Nepal Travel Tips

Visa

Visitors from India can enter Nepal without visa as long as they hold passports, driver licenses or other official identities. Tourists from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, Swaziland, Syria and Zimbabwe should apply to the Nepalese Embassy for a tourist visa. Citizens from other countries can apply for a visa on arrival at designated ports of entry.

Travel Expenditure

The consumption level in Nepal is not very high. The price of an ordinary Daal Bat meal is around 100 to 150 rupees, a bottle of beer is 170 to 200 rupees and a one-liter bottled water is 15 to 30 rupees in tourist areas. If you eat food in a restaurant outside tourist areas, the cost will be lower. Credit cards only can be used in high and medium grade hotels, restaurants and shopping centers in Kathmandu and Pokhara. ATMs can be easily found in cities, making it convenient for tourists to withdraw cash.

Nepal Currency

Nepal Hotel

Accommodation

Accommodations of different levels can cater to all kinds of tourists, from international luxurious hotels to distinctive student hostels. The price of student hostel with private bathroom generally is 2 to 6 dollars per day. In Kathmandu, the price of double room with private bathroom in ordinary hotel in peak tourist season is about 10 dollars and 3 to 5 dollars in low season. In Pokhara, lakeside hotels and inns are more expensive, but the environment is good; in the meantime you can appreciate the natural beauty of Phewa Lake.

Food

Not only beautiful scenery but also delicious foods are unmissable in the country. Samosa, momo and butter chapati are special snacks of the country. Samosa is a kind of fried snack in triangle shape. Momo is just like Chinese dumplings, which is stuffed with vegetables or meat and can be steamed or fried. Butter chapati is a kind of pancake with butter seasoned. The special drink in Nepal is milk tea which is worthy to taste. Krishnarpan Restaurant, located in Battisputali, Kathmandu, is a well-known restaurant which serves local dishes.

Shopping

Thamel is a shopping paradise and the most prosperous commercial district in Kathmandu, where you can taste foods from around the world and buy a variety of souvenirs and local handicrafts. The district is filled with travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, craft stores, money exchange stores and other service facilities for tourists. Thamel has everything that you expect to find, but you need to shop around and try to bargain.

Festivals

There are more than 300 festivals in the country, many of which are related to religion and agriculture. Dasei is the biggest festival in Nepal, nationwide celebrated in September or October with sacrificial ceremonies. Buddh Jayanti, celebrated in May, is a Buddhist festival to commemorate the birthday of Buddha, and celebration activities in Kathmandu and Lumbini are the most spectacular. Shiva Ratri is a Hindu festival, which is celebrated in February and celebration activities are mainly held in Pasupatinath Temple to worship Lord Shiva. If you visit the country during the celebration of holidays, you will fully experience the local customs and see traditional religious ceremonies.

Phone Call and Internet

It is necessary to apply for a local SIM card if you have a long trip in the country. Ncell is the major communication operator. You can buy SIM card in official stores authorized by Ncell, where the card fee is relatively low. Internet access in the country is easy, because internet cafes can be found everywhere and many hotels serve free WIFI. Of course, you can connect to the Internet with cell phone, and the charge is 6 rupees for per megabyte.

Power Supply

The voltage of Nepal is 220 V with three-pin plug. You'd better bring a plug adaptor.

Do's and Don'ts

Nepal is a country with strict religious taboos, so you should respect the locals' faith and try to do as them do. Here are some tips for you:

• Take off your shoes before entering a temple.
• Don't touch children's head.
• Don't shake hands with a person by your left hand.
• Don't eat beef.

Useful Numbers

Calling Code: +977
Police: 100
Fire: 101
Ambulance: 102