Draped along the spine of the Himalaya, Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the imagination.

It's the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.

Always consider the climate when you plan a trip to Nepal. Judge it wrong and you may never see the mountains. The best time to visit is probably the start of the dry season in October-November: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. However, roads and trails damaged during the monsoon may not be repaired until later in the year. There are some important and colourful festivals to enjoy too, though the Dasain festival in October can be disruptive if you are on a tight schedule.

February-April, the tail end of the dry season, is the second-best period: the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom, but dust can reduce visibility (and the pleasure of travelling by road).

In December and January the skies are as clear as Swarovski crystal but it can be chilly: trekkers need to be well prepared for snow, and a warm sleeping bag is an asset in cheaper hotels, even in Kathmandu. On the other hand, sitting around an open fire wrapped in a yak wool blanket can be a very cosy experience.

The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. Flying is often the only way to reach outlying areas at this time of year, and the western border crossings to India are often impassable.

At once a time machine and a magic carpet, Nepal sweeps you along crooked, ancient streets flanked by dazzling, multi-roofed pagodas, gold-topped stupas and arcane stone sculptures, and into low-ceilinged rooms cluttered with horror-eyed masks, spinning prayer wheels, Buddhist thangka scrolls and Tibetan carpets. Muttered chants and Nepali flute music hang in the air and animal sacrifices add an extra shade of red to the crimson tika powder thrown around at temples and shrines.

Nepal's recorded history began with the Kiratis, who arrived in the 7th or 8th century BC from the east. Little is known about them, other than their skill as sheep farmers and their fondness for knives. It is generally assumed that they followed a mixture of Hindu and Tantric beliefs. During the same period, a new religion arrived in Nepal - Buddhism, created by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha and the prince of the kingdom of Kapilavastu, near Lumbini. By 200 AD, Buddhism was on the decline. The Licchavis invaded from northern India and overthrew the last Kirati king, re-imposing Hinduism and the caste system (which still continues today) and ushering in a golden age of Nepali art and architecture.

By 879, the Licchavi era had petered out and was succeeded by the Thakuri dynasty. A grim period of instability and invasion often referred to as the 'Dark Ages' followed, but Kathmandu Valley's strategic location ensured the kingdom's survival and growth. Several centuries later, the Thakuri king, Arideva, founded the Malla dynasty, kick-starting another renaissance of Nepali culture. Despite earthquakes, the odd invasion and feuding between the independent city-states of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the dynasty flourished, reaching its zenith in the 15th century under Yaksha Malla.

The rulers of the western city-state of Gorkha had always coveted the Mallas' wealth and under the inspired leadership of Prithvi Narayan Shah the Gurkhas launched a campaign to conquer the Kathmandu Valley. In 1768 - after 27 years of fighting - they triumphed and moved their capital to Kathmandu. From this new base the kingdom's power expanded, borne by a seemingly unstoppable army, until progress was halted in 1792 by a brief and chastening war with Tibet. The courage of the Gurkhas under fire is legendary. Many fighting forces around the world still maintain Gurkha regiments, including the British Army.

Further hostilities followed in 1814, this time with the British. After years of skirmishes over the ownership of the Terai, The Nepali forces were eventually brought to heel and compelled to sign the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, which surrendered Sikkim and most of Terai, establishing Nepal's present eastern and western boundaries. Some of the land was eventually restored in return for Nepalese help in quelling the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

The Shah dynasty continued in power during the first half of the 19th century until the ghastly Kot Massacre of 1846. Taking advantage of the intrigue and assassinations that had plagued the ruling family, Jung Bahadur seized control by butchering several hundred of the most important men while they assembled in the Kot courtyard. He took the more prestigious title Rana, proclaimed himself prime minister for life, and later made the office hereditary. For the next century, the Ranas and their offspring luxuriated in huge Kathmandu palaces, while the remainder of the population eked out a living in medieval conditions. The borders of Nepal were sealed to foreigners until after WWII and the country receded into myth and legend.

The Rana's antiquated regime came to an end soon after WWII. In 1948, the British withdrew from India, and with them went the Ranas' chief support. Around the same time, a host of insurrectional movements, bent on reshaping the country's polity, emerged. Sporadic fighting spilled onto the streets and the Ranas, at the behest of India, reluctantly agreed to negotiations. King Tribhuvan was anointed ruler in 1951 and struck up a government comprised of Ranas and members of the newly formed Nepali Congress Party. The borders were also finally re-opened - the first foreigner to enter Nepal in a century was the Swiss explorer Toni Hagen in 1951.

But the political harmony was shortlived. After toying with democratic elections - and feeling none too pleased by the result - King Mahendra (Tribhuvan's son and successor) decided that a 'partyless' panchayat system would be more appropriate for Nepal. The king selected the prime minister and cabinet and appointed a large proportion of the national assembly, which duly rubber-stamped his policies. Power, of course, remained with only one party - the king's.

Cronyism, corruption and the creaming-off of lucrative foreign aid into royal coffers continued until 1989. The Nepalis, fed up with years of hardship and suffering under a crippling trade embargo imposed by the Indians, rose up in popular protest called the Jana Andolan or 'People's Movement'. In the ensuing months, detention, torture and violent clashes left hundreds of people dead. It all proved too much for King Birendra, in power since 1972. He dissolved his cabinet, legalised political parties and invited the opposition to form an interim government. The panchayat system was finally laid to rest.

The changeover to democracy proceeded in an orderly, if leisurely, fashion, and in May 1991 the Nepali Congress Party and the Communist Party of Nepal shared most of the votes.

The peace and quiet was disrupted when the Communists became increasingly frustrated with power-sharing, leading to the creation of several radical Maoist splinter groups. Then, in June 2001, the unthinkable happened. King Birendra, worshipped by many as a living incarnation of Vishnu, was killed in a dreadful massacre, along with most of the royal family. The killer was though to be King Birendra's son, Crown Prince Dipendra, who died shortly afterwards, apparently from self-inflicted wounds. Shady Prince Gyanendra, the brother of King Birendra, ascended to the throne. Whether or not Gyanendra engineered the royal massacre to bring himself to power is still a popular topic of debate across Nepal.

The first few years of Gyanendra's rule were fairly uneventful, though he continued the tradition of royal disregard for the people of Nepal and their elected officials. Facing growing neglect from the central government, many Nepalis turned to Maoism, sowing the seeds for revolution. In 1996, the Maoist leader Prachanda (The Fierce One) launched a nationwide rebellion against the government and monarchy, leaving Nepal in a state of virtual civil war. Tens of thousands of people have since been killed in fighting between rebels and government forces.

Since then, Nepal has discovered that establishing a workable democratic system is an enormously difficult task - especially when it is the country's first such system. The situation has been further exacerbated by a wafer-thin economy, massive unemployment, illiteracy and an ethnically and religiously fragmented population that continues to grow at an alarming rate.

Nepal's faltering steps towards democracy came to a sudden stop in 2002 when Gyanendra dissolved the government and appointed his own cabinet. Elections were postponed indefinitely and rebels used the political infighting as an opportunity to seize large parts of rural Nepal. One year later, in 2003, the appointed prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand also resigned, throwing the elected government into disarray. A ceasefire with the Maoists proved shortlived and when the king appointed another monarchist as prime minister, protesters took to the streets. That has largely been the pattern in Nepal ever since. Growing pro-democracy protests have been met by arrests of students and opposition politicians and Maoists have repeatedly blockaded all roads into and out of Kathmandu. The most recent ceasefire collapsed in January 2006 when a spate of rebel attacks on towns across Nepal killed hundreds. Nepal has effectively had no parliamentary democracy at all since February 2005, when the King declared a state of emergency. Since then hundreds of activists have been arbitrarily imprisoned and independent newspapers and radio stations have been closed down by government forces. Hemmed in by murderous rebels and a King who is increasingly a law unto himself, Nepalis are looking nervously towards the proposed general elections in 2007 to provide some resolution to the crisis.

Southwest of Kathmandu, midway between the capital and Hetauda, Daman is situated 2322m (7616ft) above sea level. It claims to have the most spectacular outlook on the Himalaya - an unimpeded panorama of snowcaps from Dhaulagiri to Mt Everest.

If the mountains are in cloud when you arrive, you can stay at the ramshackle viewing tower and catch the peaks in the morning. If it's spring, check out the rhododendron forest on the southern side of the village. There are also great views over the Terai to India from here.

Kathmandu is really two cities: a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and carved rose-brick temples, and a frenetic sprawl of modern towers, mobbed by beggars and monkeys and smothered in diesel fumes. It simultaneously reeks of history and the encroaching wear and tear of the modern world.

October-November, the start of the dry season, is probably the best time of year to visit Kathmandu: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. February-April, the tail end of the dry season is the second-best time to visit: visibility is not so good because of dust, but the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom. In December and January, the views are crystal clear, but it can be chilly in the evenings: few of the cheaper hotels in Kathmandu have any heating and most travellers stay out in the warmth of Thamel's bars and restaurants until late and then rush home and dive under the blankets. The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. You'll probably find you spend most of the time indoors with a book while the rain thunders down outside.

Imagine a perfect, snow-capped mountain buffeted by icy Himalayan winds. Imagine a millpond calm...

This is Nepal's most famous Buddhist monument, a shimmering white stupa topped by a towering golden spire and watched over by the eyes of the Buddha. Thousands of multi-coloured prayer flags flutter overhead and hordes of pilgrims flock here daily to perform the ceremonial circumnavigation of the shrine.

Bodhnath is one of those places that has a tangible spiritual energy. Tibetan pilgrims come here from across Nepal and some measure out the distance around the stupa with their own bodies, throwing themselves to the ground before the stupa in the ultimate act of ritual prostration. Many of the pilgrims are refugees from Tibet and the surrounding shops are crammed with Tibetan antiques and essential household items for Tibetan Buddhists.

The old royal palace is a part of Durbar Square, which remains the traditional heart of the old town and a spectacular example of traditional architecture. The king no longer lives here - the royal family moved to Narayanhiti more than a century ago - and the 1934 earthquake damaged the complex, but it remains a fascinating place to explore.

The western part of the palace, overlooking Durbar Square, is home to an interesting museum that celebrates King Tribhuvan's successful putsch against the Ranas. Wander inside and you get an eerie insight into his life: lots of personal effects, extensive photos and newspaper clippings and magnificent furniture and knick-knackery.

Hours: Feb-Oct: Tue-Sat 9:30am-5:00pm

This rarely-visited reserve is a great place to escape the crowds for a few days and do some animal- ...

Royal Chitwan National Park provides one of the finest wildlife experiences in Asia. While you'd have to be lucky to see one of the tigers or leopards, an elephant safari is an unforgettable experience and you are almost certain to see rhinos, deer, monkeys and numerous bird species, as well as the jumbo underneath you!

Hours: 6:00am-4:00pm

Nepal's festive calendar is hectic. Dasain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepali celebrations and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year. Running a close second is Tihar (November), when crows, dogs and cows are venerated and everyone offers tika marks and food to friends and relations. Other important Hindu festivals include colourful Holi (March), lively Indra Jatra (September) and Chaitra Dasain (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Some of the local festivals in the Kathmandu Valley are epic affairs - the Red Machchhendranath Rath Jatra (May-June) in Patan features incredible chariot parades to honour Lord Krishna. Followers of Shiva celebrate Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March) with great pomp at Pashupatinath. As Buddhism is a philosophy rather than a religion, Buddhist festivals are thinner on the ground. However, Losar (Tibetan New Year, held in February) is celebrated with masked chaam dances at Swayambhunath, Bodhnath and Tibetan monasteries across the country. Other important Buddhist feast days include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu and Buddha Jayanti (Buddha's birthday - held in May) in Kathmandu and Lumbini

Assuming you are jet lagged and can face getting up at 07:00, you could go for a wander around the backstreets between Thamel and Durbar Square, nibbling on a croissant picked up the night before at a Thamel bakery.

The streets are alive at this time of day with locals performing pujas and making offerings of marigolds, bananas, milk and coconut, topped off with a ring of the temple bell. Porters wait for Customers at stepped temples and farmers set up their displays of carrots, lemons and curd. After an hour or so, you would head back to Thamel for a leisurely late breakfast at Helena's rooftop restaurant and then browse the bookshops for obscure Tibetan titles or check out the latest canyoning, rafting or trekking trips on offer. Thamel grates after a while so taking a break from the tiger balm sellers and rickshaw-wallahs you head for the beautifully restored and totally serene Garden of Dreams or check out some of the amazing antique travel books in the mothballed Kaiser Mahal Library. In the late afternoon, jump in a taxi to Bodhnath to join the elderly Tibetan pilgrims circumambulating the incredible stupa and then visit one or two of the monasteries to get your daily fix of Tibetan chanting and the smell of juniper incense. Back in Thamel, the evening gets kicked off by happy-hour cocktails at Maya Cocktail Bar and then comes the toughest decision of the day: dinner. Felafel and hummus at Nargila's? A Thai curry at Yin Yang? Or a steak sizzler at K2? Either way, on the way home, pick up half-price bakery goods after 21:00 for tomorrow's breakfast. And so it begins again...

Durbar Square : Soak up the fantastic architechture at the stepped Maju Deval temple.

Old Town : Explore the back streets around the market square of Asan Tole, north of Durbar Square

Thamel Shopping : Trekking gear, books, CDs, thangkas (painitings) and tiger balm, not to mention the spare bags to carry it all home.

Patan : Back streets full of Buddhist bahals ( courtyards) and the country's best museum.

Kathmandu is well connected from the Middle East with both Qatar Airways and Gulf Air currently offering a daily service. From October Etihad Airways will operate 4 flights per week.

To view a sample package, click here, or contact your local Alshamel office to book your trip to Magical Nepal. You may also contact online.enquiries@alshamel.com and your local Alshamel team will contact you.