Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between the Tibet autonomous region of China and India. It contains 8 of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with Tibet, and Lumbini, the birth place of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. A monarchy for hundreds of years, Nepal was declared a republic in June 2008.

Nepal is a destination that is burned on your memory, unable to be forgotten but always longed for. The Nepalese formula combines cultural interest through hundreds of century-old temples and religious traditions with the natural beauty that Nepal is so blessed to boast. With eight of the ten tallest mountains in the world within its borders, you know to expect something extraordinary - but no number of photos can prepare you for the real thing. Its jungles, often forgotten amidst the grandeur of Mount Everest and its fellow Himalayan brothers, are equally impressive, though in a vastly different way.