What You Need to Know Before You go to Nepal
Here is Top information before you travet to Nepal. Until you go to this exciting country filled with deep gorges and giant peaks, unique culture and friendly people, it’s important to be organized for your travel plans until you finally leave. A detailed travel guide to Nepal includes suggestions and subjects, as well as other travel-related material. The following few Nepal travel details, including climate and the best time to visit Nepal, travel insurance, passport and visa requirements, banking possibilities and some useful Nepali phrases and words, will help you plan an amazing country trip with a constant mountain scenario.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Getting to Nepal
By Air: There are twelve major international airlines linked to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Royal Nepal Airlines (RA) is the national flag carrier of Nepal with flights to Delhi, Mumbai, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Osaka, Japan; Hong Kong, Shanghai, China; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Other international airlines connecting Kathmandu to other parts of the world include Biman Bangladesh to Dhaka in Bangladesh; China Airlines to Lhasa in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China; Druk Air to Paro in Bhutan and New Delhi in India; Gulf Air to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates; Indian Airlines to Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi in India; Qatar Airways to Doha in Qatar; Thai International to Bangkok in Thailand.
By Land: Nepal shares its borders with India on three sides and China on the north. Hence, if you want to reach Nepal by road, you’ll have to go either through India or through Tibet (China). The entry points from India to Nepal are Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Belhiya, Bhairawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi and Mahendra Nagar. The Kodari Pass in the border between Nepal and China is the entry point from China to Nepal. Tourists entering Nepal by land are also required to carry their passports.
To get around the country, there is a great domestic air network and helicopter charter facilities, as well as luxury tourist coaches. Mountain Hike Nepal will help you make your travel arrangements within Nepal on your itinerary trip.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Visa Information
Visas are easily accessible upon arrival at Kathmandu International Airport and at all land border junctions that are open to foreign nationals, as long as you have passport photos to hand and you can pay a visa fee in foreign currency (some crossings insist on payment in US dollars). Your passport must be valid for at least six months and you will need a free visa page.
To get information about how to apply Nepalese visa , you can read nepalese visa information here.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Travel Insurance
A travel insurance policy covering robbery, injury, and medical complications is best for Nepal travel. A wide range of policies are available, so review the small print carefully. Make sure you’re prepared for adventure and high altitude events. Because you enter more than 4000 meters on a few treks in Nepal, it is best to select a policy that includes medical and emergency resettlement, including helicopter evacuation for trekkers and general medical evacuation. I recognize that most medical care and facilities / hospitals must be charged at the patient’s point of delivery. And it’s smart to have a policy that pays physicians or hospitals directly, rather than trying to pay for it on the spot and demand it later.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Local Currency
The Nepalese Rupee is Nepal’s currency. Our currency rankings show that the most common exchange rate is NPR to GBP. Nepalese Rupees’ currency code is NPR.
To check currency rate from your country to Nepal’s curency, you can check exchange curency rate online.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Foreign Currency Exchange and Banking
Payment in hotels, travel agencies, and airlines are made in foreign exchange. There are a lot of cash machines or ATMs in cities and most will accept cards issued by any major international banking network (Plus, Cirrus, etc.). The majority of ATMs currently have a maximum withdrawal amount of 10,000Rs (although you can make repeated withdrawals).
Merchant accounts such as Visa, MasterCard, JCB and American Express are widely accepted in most tourist-class hotels, restaurants, airlines, and major tourist merchants. Again, there is always a transaction fee for card processing (this charge is enforced by banks and not traders, so please don’t ask for a discount to remove it) and this is usually around 4 per cent (though American Express Fees are considerably higher at around 7 per cent).
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Electricity
Nepal uses 220-240 volts/50 HZ. Commonly, sockets take plugs with three round pins. The plugs can be small and large in size. Some sockets also take plugs with two round pins.
To use your electrical devices in Nepal, you need both a voltage converter and a plug adapter. You may also need several different plug adapters to travel to more than one country. When you intend to carry several different electrical products, we suggest having a universal adapter and converter kit. Both laptops and electrical razors require universal voltages. Surely check your tools. If the only electrical tool you bring with is an electrical shaver, you can consider buying a model not too powerful. Alternatively, you can purchase them in Kathmandu and other towns, but not remotely.
Voltage fluctuation is very usual in Nepal and you are recommended to use a high-quality power surge protector for your electronics. During dry seasons, power outage (load shedding) occurs for sometimes. Hotels and businesses, however, cover their electrical needs via fuel cells and generators.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Climate in Nepal
Nepal’s seasons are almost much the same as Europe, in comparison to Australian seasons. It’s cold in January, though with shorts and t-shirt in July. Nepal’s climate is mild, meaning dry winters, and hot summers. But due to the enormous altitude and landscape range, Nepal’s climate varies significantly across the region.
Monsoon season usually lasts from around the end of June through the end of August. Approximately 80 per cent of the rainfall occurs in the country during this time but the rest of the year is dry. The most friendly seasons are spring (March to May), and autumn (September to November). Winter temperatures (December, January, and February) drop, with heavy snowfall in high mountain areas.
The temperatures in summer, mountain and late spring are from 83oF (28oC) in the Terai (southern plains) up to more than 40oC (104oF). The Terai range in winter is between 7oC (45oF) and 74oF (74oF) at average minimum and maximum temperatures. The central valley’s experience a minimum temperature but do not often fall below the freezing point and a maximum cooling temperature of 12oC (54oF) during the winter.
Kathmandu Valley’s climate is moderate most of the year. Summer temperatures range from 67-81 ° F (19-27 ° C) to between 36 and 68 ° F (2-20 ° C) in the winter. During the August monsoon season, the average rainfall in Kathmandu is between 7.8-14.7 inches (200-375 mm). May and June can be hot and humid until the monsoon rains. In spring (March-April) and autumn (October-November) temperatures are pleasant with occasional short rainfalls, while in November-February they are dry, but can be very cold, especially at night.
What You Need to Know before you go to Nepal: Best time to visit Nepal
Spring (March, April, May) and autumn (Sept, Oct, Nov) are Nepal’s best time of year. The weather is good with powerful sunshine and water. The sky is clear, so you can really enjoy the beautiful Nepalese landscape with the Himalayan view.
Although there is no problem with trekking during the monsoon (June, July, Aug), the issue may be less visibility and rain. Yet monsoon is a blessing for a keen botanist as the higher valleys, mountains and meadows blossom with flowers and abundant vegetation. You can also walk in winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) particularly in the hilly regions, but when you reach higher elevations, snow-fall is much colder. If you don’t need to experience crowds, choosing more solitary trekking destinations may be your choices during the monsoon or winter. Remember that global warming has changed the daily climate worldwide, and Nepal is no exception. Please always be open to erratic conditions.
