View Towers in Rural Nepal: A Question of Functionality or Redundancy?

Nepal’s rural areas, from the high hills to the Terai plains, are home to a growing number of view towers. These structures are designed to offer scenic vistas to visitors, but I often find myself wondering about their true functionality. Are they genuinely enhancing the experience, or are they at risk of becoming redundant?

In areas with large hills, for instance, the natural elevation already provides spectacular views. Adding a tower to such locations doesn’t always seem necessary. When you’re standing on a hill that already offers an amazing panorama, is a tower really going to improve that? I’m not saying they don’t serve any purpose, but in some cases, the benefit is hard to see.

Let us see some of the view towers from rural Hilly areas Nepal :

In the Terai region, where the landscape is much flatter, there are low-height view towers. These towers offer a different kind of view, but again, their impact is questionable. While I understand the intention, I sometimes wonder if they truly add much value. The views from ground level in the Terai, with its lush fields and forests, are already quite captivating.

Let us see some view towers in Plain areas around :

I want to be clear—I’m not saying that these towers are completely redundant or useless. Some of them do bring in tourists and offer nice vantage points. However, the question of whether they are always necessary lingers. In some places, I believe the money spent on these structures might have been better invested in other improvements for the local area.

Let us take glimpse of many view towers taken from Viral View Towers in Nepal taken from Social Media :

There are, of course, examples of functional and well-maintained view towers. These can be great for tourists looking to enjoy a new perspective on the landscape, and in certain areas, they certainly serve their purpose. But in other locations, where the views from the ground or the natural surroundings already provide breathtaking scenes, the redundancy of these towers becomes apparent.

In conclusion, while view towers in Nepal’s rural areas can be beautiful and functional in some places, their necessity and impact should be re-evaluated. I believe there are instances where the natural landscape speaks for itself, and the addition of a tower doesn’t always bring the value that was perhaps intended.