Enrique Iglesias is the last person you’d expect to hear belting out pop tunes in the remote, terraced terrain of the Himalaya 2,000 metres above sea level. From a crackling transistor radio his latest track echoes through the rippled rice valleys and subtropical jungle in an unaffected hilltop village. The sounds of the Western world fuse with the distant beat of tribal drumming, and the greatest snowy peaks on earth sit above the clouds like the mystical city of Shangri-La.

Here, in the winding valleys landlocked between India and Tibet, sits eight of the world's ten highest mountains. The supreme summit of them all, Mount Everest, well exceeds 8000 metres and overlooks turbulent rivers, rhododendron forests, and countryside scattered with Hindu and Buddhist temples, shrines, and monasteries.

The kingdom of Nepal has a landscape every bit as diverse as its culture. A melting pot of a dozen major ethnic groups, speaking as many as fifty languages and dialects, coexist in this narrow, jumbled buffer state. More than eighty percent of Nepal’s 23 million inhabitants live off the land in medieval villages reminiscent of a Braveheart film set, and whether you're trekking or biking through the predominantly rural land, simply sampling this lifestyle is perhaps the greatest pleasure of all.

The most rewarding way to experience Nepal's unbeatable combination of natural beauty and cultural riches is to discover the beaten trails or virgin track on foot. Anyone with the spirit for adventure to explore the exotic will enjoy the thrills of trekking in Nepal. The season spans from October through to May, and the region offers some of the most spectacular hikes in the world, with friendly guides to boot.

Anyone visiting Nepal for its natural beauty is likely to be disillusioned by Kathmandu, nevertheless this complex and eccentric capital is likely to be your first port of call. Though its population barely tops 700,000, it is the country’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, with unique architecture, shantytowns, hellish traffic jams, five-star tourist resorts, and heaving bazaars.

Sacred cows and holy men roam the urban streets. Muttered chants and esoteric tantric hymns sweep you along crooked, timeworn streets flanked by irregular, multi-roofed pagodas, stupas and stone sculptures, and into rooms cluttered with horror-eyed masks and Tibetan carpets. The city hasn't abandoned its traditional identity, but the rapid pace of change has produced an intense and extravagant morass of chaos and sophistication.
Durbar Square is the natural place to begin sightseeing. Home of the ancient royal palace (durbar) and Kathmandu's "living goddess" it’s studded with splendid architecture and ageless temples.

Thamel too is a major tourist attraction with croissants and confectionary beckoning from bakery windows, and touts flogging tiger balm and hashish to holiday hippies. This is one of the most vibrant parts of town that boasts a vast range of cuisine, shops and hospitality to accommodate all budgets.

One of the world's poorest countries, Nepal is also a more fragile country than most and it suffers from many of the pangs and uncertainties of the developing world.

The Maoist insurgency has cost Nepal many lives and millions of dollars in the form of physical infrastructure and properties.

Given that Nepal lies at the intersection of two great gastronomic giants, India and China, the national cuisine is like a fusion of both. Lentils, rice, and curried vegetables play a major role in the dish of the day. On the other hand, the country has adapted famously to Western tastes, markedly evident in Kathmandu's smorgasbord of menus: Mexican, Japanese, or Thai washed down with the locally produced beer or Chang: a Himalayan home brew made from barley.

The exquisite medieval art and architecture of the Kathmandu Valley vividly reflects the artistic ingenuity and the religious tradition of the people. Local crafts and clothes are bought and sold in narrow lanes reeking of incense, spices, and exhaust fumes. Visitors are charmed by the friendliness and hospitality of the Nepali’s and their rich and vibrant culture. It is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best walking trails on earth. It's abundant in scenic splendour and cultural treasures, and has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination, making it difficult to dislodge from your memory once you leave.

By Abbey Stirling/MOLI