Visiting Nepal is a unique experience, but there are some things you should know before visiting the country. We are going to share some of the things we wish we knew before visiting Nepal for the first time. Hopefully, these tips will make your trip a lot easier.

BEST TIME TO VISIT NEPAL

Weather in Nepal circles around the Monsoon, which typically begins in June and ends in September. The best views and temperature are during fall and spring, so that’s September till November and March till April. Visiting Nepal during low season (summer) has pros and cons. During this time, you can expect daily rain and power outages but.. The country will be less crowdy for sure. We visited Nepal in November and we are happy we visited the country during this season.

READ| Our 10 days itinerary in Kathmandu Valley

TOURIST VISA

You’ll need a tourist Visa to enter Nepal, luckily getting a visa is super-easy. They are available on arrival at the airport, at land border crossings, and can sometimes be arranged online in advance. Make sure you have at least 6 months validity on your passport, and 2 passport photos. You can choose between 15, 30 and 90-day entry visas, by now the prices are: 15 days: US$30 – 30 days: US$50 – 90 days: US$125.

TIP: Don’t exchange Nepalese money to pay for the visa. The fee can be paid in USD, Euro, GPB and some other currencies. Currency exchange shops at the airport have very bad rates.

Tribhuvan International Airport is old and not very efficient so expect long waits for immigration and baggage claim.

GETTING AROUND

In Nepal distances aren’t great but the roads are poor and extremely slow.

Some people decide to use the public transportation to live like a local but if you do not have enough time and not want delays you can follow our suggestion. We decided, at the end, to travel around the valley with a private car. Of course we didn’t drive, it seems impossible to drive in Nepal! We rented a car with a Nepalese driver that carried us around and gave us some tips as well.

IS NEPAL SAFE?

Yes it is! We felt very safe and relaxed during our time in Nepal and we think this country is safe for female solo travellers as well. We’re sure that the presence of spirituality in daily life and the Buddhist culture have something to do with it.

FOOD AND DRINK

The tap water in Nepal is not drinkable. It’s fine for showering but not for drinking.

Food in Nepal is DELICIOUS! Is a mix of cuisines and cultures like Indian, Tibetan and Chinese. The great news is that you’ll find vegetarian and vegan options in most places!

Do not forget to try:

  • DAL BHAT: Dal Bhat power 24 hour – this is a common saying amongst Nepalese. Dal Bhat is extremely popular in Nepal and is made of rice and a tasty lentil soup.
  • MOMO’S: we were dreaming about Momo’s for quite a long time and this was our first lunch in Nepal! These Nepalese dumplings can be filled with a variety of fillings and are served with different sauces. We actually did a cooking class where we learnt to make Momo’s and we’re still cooking them at home in Italy!

LANGUAGE

Nepali is the national language but people in cities speak fairly good English. Is good to learn a few words in Nepali too so you can greet and thank people in the village as well. You’re going to say “Namaste” and “Dhanyabad” countless times.

INTERNET

Wanna use your phone during your trip? No problem, this is very easy and cheap. We bought a Ncell sim card at the airport and it worked perfectly. Having internet is super useful if you need to have a look at the map or looking for some translation to speak with people in the villages.

MONEY

In Nepal paper money rules and you shouldn’t expect to be able to pay easily by card. ATMs and currency exchangers are everywhere but check conversion and commission fees first.

POWER OUTAGES

Nepal’s power production is struggling to satisfy the demands of the growing population so power outages are a certainty in Nepal. This happens everywhere, whether you’re in the cheapest guesthouse or in the most expensive hotel, so make sure you have a power bank to charge your devices.

SMOG AND DUST ARE EVERYWHERE

While pollution is mainly an issue in the capital city of Kathmandu, the reality is that dust will accompany you for most of the time in Nepal, this is caused by the poor state of the infrastructures. Wear a face mask when needed and everything will be fine!

ROADS

Nepal is still a developing country and it still has lots of unpaved roads. This means that your road trip through Nepal will be a slow and bumpy adventure.

BIRTHPLACE OF LORD BUDDHA

You didn’t know it, right? Yes, is true! Siddhartha was born in Lumbini, which is now a site of religious pilgrimage. Nepalis are very proud to share the birthplace with Buddha so you’ll find quite often “BUDDHA WAS BORN IN NEPAL” painted on trucks, cars, walls..

NEPAL HAS A LOT MORE TO OFFER THAN JUST MOUNTAINS

That’s true! In fact, we’ve spent 10 days in the Kathmandu Valley only. Read our guide too see how many wonderful things you can visit there.

WHERE TO STAY

If you are planning to visit the Kathmandu Valley we recommend to stay in the same place. There is no need to change accomodation every day, all those places are quite close to each other. We didn’t want to stay in the chaotic Kathmandu so we decided to use Bhaktapur as base. Great choice!

We stayed at Planet Bhaktapur and we really felt like at home. The rooms are comfortable, the garden is wonderful and they have a reeeally good restaurant inside the hotel. The best thing of this place are, of course, people. They’re super nice, kind and very helpful, they’re open to help you with itineraries, visa and trasportation if you need.