Nepal is known the world over as a nation of colour and contrasts - a hidden SHANGRI - LA of nature, culture, and adventure. Its hallmark, undoubtedly, is the majestic snow - capped Himalaya, home to eight of the world’s 8,000 meter peaks. There is, however, a whole lot more to Nepal than its heights. Powerful rivers rush out from the Himalaya providing world class rafting opportunities as they cascade down the middle hills and empty out into the steamy flatlands of the Terai in the south. Here exotic game and innumerable species of birds have made the jungle reserves their home and equally exotic people live in painted homes among lush green paddy fields. Indeed, the breath taking biotic diversity of Nepalese mirrored by the equally diverse population whose rich cultural heritage colours this nation with festivals and rituals, songs and masked dances, and a piety the level of which is matched by few places on this earth. This piety is reflected in the many artistic temples and monuments its people have built. this peaceful Himalayan Kingdom is thus an adventurer’s paradise, a naturalist’s dream, and a living ethnographic museum. It is primarily an agricultural country, and tourism, carpets and garments are the major industries.