Introduction
This magical land holds sway over the imagination. Draped along the spine of the Himalaya, Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination.
It's the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.
Geography:
Nepal sits uneasily on the shoulder of the southern Himalaya, wedged between China to the north and India to the south. In length and breadth it's just another small country, but in height it's a world-beater. From the low-lying plains of the Terai, the landscape soars to the peaks of the Himalaya, including cloud-hugging Mt Everest. In fact, Nepal boasts eight of the world's 14 tallest mountains. As well as being the tallest mountains in the world, the Himalaya are also some of the youngest - they first rose about 50 million years ago and they're still growing. Between the Terai and the Himalaya are the landslide-scarred gorges and lush green valleys of the Chure Hills and Mahabharat Range. The heavily cultivated land between the Mahabharat Range and the Indian border supports the bulk of the country's population - the only towns of any size in the hills are Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and Pokhara. Beyond the Himalaya are the high-altitude deserts of the Tibetan Plateau, one of the least populated areas on earth.
Destination Facts
Capital: Kathmandu
King: Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva
Prime Minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Government: democratic republic
Time zone: GMT +5.75
Area: 140800
Population: 26469600
People: The population of Nepal is made up of dozens of different tribal groups such as the Newars, who dominate the area around Kathmandu. Other important tribes include the Thakalis, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Chepangs, Tibetans, Bhotias (Bhutanese), Rais, Limbus, Jirels, Sherpas, Bahuns, Chhetris and the Tharus and Mithila of the Terai.
Languages: More than a hundred languages are registered as mother tongues in Nepal.
90% Hindu, 5% Buddhist, 3% Muslim, 2% other
Currency: Nepalese Rupee (Rs)
Major industries: Tourism, carpet &-ent textile weaving, metal-working, cement ent-amp;-ent brick making, production of rice, jute, sugar, oilseed, spices, tobacco, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk ent-amp; buffalo meat
Major Trading Partners: India, US, Germany, UK, Singapore, Japan
Country Dialing Code: 977
Getting there and away
There are few direct flights to Nepal, which means most travellers from Europe, North America and Australia have to change aircraft and/or airline en route. Nepal's only international airport is Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport - several airlines fly here with a stop in western Europe or the Gulf, or you can fly into India and change to a local shuttle. If you want to see the mountains as you fly into Kathmandu, make sure you sit on the right-hand side of the plane. The departure tax for international flights is 1695.00,, or 1356.00 to destinations on the Indian subcontinent, payable in Nepali rupees. The classic overland routes between Nepal and India are still popular. Buses are usually the quickest and easiest form of transport between Nepal and India. There are five main crossing points that are open to foreigners, but most people cross at Sunauli-Bhairawa, Birganj-Raxaul Bazaar or Kakarbhitta-Panitanki. The Sunauli border crossing is convenient for Varanasi or Delhi, the Birganj crossing is convenient for Kolkata, and Kakarbhitta is the obvious choice for Darjeeling or Sikkim. A trickle of travellers enter Nepal at the Mahendrenagar-Banbassa border crossing in the extreme west of Nepal, which is handy for Delhi and the hills of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. The crossing between Nepal and Tibet via Kodari is open to organised groups but not to individual travellers heading north. Be prepared to make alternative plans if using this route - landslides regularly make it impassable during the monsoon.
Getting around
Royal Nepal Airlines has an extensive domestic network and reasonable prices, but its aircraft are ancient and the booking system is erratic. Half a dozen private airlines offer similar routes in newer planes for only a little more. Whoever you fly with, be aware that flights are routinely cancelled due to bad weather, security problems or industrial action. It's advisable to book domestic flights a week in advance and keep re-confirming your ticket just to make sure you don't slip off the passenger list if the flight is full. Airlines only accept payment in hard currency from visitors. Public buses are the main form of ground transportation and are incredibly cheap, incredibly uncomfortable and tediously slow. Expect to average about 30km (18mi) per hour anywhere in the hills. Buses ply almost every paved road (not that there are many), as well as some of the unpaved ones, and nearly every visitor comes back with horror stories about 'almost' plunging into a ravine. The near escapes are only the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of locals die in bus smashes every year and travellers are strongly advised to avoid bus travel at night. Safety is generally better on the dedicated tourist buses that connect Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. If you don't want to share your journey with farm produce and livestock, this is definitely the way to go. A metre-gauge train line runs from Janakpur to the Indian border. But foreigners cannot cross here.You cannot hire self-drive cars, but you can hire a car with a local driver, which is probably safer anyway. Small motorcycles can be rented in Kathmandu and Pokhara but the roads can be deadly.Bike-riding is quickly gaining popularity with visitors for short jaunts; mountain bikes can be rented in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini and cycling can be quicker than getting around by local buses, especially in the Kathmandu Valley.Walking is still the most important and most reliable method of getting from A to B and for moving cargo. In most of Nepal walking is the only option. More goods are carried by human porters than by every other form of transport combined. Local transport in the Kathmandu Valley and around Pokhara includes metered and unmetered taxis, buses, tempos (three-wheeled buses), auto-rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws and bicycles.
Weather
Because of the varied topography, the weather in Nepal can vary wildly from one district to another. As a general rule, temperatures fall and rainfall decreases the higher up you go. In the high-altitude deserts of the Tibetan Plateau, temperatures hover just above freezing for most of the year and it almost never rains. From March to April and October to November - the best times to visit Nepal - days are generally warm with little rain, decent sunshine and temperatures in the 24-28 ° C (75-83 ° F) range. From November to March, night-time temperatures can drop close to freezing, and snow can block mountain passes, though Pokhara and Kathmandu rarely see more than a few flakes. May and early June are unbearably hot and sticky and rain buckets down most days from May to September. Kathmandu is generally drier than Pokhara at this time of year, while the Terai positively drowns.
Places of Interest
Draped along the spine of the Himalaya, Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination. It's the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.
Related posts: India Country, China Country, Bhutan Country, Myanmar country, Mongolia Country
This magical land holds sway over the imagination. Draped along the spine of the Himalaya, Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination.
It's the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.
Geography:
Nepal sits uneasily on the shoulder of the southern Himalaya, wedged between China to the north and India to the south. In length and breadth it's just another small country, but in height it's a world-beater. From the low-lying plains of the Terai, the landscape soars to the peaks of the Himalaya, including cloud-hugging Mt Everest. In fact, Nepal boasts eight of the world's 14 tallest mountains. As well as being the tallest mountains in the world, the Himalaya are also some of the youngest - they first rose about 50 million years ago and they're still growing. Between the Terai and the Himalaya are the landslide-scarred gorges and lush green valleys of the Chure Hills and Mahabharat Range. The heavily cultivated land between the Mahabharat Range and the Indian border supports the bulk of the country's population - the only towns of any size in the hills are Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and Pokhara. Beyond the Himalaya are the high-altitude deserts of the Tibetan Plateau, one of the least populated areas on earth.
Destination Facts
Capital: Kathmandu
King: Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva
Prime Minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Government: democratic republic
Time zone: GMT +5.75
Area: 140800
Population: 26469600
People: The population of Nepal is made up of dozens of different tribal groups such as the Newars, who dominate the area around Kathmandu. Other important tribes include the Thakalis, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Chepangs, Tibetans, Bhotias (Bhutanese), Rais, Limbus, Jirels, Sherpas, Bahuns, Chhetris and the Tharus and Mithila of the Terai.
Languages: More than a hundred languages are registered as mother tongues in Nepal.
90% Hindu, 5% Buddhist, 3% Muslim, 2% other
Currency: Nepalese Rupee (Rs)
Major industries: Tourism, carpet &-ent textile weaving, metal-working, cement ent-amp;-ent brick making, production of rice, jute, sugar, oilseed, spices, tobacco, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk ent-amp; buffalo meat
Major Trading Partners: India, US, Germany, UK, Singapore, Japan
Country Dialing Code: 977
There are few direct flights to Nepal, which means most travellers from Europe, North America and Australia have to change aircraft and/or airline en route. Nepal's only international airport is Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport - several airlines fly here with a stop in western Europe or the Gulf, or you can fly into India and change to a local shuttle. If you want to see the mountains as you fly into Kathmandu, make sure you sit on the right-hand side of the plane. The departure tax for international flights is 1695.00,, or 1356.00 to destinations on the Indian subcontinent, payable in Nepali rupees. The classic overland routes between Nepal and India are still popular. Buses are usually the quickest and easiest form of transport between Nepal and India. There are five main crossing points that are open to foreigners, but most people cross at Sunauli-Bhairawa, Birganj-Raxaul Bazaar or Kakarbhitta-Panitanki. The Sunauli border crossing is convenient for Varanasi or Delhi, the Birganj crossing is convenient for Kolkata, and Kakarbhitta is the obvious choice for Darjeeling or Sikkim. A trickle of travellers enter Nepal at the Mahendrenagar-Banbassa border crossing in the extreme west of Nepal, which is handy for Delhi and the hills of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. The crossing between Nepal and Tibet via Kodari is open to organised groups but not to individual travellers heading north. Be prepared to make alternative plans if using this route - landslides regularly make it impassable during the monsoon.
Getting around
Royal Nepal Airlines has an extensive domestic network and reasonable prices, but its aircraft are ancient and the booking system is erratic. Half a dozen private airlines offer similar routes in newer planes for only a little more. Whoever you fly with, be aware that flights are routinely cancelled due to bad weather, security problems or industrial action. It's advisable to book domestic flights a week in advance and keep re-confirming your ticket just to make sure you don't slip off the passenger list if the flight is full. Airlines only accept payment in hard currency from visitors. Public buses are the main form of ground transportation and are incredibly cheap, incredibly uncomfortable and tediously slow. Expect to average about 30km (18mi) per hour anywhere in the hills. Buses ply almost every paved road (not that there are many), as well as some of the unpaved ones, and nearly every visitor comes back with horror stories about 'almost' plunging into a ravine. The near escapes are only the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of locals die in bus smashes every year and travellers are strongly advised to avoid bus travel at night. Safety is generally better on the dedicated tourist buses that connect Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. If you don't want to share your journey with farm produce and livestock, this is definitely the way to go. A metre-gauge train line runs from Janakpur to the Indian border. But foreigners cannot cross here.You cannot hire self-drive cars, but you can hire a car with a local driver, which is probably safer anyway. Small motorcycles can be rented in Kathmandu and Pokhara but the roads can be deadly.Bike-riding is quickly gaining popularity with visitors for short jaunts; mountain bikes can be rented in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini and cycling can be quicker than getting around by local buses, especially in the Kathmandu Valley.Walking is still the most important and most reliable method of getting from A to B and for moving cargo. In most of Nepal walking is the only option. More goods are carried by human porters than by every other form of transport combined. Local transport in the Kathmandu Valley and around Pokhara includes metered and unmetered taxis, buses, tempos (three-wheeled buses), auto-rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws and bicycles.
Because of the varied topography, the weather in Nepal can vary wildly from one district to another. As a general rule, temperatures fall and rainfall decreases the higher up you go. In the high-altitude deserts of the Tibetan Plateau, temperatures hover just above freezing for most of the year and it almost never rains. From March to April and October to November - the best times to visit Nepal - days are generally warm with little rain, decent sunshine and temperatures in the 24-28 ° C (75-83 ° F) range. From November to March, night-time temperatures can drop close to freezing, and snow can block mountain passes, though Pokhara and Kathmandu rarely see more than a few flakes. May and early June are unbearably hot and sticky and rain buckets down most days from May to September. Kathmandu is generally drier than Pokhara at this time of year, while the Terai positively drowns.
Draped along the spine of the Himalaya, Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples, and some of the best hiking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the Western imagination. It's the kind of country that lingers in your dreams long after you leave it. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time round with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for sculpted calf muscles.
Related posts: India Country, China Country, Bhutan Country, Myanmar country, Mongolia Country
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