In this post, we cover the best Nepal travel tips with all the information you need to travel to the country.
After a whole month exploring Nepal, we have prepared a thorough guide to provide you with:
- Things to know before traveling to Nepal
- Best places to visit
- How much cost to travel in Nepal
- Where to sleep in Nepal
- A complete itinerary for planning your trip to Nepal
- And much more!
And what is even best, you can download this Nepal travel guide in pdf for free to have all the best travel tips for Nepal in your pocket! Click on the bonus above.
- Kathmandu. For temples, shrines and the famous Durbar Square.
- Pokhara. For Phewa Lake and the Annapurna circuit.
- Annapurna Region. One of the most famous destinations for hiking.
- Chitwan National Park. For jungle and wildlife.
- Nagarkot/ Sarangkot. For amazing Himalayan views.
Best time to visit Nepal?: Between October and December is normally the best time to visit Nepal. The skies are generally clear and the views spectacular.
The weather remains dry until about April. January and February can be very cold, especially at night, but will reward you with incredible panoramas and quieter trekking trails as there are fewer visitors.
From May, heat and humidity levels build until the monsoon rains arrive in June and the clouds obscure the glorious mountain views.
Nepal celebrates festivals all year, so there is often a festival or pilgrimage taking place – ask your specialist for more details as the dates often changes from year to year.
Language: The official language is Nepali. On the most typical destinations, they will also speak a bit of English.
Currency: Nepalese Rupee. 1$=114.096NPR
Is Nepal Safe?: Nepal is generally a safe country. We were moving around for a month and outside some typical tourist areas and never had an issue. In any case, check here to be updated on current safety in Nepal travel.
Also, for the best medical advice is worth to check Fit for Travel website.
It is important that you have good travel insurance when traveling to these countries to have all the travel essentials covered.
We always travel with World Nomads. You can buy and claim online, even after you’ve left home. It’s designed for adventurous travelers with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities
You can get a quick quote here
What to pack for Nepal: What to pack will depend on what kind of tourism you want to do in Nepal. As for any other trip, our recommendation is always to dress with layers. That is the easiest way to make sure you are comfortable either if is hot or cold by adding some more layers.
On this specific kind of trip, and for “technical trips” where you are likely to do some trekkings or any other activity, technical clothes are highly advisable. This is because they are normally lightweight, can have anti-odor technology, are more breathable and will make your trips overall more pleasant.
So if you need to do a bit of investment in getting some good clothes, we really recommend you do it.
It is true that you can also find some good deals in the local stores, but I will never rely on my shoes or my main jacket to be a low-quality one, especially if planning on going up to the mountain. For any other stuff, just give it thought and check the quality.
I am not saying all the products are bad quality at all, I bought myself some gloves and a hat. I am just saying that the stuff you are using every day or even on a daily basis, is worth the investment.
How to move around Nepal: The easiest way to move around Nepal is by bus.
Bear in mind though, that buses in Nepal are not as good in most of the rest of Asian countries. They are normally old and with no A/c.
For trips to Pokhara or Chitwan, you should be able to find tourist buses, which are the ones you should take over the local ones. These have normally A/C and takes a bit less time. In any case, if they say a journey takes x hours, always add an extra 3 hours of the time they say it will take.
Traveling by plane is another option, but is not only expensive but also unreliable due to the weather and unsafe because of the same reason.
If you still need to fly for some reason, you can check your options in Skyscanner.
Nepal Visa: You can get a Visa on arrival in Nepal. But you can see Visa requirements for Nepal here.
How much cost to travel to Nepal?
We spent an average of 24$ per day per person, after traveling Nepal for a total of 28 days.
It is really easy to travel Nepal on a budget. There are many budget accommodation and local food is inexpensive.
Our biggest expenses were on getting the permits for the Annapurnas and the tickets to the different temples.
How is the average price calculated?
It is the total of all our expenses in Nepal divided by 28 days, which is the time we spent there. That is taking into account:
- What kind of accommodation? We mainly stayed at guesthouses
- How did you move around? We only used buses to move around
- What kind of food did you have? We had 90% of the time local food. Which is really cheap
- What do you consider entertainment? Alcohol, tickets for attractions and temples and permits for the Annapurna.
You can also check how much we spent daily, during the 13 days trekking in Nepal.
Travel Cost Summary (price per day)
Kathmandu
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal filled with many stunning temples. With a vibrant city life and rich in culture, Kathmandu’s touristic offer goes beyond normal. From unique places like Pashupatinath Temple to the most amazing treks to the roof of the world.
Pokhara
Pokhara, the door to some of the most incredible treks in the world. Pokhara offers spectacular scenery, countless adventure activities, and accommodation and food choices galore. The lakeside really makes a great spot to chill and enjoy the live music that many bars offer.
Chitwan
Chitwan national park is truly a hidden gem. In this park, you can see a great variety of wildlife. From rhinos to tigers, wild elephants, and much more. It is one of the few places where you can actually do a walking safari! Of course, under your own risk. Would you do it? ;)
Nepal Itinerary
If you ask for our top Nepal travel tips we can say these would be mainly 2. Check the options you have on each place to choose according to your preferences, and do not rush it!
Seriously, we stayed for 28 days and only visiting 3 cities, and we would have stayed much longer.
The way we did our Nepal itinerary, in my opinion, was a good choice. That’s why we are going to tell you what we recommend and then you can decide it if you like it or not.
First of all, the most likely is that you are flying to Kathmandu. This will make a great opportunity to visit Kathmandu and surrounding areas.
Kathmandu has plenty to see and do. That is why you should not aim for less than 3 days at least to make the most of it.
Then from Kathmandu, you can easily take a tourist bus to Chitwan national park. Expect the trip to take at the very least half day, regardless of what they tell you.
If you like nature and wildlife, you are really going to love Chitwan national park. This place is not only a quiet small village, but it is also a great place to see come rhinos, tigers, crocodiles and more. Sometimes you can even see them just walking in the streets of the village!
We would recommend at the very least a couple of days in Chitwan. It is a quiet and interesting place.
Finally, take a bus Chitwan to Pokhara, and even though it should be around 4 hours, it will take at the very least 6 hours
Pokhara is a place that worth at the very least 3 days. The reason behind this is because not only Pokhara itself is gorgeous, but you have many amazing trekking opportunities from here. For all levels and durations, you can find any kind of trekking in Pokhara.
Once you have visited all these amazing places, you can simply take a bus back to Kathmandu.
The total duration we would recommend for this itinerary would be at least 10 days. So you have time enough to see and explore properly without rushing. Take into account that each bus journeys will take you roughly half a day.
Of course, is not the only one or the best one, but in our personal opinion, we think it covers all the best.
You can take a look in detail if you click in this Nepal infographic.
click to zoom in
Things to do in Nepal
Nepal offers some amazing outdoor activities for adventurers.
Trekking in Nepal is with no doubt one of the highlights and something we encourage to do.
Although the most famous is the trekking to the Everest base camp there is much more.
But if you travel to Nepal, you should take advantage of other many things like: rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, etc.
If you are planning on going on high season, you should definitively check Get Your Guide for a complete list with top things to do.
The advantage of doing this is that you can book any tour in advance. If you have limited time, it might be a good idea to take a look, at least to have an idea of the options.
Where to Stay in Nepal
Nepal has a wide range of accommodation, being really easy to find good budget accommodation.
Where to stay in Kathmandu
Because is hard to choose between the endless options, one thing we would recommend for sure. And that would be to book your hotel in Thamel district. The reason is that is a lively area close to all the principal amenities and with the best choices of restaurants. So if you want to check your options in Thamel, you can check them here.
Where to stay in Chitwan
If you want to boost your experience with a pretty and comfortable accommodation, then Sweet Home would be our choice. The location is perfect, the staff is lovely and so is the food.
For something cheaper and still great and clean, you should check Hotel National Park.
Finally, Chitwan Village Resort was the one we opted for. With also a great location and beautiful modern rooms, a/c works great here which is much needed.
Where to stay in Pokhara
If you are on a budget or traveling by yourself, and want to feel like home, then you should stay in Nepalaya Eco Hostel. This was of the few places where I felt like home.
Set just a 5-minute walk from the , Hotel & offers and with at a great price. This is another great choice.
If you prefer something more according to your style and budget, you can always check your options in Booking.
Where to Eat in Nepal
Momo dishes | Photo by Abhishek Sanwa Limbu on Unsplash
Nepal may not have a big variety of dishes, but what they have, is pretty good to us. The most famous dish is the Dal Bhat. This is composed normally by a lentil soup with rice and either a steamed seasonal vegetable or vegetable curry. Sometimes it comes together with pickles, curries, meat, yogurt ( curd), chutney, and fish.
Another popular dish is momos. Usually filled with steamed vegetables or meat and encased in a flour-based dough that is then steamed or fried
The One Thing You Need
If there is a thing you need, to make the most of these Nepal travel tips, that would be proper Goretex shoes.
Regardless of what your plan is in Nepal, a good pair of Goretex shoes has proven to be the most useful thing we can think about. Not only for the intermittent and constant rains you can have in Nepal at any point, but also any small or big trekking or any other adventure.
Plus, this is going to be the best investment ever for your trips.
If you want a safe bet, then these Salomon are one of the best right now.
If you are not sure and want some more options, here you can find a list with best-reviewed ones
We are sure this is not only improving your experience in Nepal but on the rest of your trips.
Nepal Travel Tips Conclusion.
With these travel tips for Nepal, you should be able to move around the country with no issue.
Nepal is a great place to go if you like adventures and of course, one of the best places in the world for hiking.
Culture-wise, Kathmandu really offers unique and different places from what you can find in any other place in the world
That is why a visit to Nepal can be an amazing and complete travel experience
Let us know if you have any question in the comments below
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