General Info for Travelers

Trekking permits are no longer required. National park and conservation fees have risen substantially: it now costs Rs2000 to enter the Annapurna Conservqation area.
Health risks: Altitude sickness, hepatitis A, malaria (low-lying areas only), meningococcal Meningitis (Kathmandu Valley region) and typhoid
Time: GMT/UTC plus five hours 45 minutes
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (when available)
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 255,000 visitors

Nepal consists of hot plains, cool hills and cold mountains as you move south to north.

Access: Kathmandu is connected by direct flights with Amsterdam, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Karachi, Bahrain, Kolkotta, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Patna, Varanasi, Dhaka, Paro, Lhasa, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Osaka. Alternatively, you can enter Nepal by land from India through six points - Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Belhiya, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar - or through Kodari from Tibet.

In addition to Tibet and Bhutan, Kathmandu in also connected by air/road to Sikkim and Darjeeling which makes it the natural gateway to these places.

Season: March-May and September-November are the best times to visit Nepal. The rainy season lasts from June to August.

Adventure: Mountaineering, trekking, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, bungy jumping, canyoning, motor gliding, paragliding, and rock climbing.

Accommodation: There are accommodations to suit every budget in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Dulikhel, Nagarkot and Chitwan, ranging from non-star lodges with basic amenities to sheer luxury in some of the world's outstanding hotels. Lodges are available elsewhere.

Climatic factors are very important in deciding when to visit Nepal. October-November, the start of the dry season, is in many ways the best time of year: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the country is lush following the monsoon. February-April, the tail end of the dry season, is the second-best period: visibility is not so good because of dust, but the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom. In December and January the climate and visibility are good but it can be chilly: trekkers need to be well prepared for snow, and for cheaper hotels in Kathmandu - nonexistent heating makes for rather gloomy evenings. The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. It is though the main season for trips to Tibet and sightseeing in the Kathmandu valley is rather intimate.

back to top

Nepal's festive calendar is hectic. Dasain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepalese celebrations and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year and as the name das suggests, takes only 10 days. Running a close second with 5 days is Tihar (November), but unlike Daisan, animals are honoured rather than slaughtered. Other festivals celebrated nationally include the water-tinged Holi (March) and Chaitra Daisan (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Hindu festivals number the Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March), both celebrated in Pashupatinath, the Gai Jatra (August) in Kathmandu and the Krishna Jayanti (August/September) in Patan. Buddhist celebrations are just as thick on the ground, and include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu, Buddha Jayanti (May) in Kathmandu, and Losar (Tibetan New Year) (February) in Bodnath, Swayambhunath, Jawlakhel and highland communities.