Useful Guide For First Time Nepal Travelers

Visiting Nepal for first time? Have you ever heard about traveling to Nepal for tours, treks and Himalayan adventures? Well if you haven’t then Nepal is geographically small country, however well diversified and rich in nature, culture and adventure.  If you are traveling Nepal for the first time then there might be many queries. In response to  try to answer your queries here I have prepared some useful guides for first time Nepal travelers.

Booking your Nepal Trips

Your Trip Organizing Company could be the deciding factor in either making or breaking your trip. Therefore it is very important to choose your travel planner wisely. Here we have top 5 reasons to go with local trekking company in Nepal.

Useful Nepali Language

Knowing few local languages can come handy. Speaking few words with locals will not only bring you more closer to them, it also creates the bond and helps you stand out from others.

We have translated few Nepali words and phrases commonly used while trekking, tours etc.as follows:

‘Namaste’: Hello

‘Chocolates khaane?’: Do you want to have chocolates?

‘Jam Jam’: Lets go now

‘Tyo himal ko naam k ho?’: What is the name of that peak?

‘Yesko kati parchha?’: What is its price?

‘Nepali shawls kaha paaincha?: Where can I buy Nepali shawls?

‘Thakai laagyo, ekchhin basum’: I am tired. Let’s stay here for a while.

‘Haitt!’ : Oh no!

‘Dhanyabad’: Thank you

Safety Tips

From getting travel insurance for high altitude treks to buying a face mask in Kathmandu to avoid air pollution and being well informed about altitude sickness, safety always should be your number one priority. Basically Nepal is safe country to travel. Diversified people from hundreds of ethnic groups from numerous religious backgrounds live peacefully unified as single Nepali citizen. On the other hand even though being severly affected by natural disasters like 2015 earthquake, now, Nepal is safe destination for all travelers.

Watch out the best time to go, have proper information on things to do and avoid, always ask for safety tips to your trip planner before joining in. Here we have few safety tips for trekking in Nepal.

How to Cross Streets at Kathmandu

Always use zebra crossing and overhead bridge (wherever available) to cross the streets being defensive and looking at both sides of streets while crossing a road. Streets of Kathmandu are filled with plenty of bikes, cars, buses and trucks along with cow, dog, cat and any possible other thing. Therefore we must acknowledge that streets are filled with idiots, we must try not to be one of them.

Another useful tip would be crossing the road when local people cross. Simply following them can be a wise thing to do if you don’t see zebra crossing or overhead bridge nearby.  Also we would like you read this article for knowing how to reach Thamel from Kathmandu airport.

Best Time to Visit Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath

Swayambhunath is also well known as Monkey temple that gives awesome sunrise views overlooking the city and fewer crowd compared to other timings. So, best time to visit Swayambhunath is early in the morning for fresh air, nice views and understand local lifestyle avoiding crowd. It is popular morning walk site for local inhabitants and you can see many people exercising, jogging, street vendors, tea shops, Lamas circuiting the stupa and of course monkeys hanging around here and there.

Later, we suggest you to visit Boudhanath at dusk right before sunset to see awesome serene view of largest Boudhanath Stupa, then after take a short drive to nearby Pashupatinath temple to see evening prayers with light at Pashupatinath.  Or else, you can first visit Pashupatinath area as it is large space, visit nearby forest, temples, observe cremation site and give a visit to Boudhanath Stupa to see colorful decorated lights enjoying nice meals at one of many standard restaurants around.

Try Dumplings, Dal Bhat and Many more

When you are new to any foreign country, it gives you chance to taste new food, dishes and delicacies otherwise you would never heard of.  The most common food in Nepal is Dal Bhat Tarkari which is basically rice, lentil soup with vegetables and other extras. Almost all Nepali have this food twice a day and proves the popular saying ‘ Dal Bhat power 24 hour’.

Another popular food is momos, or dumplings varieties of which available at almost every restaurants in Nepal. If you are in Kathmandu, ask your local guide or trip organizer to take you at local Newari restaurant. Newars are local inhabitants of capital city, similarly Sherpas at Everest region and Gurung/Magars at Annapurna. What we suggest is that atleast try some local dish that you had never had before. One popular food blog or video magazine is MS Vmag Hunger Hunt that might help you get more detail info on food/ popular restaurant mostly around Kathmandu valley.

Don’t miss Pokhara

If you are planning for Annapurna region treks, then Pokhara might be already on your itinerary. However, spending few extra days at Pokhara is always highly recommended regardless any trip you choose and any time you come. From beautiful Annapurna Himalayas like Machhapuchre, Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri at close proximity to simply enjoy lakeside activities and visit major attractions from caves, temples, museums, waterfalls, to stupas and popular viewpoint of Sarangkot for sunrise. At least plan two days at Pokhara if you are interested in other adventurous activities like paragliding, bungee jumping, zip flying and rafting etc.

Understanding the Art of Giving it Back

You will be the happiest person if you know the art of giving it back. Giving it back here refers to giving the feel of happiness back to those who made you happy. In other words, contributing the locals by buying locally produced goods as souvenirs, tipping is not mandatory, however, it is expected and good way to support local economy that helps in creating employment opportunities.

Therefore, with the hope that you find these travel tips useful, if you have any other queries or curiosity about visiting Nepal, then don’t hesitate to ask by simply commenting on box below.