Nepal Trip | Nepal Tours, Treks & Travel | Visit Nepal 2020 | Best Nepal Tours & Vacation Packages
Sandwiched between China and India, Nepal is one of the most fascinating places to visit on earth. Before you set foot on the hiking trails or walk the streets of Kathmandu, here are five things to know.
Either you are first time traveler in Nepal or already been to Nepal, you have to make sure you have following things are ready for your Nepal Vacation.
Passport- you should obtain passport valid at least 6 months or above
- Few passport sized photos
- Confirmation of your holiday from your job
- Check availability of International flight ticket
Snowy mountaintops reaching into the sky. Gently bellowing yaks. Fluttering prayer flags. That was my mental image of Nepal before I visited. But now that I’ve been there, my new mental image of Nepal is quite different: shimmering lakes nestled in mountaintops. Dense, humming jungles. Bathing rhinoceroses. Chanting monks. Fluttering prayer flags (ok, some things stayed the same).
Nepal Visa information:
Nepal visa is possible to obtain easily at Kathmandu Airport on arrival day and following Visa fees will apply:
- US$ 25 for up to 15 days Tourist Visa
- US$ 40 for up to 30 days Visa
- US$ 100 for Up to 100 days
Please bring cash USD for hassle free Visa fee payment on arrival at Airport, Visa form is available at Airport or handover to you while you are on flight to Kathmandu in order to fill up to be ready
You can get Nepal visa at your home country too if you wish to save some time from visa queue on arrival.
Weather season to travel in Nepal:
Nepal is Himalayan country and we have four different weather seasons in a year.
- Winter season/month: Mid December onward, January and February
- Spring season/month: March, April, May and Half of June
- Summer-monsoon season/ Month: Mid June onward, July, August, mid September
- Autumn season/month: Mid September, October, November and half December
Best weather and recommended trekking, tour and climbing trip in Nepal
Autumn/winter: October, November and till Mid December (more clear weather, blue sky and 95 % is best months. We highly recommend all trekking, tours, climbing during these months.
Spring: Mid March to till Mid June (Clear weather, blue sky but sometime rain/weather change- 90 % is best months). We recommend all trekking, tours and climbing during these months.
Winter months: Mid December onward to till February( chance of rain but not frequently, most probably snowing above 3500m), we highly recommend short, easy and lower altitude trekking or just easy tours, adventure tours for this period. We recommend only some few treks, tours during this timeframe such as: Short and easy treks in Nepal, Easy tours in Nepal, Adventure tours in Nepal
Summer months: Mid June onward to till mid September (chance of heavy rainfall, cloudy weather, not recommended to travel in Nepal in this time period)
Trekking and tour in Nepal is not highly recommend in summer months, however if you have vacation available only on those months, still we can organize trekking, tour in any parts of Nepal but weather is not like Autumn and spring season.
Due to rain shadow area, some trekking area of Nepal especially Upper mustang and Upper dolpo is possible areas for trekking even in summer months. So we still recommend following trekking in summer months:
Mustang trekking
Upper mustang Dhamodhar Lake Trek
Upper dolpo trek
Nepal trek advice-How to choose right trekking package for lifetime experience?
According to your interests, requirements and suit to your Vacation timeframe, there are numbers of trekking, tours and adventure tour available in this website, you have plenty options to choose and enjoy for unforgettable holiday of a lifetime. For your useful Nepal trek advice, please check different options we have.
Popular treks: we have listed all most popular trekking routes of Nepal especially lodge/ tea house facilitate trekking areas such as Annapurna trekking, Lang tang trekking, Everest trekking, Mustang trekking and Manaslu trekking.
Luxury treks: Our luxury treks are targeted for those trekkers, who wish to have comfortable, luxurious and high standard of hotels, resorts or comfortable lodges trekking in Nepal. Our Luxury treks are available for Annapurna and Everest region and also we organize helicopter trekking service for langtang, Everest and Annapurna. So our luxury treks part is all about comfortable and enjoyable trekking experience in Nepal Himalaya.
Short and easy treks: our short and easy treks are useful for those trekkers, who have short holiday in Nepal or who wish to have short trekking experience or those who wish to start beginning trek in Nepal. Our short and easy treks are useful for all level of age group trekkers. Also short and easy treks are best suitable for winter too.
Camping treks: highly recommend those who have long holiday over 2 weeks or so and would like to trek in more remote and rural areas of Nepal where lodges facilities are not available and we have to do full tented (camping) trek. But this type of camping trek is one of best experience of real trekking in Nepal. Foods are prepared by our expert cook and we provide quality tented accommodations during trek.
New treks: if you are looking for less trekkers trekking trail or off the beaten track route in Nepal, there are plenty of new trekking routes not available and you can explore one of them.
Festival treks: there are two major religious festivals is celebrated in Himalayan area of Everest and mustang. Trekking to Everest base camp and watching Mani rimdu festival or trek to upper mustang and watching Tiji Festival, both of lifetime experience. Come and join with us.
Trekking & Climbing: planning for some peak climbing or planning for highest mountain to climb? If so please come to Nepal and join us for some exciting and lifetime challenge. We organize trekking to base camp of mountain and take you to the top of peaks as well, this is we called trekking and climbing trip.
Easy tours: not interested for trekking? But still interested to visit Nepal? Easy tours may be suitable here. Our easy tours is not walking trip and this is all driving and flying tour from one city to another or from one place to hilly area of Nepal for finest sun set to sun rise and views of cities and incredible mountains without any hard trekking. Suitable for all aged people.
Adventure tours: trekking, touring and climbing peaks are not only attractions of Nepal, there are many other adventures trip you may explore. Nepal is popular destination for Jungle safari, Paragliding, Mountain flight, Bunjy jumping, River rafting. NTTA put together all these adventures activities in one itinerary for your easy planning of all in one program trip in Nepal. Our Adventure tours including short trek, rafting, paragliding, bunjy jump, mountain flight, jungle safari and more. If you would like to do all these adventures within a short timeframe, we have designed few itineraries according to that.
How to book a trek or trip and end with?
Booking a trek or trip.
- First check your international flight availability
- Send us a e-mail mentioning your detailed travel date( arrival date & Departure date), interests, requirements
- We will provide detailed information including complete trip package that meet your exact requirements with booking terms and payment procedure
- Make booking confirmation deposit payment and confirm your trip
- Welcome greet by our guide on arrival in Nepal and start your trip
- Enjoy your trip, get lifetime experience and leave with cherish memories of Nepal
Pre- planning of Nepal trekking or peak climbing:
Once you have booked particular treks, climbing trips or just easy tours, we highly recommend to be preparing following things before you arrive to Kathmandu.
- Make sure your visa to Nepal, fees, passports are ready
- Make sure clothing’s/gears are OK for Nepal treks/ peak climbing
- Get full information regarding money exchange, Airport transfers, guide, porters, tipping and more info regarding treks, adventures you have booked
- Start maintains your physical condition for trekking and climbing trip.
- Daily of one- two hour walking, cycling, jogging, playing tennis, running is best preparation if you are doing trekking or climbing or at least of daily one hour walking in hilly area up and down is necessary.
=======================================================================
Here’s the thing: they are not intuitive
WHATSOEVER. They are NOT the same as dropping trow in the wilderness, where you
can just aim any which way and your only concern is keeping your pants dry.
Like, y’all: I am still unclear on a few
very basic squatty things. I have a lot of question, like:
·
Which way should I face?
·
How far apart should my feet be?
·
Where do I put all my pant fabric to keep it
from getting soaked?
·
How does one aim, exactly?
·
How does one avoid falling into a gross
toilet hole while trying to move one’s pant fabric out of the way and
attempting to aim things?
Needless to say, I did not master the
squatty. And because I grew to loathe them, I also
developed an unfortunate habit of dehydrating myself in order to avoid them.
Because on a long road trip through Nepal, your roadside options are almost
always squatties.
… Almost. Thankfully, Western toilets (gloriously
easy-to-use Western toilets, which I never fully appreciated until my first
time trying to use a squatty) are relatively easy to find! Some rest
stops have at least 1 or 2 stalls with Western toilets, restaurants typically
have them, and every accommodation I stayed at was outfitted with in-room
Western-style restrooms.
The only time you’ll be out of luck is if
you’re doing a homestay. In that case, I suggest you start studying!
An overlook filled with shops and
restaurants along the hike to the World Peace Pagoda in beautiful Pokhara,
Nepal.
NEPALESE MONEY IS SUPER CONFUSING… UNTIL YOU FIGURE IT
OUT.
All of the bills of the Nepalese Rupee are
different sizes, which made me feel like I was in Harry Potter and encountering
wizard money for the first time. But then somebody pointed out that the money
is organized by size: like, the smaller the value, the smaller the bill, and
the larger the value, the larger the bill.
So instead of just staring helplessly at the
piles of money in my hand trying to complex math and divide by a few thousand
at a time, I started organizing my bills by size. That helped. Sort of.
NEPALIS ARE VERY WELL DRESSED AND HAVE AMAZING HAIR.
Listen: I try not to make mass
generalizations about people & culture, but I’m making an exception here.
Fact: Nepali people look amazing, like, all
the time.
They all have incredible hair – and I don’t
just mean because it’s all silky and healthy like a country full of walking
Herbal Essence commercials, I mean it’s like, VERY COOL and carefully cut and
impeccably styled.
They also all dress like, really well.
Whether they’re wearing traditional clothing, religious garb, or regular street
clothes, they look like they just stepped out of the pages of Nepal Vogue and
are on their way to their Sartorialist Street Style interview.
These two absolutely factual generalizations
are the case everywhere from Kathmandu to the smallest villages we rolled
through on bumpy, unpaved roads. Seriously, keep an eye out and tell me if you
don’t notice the exact same thing during your trip to Nepal!
IF YOU’RE HIP AND WITH IT, YOU CAN SAY “THAT’S SO DANGER”
WHEN SOMETHING IS TOTES RAD.
This is a real thing that hip, cool Nepali
youths with amazing hair say when they mean “that’s so cool.” I know, it sounds
ridiculous – like a line straight out of Archer or something. But I swear, I
didn’t make it up!
Sadly, neither of us here at Practical
Wanderlust are cool, young, or with it enough to get away with incorporating
this into our daily lexicon. So instead, we’re working on trying to get
Jeremy’s high school students to adopt it. Last I heard, they were like “Mr.
Garcia, stop trying to make that’s so danger happen.” Maybe next year…
THE AIR QUALITY IN KATHMANDU IS TERRIBLE.
Like, terrible. According
to Yale’s Environmental Performance Index, Nepal
ranked 176 out of 180 countries. The air in Kathmandu is SO BAD.
Whether you’re riding in a taxi with an open
window or taking a walk down the block, I highly recommend
wearing a breathing mask like this one –
N95 or N99 should do the trick.
The good news? The air quality seemed
totally fine everywhere else I went!
…
ABOUT NEPAL IN GENERAL
Don’t know much about Nepal? That’s OK, I
didn’t either! Here are some helpful and potentially eye-opening things you
should know about Nepal in general.
NEPAL IS STILL HEALING FROM A CIVIL WAR.
The Nepalese Civil War began in the mid
90’s and lasted for 10 years, ending just 14 years ago. Like all wars, it was
brutal and messy and horrible. It was a fight between monarchy and communism –
and on at least one mysterious occasion, monarchy vs monarchy –
and ended with a peace agreement that appeased both sides, who are each
represented in Nepal’s current government.
Nepal has been at peace ever since.
But y’all, “ever since” is still just 14
years. And so while Nepal is quite safe to visit, the country as a whole is
still repairing itself.
You won’t see any scars from the Civil War
unless you’re looking for them, but the context is important to understand.
NEPAL’S ARMY IS EVER-PRESENT.
Part of being less then 2 decades out from a
civil war? A lil’ bit of uneasiness. Which is why you’ll still see the Nepalese
Army throughout Nepal. There are quite a few checkpoints, which you don’t need
to worry about if you’re traveling with a guide as they’ll know exactly what to
do and have all the proper paperwork in place.
One place I wasn’t expecting a ton of army
checkpoints? The jungle. But because Chitwan National Park spans
the border of India, there are tons of army camps and checkpoints buried deep
within the jungle. The Nepalese Army actually rides through the jungle on elephants
(because it’s the safest and least environmentally harmful way to navigate).
Again, if you’re traveling with a guide,
you’ll be fine!
NEPAL IS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY.
Some of you might be like “duh,” but quite a
few people we met during our travels in Nepal seemed surprised by this.
Yes, technically the Kingdom of Nepal was formed in the
1760’s, making the country itself older than the USA (not to mention
thousands of years of cultures and communities who were here before the 1700’s,
which we’ll get into later).
But today, Nepal is considered by the United
Nations to be one of the least developed countries in the
world. Your average Nepali citizen is earning only $745 annually.
And although there is progress being made, the
fact of the matter is that Nepal is, generally speaking, quite poor.
That said: tourism is the largest
industry in Nepal, which is why its government hosts an annual travel
conference for travel media (like me!) in the hopes that we will
write about Nepal and bring it more visitors. Because you, as a visitor to
Nepal, play a hugely important role in the development of the country and its
people.
Now, I won’t get into the details of the
tourism industry’s role in economic development and overtourism much
here (although I spend quite a bit of time thinking about it and studying
it, which is part of my job as a travel blogger) but suffice it to say that
some countries wish that fewer people would visit, and some countries wish that
more people would visit.
Nepal is a country that wishes more people
would come visit. What does that mean for you? Fewer crowds, welcoming locals,
affordable rates, and a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you’re doing a little
bit of good for a lot of people!
THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO SEE IN NEPAL THAN MOUNT EVEREST!
Name a place in Nepal that isn’t
Everest. And yes, that also includes Base Camp and the rest of the
Himalayas. You too, Annapurna.
I’ll wait.
If you got Kathmandu, you get a B. If you
didn’t even get that far… honestly, you’re not alone!
Before I visited Nepal, I had NO idea what
else there was to see. And I have like, a weird Everest obsession: I’m forever
consuming Everest-themed books and movies and think-pieces, and my idea of a
romantic Friday night date is watching Into Thin Air from the comfort and
safety of my couch (because while I like to learn about Everest, I NEVER
want to climb it).
But, you guys: Everest is but one place in
Nepal. On my trip to Nepal, I did NOT see Everest. In fact, I only glimpsed a
single snowy Himalaya peak during my entire trip (although supposedly
Annapurna was visible through the window of a plane one time, but I was sitting
on. the wrong side and didn’t see it). If you do decide to go to the
Himalayas, check out this Everest Base Camp packing list.
The closest I got to the Himalayas was
visiting Pokhara, a lakeside adventure town also known as the
gateway to the Annapurna Circuit. And there’s plenty to do there other than
trekking!
So while the Himalayas are the star
attraction in the east, in western Nepal you’ll find a huge variety of other
places to visit and things to experience.
…
ABOUT TRAVELING AROUND NEPAL
I spent a full week traveling around Nepal
in a small, cramped van stuffed with travel agents, bloggers, and Nepali
guides. I watched Nepal’s countryside pass by for 10+ hours a day as we drove
from Kathmandu to Chitwan to Lumbini to Pokhara.
And yes, I’d recommend it! Traveling through
Nepal via bus is inexpensive and easily done – our friend Jean at Traveling
Honeybird has an excellent guide to bus travel in Nepal.
But there are a few things you should know
about first. Like …
MANY OF NEPAL’S ROADS ARE STILL UNPAVED.
See our earlier point: Nepal is still a
developing country. And as such, it still has quite a few unpaved roads. This
means that a road trip through Nepal is a bumpy, slow sort of adventure (which
may or may not include A/C).
To make things extra interesting, a
perfectly good, newly paved road will out of nowhere revert to a bumpy, unpaved
path – often lined with obstacle courses made of giant boulders and other
building materials – and then randomly revert back into a paved road a few
miles later.
If you’ll be doing a lot of driving around
Nepal (like I did), be sure to take plenty of Dramamine,
download a few podcasts, and expect everything to take several more hours than
you anticipated!
DRIVERS IN NEPAL GET REALLY EXTRA ABOUT DECORATING THEIR
BUSES & TRUCKS.
It feels like the majority of the vehicles
on the road in Nepal are buses and trucks. And all of them are elaborately and
affectionately decorated.
Drivers in Nepal, it seems, get REALLY into
decorating. Like, we’re talking that neighbor down the road who has an
entire storage unit dedicated to housing his Halloween set-up and Christmas
display levels of decorating.
Only in Nepal, the decorations are typically
spiritual words and symbols, heart-shaped cut-outs (lots of heart cut-outs),
overly masculine phrases in English like ROAD KING, and, oddly, random brand
names and logos, like Apple and Nike and even Facebook.
It makes for excellent road trip game
material
KATHMANDU HAS ITS OWN VERSION OF UBER, BUT FOR MOTOTAXIS.
The app is called Tootle, and
it’s way cheaper (and slightly more terrifying) than taking a taxi all
the way across Kathmandu.
But don’t call one thinking it’s a local
version of Uber when you have 3 friends who all want to share a ride in the
backseat of a car, because it isn’t for cars and you just made some poor guy
drive his motorcycle through traffic only for you to be confused and
disappointed. Whoops!
Do, however, bring a breathing mask. You will need
one. (Don’t leave your face wash at home, either.)
…
ABOUT WILDLIFE & NATURE IN NEPAL
By far, the highlight of my trip to Nepal
was the wildlife. The 2 days we spent in Chitwan National Park staying at the
eco-friendly Barahi Jungle
Lodge were absolutely unreal – I saw SO many animals! I had
no idea Nepal had such wildlife diversity.
Here’s what you should know about Nepal’s
wild side.
NEPAL IS A NATURE JACKPOT.
Nepal has it all, from icy tundra on the
world’s highest peaks to exotic animals living in lush, tropical jungles. If
you travel for scenery and wildlife, Nepal’s diversity is tough to beat!
NEPAL HAS THE HIGHEST PEAK AND THE DEEPEST GORGE.
And they’re both in the Himalayas! You’ve
heard of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, right?
Well, according to my Nepali guide, Kali Gendaki Gorge is the deepest on
Earth. According to Wikipedia, that claim is validated “if one measures the
depth of a canyon by the difference between the river height and the heights of
the highest peaks on either side.” That kind of feels like cheating,
but ima let Nepal have this one.
At any rate, you can check it out yourself
while trekking the Annapurna Circuit – you’ll pass right by
it.
NEPAL IS MOSTLY MOUNTAINS.
According to my research *adjusts
glasses,* 75% of Nepal consists of giant, majestic AF mountains. Those
mountains are FULL of stunning treks, like the Mohare Dande Trek, which
our friends from Two Wandering Soles hiked during their simultaneous trip to
Nepal.
But don’t let all those mountains trick you
into skipping the rest of the country! From the valleys of Kathmandu and
Pokhara to the tropical lowlands of Chitwan National Park, there is SO much
else to see in Nepal.
NEPAL IS HOME TO A HUGE VARIETY OF WILD ANIMALS!
Nepal has AMAZING wildlife diversity, and
it’s home to a ton of adorable, fuzzy, cuddly animals (because all
animals are adorable and fuzzy and cuddly. Yes, even the big scary angry scaly
ones).
How much wildlife is there, you ask? Well,
think of it this way: The Jungle Book was set next door, just a few hours away
in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Here are my favorite Nepal residents:
·
Bengal Tigers: Fierce, majestic kitty cats whose bellies I want to rub.
·
Snow Leopards: Also fierce majestic kitties, but they like to play
in the snow!!
·
Red Pandas: The cutest animal in existence. It looks like a fox
crossed with a panda and it’s freaking ADORBS.
·
One-Horned Rhinos: Like big ol’ wrinkly hippos, but with giant horns. I saw
FIFTEEN rhinos during my trip!
·
Sloth Bears: Literally Balloo. Like, just big, derpy, slack-jawed bears.
·
Marbled Cat: Looks exactly like a very fancy domestic cat. Like the
kind of cat your cat would follow on Instagram.
·
Elephants: Sensitive, sweet, intelligent chonks full of love and
kindness (also: the most dangerous wild animal on this list.)
·
Peacocks: Fabulous and dazzling, ’nuff said.
Obviously, you cannot actually touch,
befriend, or get near any of them (and should run far away from anyone who
tells you otherwise) but that doesn’t stop me from baby-talking to all
of them in cutesy voices and falling in love with them from afar.
During my trip to Nepal, I spent a few days
in Chitwan National Park staying at the phenomenal Barahi Jungle Lodge, a
sustainable eco-lodge located on a quiet riverbank along the border of the
park. We went into the park for boat safaris, jeep safaris, and even a jungle
walk (our guides brought sticks to scare off any unsuspecting and
unfriendly critters, which did nothing to help my anxiety).
And y’all, we saw SO MUCH! Fifteen rhinos –
most of whom were bathing with families in the river, quite undisturbed by our
boat silently floating by. Boars snuffling for food in the brush. A sloth bear
huffalumping across the path. Monkeys playing overhead. Peacocks strutting
along the riverbanks.
It was incredible.
NEPAL HAS ABSOLUTELY NO TOLERANCE FOR POACHERS.
Because Nepal has so many endangered animals
and such a huge variety of wildlife, the government has instituted a
no-tolerance policy for poachers.
Like … NO tolerance. Like, kill on sight
levels of no tolerance. Dayum.
According to our guides, it’s very
effective. Especially considering how many army camps we drove past in the
jungle – it wouldn’t be easy to get away with poaching with that kind of army
presence!
DOMESTICATED ELEPHANTS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN NEPAL’S
HISTORY & CULTURE …
Elephants are Nepal’s largest animal, and
they’ve historically been used almost like horses were used historically
throughout Europe.
For those who have lived in the area now
known as Nepal for thousands of years – including Nepal’s 120+ different
Indigenous communities – domesticating elephants has historically been very
important and helpful, for everything from farming to navigation to, a long
long time ago, fighting wars.
Today, domesticated elephants are still used
for laborious tasks and are considered working animals. According to our guides
at Chitwan National Park, the safest (and most environmentally friendly) way
for a human to navigate through the jungle is on the back of an elephant, so
the army and their park rangers, who work on conservation within the park, all
ride through the jungle on elephant-back.
But wait! Isn’t elephant riding,
like, super unethical?
Well, it certainly raises ethical questions
– but the answer here is less black and white than you’d expect.
Here’s the thing: 1 single person riding an
elephant does not hurt an elephant, physically (much like 1 single
person riding a horse). And an elephant born & raised in captivity with
its family is not as bad as an elephant captured from the wild and
domesticated.
In most places in Nepal, many of the
domesticated elephants you’ll see performing functional tasks were born &
raised in captivity and are ridden only by 1 person at a time. There are laws
forbidding the practice of harming, poaching, or capturing wild elephants –
after all, the Asian elephant is an endangered species.
Because Nepal is one of the poorest
countries in the world, many of its people are struggling just to grow enough
food to eat. For a small village, even one domesticated elephant is a HUGE
advantage.
Add that to the fact that Nepal is a Hindu
country with deeply significant spiritual beliefs and practices surrounding
elephants, and you begin to understand: it’s not so black and white.
Saying that all domesticated elephants are bad
and that the practice should be abolished completely would be ignoring the
cultural traditions and livelihoods of the people living in Nepal.
So it would be easy enough for me to decry
the entire concept of domesticated elephants as someone born in the USA, where
we don’t need to rely on large domesticated animals for feeding our communities
or for transportation.
But instead, I choose to see it as more of a
gray area. It’s not my culture, it’s not my history, it’s not my spirituality,
it’s not my starving family … it’s not my call.
… BUT YOU MAY STILL SEE ELEPHANT RIDING ACTIVITIES FOR
TOURISTS, AND THAT’S NOT OK.
Historically speaking, elephant riding as a
tourist activity is VERY new. It only sprang up in the last 50 or so years. For
an impoverished country like Nepal, the ability to use a resource they already
have – domesticated elephants – to earn money by selling a ride to tourists is
a very desirable prospect.
Perhaps that elephant could earn quite a bit
more for its owners carrying you around for an hour versus performing farming
tasks for the day. Everyone wants to feed their families, right? So the demand
for elephant riding easily found an easy supply.
So it really so bad?
Well … yes. Thousands of years
of incorporating elephants into traditional cultures, religious practices and
subsistence tasks is one thing.
Groups of tourists all jumping onto an
elephant’s back, all day long, just for a cool story or a picture? That is A
VERY DIFFERENT THING.
You know better. Riding on the back of an elephant is not the
difference between feeding your family or starving. It’s not a deeply
entrenched cultural practice that your community has revered for thousands of
years. It’s just a cool story and an Instagram photo.
That’s not worth it.
You are the demand factor in this equation.
You control whether or not elephant riding is offered to tourists.
At our eco-lodge in Chitwan National Park,
elephant riding (and bathing) IS offered to tourists. But it’s
only for one person at a time, for only a couple of hours per day, with no
saddle – in Nepal, that’s considered to be a more “ethical” style of elephant
riding.
The elephants used for this purpose were
rescued from crueler conditions and live in the nearby village (whose
residents are mostly employed by the lodge, and were very welcoming of us
tourists – always a good sign). Their trainers have been with them
since birth, and even sleep in the same barn with the elephants – they are the
elephant’s loving caretakers.
But it’s still not OK for us as tourists to
ride them, or for the lodge to offer elephant rides to tourists. “Relatively
ethical” elephant riding for tourists is still elephant riding. And we
made sure to tell our hosts as much. They assured us that they are working on
petering out their elephant riding offerings for guests – despite overwhelming
continued demand.
But the responsibility is also on us: the
tourists. We are the demand. Ultimately, every Nepali I asked
about elephant riding said that Nepali locals don’t encourage it, but that it
exists solely to meet tourism demand.
So: don’t ride elephants. And discourage
everyone else from riding them, too. It’s not OK.
…
ABOUT THE FOOD IN NEPAL
Before I spent 2 weeks in Nepal, I had no
idea what Nepalese food was like. I kind of thought it was similar to Indian
food, but I wasn’t sure. Truth be told, I wasn’t too far off…
NEPAL’S FOOD IS A LOT LIKE INDIAN FOOD, BUT … DIFFERENT.
There is a TON of Indian influence on Nepali
food, which makes sense: after all, Nepal is bordered on 3 sides by India (and
one side by Tibet, which we’ll get into in a momo-ent). You’ll also
find tons of Indian snacks for sale in Nepali convenience stores.
But Nepali food is not the same as Indian
food, and if you eat a lot of Indian food, this will be very apparent in ways
that are hard to describe. While I’m not an expert in authentic Indian food, I
have a LOT of feelings and opinions about Indian food in the USA, which I grew
up eating. And Nepali food is just not quite like the Indian food that I know
and love.
What’s different between Indian food and
Nepali food, exactly? Is it the taste, color, or texture of familiar dishes?
Honestly, yes – sometimes.
But overall, I think the main difference is
the spices. Nepali dishes just don’t have as much spice as Indian dishes. And
I’m not just talking about heat, here: I mean just like, in
general. Nepali food sometimes left me wishing for spices that I don’t actually
know the names of.
That’s not to say Nepali food isn’t good –
because frankly, it’s still better than most of what I can get back home – it’s
just… different.
Honestly? If you don’t eat a lot of Indian
food, you probably won’t even notice.
YOU’LL SEE “DHAL BAT” ON EVERY MENU – IT’S NEPAL’S MOST
COMMON MEAL.
At it’s core, Dhal Bat is basically just
some rice with a little bowl of lentil soup and, sometimes, chapati.
But a typical dhal bat in Nepal usually comes with a wide variety of other
vegetable side dishes in adorable little bowls.
You’ll typically order a dhal bat according
to your preferred meat (or lack thereof) and then gratefully accept
whatever side dishes it happens to be served with. Sometimes they’re amazing,
like stewed eggplant or paneer curry or cauliflower and potatoes. Sometimes
they’re insanely spicy (you might want to also order a
mango lassi, just in case).
And sometimes they’re pickled bitter melon.
I’m a fairly adventurous eater, but y’all … I do not like pickled
bitter melon.
·
Want to learn how to make
Dhal Bat? Ethical tour operator Backstreet Academy
offers a Dhal Bat cooking class with a local,
where you’ll learn authentic Nepali cooking techniques while directly
supporting a local family (and their community)!
KATHMANDU HAS A THRIVING COFFEE SCENE.
There is SO much good coffee in Kathmandu!
As a coffee snob, this made me very, very happy.
My favorite coffee in Kathmandu is kar.ma coffee
brewed up at The Hub in
Thamel, a sustainable co-op which also hosts cooking classes (and makes
an excellent spot to camp out and work for a few hours!)
·
Kathmandu Travel
Tip: Looking for more places to get your coffee
fix? Fellow coffee snob Jean from Traveling Honeybird has a guide to the best coffee shops in Kathmandu!
YOU MIGHT WANT TO GO VEGETARIAN DURING YOUR NEPAL
TRAVELS.
During my time in Nepal, I ordered
progressively less and less meat from restaurants. Why? Was it my neverending
guilt about the climate apocalypse? My love for animals? The abundance of
delicious vegetarian-friendly food in Nepal?
… Er, yes – all of the above. But also: the
meat in Nepal isn’t … that … good. It’s not like it tastes bad,
exactly.
It’s just that after spitting out enough
tiny, sharp little bones, you might decide that maybe the small bits of meat in
your curry aren’t actually worth all that effort.
Or perhaps a restaurant’s open grill is a
little too close to the dusty, dirty, smoke-clogged road for comfort.
Or maybe your travel companion isn’t feeling
quite well, and you start thinking of the flies you saw buzzing around the
kitchen. Eek!
In any case: consider ordering vegetarian in
Nepal. Because after all, there are tons of delicious veggie-friendly meals …
and you’ll be doing your part for the environment!
MOMOS ARE A THING. AND THEY HAVE A CULT FOLLOWING.
You may have gotten the impression, reading
this post, that Nepal isn’t exactly known for its food. And I would agree… with
one notable exception: momos.
Momos are a BELOVED Nepali staple, with a
cult-like following (at least in travel circles). Whenever I told
my traveler friends that I was visiting Nepal, their first recommendation was
always momo-related.
So like, what’s a momo? It’s a snack, not a
meal (because in Nepali, anything without rice is just a snack, I learned).
It’s a dumpling, but like … a dumpling that was born when Chinese food and
Indian food had a baby. And then was adapted and filled with literally
everything under the sun.
Historians (aka Wikipedia) credit
Tibet with the creation of the momo, which is the Tibetan culinary influence
that I promised like 3 paragraphs ago. Ta-daaaa!
Anyway, you should absolutely order momos
while in Nepal. You should also consider buying one of the many hilarious
momo-themed shirts for sale on any touristy street in Kathmandu or Pokhara. And
if you see a momo-only restaurant or street food stall, you should make an
immediate beeline and get some freakin’ momos.
·
Want to learn how to make
momos? Book a momo cooking class with a local and
learn from the pros! The class I took was run by Social Tours, an ethical tour
operator, at my favorite uber-hip Kathmandu coffee shop, The Hub. You’ll pay
whatever you’re able and learn how to make momos from scratch – including
veggie momos, meat momos, and CHOCOLATE MOMOS, which are as delicious as they
sound – plus a traditional peanut tomato mint and plum based sauce. You can
read a full writeup of the class I took from our friend Jessie at Jessie on a Journey!
DON’T EXPECT DESSERT AFTER YOUR MEAL, BUT DEFINITELY TRY
SOME NEPALI DESSERTS.
Although Nepal has quite a snack culture,
and you’ll find everything from snack cafes to momo-only restaurants, you’ll
have a harder time finding desserts. Which is probably good for my
health, but bad for my raging sugar addiction.
That said: when I DID have a traditional
Nepali sweet – called “Mithai” or “Guleo Khaanaa” in
Nepali – it was BOMB.
Like handmade Sel Roti, Himalayan slightly sweet donut
rings made from rice flour and deep-fried. Or a crunchy and sweet and
sticky Jeri. Or a Jeri Swari Haluwa, which is like
a crunchy sweet honey-soaked funnel cake with a dollop of soft halwa wrapped
in a fried flatbread which is SO FREAKING GOOD I have been dreaming about it
ever since.
·
Kathmandu Travel
Tip: The Jeri Swari Haluwa I tried was at a
century-old shop in Kathmandu called, according to my notes, Shree Kumari – but
I can’t find anything online to help me locate it again! So you’ll just have to
do what I did and take the (wonderful) breakfast tour with Backstreet
Academy – it was one of our stops!
…
ABOUT CULTURE & SPIRITUALITY IN NEPAL
Nepal is a deeply spiritual country,
something that I – as a not-spiritual person – didn’t expect to be quite so
affected by.
But the spirituality in Nepal is an
ever-present sensory experience: colorful prayer flags, chanting, ritual
circling, the ringing of bells and shuffling of prayer wheels, the smells of
incense and burning candles made from animal fat, groups of monks chatting (and,
in one case, texting, which made me do a double-take), and temples in
all sizes and shapes and colors. You can’t help but embrace Nepal’s deep
spirituality!
Here’s what you need to know.
YOU’LL SAY “NAMASTE” FOR EVERYTHING FROM THANK YOU TO
GOODBYE.
The traditional Hindu greeting is the
default throughout Nepal. It means, essentially, “the divine spirit with me
bows to the divine spirit within you” because it is a Hindu belief that every
person contains a bit of the universal spirit of Brahman.
Or, somewhat less spiritually and more
easily palatable to us non-Hindus, it means “my soul recognizes your soul,” which
is such a deep and poignant greeting that I find absolutely beautiful (and
something I don’t recall ever learning despite having taken a plethora of
namaste-ing yoga classes).
You’ll say Namaste to everyone, and everyone
will say it to you. Unlike the end of your yoga class back home, it’s used for
everything in Nepal: as a greeting, as a goodbye, as a thank you, as an “excuse
me, pardon me, you’re in my way,” everything.
And yes, feel free to throw in the prayer
hands and head bow, too – it will quickly feel natural. Just try not to
do it so much after you return back home because chances are you’ll come off
like an enlightened douchecanoe.
NEPAL IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF LORD BUDDHA.
Yes, THE Buddha. His name was Siddartha, and
he was born in Lumbini, Nepal sometime around 650 BC. His mother
died shortly after childbirth, and Siddartha lived here in a small palace with
his high caste Kshatriya Hindu family before deciding he didn’t want to live
that privileged life and taking off on the journey that would eventually lead
him to spiritual enlightenment. Psst: I wrote a little historical
write-up in an Instagram caption, if you want a quick summary!
Today, Lumbini is a site of religious
pilgrimage. Each Buddhist country has built an elaborate temple to pay their
respects to this holy place.
Although I am not Buddhist, Lumbini is an
incredibly meaningful place to visit, and it was amazing to see how many of the
visitors to Buddha’s birthplace were deeply and visibly moved.
NEPAL IS A HINDU COUNTRY.
Despite being the birthplace of the Buddha,
Nepal is a predominantly Hindu country. For many years, in fact, it was
considered the only Hindu country in the world – until the Civil War, that is,
when it became officially secular. (It was not a religious war, though
– both Hindu and Buddhism are deeply peaceful.)
About 80% of Nepal’s residents are Hindu,
10% are Buddhist, and the rest is a mixed bag. You’ll see as many Hindu symbols
and temples around Nepal as you will statues and devotions to the Buddha.
Although you will frequently be asked to
take your shoes off to enter a temple as a sign of respect, otherwise you’re
perfectly free to practice religious freedom – in fact, pressuring a foreigner
to convert is actually punishable by law in Nepal.
YOU’LL SEE PRAYER FLAGS ALL OVER NEPAL.
If your mental picture of Nepal includes
tattered prayer flags fluttering in the wind in front of a snowy peak, that’s …
actually pretty accurate.
Although their origin is actually in Nepal’s
neighbor, Tibet, Buddhist prayer flags are ubiquitous in Nepal, from alleyways
to temples (and yes, even to snowy peaks).
EACH PRAYER FLAG COLOR HAS SIGNIFICANCE, AND THE MORE
TATTERED AND FADED, THE BETTER.
Each color signifies a different element and
even direction. But most importantly of all, Prayer Flags should always be
fluttering in the wind! The more tattered a Prayer Flag, the better.
Why? Because the purpose of a Prayer Flag is
to send your prayer off on the wind, so a tattered, faded Prayer Flag shows
that it has helped answer lots and lots of prayers.
You can find Prayer Flags for sale at the
many souvenir shops and craft shops throughout Nepal, and you’re supposed to
receive them as a gift – so bring a few back for your loved ones at home! Just
don’t let them touch the ground – it’s disrespectful.
THERE ARE MORE THAN 120 DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS
NATIONALITIES WITHIN NEPAL.
Each has their own culture, language, and
history, and together they make up a whopping 35% of Nepal’s population (many
claim it’s even more).
However, like many Indigenous communities
throughout the world (including here in the USA), the Indigenous
Nationalities of Nepal are marginalized and are fighting for rights and
recognition from the Nepalese Government.
And as a guest of the Nepalese Government
(who planned and hosted my trip), I didn’t have much of an opportunity to learn
about the Indigenous peoples of Nepal. I’ll definitely be seeking that out on
future trips to Nepal. In the meantime, I’ve provided a few useful resources
with more information!
·
Resources &
Information: For some fantastic resources on the
Indigenous Peoples of Nepal, I recommend taking a look at the Indigenous Voice and
the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.
KATHMANDU
IS HOME TO THE NEWARI PEOPLE, AND THEIR CULTURE IS EVER-PRESENT.
One of the most visible Indigenous
communities in Nepal is the Newari people, who are the native residents of the
Kathmandu Valley and still make up a significant portion of the population.
Newari people are considered their own ethnicity and speak Newari as their
first language, rather than Nepalese.
You’ll find traditional Newari architecture,
art and food throughout Kathmandu as well as in Palpa. They have
their own festivals, their own spiritual customs, their own calendar, and even
their own definition of birthdays, which change from year to year.
If you find yourself in a temple filled with
pigeons somewhere within Kathmandu, that is a Newari temple: in Newari culture,
it’s believed that the wind from all those wings flapping at you when you run
at a giant flock of pigeons is cleansing. I found it alarming, but then
again, the pigeons in San Francisco are next-level aggressive.
To experience Newari culture, I recommend
trying some Newari food – this blog has some fantastic
suggestions – or, if you’re able, adding a Newari homestay into
your Nepal itinerary. A homestay is a fantastic way to directly support a local
family and community and to get to know locals. You can book a Newari homestay
with Community Homestays or
even on AirBnB.
THERE IS SO MUCH JOY & DANCING IN NEPAL!
One that struck me during my 2 weeks in
Nepal was how much DANCING we saw! Dancing is a deeply ancient and traditional
ritual in Nepal, and everywhere we went, locals performed music and traditional
dances for us – and each time, we were invited to join in, too.
We never knew what we were doing and I’m
sure we looked ridiculous, but we were all smiling and laughing together – the
joy and music was so infectious!
That is what will stick with me long after
my trip to Nepal: the welcoming people, the deep spirituality, the rich
history, the joy, and the dancing.
I hope this has opened your eyes to some of
the things you didn’t know about Nepal! If you’re anything like me, your mental
image of Nepal was something like solemn mountains, fluttering prayer flags,
and white dudes hanging off of mountainsides in never-ending blizzards.
And while all that is definitely there,
there’s also SO much more to see and do in Nepal! So move that mental image
over and watch this music video instead
– because, y’all, THAT is what the rest of Nepal is doing!
More destinations in NepalPeople also ask
Web results
It is also highly advice that you should have proper travel insurance for any treks in Nepal specially trekking above 4000m or climbing trip, you should have full Nepal travel Insurance that cover following expenses:
Unexpected expense due to flight delayed either international or domestic due to bad weather
Unexpected expenses due to sick or any physical problem during trek
Medical expenses including hospital fees if you are injured, sick during trekking in Himalayas
Most important- you should have full Helicopter Evacuation insurance if you are trekking above 4000m, make sure your insurance cover minimum of US$ 8000 to maximum of US$ 18,000 for Emergency helicopter Evacuation during trekking in Himalaya because of serious injury, serious sickness or any physical hazards due to weather problem
Countries in Asia
Do all dogs come from wolves
Searches related to trip to nepal
nepal for a week
hiking to annapurna base camp
namaste annapurna base camp
tours mt everest base camp
trips to everest
how much to go to everest base camp
how safe is nepal to visit
traveling around nepal
two wandering soles nepal
nepali travel bloggers
things you need to travel to nepal
nepal travelogue
tourist map of nepal
nepal map location
lonely planet kathmandu pdf
nepal map road
nepal map hd
time out kathmandu
traveling to nepal alone
nepal travel tips
avoid getting sick in nepal
what are the roads like in nepal
visit nepal 1998
nepal trekking tours annapurna
nepal trekking package price
nepal tours - tripadvisor
nepal day tours
nepal tour itinerary
kathmandu tours
hippie guide to nepal
nepal solo travel
tips for traveling nepal
backpacking kathmandu
nepal tourism board members
kathmandu, nepal
essay on tourism and trekking
what to see in nepal
pokhran in nepal
hidden places in nepal
tourist guide for nepal
an afternoon in kathmandu
underrated places to visit in nepal
thamel to durbar square
bhutan and nepal packages
bhutan nepal map
what makes nepal and bhutan different
nepal bhutan tour from india
bhutan-nepal relations
kathmandu to bhutan by road distance
