NEPAL

GENERAL INFORMATION

LOCATION : It borders with Tibet on the north and India in the east, south and the west.

AREA : 147,181 Sq. Kms.

ALTITUDE : FROM 70 Mts. TO 8848 Mts.

CAPITAL : KATHMANDU

POPULATION : 1,84,91,097

LANGUAGE : Nepali is the national language. Educated people understand and speak English as well.

TIME : Nepal time is 05 hrs. and 45 minutes ahead of GMT and 15 minutes ahead of IST (INDIAN STANDARD TIME).

CLIMATE : Nepal has four major seasons - The winter (December - February), Spring (March - May), Summer (June - August), and Autumn (September - November).

PEOPLE : Nepalese people are mainly devided into two distinct racial groups - The Indo-Aryans and the Mongoloids. KATHMANDU valley has been the region of confluence of these two groupssince historic times. The Nepalese people have culturally inheritrd the best elements of these ethnic groups making them very lively and their lifestyle very colorful.

RELIGION : Nepal is the only Hindi kingdom in the world. Hindu Temples and Buddhist Shrines are scattered all over the mountains and valleys that make up the geographical shape of the kingdom. The cool and peaceful lofty mountains, the freshness of the nature expressed at its best in the crystal clear water and clean air basically, the unspoilt surroundings are perhaps the features of this lovely land that might have inspired all those Hindu sages and the Buddhists monks in quest for peace, to set up their spritiual institutions here. Nepal is the birth place of LORD BUDDHA - The light of Asia. There is a complex blending of Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal.

OUTFITS : Except in formal gatherings, informal clothes are acceptable everywhere. Warm garments are required in October - March. An umbrella or a raincoat is a must for the rainy season ie. July - September.

CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE : Nepali rupee notes come in Rupee1, RS.2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, & 1000 denominations. Coins come in 5, 10, 25P, RS.1, RS.5 denominations. Foreign currency must be exchanged only through the banks or authorised foreign exchange dealers. The receipts from such transactions are to obtained and retained. Visitors can exchange foreign currency at the foreign exchange counter at the airport upon arrival. Visitors other than the Indians Nationals have to make the payments 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. 51.

ENTRY PROCEDURES : All visitors except Indian Nationals must hold a passport & valid visa. The visas can be obtained at the Nepalese Diplomatic Missions & Consuls abroad and entry points issue visa for a 15 days. The visa will be extended at the Department of immigration, Tridevi Marg, Thamel, Tel: 412337/418573. The Department also issues multi entry visa for the visitors.

ENTRY POINTS:

BY AIR: Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.

BY LAND: (1) Kakarbhitta (2) Birgunj (3) Belhiya (Bhairahawa) (4) Nepalgunj (5) Dhangadi (6) Jogbani (Biratnagar) and (7) Mahendra Nagar in Nepal-India border and Kodari in Nepal- China border.

CUSTOMS : All baggage is subject to custom's check at the point of entry. Visitors are allowed to bring in the consumable articles such as liquor one bottle up 1.15 litres, 200 sticks of cigarette, 15 rolls of photo film and 12 rolls of movie camera film. Visitors are also allowed to carry 1 binocular, 1 camera, 1 movie camera, 1 video camera, 1 radio, 1 tape recorder, 1 bicycle, 1 wrist watch, 1 set of fountain pen, 1 perambulator, 15 radio cassetes & 10 disk records into the country on the condition that they are declared and are to be taken back on return. Carrying narcotics, arms & ammunitions are strictly prohibited. Visitors can export souvenirs to their respective countries. The export of antiques requires special certificate from the Department of Archaeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu . 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, Singapore & Lhasa. The international Airlines operating their flights to Kathmandu include Aeroflot, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, China South West Airlines, Druk Air, Indian Airlines, Lufthansa, Pakistan International airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai international and Qatar Airways.

INTERNAL TRANSPORT : Royal Nepal Airlines has an extensive network of air services in the interior of Nepal. This include Taplejung, Bhadrapur, Rajbiraj, Bhojpur, Phaplu, Lukla, Lamidanda Tumlingtar, Rumjatar, and Biratnagar in the east; Nepalgunj, Chaurjhari, Surkhet, Dang, Ropla and Jumla, in the Mid-west, and Kolti, Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Silgadi (Doti), Tikapur, Sanphebagar, Baitadi, and Darchula in the Far-Western Region. Besides Royal Nepal Airlines, the other domestic airlines such as Nepal Airways, Everest Air, Asian Airlines Helicopter, Necon Air provide regular and charter services to different popular domestic destinations.

MOUNTAIN FLIGHT : Royal Nepal Airlines and other domestic Airlines in the private sector also operate breathtaking mountain flights for the tourists round the year.

AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION :- In addition to metered taxis, limousine service is also available at the airport for transport to major hotels in the city.

OTHER TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS: Metered taxis having black plates with white figures are available in Kathmandu. Metered tempos (three wheeler Scooter) are also available and are slightly cheaper than taxis, Bicycles, motor cycles and rickshaws are also available on hire. The fare for the bicycles or motorcycles is fixed whereas the fare of rickshaws is to be negotiated. There are regular bus services between the main town of the Kathmandu Valley. The Bus Terminal is located at Gongabu(new bus terminal) and Bagbazar (old bus terminal).

Similarly, scheduled bus services for outside the Valley operate from the Gongabu Bus terminal which is located at Balaju, Kathmandu.

TREKKING PERMIT

The Department of Immigration located at Tridevi Marg, Thamel issues trekking permit for the tourists who intend to trek any part of the country. Trekking permit fee for different trekking areas are fixed as follows.

1.

Annapurna, Everest,

Equivalent to US$ 5 per person per week for the Langtang and Rara first four weeks and US$ 10 per week thereafter. 

2.

Dolpa and Kanchenjunga

Equivalent to US$ 10 per person per week for the first four weeks and US$ 20 per week thereafter.

3. 

Manaslu 

US$ 75 per person per week.

4.

Mustang & upper Dolpa

US$ 700 per person for the first ten days and US$ 70 per person per day thereafter.

NOTE : Trekking to Dolpa,Kanchenjunga,Makalu and Mustang can be undertaken through registered trekking agencies only.

To trek in a national park area an entrance fee of Rs. 650.00 is to be paid separately. Likewise, an entrance fee of Rs. 650.00 is also collected from every trekker going into the Annapurna Conservation Area. There are several government registered trekking agencies in Nepal to conduct such trekking programmes.

FACILITIES : The accomodation facilities in Nepal ranges from the international standard star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. 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 : Nepal offers a wide variety of adventure tourism packages. 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 1310 mountain peaks. For those who cannot withstand the rigourousness of mountain flights which fly around the Mount Everest and provide a close look of the top of the world. Also from Nagarkot (32 kms East of Kathmandu) and Daman (80 kms south-west of kathmandu) one can have a distant view of Mount Everest and beautiful Himalayan ranges. 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 modern civilization. The River rafting, which is known as " White Water Adventure" represents another major attractions.

Nepal offers plenty of Wildlife as there are eight National Parks and four Wildlife Reserves and two conservation areas in Nepal. Pokhara, the lake city of Nepal provides ample opportunities for fishing, swimming, canoeing and boating along with the sightseeing of majestic panoramic views in its background. Kathmandu valley possesses several historical monuments, old palaces and palace squares, shrines and temples.

Nepal is the land of Lord Pashupatinath, which is supposed to be the holiest Hindu temple in the world. 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 mark 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.

MAJOR FESTIVALS OF NEPAL :

New Year's Day - April 14, (First day of Baisakh)
Matatirtha Aunsi or Mother's Day - (April)
Buddha Jayanti - (April)
Machchendranath Rath Jatra - (May-June)
Guru Purnima - (August)
Gaijatra (August)
Krishnashtami - (August-September)
Gokarna Aunsi or Father's Day - (August-September)
Indra Jatra - (September)
Bada- Dashain - (September-October)
Tihar - (October-November)
Constitution Day - (November 9)
Bala Chaturdarshi - (November-December)
Birthday of His Majesty the King (December 28)
Birth-anniversary of His Late Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah, The Great -(January 10)
Basanta Panchami - (January- February)
National Democracy Day - (February 18)
Maha Shivratri - (March- April)
Ghode Jatra -(March-April)

WHERE TO GET THE INFORMATION

The Department of Tourism, His Majesty's Government of Nepal provides information and services to the tourists. It also distributes different kinds of publicity materials to the tourists free of cost. There are two tourist officers and five tourism informtion Centres located at different places in the country. They are:

1. Tourist Information Centre, Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Tel:470537

2. Tourist Information Centre, Basantapur, Kathmandu, Tel: 220818

3. Tourist Office, Airport, Pokhara, Tel:220028

4. Tourist Information Centre, Birgunj, Tel:22083

5. Tourist Office, Janakpur, Tel: 20755

6. Tourist Information Centre, Bhairahawa, Tel:20304

7. Tourist Information Centre, Kakarbhitta, 20208