Responsible Tourism

Please be a responsible tourist. Like someone said, we request you to, “Leave only footprints, and take only photographs.”

1. Use designated routes, campsites and resting places to reduce trampling and other negative environmental impacts.
2. Respect local culture and traditions, use homestays, locally owned hotels/ lodges or campsites as much as possible to support the local livelihood.
3. Avoid/ minimize using firewood. Use common space for heating. Opt for alternatives to minimize deforestation.
4. Maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Use the litter box locally available. Carry back your own garbage while traveling through ecologically sensitive areas.
5. Encourage to place mobile toilets at a considerable distance from sources of water, river banks and springs while camping along the river sides.
6. Use the services of local guides and porters as much as possible to explore more about local environment and culture.
7. Money spent here will contribute directly to the local livelihood, women’s empowerment and environmental conservation.

Before you begin your journey we request you to abide by the above guidelines in order to safeguard the nature and culture of the area and be a responsible tourist.

Cultural Etiquette

Some tips on the common etiquettes practiced by Nepali people should be useful to visitors.

Health Guide

Health care services in Kathmandu Valley are sound. All kinds of medicines, including those imported from overseas are available in Kathmandu. Kathmandu Valley also offers the services of major general hospitals and private clinics. Health posts have been set up by the Government in different parts of rural Nepal. For major health crisis or emergency, one may have to be evacuated to Kathmandu.

Useful Tips:

1. A travel insurance policy that covers medical treatment is recommended for all tourists.
2. Similarly, we recommend you to make sure that the insurance covers activities such as trekking, rafting etc. that you will be undertaking during your stay in Nepal
3. Getting special vaccinations are not necessary when visiting Nepal.
4. We still recommend that you consult with your physician regarding special immunizing against any tropical disease.
5. It may be a good idea to get a complete check up before departure.
6. We recommend that you undertake training programs to be physically fit if you plan to go high-altitude trekking or mountaineering when you’re visiting Nepal.
7. Please read up on altitude sickness (AMS), diarrhea, Giardia, Dysentry, Cholera, Hepatitis, Rabies, Typhoid, Tetanus, Meningitis, Diptheria, Malaria and HIV/ AIDS. Information and little precautions can often save lives.
8. Please make sure that food is thoroughly cooked and served hot when eating out.
9. Please make sure that salads and fruits are washed with purified water or peeled when eating out.
10. Beware of food that has been kept out in the open for long.
11. Always make sure that your water is clean by opting for boiled and then cooled water, treated water or sealed water from reputed brand.
12. Always carry a bottle of water when trekking or venturing off away from the city/ town.
13. Do not walk bare feet on damp mud and grass in unknown areas.
14. Please do not swim in lakes and water bodies, especially where depth and vegetation are not known.
15. Always carry and use mosquito repellant when in Terai region or during summers.
16. Please have a handy medical first aid kit ready for any situation.

Medical Kit:
A simple but adequate medical kit can be very useful while traveling. The following items are recommended: Aspirin of Panadol, for pain or fever; Antihistamine, as a decongestant for colds, allergies and to help prevent motion sickness; Antibiotics, useful if traveling off beaten track but they must be prescribed; Kaolin preparation (Pepto-Bismol), Imodium or Lomotil, for upset stomach; Rehydration mixture – for treatment of severe diarrhea; Antiseptic, mercurochrome and antibiotic powder or similar dry spray- for cuts and grazes.
Other things to be included are: Calamine lotion to ease irritation from bites or stings; bandages and band aids for minor injuries; scissors, tweezers, thermometer, insect repellent, sun block lotions, chopsticks, water purification tablets, throat lozenges, moleskin, Sulamyd 10 percent eye drops, paracetamol and antacid tablets.

Permits/ Fees

Heritage Sites/ Museums / Zoo

Entrance fees must be paid before touring heritage sites around Kathmandu Valley like Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bauddhanath, Swayambhunath and Changu Narayan Temple.Entrance fees must be paid before touring Lumbini Gardens, the sanctuary of the Mayadevi Temple, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in Lumbini, Rupandehi.Entrance fees must be paid before touring the Central Zoo in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, and museums in Kathmandu Valley. Entrance fees must also be paid before touring local museums in different parts of Nepal.
Please click here for details: ENTRY FEES to Heritage Sites in Kathmandu

Trekkers’ Information Management Systems (TIMS)

Trekkers must acquire Trekkers’ Information Management Systems (TIMS) Card before the onset of their trek. TIMS Card has been mandatory to control illegal trekking operations and ensure the safety and security of the trekkers in the general trekking areas. TIMS Card helps to store the database of trekkers recording their would-be whereabouts for safety of tourists. Fees, passport copy, and passport size photograph are required to obtain TIMS Card from Tourist Service Center, Bhrikutimandap, and Trekking Agencies’ Association Nepal (TAAN) Office in Maligaon and Government registered trekking companies in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Each visitor who goes trekking through a trekking company must pay US $ 10 and each free individual trekker (FIT) must pay US $ 20 per trekking route per person per entry in equivalent Nepali Rupees only. Part of the collection will go into maintaining the trekkers’ database and in the rescue of trekkers in need of emergency services.

Trekking Permit
Special trekking permit must be acquired from the Department of Immigration, Kalikasthan, Kathmandu, for trekking to areas that fall under the Restricted Zone.
Please click here for details: Trekking Permit to Restricted Areas

Mountaineering
Mountaineering royalties must be paid at the Tourism Industry Division, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu or at the Nepal Mountaineering Association at Naxal, Kathmandu, before starting on a mountaineering expedition.
Please click here for details: Royalty for Mountaineering Royalty

National Parks/ Wildlife Reserves/ Conservations
Entry fees must be paid to enter the 20 Protected Areas in Nepal that have been divided into National Parks, Wildlife Reserves, Conservation Areas and Hunting Reserve. One must also obtain hunting license to hunt in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Please note that Dhorpatan is the only protected area where hunting is licensed.
Please click here for details: Entrance Fees to Protected Areas

Amenities

Electricity:
Major towns have electricity and the voltage available is 220-volts and 50 cycles. Load shedding or power cut is scheduled during the dry season and eases off once it begins to rain. However, most major hotels have uninterrupted power supply through their own generators.

Media:
Major Nepali daily newspapers are Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Rajdhani, Samarcharpatra, Nagarik and Annapurna Post while the English dailies are The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post, Republica and The Himalayan Times. A number of other newspapers and magazines are also available. Government audio and television news networks are Radio Nepal and Nepal Television respectively. Numerous FM radio stations and television stations are run by private organizations.

Communication

Telephone Services:
Landline and mobile phone services are available in Nepal. Network covers Kathmandu, major cities and towns and most of Nepal, except some rural Himalayan places. Nepal Telecommunications Corporation at Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, is the national service provider. There are also private service providers. Hotels and private communication centers also provide long distance telephone and fax facilities.
For calling from outside, country code for Nepal is 977 and the area code for Kathmandu is 1. For other city codes are:

To call Nepal from other countries:
00 + country code (977) + city code + telephone number
Example to call Pokhara: 00-977-61-421123
Example to call from North America : 011-977-61-421123

Telephone area codes:

S.No.	District	Area Code	Zone
1	Ilam	27	Mechi
2	Jhapa	23
3	Panchthar	24
4	Taplejung	24
5	Bhojpur	29	Koshi
6	Dhankuta	26
7	Morang	21
8	Sunsari	25
9	Sankhuwasabha	29
10	Tehrathum	26
11	Khotang	36	Sagarmatha
12	Okhaldhunga	37
13	Saptari	31
14	Siraha	33
15	Solukhumbu	38
16	Udaypur	35
17	Dhanusa	41	Janakpur
18	Dolakha	49
19	Mahottari	44
20	Ramechhap	48
21	Sarlahi	46
22	Sindhuli	47
23	Bhaktapur	1	Bagmati
24	Dhading	10
25	Kathmandu	1
26	Kavrepalanchowk	11
27	Lalitpur	1
28	Nuwakot	10
29	Rasuwa	10
30	Sindhupalchowk	11
31	Bara	53	Narayani
32	Chitwan	56
33	Makwanpur	57
34	Parsa	51
35	Rautahat	55
36	Gorkha	64	Gandaki
37	Kaski	61
38	Lamjung	66
39	Manang	66
40	Syangja	63
41	Tanahun	65
42	Baglung	68	Dhaulagiri
43	Parbat	67
44	Mustang	69
45	Myagdi	69
46	Arghakhanchi	77	Lumbini
47	Gulmi	79
48	Kapilvastu	76
49	Nawalparasi	78
50	Palpa	75
51	Rupandehi	71
52	Dang	82	Rapti
53	Pyuthan	86
54	Rolpa	86
55	Rukum	88
56	Salyan	88
57	Banke	81	Bheri
58	Bardiya	84
59	Dailekh	89
60	Jajarkot	89
61	Surkhet	83
62	Dolpa	87	Karnali
63	Humla	19
64	Jumla	87
65	Kalikot	87
66	Mugu	19
67	Achham	97	Seti
68	Bajang	92
69	Bajura	97
70	Doti	94
71	Kailali	91
72	Baitadi	95	Mahakali
73	Dadeldhura	96
74	Darchula	93
75	Kanchanpur	99
	V- Sat	19

Transportation

Public Transportation:
There are many buses, minibuses, micro buses and three-wheelers available for different destinations in the valley. Similarly, the Sajha Yatayat has recently resumed bus services along two routes in the valley. It is currently operating along Kalanki, Kalimati, Tripureshwor, Nayabaneshwor, Sinamangal and Airport, and along Satdobato, Jawalakhel, Tripureshwor, Jamal, Teaching Hospital and Naya Bus Park. The buses can be recognized by their green color and the name “Sajha Yatayat” on them. The bus stops only at designated bus stops, therefore, one has to identify the nearest Sajha bus stop to be able to board one.

Metered Taxi:
Consult Kathmandu valley map to find out the direction of your destination. Hail a taxi, which is easily recognized by its taxi sign on top and black license plate. As a rough guide, a taxi will charge Rs. 30 per kilometer. No tip is expected. Private taxis may charge slightly higher.
Night taxi service can also be arranged and operated by major hotels. Fare is slightly higher than metered taxi. One can rent a private car through a travel agent or a car rental company.

Hired Mountain Bike/ Ordinary Bicycle:
Mountain bikes and ordinary bicycles are cheap and the best form of transportation for economy tourists. One can hire them at Thamel, Rani Pokhari and Jhochhen, all in Kathmandu.

Long Distance Bus Service:
Long distance day or night bus services are available from Kathmandu to all cities of Nepal. New Bus Park at Gongabu at Ring Road near Balaju, Kathmandu, from where buses depart to different destinations. Six-seater Sumo Tata van, 12-seater van and air-conditioned mini buses are also available for long distance travel.

Domestic Air Service:
Nepal Airlines has an extensive network of air services to major parts of the country. Besides Nepal Airlines, other domestic airlines (there are more than 18 in operation) provide regular and chartered services to popular domestic destinations.

Business Hours

Nepal is five hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT.

Business hours within the Valley:
Government offices are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday in summer and from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. in winter. On Fridays Government offices open from10 a.m. to 3p.m. Most business offices including travel, trekking and tour agencies are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Embassies and international organizations are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Most shops open after 10 a.m. and close at about 8 p.m. and are usually closed on Saturdays.

Business hours outside the Valley:
Government offices are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday in summer and from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. in winter. On Fridays Government offices open from10 a.m. to 3p.m. Banks are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays, banks remain open until 12 p.m. only. Business offices are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Recently many private banks have re-organized to have different branches open at various different times making banking hours longer. If one branch is closed another will be open.

Foreign Currency and Credit Cards

Payment in hotels, travel agencies, and airlines are made in foreign exchange. Credit cards like American Express, Master and Visa are accepted at major hotels, shops, and restaurants. Remember to keep your foreign exchange encashment receipt while making foreign exchange payments or transferring foreign currency into Nepali rupees. The receipts may be needed to change left-over Nepali currency into hard currency before leaving the country. However, only 10 percent of the total amount may be converted by the bank. ATM is widely in use in Kathmandu.
Major banks, hotels and exchange counters at Tribhuvan International Airport provide services for exchanging foreign currency.Exchange rates are published in English dailies such as The Rising Nepal, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times. Nepali currency notes are found in denominations of Rupees 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are found in denominations of Rupees 5, 2 and 1. One rupee equals 100 paisa.

Custom Formalities

Customs:
All baggage must be declared and cleared through the customs on arrival at the entry point. Personal effects are permitted free entry. Passengers arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green Channel for quick clearance without a baggage check. If you are carrying dutiable articles, you have to pass through the Red Channel for detailed customs clearance.

Import:
Apart from used personal belongings, visitors are allowed to bring to Nepal free of duty: cigarettes (200 sticks) or cigars (50 sticks), distilled liquor (one 1.15 liter bottle), and film (15 rolls). You can also bring in the following articles free of duty on condition that you take them out with you when you leave: binoculars, movie or video camera, still camera, laptop computer, and portable music system.

Export:
The export of antiques requires special certification from the Department of Archeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu. It is illegal to export objects over 100 years old, such as sacred images, paintings, manuscripts that are valued for culture and religious reasons. Visitors are advised not to purchase such items as they are Nepal’s cultural heritage and belong here.

Driving into Nepal:
Overland tourists entering Nepal with their vehicles must possess an international carnet.

For more information on customs matters,
Please Click on http://www.customs.gov.np
(official Web site of the Department of Customs)
or Please Contact the Chief Customs Administrator, TIA Customs Office at 4470110, 4472266.)

Accommodation

Nepal has every category of accommodation facilities that range from international standard star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. To ensure quality service, it is advisable to use the facilities and services of Government registered hotels, lodges and homestays. Most hotels offer a choice: bed and breakfast; bed, breakfast and one other meal; or room and full board. During spring and fall, hotels work at near full capacity and are booked well in advance. Therefore, it would be a good idea to check well in advance and book hotels as per need if traveling to Nepal in the peak season.

Moderate accommodation facilities are also available in some parts of Kathmandu like Thamel. In such cases, room rates may not include toilets and showers, unless otherwise indicated. Toilets and showers in such cases are generally communal and heating may require additional charges. Such small hostelries are preferred by budget tourists and FITs.

Accommodation facilities are available in the mountain tourist areas. While trekking to some areas tenting may be the only alternative if resident villages are scanty and long way off trekking routes. However, most trekking routes have lodges or tea houses to accommodate tourists. Still to be on the safer side, we recommend that tourists look up on such information before embarking on their journey.

For accommodation in rural areas, please contact the local homestay authorities.
For more information about accommodation,
Please log on to http://www.hotelassociationnepal.org/
(official Web site of Hotel Association of Nepal).
We also recommend that you look up on our Web site directory for hotels and resorts.

Traveling by Road

All visitors entering Nepal by land must use these designated entry points and may not enter from any other point:
(1) Kakkarvitta
(2) Birgunj
(3) Belhiya, Bhairahawa
(4) Nepalgunj
(5) Dhangadi and
(6) Mahendranagar in the Nepal-India border and
(7) Kodari in the Nepal-China border.