Nepal Tourism Information

Foreign Currency and Credit Cards
Credit cards Master and Visa are widely accepted at major hotels, shops, and restaurants. ATM is widely in use in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Major Banks, hotels and Government license holder Money exchange counters and Kathmandu Airport has foreign currency exchange facility.
Exchange rates are published in English dailies news paper such as The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times. Nepalese Rupees are found in denominations of 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are found in denominations of 10, 25 and 50 paisa. One rupee equals 100 paisa.

Vaccination
Nepal does not require any particular immunization for your visit. Vaccinations for Cholera, Meningitis, Tetanus & Diphtheria, Typhoid and Gamma Globulin should be considered for your trip. Please consult your physician and get a complete check -up before your departure.

First aid Kit
A simple but adequate medical kit can be most useful without taking much space in your baggage. The following is recommended as tried and true list of items.

1. Aspirin or Panadol - for pain or fever.

2. Antihistamine - useful as a decongestant for colds, allergies, to ease the itch from insect bites and stings or to help prevent motion sickness.

3. Antibiotics - useful if you are travelling well off the beaten trails but they must be prescribed.

4. Kaolin preparation (Pepto-Bismol), Imodium or Lomotil - for stomach upsets.

5. Rehydration mixture - for treatment of severe diarrhoea.

6. Antiseptic, mercurochrome and antibiotic powder or similar 'dry' spray - for cuts and grazes.

7. Calamine lotion - to ease irritation from bites or stings.

8. Bandages and Band-Aids - for minor injuries.

9. Scissors, tweezers and a thermometer

10. Insect repellent, sun block, suntan lotion, chopsticks and water-purification tablets.\

11. Throat lozenges (Strepsils).

12. Moleskin

13. Sulamyd 10% eye drops.

14. Antacid tablets.

Electricity
Major towns in Nepal have electricity and the voltage available is 220-volts and 50 cycles. Load shedding is sometime experienced in Nepal. However, most of the major hotels have installed their own power back generators.

Time
Nepal time is 5hrs 45 minute ahead of GMT and 15 minute ahead from India Standard time.

Official Holiday
Saturday is the weekend holidays in Nepal.

Working hours
Government and private offices open from 10.00 to 1700 PM.

Restaurant and food
Almost every kinds of food representing the culinary areas of many parts of the world are available in restaurants. Hotel may have several restaurants under one roof serving a wide variety of dishes while individual restaurants cater several types of cuisine's like Chinese, Indian Continental, Japanese, Tibetan etc.

Adventure in Nepal
Nepal is a trekker's paradise. One can trek along the beaten trails or virgin tracks. There is something for everyone- the magnificent tumble of great snow summits, the high test in the world or great carpeted in alpine flowers, forests of rhododendron, isolated hamlets, village, small mountain towns, bird, animals, temples, monasteries an d many different culture and people.

Altitude sickness
Altitude sick ness, often known as acute mountain sickness or AMS, if not treated when symptoms first appear, can lead to death. It is the effect of altitude of those who ascent too rapidly to elevations above 3000 meters. Early mountain sickness will manifest itself in headache, loss of appetite and sleeplessness.
Do not ignore these warnings otherwise more serious symptoms can occur which can even cause death sometime within few hours.

Being a young, strong and fit does not help. Medicine is no substitute for descent. If a doctor is available, he may give medicine or oxygen. However, the patient must go down even if given treatment, If you travel in Khumbu region you can contact the hospital in Kunde and Pheriche and if you travel to Manang you can contract at Manang Hospital for altitude sickness and information, Doctors are available there during trekking season.

Tourist Police
A special unit of the Nepal police called Tourist police deals with problems relating tourist. One can contact the Nepal Tourism Board Tel: 4256909 to avail the services of tourist police.

Entering/Leaving
Traveling by Air
You can fly directly to Kathmandu from Bangkok, Vienna, Sharjaha, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Dhaka, Karachi, Soul, Osaka, Sahnaghai, Paro, Lhasa, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Varanasi. All flights feature business class and amenities of international standards. Fly to Nepal by Nepal airlines (National flag), Thai international Airways, Qatar Airways, Korean air, Saudi Arabian airlines, Indian Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Biman Bangladesh, Gulf Air, Air Sahara , Jet Airways, Austrian Air, China south east airlines, China air, Druk Air fly to Nepal regularly. Airfares are to be paid in foreign currency by foreign nationals. Only Nepalese and Indian nationals are permitted to pay in rupees for air passage between Nepal and India.

Traveling by Road
All visitors entering Nepal by land must use given entry points.

1. Kakarbhitta (eastern border)

2. Birgunj (south east border)

3. Belhiya, Bhairahawa (Mid south Border)

4. Nepalgunj (south west border)

5. Dhangadi (Far west border)

6. Mahendra Nagar (Far west border)

7. Kodari in the Nepal (Tibet border)

Visa
Tourist who intends to visit Nepal must hold valid passport and visa.

Entry: - Tourist entry visa can be obtained for the following duration from Royal Nepalese Embassy or Consulate or other mission offices or at the following immigration offices in Nepal.

1. Immigration Office- Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu

2. Immigration Office- Kakarvitta, Jhapa (Eastern Nepal)

3. Immigration Office- Birganj, Parsa (Central Nepal)

4. Immigration Office- Kodari, Sindhupalchowk (Northern Border)

5. Immigration Office- Belahia, Bhairahawa (Rupandehi, Western Nepal)

6. Immigration Office- Jamunaha, Nepalgunj (Banke, Mid Western Nepal)

7. Immigration Office- Mohana, Dhangadhi (Kailali, Far Western Nepal)

8. Immigration Office- Gadda Chauki, Mahendranagar (Kanchanpur, Far Western Nepal)

1. Visa fee for visitors who enter Nepal for the first time in a visa year (Jan-Dec):

2. Multiple entry facility can be obtained paying additional US$ 50 or equivalent convertible foreign currency. The facility will be valid for a visa year (Jan-Dec) if the visa period is valid.

Tourist Visa Extension: - A tourist visa can be extended up to 120 days from the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu and Pokhara Immigration Office on request. Thereafter an additional 30 days can be extended from Department of Immigration ensuring that tourist visa cannot be extended more than 150 days.

Visa Extension Fee:

1. Tourist visa extension fee for 30 days: - US$ 30 in equivalent Nepalese currency.

2. Tourist visa extension with multiple entry facility:- Multiple entry facility can be obtained paying additional US$ 50 or equivalent convertible foreign currency. The facility will be valid for a visa year (Jan-Dec) if the visa period is valid.

3. Late fee for not applying extension in time:-

US$2 in equivalent Nepalese currency per day for the first 30 days.
US$3 in equivalent Nepalese currency per day for the next 31 to 90 days.
US$5 in equivalent Nepalese currency per day for more than 90 days.

Festival events in Nepal
Nepal's festive calendar is hectic. Dasain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepali celebrations and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year. Running a close second is Tihar (November), when crows, dogs and cows are venerated and everyone offers tika marks and food to friends and relations. Other important Hindu festivals include colourful Holi (March), lively Indra Jatra (September) and Chaitra Dasain (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Some of the local festivals in the Kathmandu Valley are epic affairs - the Red Machchhendranath Rath Jatra (May-June) in Patan features incredible chariot parades to honour Lord Krishna. Followers of Shiva celebrate Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March) with great pomp at Pashupatinath. As Buddhism is a philosophy rather than a religion, Buddhist festivals are thinner on the ground. However, Losar (Tibetan New Year, held in February) is celebrated with masked chaam dances at Swayambhunath, Bodhnath and Tibetan monasteries across the country. Other important Buddhist feast days include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu and Buddha Jayanti (Buddha's birthday - held in May) in Kathmandu and Lumbini.