Culture

Nepal has a rich and a most diverse culture because of its unique location between the world’s two largest and ancient civilizations. Nepal is the Holy Land of Lord Pashupatinath & Gautam Buddha, where the Hindus & Buddhists have coexisted for centuries in total harmony. Lord Buddha, the ‘light of Asia’, was born in Lumbini in Nepal’s southern plains, which makes Nepal a scared pilgrimage destination for all Buddhists as well. The Temple of Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most scared Hindu shrine and one of the four most important sites in the world for Shiva worshippers. The three ancient cities of the Valley - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur represent an epitome of harmony in urban design, elegant architecture and refined culture.  

Language & People

Nepali is the official language. English is understood by majority of people in the cities. The country is a potpourri of more than 61 ethnic groups & sup-groups and has over 70 different languages & dialects.  

Climate

Nepal has the sub-tropical climate .But the climatic conditions vary considerably form place to place. To be so the country has the varied altitude like from less than 100m.upto more than 8000m.and the slope and the direction of the mountains also affect the climate. North facing mountains are comparatively cooler than south facing mountains. Kathmandu the capital of Nepal has nice climatic condition. The coolest night in Kathmandu is -4° c and in summer it is approximately 30° / 32 °. Pokhara is the rainiest place of Nepal.

Entering Nepal

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is linked by air with Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Banglore, Mumbai, Dhaka, Paro, Karachi, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Doha, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Osaka, Shanghai & Lhasa. Notable entry points for those entering the country by surface are Bhairahawa (Sunauli), Birgunj (Raxaul) & Kararbhitta (Siliguri) from India and Kodari (Zhangmu) over Tibet.

World Heritage Site

Cultural
        Kathmandu Durbar Square
        Patan Durbar Square
        Bhaktapur Durbar Square
        Swayambhunath Stupa
        Boudhanath Stupa
        Changu Narayan Temple
        Pashupatinath Temple
        Lumbini Garden

Natural
        Everest National Park ( 1,148 sq. kms )
        Royal Chitwan National Park ( 932 sq. kms )

Customs & Export

Passengers arriving at the airport without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green channel for quick clearance without a baggage check. If the passengers are carrying dutiable articles they must pass through the Red channel with Customs clearance. Beside personal belongings, the passengers are allowed to bring into Nepal free are; 1 pair of Binoculars, one still camera (with 15 rolls of film), one movie or video camera, a laptop computer, a portable music system, 200 cigarettes or 20 cigars, 1 bottle of liquor and a reasonable amount of perfume.

It is illegal to export objects over 100 years old (sacred images, paintings, manuscripts) that are valued for their cultural and religious significance. As such, tourists are advised not to purchase any item of antique value as they are Nepal’s cultural heritage. The Department of Archaeology at Ramshahpath, Kathmandu has to certify all metal statues, sacred paintings & similar objects before carried out of the country.

Money, Currency

The local currency is Nepalese Rupee subdivided into 100 Paisa. Currency notes are available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 & 1000 rupee denominations.  

Import of Indian currency by any tourist except Indian nationals is strictly prohibited. A foreign exchange encashment receipt must be obtained for all foreign currency exchanged and it is possible to exchange back into foreign currency upon production of exchange receipts at the time of departure at the airport. Credit cards like American Express, Master & Visa cards are widely accepted at all major hotels, shops & restaurants.  

Holidays

Saturday is the weekly holiday. Only government offices in Kathmandu are closed on Sundays as well. Most of the shops and Tibetan refugee camps remain closed on Saturdays. All museums remain closed on Tuesdays and government holidays.  

Adventure

Because of its geo-diversity, Nepal offers an astonishing variety of holiday activities and adventure opportunities found nowhere else on earth. Adventure tourism in Nepal dates back to the early attempts to scale the world’s highest peaks. While trekking, mountaineering and game watching have long been popular, an entire range of other possibilities have been explored in the recent years; hot-air ballooning, mountain flight excursion, whitewater rafting, canoeing, mountain-biking, motor-biking, fishing, rock climbing, paragliding, ultra-light aircraft flights, pony treks & bungy-jumping etc; The varied landscape offers some of the best sites for such exciting activities; raging rivers to run, mountains to scale, clear blue skies to glide through, beautiful lakes to swim in, fascinating villages to explore, unpolluted rivers to fish in or raft down and a wild terrain to travel through.  

Health Guide

Inoculation
We recommend that the clients get themselves immunized against certain illness that are not prevalent in their home country such as Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Meningitis, Hepatitis etc; Their physician would be best able to advise them on the availability and administration of these inoculations.  

Please ensure that all water is boiled & filtered before consumption. Normally all hotels and reputed restaurants in Kathmandu serve boiled & filtered water. If in doubt, please stick to soft drinks or bottled mineral water.  

Insurance
A travel insurance policy that covers theft, loss & medical treatment is recommended. Tourists should make sure that their insurance policies also cover soft adventure activities during their stay in Nepal such as rafting, trekking etc; For high altitude trekkers and climbers, policies should also cover helicopter evacuation expenses in the eventuality of serious illness or accident or if clients are stranded in remote areas due to unexpected bad weather conditions

Medical Kit
A simple but adequate First Aid medical kit can be most useful. The followings are recommended:         1.  Aspirin - for pain or fever  
        2.  Antihistamine - useful as a decongestant for colds, allergies, to ease the itch from insect
             bites  
        3.  Antibiotic - useful if the clients are traveling well off the beaten track  
        4.  Kaolin preparation (Pepto-Bismol), Imodium or Lomita, for treatment of severe diarrhea.  
        5.  Antiseptic, Mercurochrome & antibiotic powder or similar “dry spray” - for cuts & stings  
        6.  Bandages & band-aids - for minor injuries.  
        7.  Scissors & a thermometer.  
        8.  Insect repellent, sun block, sustain lotion, water purification tablets.  
        9.  Paracetamol  
      10. Antacid tablets