Nepal has a lot to offer in terms of history, art, natural beauty, and biodiversity. While it’s a small nation, Nepal is filled with many wonders that span back centuries — as rich in culture as it is in its abundance of the cerulean Himalayas and natural quintessence. The country is home to many of the world’s tallest mountain peaks — including Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the planet.
Traveling to Nepal is a wonderful holiday that thousands of people from all over the world pursue every year. From trekking through the mighty Himalayas to enjoying leisurely cultural tours to pursuing adventurous activities like rafting or paragliding, Nepal is an ideal vacation destination for all people. If you haven’t yet traveled there yet, you are seriously missing out!
Here are our top ten tips to consider when traveling to Nepal.
10. Reliable Travel Agency
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It is important to choose a reliable travel agency for a good Nepal Travel experience. Make sure that the travel agency is a genuine company registered with all the important government organizations, like Nepal Tourism Board and TAAN. Using the services of an unregistered travel agency can result in unnecessary hassles.
9. Planning
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While you could choose to visit Nepal with no particular place or plan in mind, there are advantages to planning your trip ahead of time — it helps to reduce troubles or uncertainties. After all, you want to make sure that you enjoy the journey to the fullest at its most convenient.
8. Food and Drinking Water
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The major food staple of the region is rice and lentils. It’s found everywhere and is the most convenient form of nutrition while trekking at remote locations. At most parts during Nepal travel, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods are available. However, it is not advisable to drink the tap water directly — you must only ingest bottled or boiled water. While trekking, many use water-purifying tablets.
7. Rough Budget
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Nepal is a relatively inexpensive country to travel to. You can live comfortably at even $25 to 30 a day, but of course, it varies according to the place, the services and on your personal preferences. Expenses while traveling to Nepal mostly include the accommodations, food, transport or tours, and extra fees like TIMS or park entries.
6. Festivals and Celebrations
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Throughout each year, Nepal experiences many festivals and celebrations. The Nepali people celebrate the festivals with vigor and enthusiasm, so significant places of worship and religious places are swarmed with pilgrims and devotees. Some of the major festivals that Nepal celebrates are the Nepali New Year and the Festivals of Colors. Cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara are great places to be during the festivals as the cities come alive with merry-making.
5. Safety and Insurance
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It’s best to be insured while traveling anywhere, and Nepal is no exception. The country is a safe place to travel for the most part, but group trekking is advised for solo female travelers. It is also a safety precaution to register with your local embassy while in Kathmandu. Having travel insurance is a reassurance, and it is also mandatory to have it while partnering up with most major travel agencies of the country as well. It is also important to make sure that the travel insurance covers all of the options, like helicopter rescue and emergency evacuation while you are trekking.
4. Electricity
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Electricity is available in all parts of the guesthouses and lodges in the Nepali Himalayas as well as cities, where hotels also often free WiFi. Nevertheless, it is best to carry a universal adapter with you wherever you go.
3. Nepali Visa
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You can acquire Nepali visa upon your arrival at the airport. It can be purchased according to the duration of your stay. Currently, choose from 15, 30 or 90 days. A valid passport and passport sized photograph along with a fee are required for acquiring the visa at the airport. Credit cards are not accepted, thus it is best to carry USD, pound, Euro or any other valid currency to pay for the visa.
2. Pack Lightly
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It comes as no revelation that packing as light as possible for any travel is the best way to go. Only packing the absolutely necessary things for Nepal travel lets you enjoy the trip without having to worry about the excess luggage all the time.
1. Carry Nepali Currency
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While travelling to Nepal, it is far more convenient to carry Nepali currency. The case is truer while you are travelling to remote parts of the country for treks or hikes. As you arrive in Nepal, it is advised to exchange the currency to Nepalese rupees to use throughout your stay, as it lessens the troubles of having to deal with not having the currency to use in areas where money-exchange centers are not easily available.Kathmandu, the capital of the country, has many money-exchange centers.