland, Nepal, Namibia, Gothenburg, Cambodia, the former Soviet republic of Georgia as the 10 top value destinations for 2013, states, “With visitor numbers steadily rising, Nepal remains a tremendous option for budget travelers.”

The best price remains true even for the organized treks hiring the porters guides and the other required opts for the trekking.

Porter carrying expedition requirements during the Trek in the Annapurna Region.

“The best value list is for those who want to make the most out of their dollar when travelling,” according to Lonely Planet’s US digital editor Andy Murdock.
“While the choices are not the cheapest destinations on the planet in every case, they’re great options for travelers who want to visit somewhere new and interesting without draining their bank account,” he added.
Also, the popular travel guide names the Himalayan territory in Nepal third – behind the island of Corsica and the Negev in Israel and Palestine as one of the top regions to visit in 2013.

Lantang Valley.

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If you take reviews from travel guides seriously than take a read. Lonely Planet  has chosen Bhutan as one of the Top Ten destinations for 2012. The international travel guide recommends a wildlife jaunt to Bhutan’s newly opened (to tourists) Royal Manas National Park as a perfect getaway this year. Joining the Top Ten list are countries way off the beaten  tourist trail like Uganda, Myanmar, Jordan, Cuba, New Caledonia and Ukraine.

Lonely Planet's Top Ten countries for 2012

Bhutan (Pic: Lars Gundersen)

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Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal has been voted by Lonely Planet as one of the  ‘10 Best Treks in the World‘. The write-up says  “…reaching a height of 5,545m (18,193ft) at Kala Pattar, this three-week trek is extremely popular with those who want to be able to say, ‘I’ve been to the base of the world’s highest mountain…’” Though many readers have expressed dismay at not finding Annapurna Circuit on the list, some feel that Annapurna has been sidetracked because of the newly built roads on the circuit.

The other classic treks  on the list are:

GR20, France ; Inca Trail, Peru ;Pays Dogon, Mali; Indian Himalayas, India; Overland Track, Australia; Routeburn Track, New Zealand; The Narrows, USA; The Haute Route, France-Switzerland and Baltoro Glacier & K2, Pakistan.

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Trek to Everest base Camp