5 Must Know Things Before Deciding a Trip to Nepal

Everest Base Camp Trek Video

People type and search things to know before deciding a trip in Nepal on Google and other social media platforms and find a number posts about the topic. Though you are fed a number of information about things you should before deciding a trip to Nepal, you have to be very selective to the authentic ones. If you go haphazardly through article and the information, you may be misled while traveling in Nepal and before deciding a trip to Nepal. Ultimately, your vacation trip will be nasty. So, you must be very watchful about the must know things to know before departing to Nepal from your country. 

Various things are must know things before deciding a trip to Nepal but a few things are much more important things to know before departing from your country. There are 5 must know things before deciding a trip to Nepal. They are:  Weather Condition, Geography and Culture, Currency, Food and Accommodation and Health and Securities. Now, let’s talk these 5 must know things about Nepal before deciding a vacation trip in Nepal detail.

1: Weather Condition

Nepal goes through 4 weather conditions. They are Autumn ( Sep-Nov), Winter ( Dec-Feb), Spring ( Mar-May) and Summer ( Jun-Aug). Autumn is the finest time of the year for traveling in Nepal especially, trekking in Nepal. The temperature ranges between 18-32 degree celcius in the cities and 5-24 in the mountain areas of Nepal. The surrounding is magnificently astonishing and the air is very fresh. If you go to the mountain area, you will find the mountain views simply marvelous. There is no snowfall and rainfall during Autumn. It is very convenient time to go here and there; in the cities and in the mountains in Nepal in Autumn. So that, the travelers find Autumn as the best weather condition for deciding a vacation trip in Nepal. 

Then, how is Winter? May be the question. Actually, is harsh and difficult in Nepal. The temperature grows between even negative in Mountain region and 25 degree Celsius and it ranges between 9- 26 degree Celsius in cities of Nepal. However, late winter and pre-winter are a bit milder and travelers even go with these weather conditions for travelling in Nepal. But, during the mid winter, it is almost impossible to travel in mountain region of Nepal. There are a lot of risks of heavy snowfall and avalanches. So, it is not recommended to make any kind of long distance travel/trekking/ climbing trip during the climax of winter in Nepal. Spring? Spring is another good time to travel in Nepal after Autumn. Spring is relatively hotter than Autumn and most of the climbing and expedition trips take place during Spring in Nepal. so, this is also one of the best times of the year from traveling. The hills are covered with new blossoms and you can enjoy new and migratory wildlife and birds during this season while travelling in Nepal. If you decide a trip to Nepal during Spring, it won’t depress you; it will delight you. The temperature during Springtime ranges between 6-27 Degree Celsius in the mountain region. But, it may rain sometimes during Springtime. 

Summer is not a favorable season to travel in Nepal. Nepal is a mountainous country and the roadways are disturbed by heavy rainfall and landslides. Mountain roads are closed due to heavy rain and the threat of landslides. Travelling a long distance during Summer is almost impossible. Even in some lower mountain region, it rains a lot and disrupts transportation. However, some trekking trips nearby the cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara are still possible if you love waking in the rail. Summer is  very hot in Nepal and the temperature in mountain region ranges between 7-28 degree celcius. 

If you want to learn about weather in Nepal in an extensive way, the article weather-in-nepal will give you very authentic information about how is the weather in Nepal in a year and get benefit out of it. This way, you can prepare your Nepal trip in more reliable and more organized way. 

2: Geography and Culture 

How is the geography of Nepal and how is the culture? Thing is a must thing to know before deciding a trip to Nepal. Wherever you decide to go, either in mountain or city, it is very important thing to know about Nepal’s culture and geography. Then, let’s see how the geography and the culture of Nepal in details are.

1: Geography

Nepal is divided into three regions geographically. They are Hill, Himal and Terai. Himal(mountain) is cold all round the year, Hill is mild and Terai is hotter relatively. Terai belt is plain, Hill and Himal are mostly hills and mountains. It’s very tough geography in Hills and Himal comparing to Terai region. Trekking, Hiking, climbing and mountaineering are organized in the Hills and Himal and some safari and tours are held in Terai. Nepal’s geography’s elevation ranges between 59 meters (194 ft) to 8848.86m. The top of the world is Mt. Everest. The other popular mountain summits are Kanchnejungha, Annapurna, Makalu, Dhaulagiir, Manaslu etc. These all mountain summits are located in Himali region.

Himali or Himalayan region of Nepal is one of the most popular travelling destinations for trekking, climbing and mountain expeditions. The trekking like Everest trekking, Annapurna trekking, Manaslu Trekking and Upper Mustang Trekking are very well known among the international travelers and thousands of them go Nepal for doing these adventure trekking. 

Mainly, roadways connect the various geography of Nepal. However, domestic flights also make connections to various mountain regions and airports of Nepal like Lukla, Jomsom, Nepaljung, Ramechhap etc. 

2: Culture 

Cultural Variety is one of the major attractions of travelling in Nepal. A wide range of society combinely make a beautiful Nepal. Every different group of people and the community has got different culture to follow. However, Nepalese love and each others culture and there is good co-operation among the communities. Therefore, there is no record of cultural and religious violence  in Nepal like in other countries. 

Nepali culture is basically guided by two religious backgrounds, Hindu and Buddhsim. People worship different deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Krishna, Parbati, Sarswati, Laxmi, Gautam Buddha and so on. They perform various cultural activities from birth to death. Major festivals are like Dashain, Tihar, Maghi,Chhat, Lhosar etc. 

Not only the Nepali culture is guided by Hindu and Buddhist religions but it also follow other religions like Muslim and Christian. But only few Muslim and Christina communities are there in Nepal comparing to Hindu and Buddhist. 

In Nepal, various popular cultural and religious tours like Nepal Pilgrimage Tour, Hindu Pilgrimage Tour, UNESCO World Heritage Tour and many more among the travelers of the world. You can astonishingly enjoy and celebrate these cultural and religious tours in Nepal and Nepal is known as the holy land of gods and goddesses with myriad of Himalayas even the top of the world Mt. Everest.   

Nepalese are found always smiling and ready to help each other in crisis. People travelling in Nepal will find this distinct characteristic of Nepalese people during their visit. Namaste is the first and most important greeting ever among the people. These people address people from overseas as guests and they regard guests as god and goddesses. Nepal is popular for pilgrimage tour and treks too. 

These people are not rude, vulgar like F…K is not accepted like in western society. Hugging tightly, wearing very tight and skinny cloth is not considered to be good. Kissing in public places and embracing is supposed to be uncivilized and barbaric. However, these things are easily digested in the major cities like Kathmandu  and Pokhara but it may be problem in mountain and hills while trekking and hiking.  

3: Currency 

Of course, budget matters a lot during a travel. One cannot even imagine of travelling without it. And while talking about the budget, we need to think about the currency of a particular country that you are going to use during a travel/ vacation. Broadly speaking, what types of currencies you are going to use while you are making a vacation in abroad will be very important for you because you are going to prepare the right amount of right currency you are using for your holiday package. Same thing goes in case of travelling in Nepal. 

Nepal hash its own currency that is Nepali Rupee. It is similar to Indian rupee. You can use Nepali Rupee all across Nepal from major cities to remote villages. However, major cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara can easily accept USD, AUD, Pound Sterling, Euro and Indian Currency( Rupee). But in case of remote villages and other countryside in Nepal, Nepali currency is preferred. So, it is recommended to make an exchange of Nepali currency of any other currency like USD, Euro, AUD, Pound Sterling and Indian Rupee. You can estimate the budget and make an exchange before you begin your holidays in Nepal. 

Also, major cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara offer the travelers many Banks, ATMs and money exchangers from where you can exchange your currencies. Other currencies except AUD, USD, Pound Sterling, Euro, Nepali Currency and Indian Currency will hardly be accepted in Nepal. So, the travelers who are traveling in Nepal are recommended to prepare the currency accordingly.

4: Food and Accommodation 

Food and Accommodation are very important aspects of travelling. One should know about food and accommodation of a country where they are heading for and stay there. Moreover, during a travel, food and accommodation are more important. They play vital role to turn their vacation trips into memorable and exiting ones. Similarly, learning about Nepali food and accommodation is a must thing before deciding a trip to Nepal. 

1. Food

Nepal offers varieties of dishes ranging from local to continental, Chinese, Indian, Italian and Japanese. Tourists can enjoy the food they wish to have while they are in major cities like Kathmandu, Chitwan, Pokhara, Nagarkot, Butwal and Biratnagar. But, if they go to the mountain areas for trekking, hiking, climbing and any other adventure activities, they have to depend on certain items of foods like especially Nepali, some continental, Chinese and Indian. The local guesthouse, teahouses and hotels offer them these foods as mentioned in their food menu.

Nepali Daal Bhat is very popular in Nepal. It can be enjoyed with curry, pickle and meat items. You can have this item wherever you go because Daal Bhat is staple food in Nepal. Interestingly, you can see the slogan highlighting the Daal Bhat, ‘ Daal Bhat Power, 24 Hour’ on the trekking trails like Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Manaslu Circuit Trek and many other trekking trails. Most of the travelers love having Nepali Daal Bhat during their stay in Nepal. 

You can also carry some light foodstuffs for you in case you go starved in the mountain and cities. But carrying heavy foodstuffs in the mountain will be burdensome for you and for your porters who carry your luggage. So, it is recommended to carry only some light snacks like toffees, chocolates, candies and some dry and light snacks like dry meat. In summary, local home-stays, lodges, guesthouses, hotels  and resorts are the main sources of foods in Nepal. 

2. Accommodation 

Accommodation in Nepal ranges from ordinary homestays, local teahouses/lodges to luxury star hotels.

 if you are travelling in the developed cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, you can easily get the accommodation you want. But, if you are going for trekking/hiking/climbing/mountaineering, then, you have to depend on local lodges, teahouses and hotels run by local people. If you are doing a climbing or mountaineering, then, you have to spend the nights in tents. So, accommodation varies as per your trip type. 

The accommodation in cities in hotels will be very fine and cozy while you will not get such type accommodation in mountain areas. There will very basic accommodation in homestays, local lodges, and guesthouses. However, the accommodation will be fine enough to spend a couples of nights. The accommodation during the trekking/hiking in the mountain will be twin sharing basis and the toilets will not be attached; it will be outside of the room and will be sharing basis. So, get mentally ready to use the toilet on sharing basis and the room as well. You can get a separate accommodation but needs to pay supplementary cost during the trekking in Nepal in the mountain. For this you have to make a prior request to the trip operator. 

The accommodation in Nepal especially in the mountain will be crowded and packed in the peaks trekking season like Autumn (Sep-Nov). You may not get the accommodation you want easily on time since a large number of people make request for reservation of accommodation. It means, you need to prepare for this as well for the inconvenience of accommodation during Autumn in the mountain, on the trekking trails.