General Information

Visa for Nepal

A visa is required to enter Nepal expect for Indian national. Visa for Nepal can be obtained from any Royal Nepalese Embassy or Consulate or at the airport upon arrival.
  1. A single-entry visa for 60 days costs US$ 30

  2. Additional re entry cost US$ 25 - single ; US$ 40 - Double; US$ 60 - Multiple.

  3. Visitors who inted to re- enter the country within 150 days after leaving the country douring the same visa year, entry visa fee is US$ 50 for 30 days

  4. For visitor intending to stay more then 60 days, tourist visa extension fee is equivalent of US$ 50 (in Nepalese currency) for 30 days from the immigration.

  5. Business visa (with multiple entry) can be obtained from the Immigration for the period of one year and five years upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Industry by paying the equibalent of US$ 100 and 250 respectively in Nepalese currency for the foreign investors.

  6. Children under 10 years need not pay any visa fees.

  7. Chinese citizen are requested to apply in Royal Nepalese Embassy or other Nepalese diplomatic missions as there is no provision of on arrival visa for them.
GEOGRAPHY
The kingdom of Nepal covers an area of 147,181 square kilometers, and stretches 145-241 kilometers north to south and 850 kilometers west to east. The country is located between India in the south and Tibet of China in the north. At latitudes 26 and 30 degrees north and longitudes 80 and 88 degrees east, Nepal is topographically divided into three regions: the Himalayas to the north, the Hills consisting of the Mahabharat range and the Churia Hills in the middle, and the Terai in the south. Elevations are varied from the highest point on earth-Mt. Everest (8848 m) in the north and the lowest point, a mere 70 meters above sea level in the south.

PEOPLE
The people of Nepal are as variable and intriguing as the country's geography. Through the country is an unfolding tapestry of ethnic groups, such as Newars, Tharu and Sherpas each with its own distinct language, customs, houses and dress.

HISTORY
In the middle of the 18th century, the country of Nepal was unified from numerous small principalities by King Prithvi Narayan Shah. In 1846, the power was usurped by the Rana Prime minister, who ruled the country for more than 100 years. In 1951, the Shah Dynasty was reinstated and Nepal opened its doors to the outside world. Today, Nepal is a democratic constitutional monarchy, under the aegis of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

RELIGION
Hinduism is the official religion of the Kingdom of Nepal and is practiced by the majority. Many people throughout the country are Buddhists and the two religious have co-excited in harmony throughout Nepal's history. In fact, Hinduism and Buddhist are so intertwined that their temples often share the same location and rites of both faiths may be practiced by a single family. Christianity and Islam have a small number of adherents. Whatever their religion, almost all the people of Nepal also have animistic beliefs. Shamans are widely used for curing, and mountains, trees and stones are revered in every corner of the country.

LANGUAGE
The official language of Nepal is Nepali and written in Devanagari script. English is understood and spoken by majority of people in Kathmandu valley and other major cities.

CLIMATE
Nepal enjoys a variety of climates, the seasons in Kathmandu are divided into Winter (November - January ), Summer ( April - August), and Autumn (September\October). In the winter the average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius during the day and 4 degrees during the night. During the warmer months the temperature varies between 25 - 35 degree Celsius. Pokhara and Royal Chitwan National Park and the Terai plains are 5 - 10 degrees hotter than in Kathmandu. The climate of Nepal varies from area depending upon the altitude of the place. A visit to Nepal is possible all the year round. But activities like mountain flight, jungle safari excursions, rafting and trekking are best from October till May.

MAXIMUM-MINIMUM TEMPERATURES
(in degrees Celsius;*rainy season)
 
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Kathmandu
19-2
20-4
25-8
30-11
30-16
30-20*
30-21*
29-20*
27-19
23-15
23-4
20-2
Pokhara
20-8
21-8
27-11
30-16
30-19
30-20*
30-21*
30-21*
29-20*
27-18
23-11
20-8
Chitwan
24-7
26-8
33-12
35-18
35-20
35-23*
33-24*
33-24*
32-22*
31-18
29-12
24-8


Other places: Bhairahawa (max 43-min 6); Gorkha (36-7); Janakpur (40-8); Jiri (28-minus)

CLOTHING
Warm clothing are required from November to February and Tropical wear from March till October.

WATER
In Nepal tap water is not recommended for drinking. All the major hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu, Pokhara & Chitwan avail customers with boiled and filtered water. Mineral water also is available in most of the places. Elsewhere, it is advisable to use water sterilization tablets or stick to tea and bottled soft drinks.

ENTERING NEPAL
The capital Kathmandu is linked by air with London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Shanghai, Osaka, Hongkong, Bangkok, Singapore, Bombay, Calcutta, Varanasi, New Delhi, Moscow, Lhasa, Paro, Dubai, Dhaka, Karachi, and Doha. Besides the national flag carrier Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation, Indian Airlines, Thai airways International, Singapore Airlines, Bangladesh Biman, Pakistan International Airlines, China South West Airlines, Druk Air, Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Austrian Airline, Transavia Airline, Gulf Air operate their schedule flight to Kathmandu. Travels may also enter the country by surface through five major entry points to Nepal- from India : - Kakarbhitta, Biratnagar, Birgung, Bhairahawa from India and kodari from Tibet.

CUSTOMS
Passengers arriving at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green Channel .

Export of object over 100 years old (sacred images, paintings, and manuscripts etc.) is illegal. The export of metal statues, sacred paintings and similar objects has to be certified by The Department of Archaeology.

PASSPORT
A valid passport is required for all the nationals except Indian.

AIRPORT TAX
An airport tax of Rs. 770.00 for the passengers departing to a member country of SAARC and Rs. 11000.00 for the travel to a third country has to be paid. The airport tax is subject to change by the concerned authority.

TIME & OFFICE HOURS & WEEKENDS
The Nepal Standard Time is 5 Hours 45 Minutes ahead of GMT. Government offices open from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Banks are open from 9 AM to 5PM Monday through Friday while most of the business houses are open from 9 AM to 5 PM Sunday through Friday.

LOCAL CURRENCY
Nepalese currency unit is Rupees (locally pronounced Rupiah) and denoted by currency symbol Rs. One Rupees is subdivided into 100 paisa. he denomination of the currency notes in use are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and the coins are found in the denomination of 5, 10, 25, 50 paisa and Rs. 1, 5, 10.

ELECTRICITY
220 Volts AC at 50 hertz throughout the country

ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING
As well as sightseeing and shopping, the Kathmandu Valley offers a wide variety of entertainment. A favorite of every visitor are the culture shows, presenting music and dance from the country's many cultures. Kathmandu is known to have the widest variety of restaurants in all of South Asia. For those who want late night entertainment, Kathmandu's four casinos are open 24 hours.

SHOPPING
For more than a thousand years, the Kathmandu Valley has been famed for its craftsmen, who once travelled abroad to create fine objects for the royal courts of China, Tibet and India. Everywhere, our guests are presented with an array of finely-made gifts: hand-woven carpets, bronze statues, scroll painting, fine silks, hand-carved wood decorations and village textiles, among many others. If our guests fancy an object bigger than their suitcases, our cargo staff will help them send their treasures home safely and economically.

NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES:
The major newspapers in Kathmandu are:
    The Rising Nepal (Daily) - English,
    The Kathmandu Post (Daily)- English
    Gorkhapatra (Daily)- Nepali,
    Kantipur (Daily) - Nepali.
    Besides a number of other local and international newspapers and magazines - are also available in the book stalls.
RADIO
Radio Nepal broadcasts different programs in both short wave and medium wave transmissions through three session in a day from 6:00 A.M. to 11 P.M. FM Radio program also broadcasts pop music and other programs for entertainment. English news bulletins are broadcast daily between 8 A.M. and 8 P.M.

TELEVISION
Nepal television transmits from 7:00 P.M. to 9 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. On Saturday special entertaining programs are transmitted from 12 noon to 5 P.M.

ECONOMY
Nepal is a developing country with mainly an agricultural economy. In recent years, the country's effort to expand into manufacturing industries and other technological sectors has achieved much progress. Farming is the main economic activity followed by manufacturing, trade & tourism. The chief sources of foreign currency earnings are merchandise export & tourism.

EXPORT
It is illegal to export objects over 100 years old (sacred images, paintings, manuscripts) that are valued for culture and religious reasons. As such, tourists are not advised to purchase such item as they are Nepal's cultural heritage. The Department of Archaeology at Ramshah Path, Kathmandu has to certify all metal statues, sacred paintings & similar objects before carried out of the country.



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