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Access to Nepal
Trekking Team will not book any International Flight to and from Kathmandu, therefore you should take care of your flight yourself, however all the international flight that goes from Kathmandu to Lhasa, Bhutan, Sikkim and Delhi are booked by us and they are also included in most of the trip featured in this site. We can also recommend you some well known companies that deal with flight worldwide. Let us know if you required any help regarding this matter.

As there are not so many direct flights to Kathmandu and most of the flights are fully booked long time before, therefore we strongly recommend you to make early booking. Please be inform that taking direct flight to Kathmandu will be more expensive rather than coming via Delhi, Dhaka or Karachi but our experiences tell us that you should only look the flight which fly to Kathmandu directly if possible so that you have less chances of loosing your baggage and connection.

Here is some info about the flight connection:
The Nepal Airlines (RA) is the national flag carrier of Nepal with flight connections to: Delhi in India; Bangkok in Thailand; Osaka in Japan; Hong Kong, Shanghai in China; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Dubai in United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Other international airlines connecting Kathmandu to other parts of the world are Biman Bangladesh to Dacca in Bangladesh; China Airlines to Lhasa in Tibetan Autonomous Region of China; Druk Air to Paro in Bhutan and New Delhi in India; Gulf Air to Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates; Indian Airlines to Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi in India; Qatar Airways to Doha in Qatar; Thai International to Bangkok in Thailand; Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi; Korian Air to Seoul; Silk Air to Singapore; Arke Fly to Holland.

Since Nepal has India in three sides and China in the north, coming to Nepal by land requires one to pass through India or China. The entry points to Nepal from India are Kakkarbhitta, Birgunj, Belhiya, Bhairawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi and Mahendra Nagar. The Kodari Pass in Nepal-China border is the entry point to Nepal from China. Tourists entering the kingdom by land with own vehicle must possess an international carnet.

Accommodation
Nepal has every category of accommodation facilities that range from the international standard star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. In order to have an assured quality service, it is advisable to use the facilities and services of government registered hotels, lodges, travel agencies, licensed tour guides only and engage an authorized trekking guide or porter only through a registered trekking agency.

In the last few decades Kathmandu and Pokhara with the rest of Nepal has seen mushrooming of world class hotels. During spring and fall, the better hotels work at near full capacity and are booked well in advance. There are, however, plenty of less glamorous but decent hotels to suit everyone's fancies and finances.

Most hotels offer choice of: bed and breakfast; bed, breakfast and one other meal; or room and full board. Rates listed however, are for room only, unless otherwise indicated. Besides officially recognized hotels, there are a number of small lodge accommodations available between US $10 and $15 a night depending on facilities; toilets and showers are generally communal and heating is extra. These small hostelries are located in the old parts of Kathmandu and in the Thamel district.

Please let us know if you want to book your accommodation. We will book for you depend on your budget. Hotel in most of our tour feature in this site are inclusive so please check it out before you book the accommodation.

Communication Facilities
Postal Services: The Central Post Office located near Dharahara Tower, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The counters are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and provide stamps, postcards and aerograms. Post Restante is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Express Mail Service (EMS) is available at GPO and at Thamel, Basantapur and airport postal counters.

Telephone Services: Telephone, fax, telex and telegraph services are available at the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation at Tripureshwar. Hotels and private communications centers provide long distance telephone. For calling from outside, country code for Nepal is 977 and the area code for Kathmandu is 1.

Internet Services: Several Internet cafes and communication centers have opened up in the Valley and around the country in the past few years. Visitors only have to find a place they are most comfortable in to use the facilities to keep in touch with home. E-mail and Internet services are also offered by hotels.

Customs Formalities
Customs: All baggage must be declared and cleared through the customs on arrival at the entry. Personal effects are permitted free entry. Passengers arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green Channel for quick clearance without a baggage check. If you are carrying dutiable articles, you have to pass through the Red Channel for detailed customs clearance.

Import: Apart from used personal belongings, visitors are allowed to bring to Nepal free of duty cigarette (200) or cigars (50), distilled liquor (one 1.15 liter bottle), and film (15 rolls). You can also bring in the following articles free of duty on condition that you take them out with you when you leave: binocular, movie or video camera, still camera, laptop computer, and portable music system.

Export: The export of antiques requires special certification from the Department of Archeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu. It is illegal to export objects over 100 years old like sacred images, paintings, manuscripts that are valued for culture and religious reasons. Visitors are advised not to purchase such items as they are Nepal's cultural heritage and belong here.

For more information on customs matters, contact the Chief Customs Administrator, TIA Customs Office (Phone: 4470110, 4472266).

Entry Procedure and Visa Rules

http://www.trekkingteam.com/page-39/nepal-visa.html


 Ethics and Etiquette
Nepalis practice cultural etiquettes that may sometimes appear unusual to visitors. However, a handful of tips could acquaint visitors with these otherwise strange practices.

·         The form of greeting in Nepal is 'namaste' performed by joining palms together.

  • As a mark of respect Nepalis usually take off their shoes before entering someone's home, temple or stupa.

  • Food or material that contains another's saliva is considered 'jutho' or impure.

  • Touching something with feet or using left hand to give or take is considered offense among Nepalis.

  • Women wearing skimpy outfits are frowned upon especially in the rural parts of the country.

  • As a part of the tradition some Hindu temples do not allow westerners to enter.  

  • Leather articles are prohibited inside temple precinct.  

  • Walking around temples or stupas is traditionally done clockwise.  

  • To avoid conflict photography is carried out after receiving permission from the object or person.

  • Public displays of affection between man and woman are scandalous.

  • Nodding head and a slight dangling of head from left to right means 'Yes' while shaking head means a 'No.'

Foreign Currency Exchange
Foreign currencies must be exchanged only through banks or authorized foreign exchange dealers. The receipts from such transaction are to be obtained and retained. Visitors can exchange money at the foreign exchange counter at the airport upon arrival also. Indian currency of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 bills are not allowed to be brought into Nepal. They will not be exchanged and will not be accepted for transaction of any kind.

Credit cards like the American Express, Visa and Master Card are accepted. Convertible currencies are as follows: Dollar (U.S., Australian, Hong Kong, Canadian, Singapore); Euro (French, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy); Pound (U.K.);Yen (Japan), Swiss Frank. Please retain your encashment for changing back local currency into foreign currency on departure at exit points or at Tribhuvan International Airport departure lounge.

Banks in Kathmandu Valley are open between 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday. They are closed on Saturdays, Sunday and other public holidays. In other places banks are open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Mondays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Fridays and are closed on Saturdays and government holidays. ATM machines are located in a few banks in the capital. Money can be transferred from other parts of the world from the numerous transfer agencies in the capital.

For more information, click http://www.nrb.org.np

Getting Around
Visitors can go to different parts of Nepal either by road or by air. Among domestic airlines of Nepal the Royal Nepal Airlines (RA) provides extensive network. Other domestic airlines more than 18 in operation provide regular and charter services to popular domestic destinations. Excepting weather conditions Nepal's domestic air service is known to be punctual and reliable.

Buses are available to different parts of the capital and the kingdom from the new bus park in Gongabu and the old bus park in Sundhara. Regular bus services operate within the three cities in Kathmandu Valley. Scheduled bus services for outside the Valley operate from the Gongabu Bus Terminal. There are also tourist bus services to Pokhara and Chitwan. In addition, one can also hire private vehicles at nominal rates.

Airport bus carries passengers from the airport into the city. Getting around Kathmandu Valley is made easier by metered taxis that can be hailed off the streets and are easily recognizable by the taxi sign and their black number plates. No tip is expected. Night taxis are available for higher prices. Three wheeler scooters that are cheaper than taxis are also available. For cheaper rides buses and teeny vans called micro buses are available to different parts of the Valley. Battery run scooters also serve the same purpose.

 Airport tax is applicable to Nepali and non-Nepali citizens who use airport facilities. The airport tax specified for different flights from Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) and other domestic airports are as follows:

1. International Sector TIA and Other Airports

Do not need to pay it is always included in the ticket

2. Domestic Sector

-Rs 165/- at TIA, Pokhara, Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Simara, Bhairawa, Lukla, Neplagunj, Jomsom and Meghauli Airports.

-Rs 150/- at Rajbiraj, Janakpur, Bharatpur, Tikapur, Dang, Surkeht, Dhangadi and Mahendranagar.

Other airports which does not fall under the category of (a) and (b) will be charged Rs.50/-

Note: In addition, VAT (value added tax 10%) will be imposed on the above mentioned rates.

Trekking Permit:
While permission is not required to trek to most areas, trekking permit is required for restricted areas only. To get a group trekking permit an application form should be submitted through any registered trekking agency of Nepal. Some restricted areas are open only for group trekkers and trekking permit to these areas will not be issued to individual trekkers. For detail information about the permit log on to http://www.immi.gov.np/trekking  official web site of Department of Immigration of Nepal. Persons who have booked the trekking trips with Trekking Team, the permit will be made by us so you don?t have to worry about anything.

Miscellaneous Fees:

  • Travel document is issued for US $ 20 in case of loss, damage, theft, expiry of the passport.

  •  Entry visa is issued from the Department of Immigration at 25 percent additional fee along with regular entry visa fee.

  •  Certification of arrival or departure stamps or replacement of trekking permits US $ 1.

Other Information
Climate: The seasons in Nepal can broadly be categorised into two- dry and wet with monsoon. There is dry season from October to May while wet season of the monsoons last from June to September. The coming up of dry season - from September till November - is the Autumn and is the best time of the year in Nepal. With the end of monsoon and the advent of Autumn, different kinds of celebrations start in Nepal. The countryside is green and lush during this period. Nepal celebrate their two popular festivals, Dashain and Tihar during this time. Summer months in Nepal are from April to September while winter months are from November to March. In the north summers are mild and winters harsh while in south summers are extreme and winters mild.

Time and business hours: Nepal is five hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT. Government offices within Kathmandu Valley open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer and from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. in the winter. Outside the Valley, government offices open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer and from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. in winter.

Holidays: Except public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays are the weekend holidays in the Kathmandu Valley when most government offices are closed. Outside the Valley government offices are closed only on Saturdays. Most businesses are closed only on Saturdays.

Security for Visitors
Tourist Police was established in 1979 under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The special unit has been designated the task of providing security to visitors. The team of Tourist Police consists of officers who can speak and understand English and Hindi. They register complaints, investigate matters, and provide protection and safety to tourists. They also try to ensure hassle-free trip for visitors and assist tourists when necessary. There are three units of Tourist Police forces in Kathmandu. While the main office is at the Tourist Service Center in Bhrikuti Mandap(Phone: 4247041, 4247037), the other two are in tourist areas Thamel(Phone: 4429750) and Basantapur(Phone: 4268969).