Kathmandu is the gateway to most popular route for Kailash-Mansarovar route. People who want to have a Parikrama of Kailash-Mansarovar start their tour from here. Being the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu – one of the most preferred tourist spot in itself – is connected with Bangkok, Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore, Varanasi, London, Paris, Moscow, Vienna, Dubai, Karachi, Dhaka, Paro, Lhasa, Singapore Hong Kong, Shanghai and Osaka by an international airport. From Kathmandu, by road, one can reach the base of Kailash, i.e. the Mansarovar Lake.
The city is situated in the North-Western part of the valley at the altitude of 1,400 metres. In the valley of Nepal, apart from Kathmandu, there are many other cities and towns among which the most prominent ones are Lalitpur, Bhaktpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur etc. It is surrounded by four major mountains: Shivapuri, Phulichok, Nagarjuna, and Chandragiri. The city is dissected by eight rivers; the main one being Bagmati, and the other important ones are Bishnumati, Dhobikhola, Manohar Khola, Hanumant Khola, Tukucha Khola etc. Apart from being the gateway to Kailash-Mansarovar, Kathmandu is the entry to the tourism business, Kathmandu is the hub of Nepal’s economy. It has the most advanced infrastructure of any urban area in Nepal. Majority of population here follow Hinduism or Buddhism. Nepali is the most commonly used language; whereas English is understood and used by the educated residents.
Tourism is said to be the third religion of Nepal, and so is the case with Kathmandu. The country occupies a privileged geographical place for that. Since 1950, with a political shift in Nepal, tourism industry has flourished over here. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world come here to see the religious sites of Kathmandu, such as Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Buddhanilkantha etc. Thamel, the neighbouring town, is considered to be tourists’ heaven. It has been the centre of tourism industry in Nepal for over four decades. It is a full Wi-Fi zone in Nepal, offering various kinds of services needed for a tourist. It is crowded with hotels, guest houses, restaurants, foreign money exchange booths, travel agencies, and shops for food, clothes, musical instruments etc.
Apart from the more than 2000 temples, the city bears many other sites to be seen as well. Some of them are Durbar Squares, Kumari temple, Nagarkot, Daman, Dhulikhel, various museums, art galleries etc.
Kathmandu is connected by Tribhuvan highway to the south, Prithvi highway to the west, and Araniko highway to the north. The main international airport, Tribhuvan International airport, is about six kilometres from the city.
Lying in the lap of Himalayas, Kathmandu has spellbound natural sceneries and its typical geographic situation has contributed to develop it as one of the most beautiful spots for the tourists.
Almost all the Kailash-Mansarovar routes start from and end at Kathmandu. Catering to all essential needs of the tourists from all over the world, Kathmandu has become quite an important spot for religious tourists as well as mountaineers.