Facts and Travel Guide
Before you venture to this exotic land filled with deep gorges and towering mountains, vibrant culture and charismatic people, so it is important to be prepared for your Nepal travel plans before you actually leave. Likewise A Comprehensive Nepal travel guide containing essentials and fast facts about Nepal travel provides tips and topics and other travel related information.
10 Fun Facts about Nepal:
- Nepal is home to the world’s highest mountain, Everest at 8848m.
- Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal.
- Yeti, the elusive snowman is believed to roam the mountains of Nepal.
- Nepal has the thickest concentration of World Heritage Sites.
- Some ethnic group of people in Nepal are still live in jungle.
- Nepal has a diverse population with more than 80 ethnic groups and 123 different languages other than the national language- Nepali.
- The map of Nepal and Portugal looks similar when the map of Nepal is turned 90 degrees clockwise.
- Kathmandu is also called as a living cultural museum because there are seven UNESCO’s World Heritage sites inside Kathmandu valley.
- Nepal is the only country which has a triangular flag with two triangular shapes stacked on one another, the upper triangle consists of the moon, and the lower triangle consists of the sun.
- Kumari being worshiped by thousands of Hindus and Buddhist is the living goddess of Nepal.
Entering Nepal
a. By Air
There are twelve major international airlines linking to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The Royal Nepal Airlines (RA) is the national flag carrier of Nepal with flight connections to: Delhi, Mumbai in India; Bangkok in Thailand; Osaka in Japan; Hong Kong, Shanghai in China; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Dubai in United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Other international airlines connecting Kathmandu to other parts of the world are Biman Bangladesh to Dhaka in Bangladesh; China Airlines to Lhasa in Tibetan Autonomous Region of China; Druk Air to Paro in Bhutan and New Delhi in India; Gulf Air to Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates; Indian Airlines to Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi in India; Qatar Airways to Doha in Qatar; Thai International to Bangkok in Thailand.
b. By Land
Nepal shares borders with India on three sides and China on the north. Therefore, if you want to enter Nepal via road you will have to come through either India or Tibet (China). The entry points to Nepal from India are Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Belhiya, Bhairawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi and Mahendra Nagar. The Kodari Pass in Nepal-China border is the entry point to Nepal from China. Tourists entering Nepal by land must also carry their passports.
For getting around the country, there is an excellent domestic air network and helicopter charter services as well as deluxe tourist coaches. Sapana Holiday will assist you in making your travel arrangements within Nepal as per your trip itinerary.
Passport and Visa Information
Visas are available on arrival at the international airport in Kathmandu and at all land border crossings that are open to foreigners, as long as you have passport photos to hand and can pay the 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 whole free page for your visa.
For More info, Click here: http://www.nepalimmigration.gov.np/
Travel Insurance
A travel-insurance policy that covers theft, loss and medical problems is best for travelling in Nepal. There are a wide variety of policies available, so check the small print carefully. Make sure are covered for adventure activities and high altitude. Since you reach above 4000 meters on quite a few treks in Nepal, it is best to choose a policy that covers medical and emergency repatriation, including helicopter evacuation for trekkers and general medical evacuation. Also understand that most medical treatment and facilities/hospitals must be paid for at the point of delivery of the patient. So it’s wise to choose a policy that pays doctors or hospitals directly rather than you having to pay on the spot and claim later.
Banking and Foreign Exchange
Payment in hotels, travel agencies, and airlines are made in foreign exchange. There are plenty of cash machines or ATMs in cities and most will accept cards issued by any of the major international banking networks (Plus, Cirrus, etc.). The majority of ATM's currently have a maximum withdrawal amount of 10,000Rs (although you can make repeated withdrawals).
Major Credit Cards such as Visa, MasterCard, JCB and AmericanExpress, are readily accepted at most tourist class hotels, restaurants, airlines, and major tourist merchants. Again there is always a transaction fee for processing the cards (this charge is enforced by the banks and not the merchants so please don't ask for a discount to remove this) and this is usually around 4% (although American Express Fees are considerably higher at around 6%).
Useful Nepali phrases and expression
English
- Hello
- How are you?
- I am fine..
- Have you eaten?
- Thank You
- What is your name?
- My name is Michel.
- Excuse me/ pardon me/ sorry
- I don’t understand
- I understand
- I hope we meet again
Nepali
- Namaste
- Tapaiilai Kasto Cha?
- Malai Thik Cha
- Khana khannu bhayo? (used often as informal greeting)
- Dhanyabaad
- Tapaiiko naam ke ho?
- Mero naam Michel ho
- Maaph garnuhosI
- Maile bhujhina
- Maile bhujheI
- Pheri bhetaunla
