Travel to Nepal

Nepal: travel information

Formalities

For entry you need a valid passport and a visa, which is issued at the border crossing points to Nepal or at Kathmandu Airport. Children’s ID cards for children up to the age of 16 are recognized if they are provided with a photo. The entry in a parent’s passport is recognized without restriction. There are no special regulations for minors traveling alone or with only one parent who has custody.

Trekking permits

For tours through the mountain areas outside the valleys of Kathmandu and Pokhara, approval must be obtained from the Immigration Office. They can only be obtained in the country itself and not at embassies or consulates. Attempts to cross the area without a trekking permit are doomed to failure due to the numerous checkpoints. To issue the permit, two passport photos, a completed application form and a valid visa are required, and a trekking fee is due.

How do you get to Nepal?

The average flight time to Nepal from Frankfurt am Main to Kathmandu is around 9 hours (without stopovers).

The following airlines fly from the major airports in Germany, Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Düsseldorf or Berlin: Qatar Airways, Aeroflot, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Air India, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Srilankan Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Emirates. However, hardly any airline flies directly to Kathmandu. One or two stopovers are to be expected. The journey takes between 20 and 25 hours.

Various airlines fly to Kathmandu/Nepal from Vienna/Austria as well as from Zurich/Switzerland, including Lufthansa, Austrian, Aeroflot, British Airways, Air France. With two stopovers at a time, the journey takes 20 to 25 hours.

Travel in the country

Traveling in Nepal has its own charm. Because public transport is unreliable, slow and very crowded. Many roads are bumpy roads that put both the vehicle and the occupants to a severe test. You can travel in Nepal with:

Air connections

The country has the only international airport near Kathmandu. But there are around 45 domestic airports for domestic traffic.

Bus

This is probably the most unpleasant means of travel in Nepal. The buses are usually uncomfortable, slow and completely overcrowded. One should avoid the day buses. Here bunches of people are even stuck to the body and roof. Due to this congestion and the miserable road conditions, the buses can only move at a speed of 20-25 km/h. The positive thing about it is a very low fare.

Railway Railway

connections hardly play a role in the country. There are only two short routes to the Indian border.

Roads

The country’s road network covers around 14,000 km, of which only around 400 km are paved. Due to the altitude and the associated weather conditions, however, many roads are not accessible all year round.

The main road connection to India dates back to the 1950s. This very winding road is called “Tribhuvan Rajpath” and connects Kathmandu with the Indian Raxaul. The “Mahendra Highway” from Kathmandu to Pokhara, completed in 1992, is a very good connection.

Rental car

For tours that are to last several days, a rental car service from a well-known travel company is recommended. Depending on the type of car, the price for a car including driver is between 1000 and 3000 Rs. Per day plus petrol. Jeeps are suitable for Nepalese road conditions.

Before driving the rental car on the highways (Rajmarg), a permit (Highway Permit) must be obtained from a Road Office. This permit must be presented at the road checkpoints along the route. Usually the driver is responsible for these formalities. The permit should be included in the rental price of the car.

A road tax must be paid before entering a town, which is paid into the municipal administration’s coffers. The receipt must be presented when leaving the location. When renting a vehicle, it should be clarified who has to bear these costs (rental car company or tourist).

Traffic rules

The official traffic rules are similar to those in Europe. Unofficially, a freestyle version is preferred. The left-hand traffic remains to be mentioned. The most important rule: cows always have the right of way! Since the cow is a sacred animal, special care should be taken, as an injured or even killed cow leads to long prison sentences. It is not uncommon for the population to practice vigilante justice against the unlucky driver. We therefore advise against driving a car yourself. Rather, trust a local driver or get around by bike.

International license plate

According to Abbreviationfinder, the international license plate of Nepal is:

NEP

Travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings

Infectious diseases

In Nepal, the following diseases are to be expected in Germany or in Central, Western and Northern Europe:

  • Malaria: Particularly in the southern and rural regions of the Terai district, including the forest regions of Bara, Dhanukha, Kapilvastu, Mahotari, Parsa, Rautahat, Rupendehi, and Sarlahi as well as in the area to the Indian border. About 10% of the infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana. In the north of the country, in Kathmandu and at altitudes above 2,000 m there is no risk of malaria infection
  • Cholera– but there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
  • Intestinal infectionsfrom contaminated food or water, including amoeba, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Leishmaniasis Disease
  • Polio, polio
  • tetanus
  • Rabies: There is an increased risk from numerous stray dogs.
  • Typhus, – but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.

Vaccination recommendations

When traveling to Nepal, the following vaccinations recommended:

  • Diphtheria– a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Yellow fever
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Polio, polio– vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Meningococcal meningitis
  • Tetanus– a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Rabies– but only for high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals.
  • Typhoid– but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.

Malaria prophylaxis

When traveling in the country, it is advisable to undergo malaria prophylaxis. However, if the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by preparation” with you.

Compulsory vaccination

For all persons older than one year and coming from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against an illness with yellow fever.

Warning notices

Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

Citizens’ Service

Phone: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000

Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 51000

www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de

Tourist office

Nepal Tourism Board

Tourist Service Center, Bhrikuti Mandap

Kathmandu

Tel: 00977 – 1- 42 56 909

00977 – 1 – 42 56 229

Email: info@ntb.org.np

Web: www.welcomenepal.com

Nepal: Diplomatic missions

Visit Countryaah for a full list of Nepal embassies and consulates in each country around the world.

Representations of Nepal in Germany

Embassy in Berlin

Guerickestrasse 27

10587 Berlin

Tel.: 0049 – (0) 30 – 3435 9920

E-Mail: berlin@nepalembassy.de

German representations in Nepal

Embassy in Kathmandu

Gyaneshwar

Kathmandu

Tel: 00977 – 1 – 44 12 786

00977 – 1 – 44 16 527/655/832

Email: info@kathmandu.diplo.de

Web: www.kathmandu.diplo.de

Austrian representations in Nepal

Embassy

The embassy in India is responsible.

Austrian Honorary Consulate in Kathmandu

191, Manakamana Marg, Naxal, Ward No. 1

Kathmandu

Tel: 00 977 – 1 – 443 4648

Email: autconktm@wlink.com.np

Representations of Nepal in Austria

Embassy

The embassy in Germany in Berlin is responsible.

Honorary Consulate General in Vienna

Akaziengasse 30

1230 Vienna

Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 288 00-100

E-Mail: Consulat@nepal.at

Swiss representations in Nepal

Embassy in Kathmandu

Jawalakhel, Ekanta Kuna

SDC-Compound

Lalitpur

Kathmandu

Tel: 00 977 – 1 – 554 92 25

E-Mail: kat.vertretung@eda.admin.ch

Web: www.eda.admin.ch/kathmandu

Representations of Nepal in Switzerland

Embassy in Geneva

Rue de la Servette 81

1202 Geneva

Tel: 0041 – 022 – 733 26 00

Email: mission.nepal@bluewin.ch

Travel to Nepal