Nepal
The Beginners Travel Guide to Nepal is overview of practical information, interesting places to visit, best time to travel to Nepal, festivals and the latest articles.
Nepal was cut off from the outside world for a long time. In 1951 Nepal opened the borders for foreigners. Mountain climbers were grateful and in 1953 the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the top of the Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth. Nepal is often referred to as ‘the roof of the world’. The country has much more to offer and is popular because of the diverse cultures and landscapes.
Interesting places to visit
The old city centre of Kathmandu is in stark contrast compared to the modern neighbourhoods. The stupa’s of Bodhnath and Swayambhunath are prominent Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Patan and Bhaktapur are the King’s cities with impressive squares and palaces. The Valley of Kathmandu is dotted with temples. Most of them are used daily and popular to celebrate the many legendary festivals. The Valley is more like a large open air museum. Visitors can go on one- or multiple day hikes through the Valley.
More challenging are the trekking’s in the Himalaya’s. You can choose hikings with different levels, durations etc. Popular hikes are the Everst Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Base Camp in the Annapurna Himalaya’s. Go south to visit the jungle of Chitwan and Bardia National Park. If you are lucky you spot an Indian Rhino or tiger.
Festivals
Nepal is the country of festivals. There is not one month without a festival or celebration. The festivals in Nepal are an expression of religion of different ethnic groups. The largest number of festivals are celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley. The Newar population seems to take every occasion to celebrate. Most festivals have roots in Buddhism and Hinduism. Everyone celebrates both religious festivals and it shows that the Nepali are open towards both religions. Festivals follow the lunar calendar and dates are different each year.
Indra Jatra: festival to honour Indra, the God of Rain and held at the end of the monsoon. The festival is celebrated by Hindus and Buddhist for eight days.
Bisket Jatra: is the Nepalese New Year and is celebrated in April and lasts a week.
Nepali Hindu Festivals
Basant Panchami: on the 5th day of the moon in the month of Magh (January or February). The festival is dedicated to Sarasvati, the Goddess of Wisdom. In the morning school kids and students go to the Sarasvati shrine to ask for help with their exams.
Shiva Ratri: the famous festival is dedicated to the Indian god Shiva, the Creator and Destroyer. It takes places in the month Falgun (February or March) and the day before, while and the night after the full moon. Thousands of Pilgrims go to Pashupatinath, the most important Shiva temple in the Nepal.
Holi: the festival of colours is held somewhere in February, March or April and is celebrated for a week. The highlight of this festival is on the last day. During Holi Purnima people throw coloured powder and water to each other.
Chaitra Dashain: on the eight day after the new moon in the month of Chaitra (March or April) they bring animal sacrifices to the Goddess Durga. They carry her statue through the streets of Kathmandu.
Gai Jatra: the Festival of the Cow is held in the month Badra (August or September) and is celebrated for 8 days. On the first day families who know someone that passed away that year send a cow or a kid dressed as a cow through the streets of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The procession is a symbol of gratitude to the Holy Cow. The cow takes the deceased to the Gates of Justice.
Krishnasthami: at this day in August or September Hindus celebrate the birthday of Krishna. Girls and women bring flowers to the Krishnamandir in Patan. In the evening they sing songs to honour the god.
Diwali: the festival of lights and celebrated in October or November.
Nepali Buddist Festivals
Buddha Jayanti: in May during the full moon the Nepali commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. Pilgrims visit the Buddhist shrines of Swayambhunath and Bodhnath. Buddha was born in Lumbini and they organise a large market at this day.
Losar: the Tibetan New Year is held in February and is celebrated for a few days and sometimes a week. The Buddhist festival is celebrated by Tibetan refugees and Sherpa’s. Losar is a family festival and held within the domestic circle.
Personal Travel Guide
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Practical info
Currency: Nepalese rupee (Rs रू)
ATM: In Kathmandu and Pokhara are ATM’s. Outside of these two cities ATM’s are rare. When you are going for a trekking in the Himalaya’s make sure to bring enough cash for the entire duration. Don’t accept banknotes that are torn. Nepali don’t accept them but they are trying to get rid of them. Keep an eye on the notes you receive.
Languages: Nepali
Religion: Hinduism (81%), Buddhism (9%) and others
Capital city: Kathmandu
Visa: Citizens of all countries, except India, need a visa to enter Nepal. Almost all nations can obtain a tourist visa on arrival.
Local SIM Card: When you buy a local SIM-card in Nepal you need one passport sized photo and your passport. They make a copy of your passport and Nepalese visa. You need to fill out a form in Nepali but they tell you where to write your details. Two mobile internet providers in Nepal are Ncell and Nepal Telecom (NTC). Easiest way get one is at Kathmandu Airport.
Country Code: +977
Time: UTC +5.45 Nepal Standard Time
Official Tourism Website: Get information about what to see and places to visit via the official Tourism website of Nepal, Welcome to Nepal.
Practical info: Are you planning a trip and you need some practical info? Read the ultimate planning guide when you are going for a long term journey or download the packing list. I share tips about setting up a travel budget. Or find out the best travel apps to use.
Sustainable travel: I have written a few articles about sustainable travel. I give tips about how to make your trip more sustainable and how to fly more sustainable. I believe even the smallest effort can help.
Public Transport
Domestic Flights
The main flights for tourists are between Kathmandu & Pokhara, Kathmandu & Bharatpur (Chitwan), Kathmandu & Lukla and Pokhara & Jomosom. During trekking season many flights are fully booked. Plan your trip in advance and book the flights as soon as possible. Bad weather conditions in the mountains can cause flights to be delayed or cancelled.
Bus
The only other option to travel around in Nepal is by bus. All places accessible by road are reachable by bus. The ticket prices are low but the buses are slow and overcrowded. There are no trains in Nepal and with the unreliable flights services there is no other alternative. The fascinating spectacle are the passengers bringing all kinds of household goods and livestock on the bus.
Express buses only drive long distances and are a bit faster and less crowded. Night buses are only available on routes longer than 12 hours. Local buses are driving short distance routes and stop often. They are notorious for their safety.
Best time to go
You can visit Nepal the entire year. The best time to go is from October until May. The months of October and November is peak season. Monsoon rains have disappeared and the weather is dry with clear skies. You can see the peaks of the Himalayas. It’s also the perfect time to go trekking in the mountains. December and January are also good months to visit. The weather is still clear but the nights are cold. There are no trekking’s in the mountains these months because most of the mountain passes are covered with snow.
In March the temperatures are rising but it also gets dusty again. The breath-taking views are reduced. In spring the rhododendron forests are blooming. On a clear day you can take pictures with snow-capped mountains and rhododendron forests.
The months of April and May are also good for mountain trekking’s. Monsoon season is from June until September. It’s not easy to travel around during monsoon in Nepal. Roads are impassable due to landslides. The rain makes the paths in the mountains slippery and many trekking’s are cancelled in these months. A great region to travel around in during monsoon is the Kathmandu valley. They have more hours of sun compared to northern European countries during the summer.
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