Nepal has four UNESCO World Heritage sites. Two are natural — Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park and Chitwan National Park — and two are cultural: Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, and the Kathmandu Valley.
The Kathmandu Valley site is made up of seven monument zones: the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath, and the temples of Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan. Many were damaged in the 2015 earthquake, and you can still watch craftspeople restoring carved struts and brick temples using traditional methods.
Visit early in the morning, when the squares belong to worshippers and vendors rather than tour groups, and consider hiring a local guide for the stories behind the carvings.
