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Nepal is a country of amazing extremes. There are the world's highest mountains including Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest, 8848 m) towering above populated valleys and forested plains in which the lordly tiger and trundling rhinoceros live. Enchantment is everywhere, be it on the shoulders of high mountains, on terraced farmlands meticulously carved like stairways out of hill ridges on cascading mountain rivulets and rushing rivers, or in forests full of wildlife, flowers and bird song,. Something for everybody - tourist, trekker, river runner, wildlife enthusiast, poet, artist, writer, scholar, or the weary - in search of a personal Shangri-La. In Kathmandu, the capital or in its suburbs, to cross a street is to travel across centuries. Shrines, temples, palaces, palace squares, ageless sculptures and legends that are parts of every brick and stone and gilded masterpiece, make Kathmandu Valley a verifiable living museum. GEOGRAPHY Nepal a sovereign independent Kingdom, lies, between 80°12' east longitude and 26°22' and 30°27' north latitude. It is bounded on the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China; on the east by Sikkim and West Bengal of the Indian Union, on the south by Indian States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and on the west by Uttar Pradesh of Indian Union. The length of the Kingdom is 885 kilometers east-west, and its breath varies from 145 to 241 kilometers north-south. Climatically, it lies in the temperate zone with the added advantage of altitude. Except for the some exceptions, are seldom less than 1220 meters above the sea-level. The country can be divided into three main geographical regions: a) Himalayan Region: The altitude of this region ranges between 4877 meters and 8848 meters with the snow lime running around 4884 meters. It includes 8 of the existing 14 summits in the world which exceed an altitude of 8000 meters. They represent. (1) Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest)- 8848 m, (2) Kangchenjunga - 8586 m. (3) Lhotse - 8516m, (4) Makalu - 8463m, and (8) Annapurna I- 8091m. b) Mountain Region: This region accounts for about 64 percent of total land area. It is formed by the Mahabharat range that soars up to 4877 meters. To its south lies the lower Churia range whose altitude varies from 610 meters to 1524 meters. c) Terai Region: The low-land Terai region which has a width of about 26 to 32 kilometers and an altitude of maximum 305 meters occupies about 17 percent of the total land area of the country. Kechanakawal, the lowest point of the country with an altitude of 70 meters lies in Jhapa District of the eastern Terai. CLIMATE Nepal's climate varies with its topography. It ranges from tropical to Arctic depending upon the altitude. The Terai region, which lies in the tropical southern part of the country, for instance, has a hot, humid climate. The mid-land regions are pleasant almost all the year round, although winter nights are cold. The northern mountain region, around an altitude above 3,353m. has an alpine climate with a considerably lower temperature in winter as can be expected. Nepal has four climatic seasons. (a) Spring: March-May, (b) Summer: June -August (c) Autumn: September - November, and (d) Winter: December - February. The average temperature and rainfall records in Kathmandu are presented hereunder: GENERAL INFORMATION CLOTHING: Clothing depends on place and time, however, it is recommended to have both light and warm clothing. In the mountain areas or in the Kathmandu Valley warm clothes are generally a must. LANGUAGE: Many different ethnic groups have their own languages for dialects, but Nepali, the national language, written in Devanagari script, serves the purpose of the Kingdom's lingua franca in Nepal. The educated people speak and understand English as well. OFFICIAL HOLIDAY: Government and most other offices work six days a week. Saturday is the weekend in Nepal. WORKING HOURS: Government offices open from 10.00 to 17.00 hrs. in summer and till 1600 hrs. in winter. On Fridays these offices are open till 1500 hrs. only. LICENSED GUIDES: All the-travel agencies of Kathmandu have licensed English speaking guides, however, many agencies have also guides who can speak other international languages for the convenience of tourist. As unlicensed guides are not allowed to serve clients it is advisable to confirm that your guide has valid license. There are numerous registered travel agencies. ENTERING NEPAL BY AIR: TRIBHUVAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT is the only international airport in Nepal. Royal Nepal airlines operate flights to Kathmandu from Bangkok, Colombo, Calcutta, Delhi, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Karachi, Lhasa, London, Paris, Moscow, Paro (Bhutan), Singapore and Varanasi. The International Airlines operating their flights into Kathmandu include: Aeroflot, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, China South West Airlines, Dragon Air, Druk Air, Indian Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai International. BY LAND: At present, there are 6 points of entry of entry at Nepal India border and one point at Nepal China border. The entry points in Nepal India border are: (1) KAKARBHITTA (2) BIRGUNJ (3) SUNAULI (4) NEPALGUNJ (5) DHANGADI and (6) MAHENDRA NAGAR. The only one entry point at Nepal China border is Kodari. ROAD TRANSPORT: Kathmandu is connected with India through the fertile plains of the Terai by the most picturesque highways. Visitors are permitted to drive their own cars to Kathmandu via these highways. Tourists visiting Nepal with their own vehicles must possess an international carnet. Facilities for exchange are available at the point of entry. There are regular day and night bus services to Kathmandu from all the entry point by land. The Arniko Rajmarga (Kathmandu-Kodari Highway), links Kathmandu with the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Rep of China on the north. There is regular bus services to Kathmandu from Kodari. TRANSPORT SERVICE AIRPORT TAXI: Tribhuwan International Airport Transport Workers' Co-perative operates a fixed-rate taci serveice from the airport to the city. The transport is available almost around the clock. Contact the TIA-TWC counter near the arrival lounge exit. The Kathamandu Airport Facilitation Service operates limousine service from the airport to the city.The Limousine Service counter is located inside the arrival lounge .There are also meter taxis and other transport Services. AROUND THE CITY.: Meter taxis and meter tempos can be hailed off the street. though they are a bit difficult to find after sundown. The charge for meter taxis is Rs.5 at initial flag down and then Rs.1.80 for every 200 meters. The taxi cabs of green lines transpiration are painted green and they operate from 7 am to 8 pm. (tel:231632).Kathmandu yellow cab(tel:420987) operates from 6 am till 10 pm. . Nepal Blue Cab (tel: 231632) operates from 6 am till 8:30 pm. In addition, there are many freelance taxis. A night taxi service is available from the taxi stand at Dharma Path from 8 pm till 12 midnight. These taxis can also be summoned by telephone for pick-up (tel: 223474). Cars and drivers for sightseeing can be hired through hotels or travels agencies. RICKSHWAS: Rickshaws (two-seater tricycles) can be a fun way to see the city. The fare should be negotiated beforehand. BUSES: There are buses, mini-buses and three-wheeler tempos that ply on fixed routes at regular intervals. Last bus around 8 pm. City Buses as well as those going to Kirtipur, Banepa, Dhulkhel, and Thankot leave from Tripureswor near the stadium. Long-distance buses to different parts of Nepal leave from the Gongabu Bus park located on the Ring Road on the north side of town. A comprehensive network of road & communication are under construction in the Kingdom. Pokhara Valley is linked with Kathmandu by a picturesque highway, Prithvi Rajmarga. Pokhara, 200 Kilometers west from Kathmandu, is also linked with the Indian border town of Sunauli by another highway named Siddhartha Rajmarga. One can drive from Kathmandu right to the far eastern border of Nepal connecting through Mahendra Rajmarga. One can drive from Kathmandu right to the far eastern border of Nepal connecting through Mahendra Rajmarga also known as East-West Highway. The interior parts of the country is also linked with a number of motorable roads. Buses for the different parts of the country are available at the Central Bus Terminal which is located at Gangbu. Cars, jeeps, mini-buses and other vehicles are also available on hire in Kathmandu. DOMESTIC AIR SERVICE The Royal Nepal Airlines operates an extensive network of air service in the interior of Nepal. It has scheduled flights by Twin Otter and Avro from Kathmandu to Taplejung. Bhadrapur, Rajbiral, Bhojpur, Phaplu, Lukla, Lamidanda, Tumlingtar, Rumjatar and Biratnagar in Eastern Development Region; to Simra, Janakpur, Ramechhap, Jiri, Bharatpur and Meghauli in the Central Development Region; to Pokhara, Jomosom, Manang, Region; and to Nepalgunj, Chaujhahari, Surkhet, Dang, Rolpa and Jumla in the Mid-Western Development Region and to Bajura, Baitadi, Dipayal, Darchula, Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Tikapur and Sanphebagar in the Far Western Development Region. Besides Royal Nepal Airlines the other domestic airlines such as Nepal Airways, Everest Air, Himalayan Helicopters and Necon air also provide regular and Charter services to different popular domestic destinations. Royal Nepal Airlines (tel: 220757), Everest Air (tel: 222290), Necon Air (tel: 475231) , Nepal Airways (tel: 412388). Asian Airline Helicopters (tel: 410086), Dynasty Aviation (tel: 225602), Everest Air (tel: 477174), Himalayan Helicopters (tel:231236), and Nepal Airways Helicopters Services (tel: 411610). BANKS AND CURRENCY EXCHANGE The unit of the Nepalese Currency is Rupee. One Nepali Rupee is made up of 100 paisa. Nepali Rupee notes come in Rs. 1 Rs. 2, Rs. 5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500, Rs. 1000. Coins come 1, 2, 10, 25, 50, Paisa and Rs. 1 denominations. Foreign visitors other than the Indian nationals are required to pay their hotel bills and air tickets in foreign currency. However the other payments must always be made in Nepalese currency which can be bought at foreign currency exchange Counter at the airport. The foreign exchange counters of different banks are also opened at different places in the city. Foreign currencies must be exchanged only through the banks or authorised foreign exchange dealers. Tourists are also advised to obtain and retain the foreign exchange encashment receipts so as to reconvert the unused Nepali currency into foreign currency to the maximum of 15% of the total money exchanged at the time of departure. Visitors are required to fill in the currency declaration form at the port of entry. Tourists other than Indian are not allowed to import or export the Indian currency. The rate of exchange of the foreign currencies are determined by the Nepal Rastra Bank and are announced in the press daily. MONEY MATTERS Banks are open from 10 am to 2:30 pm for business transactions (until 1 pm on Fridays). While changing money, Nepal Bank charges 0% Grind lays Bank 1% and Nabil Bank 2% commission. Traveler's checks can be cashed at banks and at major hotels. Be sure to carry small change. 1000, and 500 rupee notes are difficult to change anywhere. Twenty rupee notes may be difficult to change on treks. On arrival, a currency exchange card is handed out to the vistors. Fill and stamp these each time you change money. When leaving the country, only 15% of the total amount certified on these cards can be turned into US dollars. Many establishments accept Master Card, American Express, Visa, and Etn Travel Discount Cards. 1. Rastriya Banijya Bank, Super Market- Tel: 2201382. FOOD AND ACCOMMODATIONS RESTAURANT AND FOOD: Almost every kind of food representing the culinary arts of many parts of the world, can be found in Kathmandu, hotels may have several restaurants under one roof serving wide variety of dishes while individual restaurants cater several type of cuisines like chinese, Indian, Continental, Japanese, Tibetan, Nepalese etc. They range establishments. Imported and domestic liquors and wines are available in all the hotels and bars. It is usually safe to drink boiled and filtered ACCOMMODATIONS Nepal has a wide variety of accommodations which ranges from five-star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. In order to have an assured quality service visitors are advised to use only the facilities of government registered hotels and lodges. TIME DIFFERENCES Nepal Time is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT and 15 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time. |
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