Banglaimge Travel

Days 1-2: arrival, walking in Thamel and making practical arrangements.

Days 3-4: visit of Patan-Bakhtapur-Nagarkot-Sangku-Changu Narayan by mountain bike

Day 5: transfer to Pokhara

Day 6-13: Jomsom trek

Day 14-16: Kathmandu and departure

The royal massacre in 2001 shocked the nation and tourists. The official version is that this was done by the son of the former king 5who both died in the massacre), but no one actually believes this story. Most people think it was the son of the actual king who was behind the massacre, so that he could be the future king. Therefore the present king gets less respect from the Nepalese.

11 september made matters worse. US tourists made up 10% of all tourists, and this definitely decreased.

Finally the conflict with the Maoists is probably the most important factor. The conflict started in 1996, but it was more recently that matters got worse with demonstrations, and also attacks on government buildings and also the airport in Lukla. It must be stressed however that Maoists have always said not to target tourists, and they have not done this untill now. Since february 2003, there is a truce now, and everybody hopes this will remain so that tourism can flourish again.

Only go to safe areas like Annapurna and the region North of Lukla.

If you go trekking, always take a guide

Report to your embassy

You can easily get a visa upon arrival at the airport, the cost is 30 US$.

You don't necessarily have to pay in $, Euro and pound are also accepted. However, if you ask for the price in Euro they will also say 30 Euro while at the time of writing, the value of the euro was 8% higher then the dollar. It is only when you object, that they will tell you tat they'll give you a refund of 2 US$.

If you're thinking of going to Tibet or Bhutan, it used to be worth considering buying a double entry visa. This no longer exists and was changed into a "multiple entry visa" which costs 50 $ extra.

Formalities to get the visa went very smoothly, there was no queue whatsoever (3/2003).

Rupee: at the time of writing 1 Euro = 83 Rp and 1 US$ = 78 Rp

The Rupee is the official currency of Nepal. For an idea of the exchange rate, go to Oanda's currency converter . Be sure to have enough small notes with you, because often, especially in smaller places, people do not have enough change.

Cash

In most places, they will readily accept any convertible currency, including Euro, if you happen not to have enough Rupees on you. Even while trekking in the Annapurna this was no problem, and in some places there are also moneychangers. It's really useless to first change your Euros. at home into dollars, and then converting them here into Rupees . The rate for the Euro follows the official market.

You can either change cash in the bank or at a moneychanger. Rates tend to be the same, but commissions may differ at bit. There's a bank in the arrival hall at the airport.

Traveler's cheques

Personally, I think the use of TC's is becoming more and more obsolete with ATM's becoming more and more popular. So personally, I don't use them too often anymore, but that's a personal choice. By far the best and most easily changed are American Express, although Thomas Cook, Citibank, and Visa are usually fairly easy to change in the major cities. To facilitate replacement in case of theft, keep a record of cheque numbers and the original bill of sale in a safe place. Also, before leaving, make sure you have the address of the place where you can report the theft and have a replacement. Even with proper records, replacement may not always be as quick as the companies promise. I read on the LP thorn tree that India is well known for the problem of not refunding stolen TC's. Then what's the point of having them?

In Nepal you will find that the exchange rate for travelers' cheques is slightly higher than for cash. At places in Thamel where they charge no commission, the rate is the same. But you have to add a usually lower exchange rate for the US dollar in your home country, you have to exchange twice (once from Euro to US $ and then from US$ to Sol, unless you're American), and thirdly you have to pay for them in advance, so you're giving American Express a free loan for a month or so. It's also known that some of these cheques never get cashed in anyway, so that's another profit for the bank issuing them. So all in all, it's not such a cheap method.

ATM

This is of course a very handy system, which is spreading fast around the world. Most bankcards belong to the Maestro/Cirrus system nowadays, which allows you to withdraw money directly from your bank account. Exchange rates are usually good, but you have to pay a certain amount of money, which depends on your bank for each transaction. This is in the order of 2 or 3 Euros. Sometimes the local bank announces they also add some costs.

There are some ATM's available in Katmandu f.i. in Thamel and in Pokhara. I don't know about other places.

Credit cards

Visa is the most accepted card, but the other 3 are also valid. In the smaller places, they will usually add a percentage of surcharge, usually 3,5%. In the more expensive places, this is usually included in the price.

Banks are the safest place to go, but it'll take more time. The bank at the airport gives reasonable exchange rates

The money exchangers change money at comparable rates. The only problem is that they don't give you a receipt, so you cannot reconvert your rupees into Euro when you leave home.

There are numerous Nepalese companies. Apart from the ones I've mentioned below, there is still Shangrila, Skyline air, Mountain air and Flight care air. Some of them have a website.

Note that Nepalese fly much cheaper then foreigners. For instance the flight from KTM to Pokhara costs for them 1600 Rp, for us 5500 Rp.

Otherwise prices from the different companies are the same, except for Royal Nepal who are 15% cheaper.

Airport taxes are:

When booking a flight, always take into account weather conditions. This means that it is best to book a flight early in the morning, as chances of having good weather are highest then. As soon as it starts raining, all smaller airports are shut down since they don't have radars. This can sometimes take all day till the weather clears up again.

Also take into account that crashes do occur once every 2 years or so. This is usually during monsoon season when visibility is bad and planes fly into mountains.

Another important remark is to never count on a flight to catch your international flight out of KTM. Allow at the very least 1 day, but better even 2 or 3 days between your arrival in KTM and your return flight home.

I've spoken to both Nepalese and foreigners working there, and all of them say that this is the least reliable airline of all. Their prices are usually 15% lower and they have the biggest network. Their website is at www.royalnepal.com

This looks like a reliable company. We flew with them once. The second time the flight was cancelled and they readily granted us a refund (although we had to do this through the travel agent where we bought it).

They have a decent website at www.buddhaair.com

I don't know if this is a decent company. They flew us to Jomsom with a 2 hour delay. I'm not sure why, but there was a large group of Germans, so maybe they overbooked. They fly to many places and have a decent website at www.cosmicair.com

I can't comment on this company except that they have a website at www.neconair.com and they also have some Northern Indian destinations.

No comment.

You either have the option of taking the Nepalese buses or the tourist buses.

As for the Nepalese, they tend to be very cheap, but also rather slow as they have frequent stops.

As for the tourist buses like Greenline, they only do the touristic routes to KTM, Pokhara and Chitwan. They are usually faster, but also more expensive. Pokhara – KTM f.i. costs 8 to 10 $ depending on which comfort you'd like. Pokhara – Chitwan is 6 to 8 $ (3/2003). They all leave in the morning at 7 or 8 am.

Taxis in KTM have meters, but it's very rare they will put them on, so you'll have to negotiate a price on beforehand. If they do agree to put on the meter, make sure they don't put in on "EXTRA" as this is the night tariff.

You can also charter a taxi for longer distances. A trip from Pokhara to KTM will cost 4000 Rp (3/2003).

Price 17.99 $

Published 1999

I like Footprint guides a lot, as they usually go deeper into a country. On the other hand you need more time to get a good idea about the country while reading them, and the Nepal guidebook needs an update as it is from 1999.

Order the Footprint Nepal now for only 17.99 US$

Published in august 2001

Price 19.99

This is of course the classical book of every backpacker. Their maps are especially good. A good point is that they have a map with highlights, so you immediately see which places you should visit, and in about 1 day you can design your holiday.

Don't forget to go to their fantastic website where they have the "Thorn Tree". You can add your posting with practical questions about your trip: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

They also publish an update of this book on their site at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/upgrades/index.htm , you need Acrobat Reader for this.

Order the Lonely Planet  Nepal now for only 13.99 US$

Price 19.95 $

Published 2003

The Rough guide had a new Nepal guide just before I left. From what I could see it looked really excellent. The lay out and maps could be a bit better though, but for info I think it's better then LP 

Order the Rough Guide  Nepal now for only 13.27 US$

I think Nepal is a very safe country. I never felt unsafe or had anything stolen from me. I was always very careful with my stuff and camera, not only towards Nepalese, but also towards fellow travelers. Around Gorepani, there have been robberies reported.

Nepalese tourism has of course gotten a serious setback due to the problems with the Maoists. This is really a pity, since I think that until now, they have physically threatened not 1 tourist, and they've always stated they don't want to harm tourists. What CAN happen though in certain areas is that they stop you, and they demand a "contribution" of 100 $. I know this from first hand from a colleague of mine. They then give you a receipt to avoid you have to pay twice.

At the time of writing, there was a peace treaty between government and Maoists, and everybody hopes it will last of course.

Also check out what foreign embassies are saying. At the time of writing, they didn't change their rules after the peace treaty, and this was what they said:

Costs for basic things like transportation, food and accommodation are really very cheap, unless of course you want a Chateaubriand with a bottle of French wine.

Even costs for pure tourist activities are still very cheap. While trekking, you'll have a very hard time spending more then 1000 Rp on accommodation and food. Rafting and mountain biking on the other hand are more expensive.

Here are some examples (all prices 3/03) :

This is a problem, which a lot of tourists will experience. It consists of shortness of breath, headache, heart beating etc. once you descend above 3000 m too rapidly (it has been described at lower altitudes as well). If taken lightly, it can progress to more dangerous forms like HAPO (high altitude pulmonary edema) and HACO (high altitude cerebral edema). It is a potentially lethal disease, and statistics from CDC show that people traveling in-group have a higher mortality, probably because they are less eager to split from the group to descend.

The classical situation is when people do the Annapurna trek and simply rush on the Thorung La (5400 m) without allowing for an acclimatization day. Our guide told us this happens most to Israelis coming from the army and "young macho Australians".

To avoid getting altitude sickness, I use the following prophylactic technique which is a combination of CDC guidelines and personal ideas:

First of all follow the rules of acclimatization as written in guidebooks. For Annapurna, this means spending 1 extra day in Manang, doing a hike higher up and return to Manang for the night (walk high, sleep low).

If you follow these rules well, I don't think it'll be necessary to take Diamox, but note that Diamox and Dexamethasone are the only 2 drugs which were scientifically proven to help in altitude sickness. Diamox works after 24 hours, so start taking Diamox 2 x 250 mg a day the day before going to a higher altitude. Diamox is a diuretic, so take a lot of fluid but avoid alcohol and sleeping pills because they depress your breathing system.

When you still get symptoms, start taking Dexamethasone 2 x 4 mg. Note that this will take away some of your symptoms, but it does not help in avoiding HAPO.

When things get worse, descend!!

There's no malaria in Nepal except in the lower areas bordering India (WHO area A).

If you travel with a backpack and don't mind eating in cheap restaurants, it's easy to catch Hepatitis A. Chances of getting infected range from 1/300 to 1/50 per month depending on your standard of traveling.  It's not dangerous, but you will be sick for some weeks.

There is a good vaccination for Hepatitis A nowadays, so ask your doctor. You need 2 shots (used to be 3 shots) at 0 and 6 months, although if you can it's even better to postpone the second shot till after 12 months. They are expensive, but they protect you for 10 years.

You can only get this through sex and blood transfusion. Since prevalence of Hepatitis B is much higher in SE Asia then in the Western world, it might be wise to get vaccinated.

Get your shots at 0, 1 and 6 months. They are equally expensive as hepatitis A.

There is also a good vaccination consisting of 3 pills to be taken every 2 days. Take them early enough before you leave since it's better not to combine them with malaria pills, although these guidelines have recently changed (meaning you can combine them). The vaccination works for 3 years.

We always have antibiotics at hand in case of severe diarrhea. We take Ciproxine 250 mg two tablets at once and then another 3 tablets, one tablet every 12 hours.

This is a disease which is often overlooked. Most Westerners were vaccinated after birth, but since the disease doesn't exist anymore in Western countries, antibodies have fallen to a very low level at adulthood. Therefore it's best to get a boost every 10 year before going to developing countries. The injection costs 3 to 4 Euros. I saw statistics on Nepal, and apparently they had 2 to 4 cases in 1999 and 2000, but no cases in 2001 and 2002.

Nepal is a fantastic country to do some outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking and rafting. In fact, this is the main reason most people come here. When planning to do this, you must consider several things:

The weather is not always predictable, and certainly in rainy season you can expect problems.

Make sure you are acclimatized before embarking on a serious outdoor activity.

See Annapurna and Katmandu Valley section for more info on these activities.

Traditionally, it is said that the best period is October to November, especially if you plan to do some outdoor activities as it doesn't rain a lot, and views in the mountains are clear. Also most rafting rivers are at their best after monsoon.

Another good period is March-April. I went in March, and this was indeed a good period, although not really excellent. Views were often obscured, I did have rain in the afternoon now and then, and it did get cold at higher altitude (I even had snow in Marpha at 2500 m).

I would definitely avoid monsoon (June till August) for several reasons. Of course it's not fun to have rain during your trek, but also flights can be cancelled, planes crash (not uncommon in Nepal!) mostly occur during this season, landslides on the roads often happen causing very long delays etc…

The trip from Thamel to Patan by bike takes only 30 minutes.

At Durbar square, there's a place where you can stall the bike. Some youngsters will come and offer to keep an eye on the bike, but police is around so this is not really necessary.

A young guy approached me to guide me around, and we fixed a price of 100 Rp. Durbar square is very nice (there's a fee of 200 Rp to be paid), certainly better then the one in KTM. Don't forget to go up a few steps to a roof behind the ticket counter. From here you have the typical postcard view. Then we went to the Golden temple, the Kumbashwar temple and the Mahabouddha temple. All very interesting. I had a short lunch in the ‘Temple view restaurant'.

The ride to Bakhtapur is longer then I expected and took 90 minutes. The first part is terrible as you're biking on a very busy road between cars, buses and trucks. You can best take the parallel way over Thimi. This road goes up and down, so there's some climbing to be done.

In Bakhtapur, you'll pay an entrance fee of 10 $. This looks expensive, but compare it with Macchu Pichu or Tikal, and it's a real bargain. Park your bike behind the ticket counter. The city itself is really fantastic, you find something new behind each corner. This takes at least a few hours.

I didn't fancy the long climb up to Nagarkot, so I decided to charter a taxi. I was very lucky, because normally you should count on 800 to 1000 Rp, but this taxi driver had to be there anyway, so I paid 450 Rp.

This is a popular place during weekends for Nepalese, but also for tourists coming for the fantastic sunrise with views over the Himalaya. Of course you need to be a bit lucky with the weather.

I got up at 6 am and I biked to the Watch out tower about 3 km South of town. It is a pretty stiff climb up which took me about 40 minutes. At a certain point you'll see a watch out tower, and you'll think you're almost there. Alas, this is the tower from the military camp you're passing. It is still 1 km further up. Since it was cloudy, I didn't see more then what you could see from the hotel, and that was 1 mountain coming out of the clouds. By the time I was back in the hotel at 7.30 am, this mountain was also in clouds. So in short, I don't think it's worth going all the way to the tower.

There are several places to stay, but the best place is undoubtedly the Club Himalaya . This four star hotel has a great view over the valley, and all rooms have a terrace with view. Sitting in the restaurant, you can again have a panoramic view. They also have an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. Normal price is 60 $ for a single, but they give discounts of 15%. You should add tax and breakfast. There's a buffet dinner at 8 $. They don't have a website yet, but you can make reservations at club@mos.com.np . Fax is 680068, telephone is 680080.

From Nagarkot you bike North a bit, and then take the jeep track for Sangku. On this track it is impossible to get lost. The road is not so technical and can be done by people without former mountain biking experience. You won't meet any other traffic. The road goes almost always downhill till Sangku were I arrived at 11 am. Just before Sangku, there's a small school, and if the teacher is outside the building, he'll surely stop you and ask to talk a bit with the children, so they practice their English. He'll show you around and ask a for donation.

From Sangku, you can make a short side trip North to the Vajra Jogini Temple. The trip invloves a steep climb, both by bike and on footh. The return trip took me 90 minutes from Sangku, but it was hard work. The temple itself is OK, not touristy at all, but the highlight for me was a Sandhu sitting in front of his cave there. I had never seen that before.

From Sangku onwards, the traffic becomes much more busy again and you come on a tarmac road. After a few kilometers, you come in the village of Bramhakel. Once you see a high telecomunication tower, you can take left through the fileds for 500 meter till you come at the river. In dry season, you can pass the river, and from there it's a steep climb up to the marvelouus Changy Narayan Temple. You can also approach it by bus from Bakhtapur, but make sure you don't miss it, it is on the UNESCO Wordl Heritage list. There are some smaller places to have lunch.

The road from Sangku to KTM follows the river and goes up and down (every village is built on a hill...), so you'll have to climb now and then. This part was less amusing. When entering KTM you pass the Hyatt Regency, and then on your right is Boudnath, a bit further on your left is Pashaputinath.

This trip is described in the LP, and all companies know of it, but some are a bit reluctant and prefer the Nagarkot trip.

This trip first gives you a stiff climb up to Kakane (2100 m high). In Kakane, you need take a road to the right where you'll pass a small ticket office, and you'll climb further for 4 km. On the way, you'll go through a military camp. Then you'll pass a school, and then the road goes down a little and we stopped. Most companies offer to spend the night in Kakane, but I did this part in a minibus and arrived at 10 am.  I also met an English guy who did this climb in just 3 hours!!

Once you get out of the bus, the trip is truly marvelous. You drive downhill for 5 minutes, then you'll have to push your bike up for 15 minutes till you come to the ticket office of the Reserve. You'll have to pay 250 Rp here.  From there the fun starts. The first hour you do a fantastic single track all the way down. This is a very technical trail, so you should definitely have some mountain biking skills there.

Then the road widens and there's a stiff climb up again for an hour. I had to walk here most of the time. You'll have great views over the valley again. Once you've passed through the second military camp, the climb is over and from there on it's flat or down, all the way off road till KTM.

The LP says that you come on a tarmac road once you reach Budhanilkantha, but you can avoid this by taking a parallel off road track through villages all the way to KTM. Fantastic trip!! I advise it to anyone who likes technical mountain biking, great views (and an hour of climbing) . I arrived at 3 pm, but we stopped 30 minutes for the rain.

I was going to write not to attempt this trip without a guide, but this English guy did it just with the short description of the LP. Still, he admitted that he thought he was almost lost on the single track, but he saw our trails and thus knew he was still OK. Also the guide will guide you on an off road track all the way till KTM through villages, while the LP description will put you on tarmac for the last 10 km.