Nepal Tourism - Travel to Nepal
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Kathmandu |
| Government | parliament dissolved by King Gyanandra in 2002 |
| Currency | Nepalese rupee (NPR) |
| Area | total: 140,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km land: 136,800 sq km |
| Population | 25,873,917 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995) |
| Religion | Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2% note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995) |
Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between China and India. It contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with China.
| Table of contents |
Regions in Nepal
Cities in Nepal
Other destinations - Travel to Nepal
Understand Nepal Tourism
Get into Nepal
Travel to Nepal By Plane
Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport is located just outside Kathmandu. The terminal is a one-room brick building with a large wooden table serving as both customs and immigration. Three month tourist visas are available on arrival. Money can be change as well, but these services are only available directly after scheduled arrivals.Outside the airport, all 'representatives' of the tourist industry are required to remain 10 meters from the front door. This does not prevent them from waving large signs and yelling in an attempt to encourage you to choose them as your guide/taxi/hotel/luggage carrier. Make your choice before crossing the line, or better yet, arrange your first night's accommodation before you arrive and ask the hotel to send someone to meet you.
Travel to Nepal By car
Car rental in Nepal is almost unheard of as is renting a car in India and taking it across the border. Some travellers have bought motorcycles in India and driven them into the country, but road conditions and erratic local drivers make this an adventurous choice.
Travel to Nepal By Bus
Buses arrive daily from Lucknow (8-10 hours), Varanasi (10-12 hours) and New Delhi (36+ hours).
Get around in Nepal
- Tourist bus
- Local bus
- Rickshaw
- Tram
Nepal Talk
The official language of Nepal is Nepali. It's related to Hindi, Punjabi, and other Indo-Aryan languages, and is normally written with the Devanagari script (as is Hindi). While most Nepali speak at least some Nepali, a large percentage of the population has as their mother tongue another languages such as Tharu around Chitwan, Newari in the Kathmandu Valley, and Sherpa in the Everest area.
Although Nepal was never a British colony, proximity to India has made English somewhat widespread among educated Nepalis.
Learning even a few words of Nepali can be fun and very useful, especially outside of the tourist district and while trekking.
See: Nepali phrasebook
Buy
Eat - Travel to Nepal
The Nepali national dish is daal bhaat tarkaari (lentils, rice, vegetable curry). In Nepali households it serves as both breakfast and dinner (lunch, if anything is a cup of tea and roti flat-bread). Nepali food is much less spicy than Indian food and many dishes are Tibetan in origin. Some dishes to look for include momos, a meat or vegetable filled dumpling similar to Chinese pot-stickers often served with beer, Tibetan bread and honey a puffy fried bread with heavy raw honey, great for breakfast.
Pizza, Mexican, Thai and Chinese food, and Middle-Eastern food can all be found in the tourist districts of Kathmandu and Pokhara. If you are on a budget, sticking with local dishes will save a lot of money.
Note that many small restaurants are not prepared to cook several different dishes; try to stick with one or two dishes or you will find yourself waiting as the cook tries to make one after another on a single stove.
Drink
Nepali has several traditional alcohols:
- Raksi is also the Nepali word for 'drunk', and rightly so. This clear, fiery liquid is similar to saki by way of really cheap tequila. It is by far the cheapest drink in the country. It is often served for special occasions in small, unfired, clay cups that hold less than a shot. The locals probably won't appreciate the idea, but it works great as a mixer in juice or soda. Note that it sometimes appears on menus as Nepali wine.
- Jaand (Nepali) or chaang (Tibetan) is a cloudy, moderately alcoholic drink sometimes called Nepali beer. While weaker than raksi, it will still have quite an effect. This is often offered to guests in Nepali homes.
- Beer in Nepal is brewed by the Himalayan Brewing Company. This means that every beer you buy, whether Guinness, Tuborg, Carlsberg, or San Miguel (and that is all you will see), pretty much comes from the same vat. You don't notice after the first few weeks though.
- Cocktails can pretty much only be found in Kathmandu and Pokhara's tourist areas. There you can get watered-down two for one drinks at a variety of pubs, restaurants, and sports bars.
Sleep - Nepal Tourism
Accommodations in Nepal can range between 50 rupees (less than a dollar) on up for a double. Cheaper rooms usually do not have sheets, blankets, towels, or anything else besides a bed and a door. Most budget hotels and guesthouses have a wide range of rooms, so be sure to see what you are getting, even if you have stayed there before. Accommodations will often be the cheapest part of your budget in Nepal.
Trekking
There are some famous trekking trails in Nepal that are- Mt. Everest Base Camp Trek difficult to reach
- Annapurna Circuit
- Jonsom-Muktinath Trek: Part of Annapurna Circuit
- Helambu Langtang Trek: easy Trek from Kathmandu
Learn
Work
Volunteer in Nepal
Volunteering in Nepal can be a rewarding alternative to simple tourism. Currently in Nepal, the tourism industry is far removed from the everyday village life of most of the population. Trekking or package tours often move too quickly through the country to provide an appreciation of the natural beauty and diverse cultures. Volunteering is sometimes the only way to see remote areas outside the Kathmandu Valley and well-trod trekking trails.
Teaching English is a popular project for volunteers and is often combined with courses in computer literacy or health and physical education. The Nepali school system, which many children only attend for a few years, requires English fluency so there is always a demand for native English speakers of all ages, races, and nationalities. There are no prerequisites for teaching beyond English fluency and, in some programs, any university level degree.
There are many options for finding volunteer opportunities. Several international organizations will find you a school, room, and boarding-- either at the school or with a local family-- for a fee. This fee can be from $500-$2000 US depending on the type and length of program. Some of this money will go to the school and host family, often they are too poor even to support a volunteer, but the bulk often goes to the agency. In some cases the agency will provide language and culture lessons as well as general teaching supplies and support. Once you make a deposit on a particular program there may be limited options for change. Programs can last from two weeks to six months, but keep in mind the longer stay is more rewarding for both you and the school, as it can take several weeks to get into the swing of things.
A option to paid placement is to find a local, grassroots program or to contact schools directly in Kathmandu when you arrive. Local hostels and restaurants usually have bulletin boards full of request for volunteers. More and more local groups are placing ads on the web as well. These programs are more likely to charge only for room & board, but you will need to do some research to find out the specifics of each group and what, if any, support you will receive. Waiting until you arrive also lets you get to know the areas you can volunteer in and allows you to shop around for a situation that best suits you. These placements tend to be longer term (3-6 months), but this is always negotiable with a specific school or project.
Stay safe - Nepal Tourism
WARNING!: The ongoing Maoist insurgency is disrupting every region of the country. The Nepali army is also conducting operations in the countryside. Though involving mostly the exchange of small-arms fire, under the current situation (May, 2004) there are reports of assassinations, ambushes blockades, kidnappings and full scale attacks in nearly every issue of the daily newspapers. Since providing (limited) military aid, Americans have become unpopular with Maoist cadres. Trekkers are often cornered by Maoist cadres and donations are demanded. 1,000rs. per person is the norm, although rumors of people paying less, with the right attitude, or more, with the wrong attitude, persist. Ask for a receipt, genuine Maoists are happy to provide one. Beware of bandits posing as Maoists issuing counterfeit receipts. So far no foreigners have been deliberately harmed. The Everest region above Lukla and the Langtang region are considered "safe" from the Maoists. Most of the local people here are Sherpa or Tibetan, and have had quite enough of Chinese Communist Despotism. Also there are strikes ("bandas") and demonstrations to contend with. Businesses close and transportation halts. Ask about strikes at your hotel and make sure you have enough money to last. Food and water are still available in hotels, and much business goes on behind closed doors. Rallys and Demonstrations are routinely charged by police wielding "laathis" or long sticks. Tourists are advised to keep a low profile, and to avoid having their brains smashed out by riot police. Nepal is one of the safest urban environments on earth. Even pickpockets are rare. Still, don't flash cash or make ostentatious displays of wealth, out of respect for the non materialistic reality of the people.
Stay Healthy While You Travel to Nepal
Drink only bottled water or juice (check to make sure the cap seal has not been broken) or beverages made from water that has been thoroughly boiled and filtered - tea or coffee from a tourist restaurant/cafe is 'generally' safe. After brushing teeth, rinse mouth with boiled and filtered water or bottled water. Eat only at busy restaurants-local people also like clean, delicious food, and food that has not been sitting around long is less-likely to be tainted with fly-bourne disease. Wash your hands! Everything you touch, every hand you shake, etc., is an invasion of local microscopic wildlife. Learn to ask, "Where can I wash?" Every restaurant has one, the locals will respect you for it, and cheerfully direct you to the soap and sink. Then air dry your hands! Don't eat the rind from cheese. Wash or peel fruits and vegetables. Practice safe sex.
Respect
Greet people with a warm "Namaste". Show marked respect to elders. Be friendly, be patient. Feet are considered dirty. Don't point the bottoms of your feet (or your bum!) at people, or at religious icons. Be sensitive to when it is proper to remove your hat or shoes. Accept tea. Circumambulate temples, chortens, stupas, mani walls, etc. clockwise. When haggling over prices, smile, laugh, and be friendly. Be prepared to allow a reasonable profit. Don't insult fine craftsmanship, it's much better to lament that you are too poor to afford such princely quality.
Contact
External Links for Nepal Tourism
http://home.freiepresse.de/uwdel/nepalenglish.html some more travel information
