Arriving in Nepal to quirky Kathmandu is sure to shock anyone’s senses even before you meet my friends the bearded and barely clad sadhus. Beyond the frantic capital, some of the most captivating mountain scenery in the world is best seen by paragliding and flying in an ultra-lite. Opportunities to see wild rhinos and tigers abound, as do invitations to glimpse these rich and remote Himalayan cultures.

Sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
View of Mount Everest taken from a helicopter in Nepal.
Sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.
A woman from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
Security guard at the Lukla airport, Nepal.
Sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
A woman from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
View of the Everest region of Nepal from a helicopter.
Sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
View of the Annapurna range from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
View of the Annapurna range from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
View of Mount Everest taken from Kala Patthar in Nepal.
View of the Annapurna range from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
Sadhu on the streets of Kahtmandu.
View of the Annapurna range from Upper Mustang, Nepal.
A sadhu lifting rocks with his penis at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
Looking down at Everest base camp as my helicopter flew over.
Sadhus at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.