Nepal @ Facts For The Visitors

Entry Procedure and Visa Rule

Gratis visa for all tourists who visit Nepal for 3 days or less.
Gratis visa for tourists of SAARC countries and Peoples Republic of China.

Visa Fee

 Custom Formalities

Clearance All baggage must be declared and cleared through the customs on arrival at the entry. 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.

Import

Apart from used personal belongings, visitors are allowed to bring to Nepal free of duty cigarette (200) or cigars (50), 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: binocular, movie or video camera, still camera, laptop computer, and portable music system.

Export

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

Foreign Currency & Credit Cards

Payment in hotels, travel agencies, and airlines are made in foreign exchange. Credit cards like American Express, Master and Visa are widely 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 Nepalese rupees. The receipts may be needed to change left-over Nepalese Rupees 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 the exchange counters at Tribhuvan 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. Nepalese Rupees are found in denominations of 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are found in denominations of 10, 25 and 50 paisa. One rupee equals 100 paisa.
 
Getting Around

An Airport Tourist Bus now shuttles passengers between Tribhuvan International Airport and downtown Kathmandu. Metered taxis are also easily available. One may also avail of the prepaid taxis upon arrival.There are many buses and minibuses available at Ratnapark (Old Bus Park) which depart to different destinations in the valley. There is also a Trolley Bus Service which starts at Tripureswor (near the Dashrath Stadium) and runs along the Arniko Highway and ends at Surya Vinayak (Bhaktapur). Bus services operate from early morning (5 or 6 am) till 8 or 9 p.m. Consult Kathmandu Valley map to find out the direction of your destination. Hail a taxi, which is easily recognizable by its taxi sign on top and black license plate. As a rough guide, a trip inside the city will cost anywhere between Rs 20/- to 200/- (depending on the distance). No tip is expected. A metered taxi from the airport to downtown will cost about Rs 150 to Rs 200. Private taxis may charge slightly higher than the ordinary taxis. There is also an arrangement of Night Taxi service operated by the major hotels. the fare is slightly higher than the metered taxi. One can rent a private car through a travel agent or a car rental company.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.Long distance day or night bus services are available from Kathmandu to all cities of Nepal. A new bus park has been constructed at Gongabu on the Ring Road near Balaju from where buses depart for the different destinations.Royal Nepal Airlines (RA) has an extensive network of air services in the interior of Nepal. It has scheduled connection flights from Kathmandu to Taplejung, Bhadrapur, Rajbiraj, Bhojpur, Phaplu, Lukla, Lamidanda, Tunmlingtar, Rumjatar, biratnagar, Simara, Janakpur, Ramechhap, Bharatpur, Meghuli, Pokhara, Jomsom, Manang, Baglung, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj chaurjhahari, surkhet, Dang, Dolpa, jumla, Bajura, Baitadi, dipayal, Darchula, Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Tikapur and Sanfebagar. Besides RA, other domestic airlines such as Buddha Air, Cosmic Air, Lumbini Airways, Gorkha Airlines, Karnali Air Services, and yeti Airways provide regular and charter services to popular domestic destinations

Climate

Nepal has a typical monsoonal two-season a year. There is a dry season from October to Many and there is the wet season, the monsoon, from june to September. September-November, the start of the dry season, is in many ways the best time of the year in Nepal. When monsoon just ends, the countryside is green and lush. Nepal is at its most beautiful and during this seasons there are plenty of colorful festivals to enjoy.