Health

You don’t need malaria tablets in Nepal, since while malaria is present you are unlikely to be going to the parts where it’s an issue. Dengue fever is a problem in Nepal though, and while it’s probably not present in the areas you’ll go to, it’s best to take steps to avoid getting bitten. Plug-in repellent and coils that you light are cheap and easily available. Bring some decent repellent, because mozzies are a pain in Nepal, even if they’re not carrying anything nasty.

You absolutely should not drink the tap water in Nepal.

Accommodation

Kathmandu is okay value to stay in for a big city, and great value to eat in, which is a relief if you are left waiting around for an Indian visa. For a good budget/lower mid range hotel expect to pay £17-20 per night depending on location. That will get you air con, breakfast, a kettle and hot water. It’s rare for budget hotels here to have lifts. They also tend to have small entrances and reception areas, but many have a secure courtyard to lock your bike in.

Outside of Kathmandu you’re looking at around £10 a night for an equivalent room.

The word “hotel” does not necessarily mean a place to stay, it usually means a restaurant. The word you need is “lodge.” “Hotel and Lodge” means somewhere to both stay and eat. The word “guesthouse” also indicates somewhere to stay.

Looking up potential places to stay on Google maps is a bit of a minefield too. You can easily have a quick glance to check there are plenty of pink and white bed signs on the map and think “great, lots of places to stay.” But when you actually look closely at them they are just restaurants, or tour agencies or even car repair shops. The reviews don’t help either. Lots of reviews whose entirety is “fine” or “not ok.” And lots of useless pictures that people post showing their car, their kid, their face, a field. Why do people do this?

Food & Drink

The best food we have had on our travels, and it’s not close. In Kathmandu, at basic cafes and tandooris, expect to pay NPR:

170/200/220/250 for Veg/Egg/Paneer/Chicken curries

150/180 for a plate of Veg/Meat Momo

250/300/350 for Veg/Chicken/Mutton Biryani

400 for half tandoori chicken

150 for Veg Daal Bhat

30/70/90 for Roti/Butter naan/ Garlic Naan

(September 2023)

Outside Kathmandu costs are 30-50% less.

Beer is comparatively really expensive though. A 500ml bottle at a restaurant is about 500 rupees.

Plugs

There are three types of plugs/sockets used in Nepal. None of them is more common than the others, although rooms will often have more than one type and maybe all three. It’s pot luck which ones they’ll have. The types are: The two-prong type used in SE Asia; the three-pronged type used in the UK; a three pronged type that seems unique to Nepal.

Roads & Traffic

Driving is on the left.

Inner Kathmandu is either a maze of small, narrow roads or wider roads of chaos. There are lots of one-way streets (which is generally adhered to) which makes it a particular pain to navigate. There is no giving way on the roads. Not at junctions and not at roundabouts. The best strategy is to pick a moped and shadow it as you negotiate intersections, using it as a shield to your right. Other than that you just have to clench your arse and go for it. Some of the junctions have traffic police directing these. Those ones are little bit more organised, but you can still expect chaos.

The ring road around the city is indescribable. The tar has long since been obliterated, so it’s a four-lane-each-way strip of craters and dust and stones. It’s full of traffic of all sizes, none of it really following any rules. Buses in particular will just pull out or stop without warning.

The highway leading out of Kathmandu east/west is in okay condition. It’s busy with trucks and lorries, and there’s not a big shoulder, but there’s enough of one to stay out of the way.

The main issue, apart from the danger of being crushed by a lorry, is that vehicles (motorbikes in particular) pull out without warning, so vigilance is needed at all times in the cities or on the highway.

The roads north of Kathmandu are very quiet and in pretty good condition. There is some great cycling and spectacular scenery to be had on the roads that join at Bidur.

The roads up to Nagarkot (where you can get views of Everest on a clear day) are in very good condition right up until the final few kilometres, and then they are shit. Suntole Marg/F026 is the northernmost route up. It’s the quietest, steepest and has the best scenery. Both the north and south routes of the F028 (it runs up from Bhaktapur and kind of splits into a loop with Nagarkot at one end) are bigger roads, in good condition, still pretty quiet, and not as steep.   

Visa – Getting one on the road / outside your home country

You will need a visa to enter Nepal. If you are on the road and can’t apply in your home country then you can either get one on arrival, or apply online in advance. It is not the most organised place in the world, so you are much better off doing the latter and having everything ready. If you apply online in advance it is still called a visa on arrival – that is the terminology used at the airport.

The website where you apply online is confusing. This is the homepage with the application options:

https://nepaliport.immigration.gov.np/

The option you want is “Visa Pre Arrival.” You will need to upload a picture of your passport and a separate passport photo. If you go through the online form and don’t get asked to do this, then it is not the right form. At the end of the process you will get a document with your details and a reference number. You need to print a physical copy of this – a copy on your phone won’t be accepted. This form is valid for 15 days. The cost of the visa is US$50, which you pay on arrival. Ideally you should take this in US dollars.

As you exit Kathmandu (Tribhuvan) airport terminal there is a counter specifically for payment of visa on arrival. It’s a tiny airport, so you can’t really miss it. If you don’t have the US dollars, there is a cash point right beside the counter where you can withdraw the equivalent in Nepalese rupees. When we were there it did not accept Mastercard, only Visa. Hand over your visa form and your cash and you will be given back the form and another printed form as a receipt. Now you can go through passport control with your forms (you’ll also need your boarding pass) and get your stamp.

No vaccination information was asked for.

The tourist visa is valid for 30 days. Extensions are possible. You complete a form online applying for an extension. See the link above, but this time the box you click is the very obvious “visa extension” one. Complete the form and take a printed copy along to the Immigration Office in either Kathmandu or Pokhara (those are the only two options.) You need the form, your passport and the correct fee. It is US$45 for a 15 day extension, and US$3 per day in addition to that up to 30 days.