Travel Info of Nepal

NEPAL VISA INFORMATION:

Foreigners who intend to visit Nepal must hold valid Passport or any travel documents equivalent to passport issued by the government for visiting a foreign country prior to apply for visa.

A. Entry :

No foreigners are entitled to enter into and stay in Nepal without valid visa. Tourist entry visa can be obtained for the following duration from a Nepalese Embassy abroad or (more easily), upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Children under 10 years need not pay any visa fees.  You will need to supply 2 passport sized photograph and complete a visa form.(It is always a good idea to travel with several passport photos)

B. Chinese citizens are requested to apply in Nepalese Embassy or other Nepalese diplomatic missions as there is no provision of on arrival visa for them.


C. Visa fee : Visa fee required to obtain tourist visa from Nepalese diplomatic agencies and entry points.


01. US $25 or equivalent foreign currency for tourist visa with multiple Entry for 15 days.


02. US $40 or equivalent foreign currency for tourist visa with multiple Entry for 30 days.


03. US$ 100 or equivalent foreign currency for tourist visa with multiple Entry of 100 days.

04. Regardless of the provision stated 1 and 2 above, tourist with passport from south asian association of regional co-operation(SAARC) nations are not required to pay the visa fee for 30 days


D. Fee required to extend duration of visa or renew visa.

01. Tourist Visa can be extended by paying US $ 2 or equivalent Nepalese currency per day.

02. Multiple Entry facility can be obtained only for the extension period by additional US $ 20 and visa fee for the extended period.

03. Transit visa can be obtained from airport immigration office by paying US $ 5.00 for a period of 48 hours on the presentation of confirmed air ticket.

04. Tourists can renew their visa by paying Nepalese currency equivalent to US $ 3 on the regular visa extension fee

05. Trekkers information management system (TIMS) card is required for trekking in Nepal. Also the trekking permit is required for the Restricted areas of Nepal. Travel High Solu will arrange for any needed trekking, climbing permits to other areas when you arrive in Nepal.

06. A foreigners who want to study(student visa), teachers and research scholars and their family obtained the approval of Nepal government may need to pay visa fee US$ 5 per month.


ENTRY IN NEPAL:
 BY AIR: Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu is the only one international airport in Nepal. There are a number of International Airlines operate direct flights to Kathmandu.

01. Thai Airways International operates daily flight between Bangkok and Kathmandu and connection flights to Asia and America.

02. Gulf Air has daily flight between UAE and Kathmandu with connecting flights to/from Europe and America.

03. Quatar Airways flies daily from Doha and Kathmandu.

04. Dragon air flies directly from Hongkong to Kathmandu 5 times a week.

05. Air China flies between Lhasa, with connecting flights to/from mainland China.

06. Austrian Airlines flies between Vienna and Kathmandu once a week

07. Indian airlines, Jet airways, Air India have frequent flights between New Delhi, Calcutta and Kathmandu.

08. Silk Air,Ethihad Airways, Korean air also have many flights to Kathmandu.

09. Nepal Airlines operates direct flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok,Osaka,Shanghai and New Delhi

10. Biman Bangladesh, Jetlite, Pakistan Airlines, connecting Kathmandu with many countries.


BY LAND: The following entry and exit points are prescribed for the purpose of the foreigners entering into and departing from Nepal. Deviation from these points at the time of entry or exit shall be treated as the violation of Immigration rules.

> Kakarvitta, Jhapa (Eastern Nepal)
> Birgunj, Parsa (Central Nepal)
> Kodari, Sindhupalchowk (Northern Border)
> Belahia, Bhairahawa (Rupandehi, Western Nepal)
> Jamunaha, Nepalgunj (Banke, Mid Western Nepal)
> Mohana, Dhangadhi (Kailali, Far Western Nepal)
> Gadda Chauki, Mahendranagar (Kanchanpur, Far Western Nepal

> You can go for overland travel to enter Nepal from both India and Tibet. If you are in Tibet, you can enter Nepal by crossing the border at Kodari.The easiest and hassle free overland route to Nepal from India is via Gorakhpur using train and the Sunauli/Belahiya border post. The only direct buses from this route to Kathmandu run at night and take approximately 8 hours. Raxaul/Birgunj border post can also be used to visit Nepal. But this may not leave you with a pleasant travelling experience. If you are in Darjeeling you can come to Nepal via Karkabhitta. There are also several border crossings in west Nepal.


GEOGRAPHY OF NEPAL

Nepal covers the land area of 147,181 sq km, stretching 800km from east to west and 90 to 230km from north to south. Nepal is land-locked between China (including the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet) and India. Nepal has three geographic regions; the mountainous Himalayan belt (including 8 of the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world), the hill region and the plains region. Nepal contains the greatest altitude variation on earth, from the lowland Terai, at almost sea-level to Mount Everest at 8848 metres. Nepal is divided into five development regions and seventy-five districts. Where as High Himalayas occupy 16% of the total land area of Nepal with elevation ranging from 4,000 to above 8,000 m. This region accommodates the eight of the highest peaks in the world; Mt. Everest (8848m), Kanchanjunga (8586m), Lhotse (8501m), Cho Oyu (8201m), Dhaulagiri (8167m), Mt. Makalu (8463m), Manaslu (8163m) and Annapurna I (8091m).


CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Nepali Rupee notes come in Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 denominations. Coins come in Rs. 1, 2 , 5 and 10 denominations. Foreign currencies must be exchanged only through banks or authorized money exchangers. The receipts of such transaction are to be obtained and retained.Prior to any transaction, foremost inquire about the commission and charges that will be deducted for the money exchange at Nepali currency exchange rate. Banks are usually open from 09.30 am to 3.00 pm Sundays through Thursdays and from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on Fridays. Saturdays are weekend holiday.


Credit Cards: all major cards are accepted for tourist services. There is usually a 5% mark-up on top of the price.


CLIMATE
Nepal has four major seasons, namely, (1) Winter: December-February, (2) Spring: March-May, (3) Summer: June-August, (4) Autumn: September- November.Nepal can be visited the whole year round.



CLIMATE CHANGE
 Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries in South Asia to climate change, yet it has limited capacity to address impacts of climate change or to take advantage of the opportunities. It has a highly variable climate and fragile ecosystems. The Himalayan glaciers are retreating faster than any other major body of ice. With climate change, climate variability, a driver of poverty in a country where 75% of the population is reliant on agriculture, will only increase. The monsoon rains are already more intense, but of shorter duration, and are arriving later, which has a devastating impact onthe rice crop. The Greater Himalaya region is the water tower of Asia. Nepal sits at a strategic point, in the headwaters of the Ganges basin. 500 million people live in this basin, which is one of the most flood prone in the world. Currently Nepals Himalayan Rivers supply 70% of the dry season water in the Ganges and 30% of the peak flood waters. Nepals potential for hydropower is 100 times its existing energy use. Current development of rivers are sub-optimal, focusing solely on hydro rather than also storing water in the summer to use for irrigation during the rest of the year and reduce flooding.


CLOTHING IN NEPAL

From April to the end of October, it is warm in Kathmandu. In Nepal clothing for travelling purpose should be comfortable and light weight. You can also wear longer shorts provided that it is weather-friendly. In the months of November to the end of March, days are usually warm and evenings are cool. Put on your summer clothes during the day time but in the evening and night it is advisable to carry a light jacket. Winter season starts from December to February. One must be equipped with sufficient winter wears like down jackets, sweaters, trousers etc to stay protected from the cold. In accordance to Nepali weather you can have your clothes well-packed in your luggage or you can also purchase clothes of your choice and needs from the clothing stores in Nepal.


HEALTH ISSUES/ALTITUDE SICKNESS:

Those in good health should have no difficulty traveling to Nepal. But people with health conditions including asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, epilepsy and cardiac problems should seek a doctor’s approval before embarking on this journey to Nepal.

 Trekking and Climbing in Nepal involves high altitude and can be strenuous.Simple headache, fever, loss of appetite or stomach disorders can happen before the acclimatization. Altitude sickness, if not treated when symptoms first appear, can lead to death. Often known as AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness, it can ruin a Treks and Climbings and should be treated very seriously. The Himalayan Mountains begin where other mountain ranges end.  As altitude increases, specially above 3,000 metres, the air becomes thinner, creating certain difficulties for the human body. Youth, strength and fitness make no difference here. The only prevention is to give ones body time to adjust to high altitude. Those who go too high too fast are liable to be victims of Acute Mountain Sickness.  To minimize its threat, we recommend following these advice:


01. Drink adequate fluids.  At 4,300 metres for example, the body requires 3 to 4 litres of liquid a day.  At low altitudes try to drink at least 1 litre a day.
 02. Accept the fact that you cannot go very high if your time is short.
 03. Learn to recognize the symptoms of AMS: headache, nausea, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, fluid retention and/or swelling of the body.  The cure is to climb no higher until the symptoms have disappeared.
 04. Do not expect everyone in your group to acclimatize at the same rate.  If you experience such discomforts, tell the accompanying travel High Solu facilitators immediately.
 05. For the sake of safety, if the trek leader deems it necessary to ask a participant who is suffering from AMS to descend, he will have the authority to do so even though it may go against the will of that participant.


PEOPLE & RELIGION OF NEPAL

Nepalese people are mainly divided into two distinct groups, the Indo-Aryans and the Mangoloids (the Kirats). Before 2007 AD, Nepal was regarded as the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. But after that the Government of Nepal has already announced the country to be secular country. The Hindu Temples and Buddhist Shrines are scattered all over the Kingdom. Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Herald of Peace, the Light of Asia. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians live together in harmony. And other nature worshippers, too, exist here. Ethnic diversity and custom of Nepal make Nepal the most fascinating tourist destination in the world. Official statistics indicates that Nepali population of around 23 millions includes more than 60 ethnic groups speaking 70 different languages and dialects.



HISTORY OF NEPAL

Nepal has witnessed many rulers and dynasties play contributing roles in moulding Nepal to present day’s Modern Nepal. Kirantis ruled Nepal from 9th century B.C. to 1st century A.D. Later Lichchhavis took over Kiranti from 3rd to 13th century and then were followed by Thakuri belonging to Malla dynasty. Then Shah Dynasty held the reign. Prithvi Narayan Shah is solely responsible for today’s modern day Nepal for he is the one who united different kingdoms into one single nation in 1769. In 1846, the Kot massacre led by Junga Bahadur Rana backseated the power of monarchy and made Rana regime more powerful. In 1950 Tribhuvan with the support from India restored monarchy. A coalition government comprising the Nepali congress party and the Ranas was thereafter installed with the promise of free elections in 1952. In1960, Mahendra, son of Tribhuvan tactically established Panchayat system, meaning ‘five councils system’, by engineering a coup, declaring a new constitution, imprisoning all the leaders of the then government and enforcing a ban on all political activities. People’s movement of 1990 opened up a new chapter for a decade of democracy in Nepal which led to multiparty democracy with constitutional monarchy. Democracy came with heavy price leading to incompetent political leaders, political conflicts, Maoist insurgency,corruptions and downfall in national economy. Royal family massacre in 2001 left whole world in complete shock. Gynendra was crowned Nepal’s king after his brother, Birendra’s assassination. With the advent of 2006 all major political parties committed to reform their past mistakes and Maoist rebels came together with the support from Nepali people and jointly went on several days strikes to restore democracy. Finally,Gynendra handed over the political power to Nepali people and democracy was once again restored in Nepal.Then maoists has been the biggest political party of Nepal now from the election 2008.



SHOPPING IN NEPAL

In the major cities of Nepal, like Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Pokhara, Chitwan, Nepalgunj etc, you will find well resourced shopping malls. From clothes, shoes, accessories, sports wear, electronic goods, cosmetics, food and decoration items to kitchen wares you can purchase any goods. In Nepal shopping of both local and imported goods are possible. Most shops and clothing stores have fixed price tagged along their goods. But in case of small shops, you can bargain the prices for purchasing goods. While shopping in Nepal it is advisable to carry Nepali currency in cash as most of the shops only accept cash. In Kathmandu, Thamel, Newroad and DurbarMarg are the most popular Shopping centers.



FOODS IN NEPAL

Kathmandu is a paradise for food lovers.Besides Nepali food Nepal restaurants here serve varieties of hygienic delicacies from Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, Italian, Australian, Russian, Korean, Mexican,Thai etc to Continental at remarkably reasonable price. If you desire to lead a Nepali lifestyle during your stay in Nepal, then there are also some restaurants serving pure Nepali cuisine (Dal Bhat) which comprises of Puffed rice, lentil soup and varieties of vegetable/ non vegetable curries and Nepali culture shows. Thamel, the tourist hub of Kathmandu, is well known for many excellent restaurants, cafés and pubs. Pokhara also have numerous restaurants that serve every kind of delicacies complementing your taste. The foods in the mountain(trekking route) also fresh, hygenic and delicious.


HOTELS IN NEPAL

Nepal offers a wide range of accommodation, from 5 star luxury hotels to budget-priced guest houses. Top hotel in Nepal gives you the high quality services. Whatever your requirements are, Nepal hotels can meet them all.

Travel High Solu, always recommend the best Hotels in Nepal for your holiday.
ELECTRICITY IN NEPAL
Normally, domestic consumption of electricity in Nepal comes to 220 Volts. Climatic conditions in Nepal may bring in fluctuation in electric supply leading to load shedding. However, Nepal hotels have UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply) to deal with this electric crisis. It is advisable to carry voltage converters and plug adapters with you while travelling in Nepal for using electric goods. Voltage converters and plug adapters are easily accessible at shopping malls in the cities of Nepal. We recommend to use cameras with replaceable batteries and use lithium batteries. 220 Volt power Electricity is available in most of trekking places. Many of the lodges have power available with typical Asian plugs (two nail like horizontal prongs).


CUSTOMS FORMALITIES
All baggage is subject to customs check at the point of entry. Visitors are allowed to bring in the consumable articles such as liquor one bottle up 1.15 litres, 200 sticks of cigarette, 15 rolls of photo film and 12 rolls of movie camera film. Visitors are also allowed to carry one binocular, one camera, one movie camera, one video camera, one radio, one tape recorder, one bicycle, one wrist watch, one set of fountain pen, one perambulator, 15 radio cassettes & 10 disk records into the country on the condition that they are declared and are to be taken back on return. Carrying narcotics, arms and ammunitions are strictly prohibited. Visitors can export souvenirs to their respective countries. The export of antiuques requires special certificate from the Department of Archaeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu, Gold, silver, precious stones, wild animals and their skins, horns, etc, all drugs whether processed or in their natural state, are prohibited to export.



STAFFS

We, Travel High Solu (P) Ltd. only employs well-trained, responsible and capable Sherpa staffs that has successfully led several trips for the groups, from around the world.  Each trip is staffed with an experienced guide who speaks English ensuring a pleasant and smooth journey for the group.  We are committed to providing the best and reliable services for each group for this journey of a lifetime!

Testimonials

  • I had the pleasure of trekking with Dawa Sherpa, director of Travel High Solu back in 1992. We »

    Mike Bronson, Denver, Colorado, USA

  • In 2005 Chhiree Sherpa led my friend and I on our trek into Mustang. We spent 17 days on the tr »

    Chuck Ramey, Tacoma, WA. USA

  • In 2004, my husband and I trekked with Chhiree to Jomsom/Muktinath in the Annapurna region of N »

    Aley Mills Willis, Seattle, WA. USA

Tibet Package Trips

Contact

Travel High Solu P(LTD)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel:+977-1- 4820033
Fax:+977-1- 4820414
Cell:+977- 9841- 443597
E-mail:highsolu@wlink.com.np
Website:www.highsolutreks.com



About Us | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us |  Sitemap

© 2009 Travel high Solu