A few weeks ago in January, I went on my first trip to Nepal. It was actually my first solo trip ever in my life without my husband and any friends. I am so glad I went on this trip and finally checked off another item off my bucket list. Travelling alone was a scary thought, but I am glad I chose Nepal as my first destination. It is a great place for solo female travellers. Although the streets can get pretty hectic and crowded, it is safe for tourists to travel to. There can be language barriers, but I was surprised to find that many store owners, and even children are able to communicate fluently in English. Thankfully I did not have to break out my poor Nepali language skills! Since the Earthquake of 2015, the tourism industry there has decreased drastically so they value any tourists coming to Nepal to help with their economy. Keep on reading below if you’re considering or want to know more about visiting Nepal!
Arrival
The major airport in Nepal is the Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) a.k.a. Kathmandu Airport. After landing, you will have to catch a shuttle bus to/from your airplane to the airport. While I was there, it was my first monkey sighting, they were just playing in the bushes! Oh, Ive seen A LOT of monkeys during my 15 days in Nepal.
An awesome tip is to book your flights to and from Nepal during the day-time so that you can see the Himalayas. Make sure you get the window-seat! It will save you a $200 US domestic tour of the mountains!
Upon arrival at the Kathmandu Airport, there are adequate signs to direct you where to go. Most foreigners are required to get a visa upon arrival. This can be obtained easily by going to the electronic visa kiosks to fill out an application. Once the receipt is printed look for the VISA PAYMENT counter. They will ask for $25 USD (for 15 day stay) and a passport photo. If you have these readily available, it should take less than 2 minutes to process. Next, you will have to proceed to the immigration officers. Also, you will need to ensure you have the address of the residence/hotel you are staying at so you can fill it out on the form. The officers may ask you questions, but they are quite friendly to tourists.
The bag collection process was relatively smooth – lots of English signage throughout the airport. There are some water stations with safe drinking water. Washrooms in the airport are also quite clean.
Upon stepping out to the exit, this is where it gets pretty hectic. There will be a ton of people with signs, lots of cars, lots of honking and whistle-blowing. The officers will be trying to direct traffic. These officers speak very little English so it is very hard to communicate with them. There is a waiting room to the right side but it may be hard to get to with the crowd. Please be sure you know exactly where to go from the airport. There will be taxi drivers asking you if you need a ride.
Taxi’s are inexpensive in Nepal, a 30 minute ride will only cost you 500 rupees ($5 USD). However, it is best if you are going to a well-known landmark/building in the area.
There are multiple sources online that says the KTM airport has Wi-Fi available however, do not trust this! You will not be able to connect to it from the arrivals area. The departure lounges do have Wi-Fi, but there is a very weak connection.
Data/Talk/Text in Nepal is very cheap, however, you will need to get a visitors SIM card. Once a SIM card is purchased, you can purchase an additional top-up PIN – the Ncell cards (or similar) at most shops for 100 Rupees ($1 USD). It will get you 50MB and a few minutes of talk. You can top up as needed.
Things to Do
- Volunteer in Nepal. There are a lot of organizations to volunteer with in Nepal. After the Earthquake of 2015, they have been trying to repair the town – much of the city is still in ruins. I was able to find a children home from WorkAway. It was my first time with WorkAway, thankfully, my host responded to me very quickly, but there are many volunteers that could not find any placements using that membership paid site. My host family literally treated me like their family and I am so blessed to have them in my life now.
- See the Himalayas. Nepal is quite known for its trekking tours. Personally, I have not gone on a trekking trip yet in Nepal. It requires a combination of hard work, physical strength, and endurance. I have been on day hikes (to work towards a full-on trek someday)! From day hikes up the many hills or drives to the public parks, you can find the most amazing sights of Nepal. One day, my host and her friends drove us up to the Dhlikhel Mountain Resort to see the beautiful landscape of the Himilayas. I felt like we were so far up. It is a beautiful place to take photos there. While we were there, a Nepali music video was being filmed so it was quite entertaining to watch them lip-sync and dance on the mountain.
- Eat Street Food in Nepal. I am a huge foodie! Nepal was an awesome place to feed my foodie adventures! From eating Ostrich Momos to Laghing, there are so many things to try! I have read online to be careful of eating street food in Nepal, mainly due to the power outages causing a lot of the food to spoil. However, they have not experienced power outages in the city for over 2 months now. Try to stay away with foods with meat in them if you are sketical of the street food.
Street Food must trys: Momos, Safalis, Chat Patis, Pani Puris, Laghing, Samosas
- Tourist the Main Attractions. There are must-see places such as the Swayambhunath Temple a.k.a. Monkey Temple. It is home to hundreds of monkeys! It is a must-visit attraction. Be advised that you will have to go up 365 steps to get there. The cost to foreigners is 200 rupees ($2 USD). Monkey Temple as well as the Bordathath Temple is another affordable option for tourists. Only at 250 rupees ($2.50 USD) you can walk around the whole stupa (dome-shaped shrine) and witness dozens of Lamas around the area. Another must-visit attraction is the Paspinatha Hindu Temple. Here you can get a glimpse of the Hindu culture. I had mixed feelings when I was here as we witnessed a few families bringing their dead to burn. There is so much culture and beautiful architecture here. It is a hefty 1000 rupees ($10 USD) to tourists but it was worth it. Other attractions such as the Dunbar Square also charge 1000 rupees ($10 USD), many of the buildings were still in ruins and I was harassed by tour guides every few minutes.
- Ride by Motorbike in Nepal. The roads in Nepal are so dusty, and narrow. Most are not even paved. I noticed that they had traffic lights installed but they were never working. Traffic is so congested. Motorbikes squeeze through anything! Keep in mind there is hardly any gap between you and the next motorbike/car. Driving in Nepal is super scary but it’s something worth experiencing from the back seat of the motorbike. It really is the best way to get around in Nepal. Helmet? No need, but don’t ever forget your face mask to protect you from the dust!
- Haggle with Locals. You can really haggle for anything in Nepal. Especially if you look like a tourist, they will give you the “tourist price”. Try offering half or 2/3 of what their price is. The best place to get some tourist shopping done is in Thamel. It is the district near all the hotels so many tourists love to go shopping there. The best items to buy in Nepal are woolen items like cashmere scarfs, wool purses, or pouches. I bought adorable woolen slippers in the shape of rabbits. Another great buy is their Nepali Tea. I’ve been brewing a cup a day, having Nepal withdrawals!
Etiquette
- Greet people with “Namaste” and palms together.
- Nod your head to people for respect, especially anyone whose older than you.
- Eat with your right hand only.
- When giving something to someone (i.e. money, food, business card), give with both hands. If not possible, give with the right hand. Never with the left hand as it is very disrespectful.
- Do not sit with soles showing to someone.
- Serve cups with a plate under it for respect.
Other Tips
- I went in January and the temperature in Nepal ranges quite a bit. It gets very cold at night and in the morning and quite warm in the afternoon. Bring layers! (and clothes you can sleep in)
- Dogs everywhere! Literally I can spot 3-5 dogs from the doorway each day. These pups are super adorable but so loud at night! Non-stop barking from 9 pm on-wards. I had issues sleeping with the noise for the first few days but I have gotten used to it then. I’ll bring ear plugs next time!
- My friend had suggested me to bring a flashlight or lamp for emergency power outages. Thankfully there was none during the time I was there.
- Bring/Exchange for rupees. I initially thought that I could pay for items using USD, but the only place I used my USD money was in the airport.
- Be careful of the water in Nepal, it is not safe for drinking. Always purchase bottled water to drink. I was suggested to even brush my teeth with bottled water. I’ve done that for most days but some days I used local water to rinse which was fine.
- I found it difficult to get warm water. However, there is a water shortage where I lived so I wanted to have very quick showers anyway.
Please let me know if you have any questions about Nepal. I am already thinking about the next time I can go back there. 🙂
