The National Botanical Garden (NBG), formerly known as the Royal Botanical Garden (RBG), is the oldest botanical garden in Nepal. The foundation stone for this botanical garden was laid by Khagendra Jung Gurung, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Forests and Agriculture on July 12, 1961 (Asadh 28, 2018). It was formally established on October 28, 1962 (Kartik 12, 2019) and inaugurated by King Mahendra. It belongs to the Department of Plant Resources (DPR), formerly the Department of Medicinal Plants, under the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE), Government of Nepal. The landscape of this exquisite botanical garden was designed and constructed under the supervision of two British horticulturists, Geoffrey Herklots (1961- 1962 AD) and Tony Schilling (1965-1966 AD).

The NBG is also an internationally recognized botanical garden and has been a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The natural landscape of this botanical garden is developed into 30 different thematic gardens (= subgardens) which occurs in between 1480 m to 2000 m. It is well-known as a center of plant conservation, education, research, display, and recreation. It covers an area of 82 hectares with varying topographies. It is surrounded by a natural evergreen forest with Alnus nepalensis-Castanopsis indica-Schima wallichii as the dominant tree species. It is located at the base of the Mt. Phulchowki (2765 m), the highest peak in the Kathmandu valley, and lies about 10 km southeast of Satdobato in the Lalitpur District of Bagmati Province. A natural stream, Godawari, runs through the middle of the garden, adding to its beauty. It is situated between the latitudes of 27°35'40''N to 27°35'53''N and the longitudes of 85°22'37''E to 85°23'17''E.

Plants from different ecological regions, including the tropical, subtropical, temperate, subalpine, and alpine, can be seen conserved within the garden"s premises. This botanical garden has conserved 1285 species (1300 taxa) of plants, including the endemic, native, indigenous, naturalized, and - 1 exotic angiosperms, gymnosperms, pteridophytes, and bryophytes. This garden has conserved ca. 200 species of MAPs, 89 species of orchids, 79 species of climbers, and 60 species of cactus & succulent plants.

For carrying out the routine activities (i.e., conservation, education, research, display, and recreation), this botanical garden has four different sections, namely (1) Conservation and Education Section, (2) Floriculture Section, (3) Garden Development Section, and (4) Medicinal Plants and Information Section. It also has a seed bank established in 2019 AD, which is a landmark for conservation and research on the wild plants. It has conserved ca. 320 accessions of seeds belonging to 228 species of indigenous, native, threatened, and other useful plants.

More than 597 thousand visitors, including about 83 thousand students, visited this botanical garden in the last fiscal year (2081/82). Generally, students come here on educational tours; plant researchers come here to observe living plants; general visitors come here to relax and unwind away from the humdrum of city life; naturalists come here to watch birds and enjoy the scenery/greenery; and film crews come here to shoot videos and films.