LANGUAGE
Nepali
Bhojpuri
Maithili
Newar
CURRENCY
Nepalese rupee
BEST TIME TO VISIT
October to December
NEAREST AIRPORT
Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)
EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER
102
INTERNET ACCESS
Almost every hotel, restaurant and cafe in Kathmandu, Pokhara and larger towns offer free wi-fi and connections are pretty good. You can even get (paid) wi-fi in places like Namche Bazaar along the Everest Base Camp trek.
Internet cafes are available in smaller towns and generally cost around Rs 50 per hour.
Visa:
Tourist visas (15/30/90 days) are available on arrival for US$25/40/100; fill in your details online beforehand or on the spot, and bring US dollars cash.
Nepali Visas
All foreigners, except Indians, must have a visa. Nepali embassies and consulates overseas issue visas with no fuss but most people get one on the spot on arrival in Nepal, either at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport or at road borders at Nepalganj, Birganj/Raxaul Bazaar, Sunauli, Kakarbhitta, Mahendranagar, Dhangadhi and even the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint at the China/Tibetan border.
A Nepali visa is valid for entry for three to six months from the date of issue. Children aged under 10 require a visa but are not charged a visa fee. Citizens of South Asian countries (except India) and China need visas, but if you’re only entering once in a calendar year, these are free.
To obtain a visa upon arrival by air in Nepal you must fill in an application form at one of the automatic registration machines, which will also take your digital photo. You can save some time by filling in the form beforehand online at www.online.nepalimmigration.gov.np/tourist-visa and uploading a digital photo, but you must do this less than 15 days before your arrival date.
A single-entry visa valid for 15/30/90 days costs US$25/40/100. At Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Airport the fee is payable in any major currency, but at land borders officials require payment in cash (US dollars); bring small bills.
SAARC countries can get a 30-day visa for free on arrival. Indian passport holders do not need a visa to enter Nepal.
Multiple-entry visas are useful if you are planning a side trip to Tibet, Bhutan or India and cost US$20 extra. You can change your single-entry visa to a multiple-entry visa at Kathmandu’s Central Immigration Office for the same US$20 fee.
Don’t overstay your visa. You can pay a fine of US$3 per day at the airport if you have overstayed less than 30 days (plus a US$2 per day visa extension fee), but it’s far better to get it all sorted out in advance at Kathmandu’s Central Immigration Office, as a delay could cause you to miss your flight.
It’s a good idea to keep a number of passport photos with your passport so they are immediately handy for trekking permits, visa applications and other official documents.
HOTEL
Thamel
Thamel is the tourist hub of Kathmandu. It is also very different from the rest of the country in terms of peoples’ attitudes and overall culture. But if you want to meet other travellers, enjoy some night-life and have easy access to travel and trekking agents, this is the place for you. Thamel also enjoys some good bars and restaurants and is the place to buy or hire trekking gear and stock up on snacks for your trip.
Accommodation in Thamel
Thamel has the most hotels concentrated in one area. Prices range from a few hundred rupees to a couple of hundred dollars. Standards and facilities also range from the very basic to the luxurious.
The Kathmandu Guest House is one of the longest running hotels in Thamel and recently been refurbished and its garden areas expanded. Here is one of the best places to meet climbers, trekkers and travellers. Other hotels in the more expensive range include the Royal Penguin Boutique Hotel.
There are many budget hotels and hostels in Thamel and we suggest you spend some time looking around a few before deciding on one.
Freak Street
Freak Street is situated just south of Kathmandu Durbar Square or Basantapur as it is known locally. Here is where the early tourists, hippies actually, stayed during the 1960’s. It was an area famous for its pies and marijuana, which was not illegal in Nepal at that time. Times have changed however and you can no longer legally buy marijuana but can still get good pies and cakes here! Being situated near to Durbar Square gives it an atmosphere which is unique although some of the buildings are a little run down now.
Accommodation is mainly in the budget category.
Lazimpat
Lazimpat is around 10 to 15 minutes walk north of Thamel but it’s a whole different world! It has recently become quite an affluent part of the city and has quite a nice hassle free environment compared to Thamel. There are a few nice western style restaurants and cafes as well as local style ones where prices are cheaper although the place itself might not be as comfortable. Wifi is available in most places.
Moving around from Lazimpat to other parts of the city is easy as many buses go up and down the main Lazimpat Road. Taxi here will be slightly cheaper for the average tourist than in Thamel.
Accommodation in Lazimpat
Lazimpat is home to four mid to high price luxury hotels, namely, Radisson, Shankar, Shangrila and Ambassador. Currently the Ambassador Hotel is under construction – modernization started before the earthquake and the Shankar Hotel was damaged during the earthquake but is under refurbishment and is open for business. The Shankar, a beautiful old Rana palace; the Radisson Hotel, part of the international chain; and the Shangrila Hotel, also part of an international chain, have swimming pools and the usual facilities you would expect in 3 and 4 star hotels.
If your budget doesn’t stretch to international prices or if you would prefer something more friendly but don’t want a shoestring lodge then Tings Tea Lounge is the place for you!
Tings Tea Lounge has a small number of individually styled rooms around a lovely courtyard and garden just off the busy Lazimpat Road. Run by a well-travelled Danish couple, you will get personalised service here and yet you are only a stones-throw from restaurants and shops and a 15-20 minute walk from Thamel.
There are not any budget range hotels in Lazimpat.
Bouddha
Boudha is home to the majority of the large Tibetan refugee population that live in Nepal. The atmosphere here is very different and more serene than other parts of Kathmandu and a world apart from Thamel. It’s not as easy to travel to Thamel from here for a night out due to the higher taxi costs as a result of the distance (30 minutes drive).
Perhaps the best time to experience local life early morning and evening when hundreds of Tibetans and Nepali Buddhists come out to do kora and pray.
Many foreigners study Tibetan history, philosophy and language in Boudha so you won’t be viewed simply as a tourist.
Most of the restaurants are situated around the stupa itself or down narrow lanes coming off of the main stupa kora. Food is cheaper than Thamel, with a heavy accent on Tibetan and vegetarian dishes.
Accommodation in Boudha
For those of you with enough bank balance, there is the Hyatt Regency Hotel, with its back gate leading to the stupa (ask the guard to open it for you). Every luxury and perhaps the biggest swimming pool in Nepal can be found here.
Many smaller hotels can be found around Boudha.
Patan
What we call Kathmandu today is actually three cities which were once separate kingdoms: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Therefore, all three ‘cities’ have Durbar Squares filled with temples and statues. (Please note some were destroyed during the earthquakes in 2015. They will eventually be rebuilt by the cities and UNESCO but this will take many years.)
Today we think of Patan as another part of Kathmandu, lying south of the Bagmati River.
Patan has everything the north side of the city has but is a little less congested. You can find old temples and courtyards, modern restaurants and a host of craft shops. There are also music venues, although perhaps not as many as Thamel, and quiet cafes to sit in.
Accommodation in Patan
In the mid to expensive range there is the Himalayan Hotel and the Summit Hotel, both of which have swimming pools. The Summit is, as its name suggests, situated to overlook the city and is a meeting place for many expats in the evening.
If you are thinking of a home-stay while in Kathmandu, it will probably be in Patan. Find out more here.
Other Areas of Kathmandu
Kathmandu is a large city of five million people with many interesting places both on and off the tourist trail.
If you want to stay off the beaten track you could look at accommodation in Swoyambhunath (the Monkey Temple). Here you can stay in the beautiful Vajra Hotelwhich is built in traditional style, or in more modestly priced accommodation.
Another traditionally crafted hotel is Dwarika Hotel situated at Gausala, near Pashupatinath Temple. If you cannot afford the price of a room with a sunken bath, do try to go over for a drink in the bar or a coffee from one of the restaurant. This hotel has history! Just ask one of the staff to tell you.
For those who like a bit more open space, head north to Budhanilkantha to the Park Village Hotel which is situated in large grounds.
Need even more greenery? Head to Gokarna Forest Resort, about 5km from Boudha. Here you can find an 18 hole golf course, which, as well as welcoming golfers, is home to many deer and monkeys! With a spa, indoor swimming pool, two restaurants and fully stocked bar, no one will mind if their partner spends the day on the golf course!
COST OF LIVING
Nepal is most famous as the home of half of Mount Everest, and those actually climbing the mountain, or to the main elevated base camp, will have to deal with those not-insignificant expenses. But those just coming to admire the city and its Buddhist culture will find it to be very cheap by international standards.
Prices for hotels and hostels are nearly as cheap as those in smaller cities in India, which are generally the lowest on the planet. It’s worth noting that hotels and guesthouses at the absolute bottom end of the price spectrum will be quite minimalistic, to put it kindly, but paying a bit more gets you something not bad at all. Of course there are now a number of expensive hotel resorts meant for those on much larger budgets, so nearly all price ranges are catered for.
Transportation and attractions in the city are also very cheap by nearly anyone’s standards, so your main expenses will be guided trekking excursions or adventure sports, if you choose to do them. Food and drinks are also very cheap by most standards so this continues to be a great stop for budget-minded travelers as well as those who can afford the best. Kathmandu hotels can have big price swings between high season and low season. The busy months generally stretch all the way from April through November, but even then hotels and hostels in the city can be found very cheaply. During the winter months the nights are cool and dry even though the days are still relatively warm, and hotels roll out their bargain rates, sometimes half their high season prices.
