What to see in Nepal: 8 must-sees

Rise to the 8,849 meters of Sagarmatha — the highest point on Earth — where ice and the glacier crevasse mark every step. Walk between seracs and rock walls that the Sherpas know by heart, and watch the wind throw snow over the summit. From base camp you will see the tents of expeditions repeating a challenge that has fascinated mountaineers for 70 years, since Hillary and Tenzing reached the top in 1953. Here the air weighs less, the legs more, and mountaineering stops being sport and becomes pure resistance before the mountain.

Walk the ghats of the Bagmati River beside Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal's holiest Hindu sanctuary, dedicated to Shiva. Watch the open-air cremations following the traditional funerary ritual and the painted-faced sadhus meditating in the courtyards. Only Hindus may enter the main temple, but from the opposite bank you can contemplate its two-tiered golden roof and the silver door. Come at dusk for the aarti ceremony, when bells and fire lamps reflect on the river.

Step into Kathmandu, Nepal's capital with 1.5 million inhabitants and 3,000 years of history, and walk between the stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath while spice sellers fill the streets of Asan. Cross Durbar Square, where carved wooden temples share the space with traffic and cycle rickshaws, and try momos at the stalls beside the Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries that mark the city's daily rhythm.

Watch one-horned rhinoceroses grazing among the tall grasses as you cover the 10,660 km2 of Chitwan National Park, on the banks of the Narayani River. Here Bengal tigers, crocodiles and more than 500 species of birds coexist, and can be spotted on safaris on foot, by jeep or by canoe. The sal forests and river grasslands change color with every season. Book at least two nights: at dawn the mist over the river and the tharus' elephants make the journey worth it.

Stroll the Kathmandu Valley, in the Bagmati region, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Here 7 monuments gather nearly 1,000 years of history: Durbar squares with brick palaces and carved timber, Buddhist stupas such as Swayambhunath and Boudhanath, and Hindu temples such as Pashupatinath, where riverside rituals repeat themselves every day. Through the alleys of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur you will see artisans working metal and clay as they did centuries ago. The ensemble is an exceptional testimony to a living cultural tradition that keeps setting the valley's rhythm.

Explore the shore of Phewa Lake, in Pokhara, near the Gandaki region, where Annapurna and Machhapuchhre mirror themselves in the water on clear days. Row a colorful boat out to the Tal Barahi pagoda on its island, or walk the lakeside promenade full of cafés and small shops. From here set out the routes toward Sarangkot, take-off point for paragliders soaring over the valley, and the paths into the Himalayas. At dusk, the mountains tint the lake's surface as the fishermen pull in their nets and temples light small lamps.