when to go?

The best time to visit Nepal is between late September and late November. The skies are clear, the air fresh, the days warm and the mountain views spectacular. This is a peak toursit season which ultimately means the trekking trails get very busy, the accommodation gets booked up and the prices rise significantly. Surpised? This is a pure market economy. The alternative for you is to go to Nepal between March and April. The spring brings warm weather. But is not that touristy. Tip: When visiting the Upper Mustang in Nepal, pick the summer season. -11 C in unheated guest houses is not the experience you are seeking, am I right?

what to see & experience?

Nepal actually has so much to offer that it is quite hard to fit everything in. You can easily fill in your itinerary with experiences of your liftime and come back again for more: Trekking to the Everest Base Camp, Discovering the enchanting cities of Kathmandu Valley, exploring the wild outdoors at Chitwan National Park, celebrating spectacular festivals, Paragliding, Bungee Jumping and so much more.

typical costs in nepal?

Nepal is definitely one of the cheapest travel destination so there is nothing that should stop you from visiting this fascinating country. Accommodation in tea houses costs approx. 1 USD, dinner in an exclusive resturant in Kathmandu approx. 13 USD, bottle of water approx. 0.10 USD, 15 day visa on arrival - 25 USD.

ACCOMODATION IN NEPAL

Guesthouses, Tea Houses, Hotels, Hostels and everything for the fraction of a price you would pay in Europe or North America. When you are hiking up in the Himalayas, your only option are tea houses, usually charge a token price of 1 USD, making the profit on the offered meals. You can be sure you have a bed, thick blanket and a roof over your head. Teahouses facilities are basic though: hot water, electricity and clean toilets is very often a luxury. Your own warm (I mean really warm as nights are cold) sleeping bed in practise is a must. You can expect to pay additional fees for “charging” and “hot showers” approx. 2 USD if this is actually available. In Kathmandu and Pokhara you can find a wide array of accommodation options. After a few days of trekking, you may want to spoil yourself and stay in one of the more luxurious options. Highly recommended Kumari Boutique Hotel in Kathmandu. This is not a budget stay based on the Nepalese price range though as paid 113.76 USD for 2 nights but the facilities are superb. Many hotels in Kathmandu offer complimentary airport pickup service, otherwise expect to pay approx. 8 USD to get to Thamel assuming you stay in one of the hotels located in this backpacker district. Very convenient.

ACTIVITIES [in Kathmandu]

Backstreet Academy – Monkey Temple tour with a Monk – Swoyambhu Stupa – 24 USD; Kathmandu Street Photography Tour – 40 USD; Secret Food Tour: Exposing the Local’s Best Hideouts – 16 USD More local experiences available HERE; Kathmandu Durbar Square – 10 USD; Patan Durbar Square – 10 USD; Bhaktapur Durbar Square – 15 USD; Pashupatinath Temple – 10 USD; Swayambhunath Stupa – 2 USD; Bauddhanath Stupa – 4 USD; Garden of Dreams – 2 USD; Trekking Permit (10 days) - Upper Mustang - 500 USD; Annapurna Conservation Area Project - Entry Permit - 30 USD

ACTIVITIES [in Pokhara]

Phewa Lake, World Peace Pagoda [by taxi return or boat approx. 10 USD] free entry. Paragliding – approx. 100 USD; Spa/Massage approx. 15 USD;

FLIGHTS IN NEPAL

Return ticket from Luxembourg/Paris to Kathmandu approx. 1100 EUR (Economy Class - Qatar Airways) Do not leave booking for the last moment for better deals.  Flight Pokhara – Jomsom – Pokhara – 230 USD (Tara Airlines). Used the local travel agency for assistance with booking. Make sure you book first or second flight. Only possible to fly early mornings due to weather conditions (winds) The later ones are usually cancelled and you do not want to spend 12h in a bus/jeep, you really do not want to. Flight Pokhara – Kathmandu – approx. 110 USD  one way (Simrik Arlines).The aircrafts are extremely used but I did not die (somehow). Despite this fact with go rather with Buddha or Yet Airlines next time or go on a toursit bus – Kathmandu – Pokhara – 9h – beautiful scenery.

TRAVEL INSURANCE IN NEPAL

Do not even dare to come to Nepal with an adequate travel insurance.  This is an absolute must. 17 day insurance with World Nomads approx. 107 EUR.

FOOD & DRINKS IN NEPAL

Kathmandu and Pokhara offers a wide range of restaurants offering food from all over the world and everything as accommodation for a fraction of price you would pay in Europe or North America. It is really cheap and I really mean it with a small exceptions. Beer and any other alcohol lovers might need to pay more than expected approx. 5-7 USD for a bottle of beer. But when you are in Nepal you want to try the local cusine . During my recent trip to Nepal I was actually testing the restaurants listed in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Reason? Going to places reviewed and ranked high makes me less anxious about getting food poisoning that is quite frequent in Nepal, especially when eating meat so if you are not a vegetarian, become one for the length of your stay in Nepal (if you see how the meat is stored in Nepal, you would need no extra motivation) or if you cannot imagine your life without a piece of steak, go only the high class restaurants in big cities like Kathmandu or Pokhara. The last thing you want to experience is a diarrhoea or/and vomiting when being high in the mountains. It does not sound like great holidays, right? For street food, check out the trips offered by the Backstreet Academy. You will be shown the hideouts not available to the average tourist.

Local Dishes IN NEPAL

Daal bhaat is the staple meal. At some point especially when trekking in Himalays is something that you will not avoid. Daal bhaat consist of lentil soup, rice, curried vegetables and papad - a crispy fried lentil-flour pancake; Momos - steamed, fried, veg or non veg. Hard not to come across and taste when visiting Nepal. Check out New Everest Mo-Mo Centre in Kathmandu or Potala Tibetan Resturant in Pokhara; Thukpa – Tibetan noodle sound (with long noodles); Thenthuk – hand pulled noodle soup, is a very common noodle soup in Tibetan cusine. My personal favourite; Chowmein - Chinese style stir-fried noodles

Recommended Restaurants: [in Kathamndu]
Third Eye - Pricy but stylish serving exquisite Indian food. Payment by credit card possible. Approx. 13 USD for half-tandoori chicken, butter naan, and banana lassi.

Kaiser Café (in Garden of Dreams). Not for lunch or dinner but good place to have some snack and drink coffee. Luxurious and awfully expensive. Milkshake approx. 5 USD

Utse Restaurant in the hotel of the same name. This is one of the oldest restaurants in Thamel. Reasonably priced and serving wonderfully amazing local food. Nepali set approx. 5 USD

[in Pokhara] Potala Tibetan Resturant - The family run restuarant offering the best momos in town. and wide range of Tibetan specialities.

Moondance Restuarant - Quality food, great interior. It is deemed to be the best restaurant in town.

TRANSPORTATION IN NEPAL

Taxis are affordable in Nepal – Thamel to Swoyambhu Stupa – 4 USD; Kathmandu Airport to Thamel – 8 USD; Pokhara Airport to Phewa Lake – 3,5 USD;

• Backstreet Academy - is a peer to peer travel platform for the most amazing experiences in Asia. Connecting with local people when you travel. Great Experience. Most popular tours: Secret Food Tour: Exposing the Local’s Best Hideouts; Monkey Temple tour with a Monk – Swoyambhu Stupa. Check them out for more. The content is not sponsored by Backstreet Academy.
  

• Pashupatinath Temple - Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Pashupatinath is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Shiva. Cremation of Hindus take place on raised platforms along the river. All the bodies from the Kathmandu Valley are taken to Pashupatinath Temple and burnt on the banks of the river. Only Hindus are allowed inside the gates of the main temple. The big Maha Shivaratri festival in spring attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees from within Nepal and from India. This is very unique place located 3 km northwest of Kathmandu on the banks of the Bagmati River.

•  Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) - This is a good place to catch panoramic views of the city. Head to Swayambunath Temple in the evening and enjoy the amazing view of Kathamndu Valley at sunset. You better be careful with monkeys.

• Durbar Square (Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur) - royal palace squares. The first one badly damaged during 2015 earthquake.

• Kumari Temple (part of Kathmandu Durbar Square)

• Boudhanath Stupa - It is the most important place of pilgrimage and worship for Buddhists all over the world.The Great Stupa symbolizes the Mind of all the Buddhas.

• Kopan Monastery - A Buddhist Monastery in the Tibetan Tradition, offering introductory and advanced meditation courses and accommodation. Great view over the Kathmandu Valley. Check out their website before coming.

• Garden of Dreams - a neo classical historical garden, oasis o greenery i the hustle and bustle of the city of Kathmandu. Quiet and very relaxing place.

• Trekking - Everest Base Camp; Annapurna Base Camp; Upper Mustang and many more.

POPULATION: The estimated 2018 population of Nepal is approx. 30 millions.

TIME: GMT + 5:45

VISA: On arrival. You can prepare all the forms in advance and fasten the process at the airport by submitting your visa application online. Visa fees - 15 days - 25 USD; 30 days - 40 USD - Multiple Entry.

CURRENCY: The currency in Nepal is Nepalese Rupees. Widely accepted are American Dollars. The Nepalese rupee is subdivided into 100 paisa.The money can be easily exchanged in many of the Exchange Offices located in Thamel. 100 NRP approx. 1 USD.

HOW TO GET AROUND? Taxi are very affordable in Nepal. Taking a local bus is too stressful experience. You can easily walk to many tourists spots when staying in Thamel (Kathmandu).

ELECTRICTY:  Electricity is 230V/50 cycles; 120V appliances from the USA will need a transformer. Sockets usually take plugs with three round pins. Some sockets take plugs with two round pins. Local electrical shops sell cheap adapters.

WHERE TO EAT?  Recommended Restaurants: [in Kathamndu]
Third Eye - Pricy but stylish serving exquisite Indian food. Payment by credit card possible. Approx. 13 USD for half-tandoori chicken, butter naan, and banana lassi; Kaiser Café (in Garden of Dreams). Not for lunch or dinner but good place to have some snack and drink coffee. Luxurious and awfully expensive. Milkshake approx. 5 USD; Utse Restaurant in the hotel of the same name. This is one of the oldest restaurants in Thamel. Reasonably priced and serving wonderfully amazing local food. Nepali set approx. 5 USD. [in Pokhara] Potala Tibetan Resturant - The family run restuarant offering the best momos in town. and wide range of Tibetan specialities; Moondance Restuarant - Quality food, great interior. It is deemed to be the best restaurant in town.

WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU?  Diamox (medicine for high attitude sickness), toilettries (wet wipes, toilet paper); torch; water bottle; thermal clothes; waterproof and windproof down jacket; gloves; hat, passport photos (required for permits).

OTHER TIPS: When trekking, avoid meat; snacks are highly recommended. Buy in Kathmandu or Pokhara. Check that the food you buy in tea houses is within expiry date as I was offered many times Snicker bars 1,5 years expired. Trekking Poles are must. Any trekking equipment and clothes can be bought in one of many shops in Kathmandy Thamel and Pokhara. Price of trekking poles from 9 USD.