NEPAL

Nepal is an enchanting kingdom, nestled in the Himalayas between China and India. For a small territory, the country boasts an uncommonly diverse terrain, including 8 of the world’s top 10 highest mountains. Nepali folklore is often illustrated in dance and music and the people are open to sharing their traditions. Although tourism is steadily increasing, Nepal’s remote location has kept the culture widely unaffected from outside influences.

It really depends on your destination, activities and season of travel. Our destination specialists will recommend certain travel times after learning more about your preferences. The favorable months are usually September – November and February – April. The monsoon season is June – August.

Nepali is the official language. It has roots in Sanskrit and is written in Devengari script. English is understood by most people in the cities. In the villages,different ethnic groups speak their own languages.

Nepal is one of the new democratic countries in the world with many active political parties, ideas, ideologies and leaders. As such there might be some disturbances in some parts of the country. But it does not and will not affect the daily life of the residents in the other parts. Life moves on as usual, unperturbed.

It all depends on your destination and season of travel. Generally speaking, Nepal is a conservative country. We recommend that travelers not wear clothing that is too short, tight, or revealing. Medium-weight and easy to wash cottons are recommended year-round in the Kathmandu valley. From October to February, we also suggest woolen sweaters, jackets or similar warm outfits. Pack comfortable walking shoes, including sandals and athletic shoes. A head cover may be required for women and men at sacred sites and places of worship. For trekking and adventure itineraries, a list of suggested clothing items and supplies will be provided.

ATMs are available throughout Nepal and their accessibility has been expanding gradually even in rural areas. There are numerous ATM kiosks in Pokhara and Kathmandu that have regularly working machines and accepts majority of the international cards. In the present day, most of the cities and some places in the trekking trails of Everest Base Camp trek have ATM facilities. By and large, the best places to hunt down ATMs are around Thamel in Kathmandu and Lakeside in Pokhara.

Nepal has four distinct seasons namely spring, summer (monsoon), autumn and winter. Spring lasts from March to mid-May where days are quite warm and late spring may experience some rain showers. Temperatures during spring hover around 22-24°C.

The summer or monsoon season sets in from late May until August or first week of September. The hills turn lush and green during this season while the temperature gets warmer, somewhere up to 30°C or sometimes more during heat waves. Trekking in Nepal is extremely unfavorable during summer as the trails become wet, muddy and slippery.

Autumn starts from September and goes until November. It gets cool with clear skies making it the most popular season for trekking in Nepal. During this season, the temperatures are just perfect with a maximum of 25°C during day and a minimum of 10°C in the cool nights. Normally, Nepal does not receive more than 2 to 3 days of rain during the whole autumn and winter months.

Winter in Nepal begins from December and goes until February. Nights get very cold with temperatures sometimes even below zero. The maximum temperature in winter during the day however, can go up to 20°C. During the winter season, the mountains get enveloped with snow offering breathtaking views of the towering Himalayan
peaks.