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Travellers information on Nepal
Location
It borders with the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China in the North and India in the East, South and West.
Area 147,181 sq km
Altitude Varies from 70 meters to 8848 meters
Capital Kathmandu
Population 1,84,91,097
Language
Nepali is the national language of Nepal. Educated people understand and speak English as well.
Time
Nepal Time is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT and 15 minutes ahead of Indian standard time.
Climate
Nepal has four major seasons, namely, Winter (December - February), Spring (March- May), Summer (June-August), Autumn (September - November). Nepal can be visited the whole year round.
People and religion
Nepalese people are mainly into two distinct groups; the Indo-Aryans and Mangoloids. Kathmandu Valley is the spiritual and cultural meeting point of all these groups.
Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. Hindu Temples and Buddhist shrines are scattered all over the kingdom. Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the Light of Asia. There is a complex blending of Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal.
What to wear?
Except in formal gathering informal clothes are acceptable mostly everywhere. Warm garments are required in October-March. An umbrella or a rain coat are must for the rainy season i.e April to August.
Currency and Foreign Exchange
Nepalese Rupees note and coins come in different denominations.
Foreign currencies must be exchanges only through the banks or authorized foreign exchange dealers. The receipts from such transaction are to be obtained and retained. Visitors can exchange foreign currency at the foreign exchange counter at the airport upon arrival. Visitor other than the Indian nationals have to make the payment in hotels, travel or trekking agencies and air tickets in foreign currency. Non-Indian visitors are not allowed to import or export Indian Currency. The approximate value of one US Dollar is equivalent to Rs. 73.90 as of August 15.
Entry Procedures
All visitors except the Indian nationals must hold a passport and a valid visa. The visas can be obtained at the Nepalese Diplomatic Missions and Consuls abroad and entry points issue visa for 15 days. The visa will be extended at the Department of Immigration, Tridevi Marg, Thamel. The Department also issues multi entry visas to visitors.
Entry Points
By air Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu
By Land Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Dhandgadi, Jogbani, Mahendra Nagar and Kodari in Nepal China border.
The overland tourists entering the Kingdom with their vehicles must posses an international carnet.
Custom formalities
All baggages must be declared and cleared through the customs of the port of entry. Personal effects are permitted fee entry. The duty on articles brought by the visitor varies according to the volume and value of the goods. A tourist may bring in dutiable goods, such as tobacco and liquors, within the prescribed quality free of duty. Carrying narcotics, arms and ammunition are strictly prohibited. Visitors can export souvenirs to their respective countries. The export of antiques requires special certificate form the Department of Archaeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shahpath, Kathmandu (Tel:215358), Gold, silver, precious stones, wild animals and their skins, horns etc. all drugs whether processed or in their natural state are prohibited to export.
Travel Route
Royal Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier of Nepal and other International airlines operate scheduled flights to Kathmandu from Bangkok, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Dubai, Dhaka, Paro, Varanasi, Frankfurt, Paris, Hongkong, Karachi, London, Moscow, Doha, Singapore and Shanghai.
Other International Airlines also operate from Kathmandu connecting to Europe and Australia.
The airport tax is Rs. 600 for SAARC countries and Rs. 1000 for other countries.
Internal Transport
Royal Nepal Airlines has extensive network of air services in the interior of Nepal. Besides private airlines also operate in major tourist destinations.
Trekking Permit
The Department of Immigration located at the Tridevi Marg, Thamel issues trekking permit for the tourists who intend to trek any part of the country. Trekking permit fee for different trekking area are fixed by the Government.
Facilities
Nepal has every type of accommodation facilities that a tourist might ask for. This ranges from the international standard star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. Similarly one can also have a choice of sightseeing from a range of different tour packages. In order to have an assured quality service it is advisable to use the facilities and services of government registered hotels, lodges, travel agencies the licensed tour guides only and engage an authorized guide or porter only through a registered travel/trekking agency.
Major Tourist Attractions
Very few countries in the world can offer as many varieties of adventure tourism packages as Nepal. of the 14 peaks above 8000 meters in the world eight are located in Nepal. It is the land of Sagarmatha (Mount Everest, 8848 meters), the highest peak in the world and other 13 10 mountain peaks. For those who can not withstand the rigorousness of mountain climbing there are mountain flights which fly around the Mount Everest and provide a close look of the top of the world. Also from Nagarkot (32 kilometers East of Kathmandu) and Daman (80 kilometers southwest of Kathmandu) one can have a distant view of Mount Everest and beautiful Himalayan rangers.
Trekking is the best way to get to interesting and remote mountain villages of Nepal and to enjoy views of the famous peaks together with their lifestyle untouched with modem civilization.
The River Rafting, which is known as "White Water Adventure" represents another major attractions. Within distance of 100 miles, one can see the topographical variations with the rivers rising from the higher points near Nepal's Tibetan border and then dropping dramatically to lower levels the plains bordering India. For those who wish to view wildlife, Nepal offers plenty of scope. Of the eight National Parks and four Wildlife Reserves and two conservation areas in Nepal.
For the less adventures, Pokhara, the lake city of Nepal has no equal as it provides ample opportunities for fishing, swimming canoeing and boating along with the sightseeing of majestic panoramic views in its background. It is only Pokhara, a tropical spot with an altitude of about 900 meters where from on can see the mountain crossing over 8000 meters from such a short distance of about 40 kilometers. For the nature lovers Nepal is such a land of natural beauty that metaphors cannot delineate its real picture. At the sametime, Nepal proffers an incomparable scope to the scholars and connoisseurs of art and culture to see and study the different aspects of the fine-arts be it painting, sculpture, wood carving or architecture. Kathmandu Valley possesses several historical monuments, old palaces and palace square, shrines and temples, ageless traditions and legends all make it a living museum that any visitor would cherish its vivid memory in his/her heart for ever. Nepal. is the land of Lord Pashupatinath, which is supposed to be the holiest Hindu temple in the world. Besides, two out of the four main holy places (kshetra) of Hindu pilgrimages namely Mukti kshetra and Varahakshetra, are located in Nepal. Not only for the Hindus but also for the Buddhists Nepal offers a unique place of pilgrimage as it happens to be the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the apostle of peace and compassion. Nepal is a land of Festivals with some part of the Kingdom or the other celebrating some festival during everyday of the year. Festivals may be linked with the remembrance of the departed soul, to herald the different seasons, to mark the beginning or end of the agricultural cycle, to make the national events, or just family celebrations. On a festive day the Nepalese take their ritual bath, worship different gods and goddesses, visit temple, observe fasting and undertake feasting. The most important aspect of Nepali culture is the religious harmony and understanding prevailing among the Hindus and Buddhist.
If someone really wants to be away for some time from the cacophony of modernization, here in Nepal, the best sojourn cradled in the lap of the Himalayas that never cease to offer eternal peace and tranquility.
For more information please visit : www.welcomenepal.com |
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