Brief information
About 1 million tourists visit Nepal every year. In this country, they are attracted, first of all, by the majestic Himalaya mountain system, rivers, unique Buddhist temples and monasteries, as well as religious holidays and festivals. Hundreds of hiking mountain routes have been created for outdoor enthusiasts in Nepal, and climbers have the opportunity to conquer the highest and most beautiful mountains in the world.
Geography of Nepal
Nepal is located in South Asia, in the Himalayas. In the north, Nepal borders on China, and on all other sides – on India. This country has no access to the sea. Its total area is 140,800 sq. km., and the total length of the state border is 2,926 km.
The entire territory of Nepal is occupied by mountains that cross fast rivers with small picturesque valleys. It is in Nepal that eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are located, including the highest peak Everest, whose height reaches 8,844 m.
Capital
According to itypemba.com, the capital of Nepal is Kathmandu, which is now home to more than 1 million people. Archaeologists believe that people lived on the territory of modern Kathmandu already 3 thousand years ago.
Official language of Nepal
The official language of the population of Nepal is Nepali, belonging to the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family.
Religion
More than 81% of the inhabitants of Nepal practice Hinduism, 9% – Buddhism, and more than 4% – Islam.
State structure of Nepal
According to computerminus.com, Nepal is a federal republic headed by a president. Executive power is exercised by the King, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The bicameral parliament in Nepal is called the Constituent Assembly, which consists of the House of Representatives (205 deputies) and the National Council (60 members).
The main political parties are the Maoist Communist Party of Nepal, the Nepalese Congress, the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Nepal.
Climate and weather
The climate in Nepal is very diverse, ranging from tropical to alpine and arctic, it varies depending on the altitude. The south of the country is located mainly in a tropical climate. The rainy season is from June to August.
In winter in Kathmandu, the air temperature drops to -1C, and in summer it rises to an average of +25C.
The best time to visit Nepal is from September to November. This is the best time for hiking in the mountains. In addition, at this time in Nepal they celebrate one of the most important holidays – the Dashain festival, and tourists can see a lot of interesting things.
Rivers and lakes
All rivers in Nepal are regarded as divine, constantly flowing and a source of beauty, inspiration and abundance. The longest Nepalese rivers are Sunkoshi, Karnali, Kali Gandaki and Marshyangdi. They are considered a great place for rafting and kayaking. In summer, most rivers overflow their banks (due to the melting of glaciers).
Culture of Nepal
The culture of Nepal is a unique combination of ancient traditions and modern innovations. Many ethnic groups live in this country, and therefore the culture there is multi-ethnic. Nepal celebrates a huge number of holidays, most of them have cultural or religious significance.
The longest festival in Nepal is Dashain, which takes place in September-October and is dedicated to the victory over the demon king.
Kitchen
The food in Nepal is as diverse as the country itself. In general, the cuisine of Nepal is very similar to Indian cuisine. The main food product is rice, which every Nepalese eats twice a day. Spices such as ginger, coriander, cumin, as well as garlic and chili are widely used in Nepalese cuisine. A lot of Nepalese do not eat meat (they prefer a vegetarian diet).
The main local dish is “dal”, which is made from rice with lentils and vegetable curry. Dal usually has a lot of spices and soy added.
Traditional non-alcoholic drinks are black tea (in the Nepalese mountains, butter is still added to tea).
Traditional alcoholic drinks are homemade wine “tongba”, as well as “rakshi”, a strong alcoholic drink that is used during religious ceremonies.
Sights of Nepal
In ancient Nepal, there are a lot of interesting sights, which include Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, temples and pagodas. The top 10 best Nepalese attractions, in our opinion, may include the following:
- Kasthamandal Temple in Kathmandu
- Stupas of Ashoka in Patan
- Shiva Temple in Kathmandu
- Lumbini temple complex
- Monkey Temple in Kathmandu
- Thousand Buddha Temple in Patan
- Nyatapole Pagoda in Kathmandu
- Ancient palace in Bhaktapur
- Bishwa Monastery in Pokhara
- Thyangpoche Monastery in Marfa
Cities and resorts
The largest Nepalese cities are Pokhara, Lalitpur, Biratnagar and the capital is Kathmandu.
Tourists come to Nepal for the Himalayas, interesting excursions and outdoor activities, including mountaineering, rock climbing, rafting, kayaking and trekking. Residents of China and India (and this is more than 50% of the total tourist flow) visit Nepal for religious purposes.
Souvenirs/Shopping
Tourists from Nepal bring handicrafts, precious stones (for example, rubies, aquamarines, tourmalines, quartz), jewelry, Gurkha knives, Nepalese rice paper, woolen shawls, carpets, ceramics, tea.
Office Hours
Banks:
Sun-Thu: 10:00-15:00
On Fridays, banks are open until 12:00
Shops:
Mon-Fri: 10:00-18:00
Visa
A visa for up to 30 days is issued upon arrival in Nepal.
Currency of Nepal
The Nepalese rupee is the official currency in Nepal (its international designation is NPR). One Nepalese rupee = 100 paisam. Credit cards are not common, there are no ATMs in the cities.
Customs restrictions
You can import and export foreign currency to Nepal without restrictions, but large sums of money must be declared. But the local currency in Nepal cannot be imported and exported.
It is forbidden to export wild animals or their skins. Statues, paintings and other similar objects depicting gods can only be taken out if there is a special permit for this.
Useful phone numbers and addresses
The interests of Nepal in Ukraine are represented by the Embassy of Nepal in Russia:
Address: Moscow, 2nd Neopalimovsky lane, 14/7
T: (495) 244-02-15
El. email: [email protected]
The interests of Ukraine in Nepal are represented by the Embassy of Ukraine in India:
Postcode: 110 057, New Delhi, Vasant Vihar, E-1/8 T
: (8 10 9111) 2614 60 41
mail: [email protected]
Emergency numbers
102 – call Ambulance
101 – call the Fire Brigade
100/103 – call the Police
Time in Nepal
The difference with time in Kyiv is +3.5 hours.
Tips
Tipping is not common in Nepal. But tourists, of course, often leave 5-10% of the bill “for tea”.
The medicine
Doctors recommend tourists before traveling to Nepal to be vaccinated against typhoid fever, rabies, malaria, tetanus, diphtheria, as well as against hepatitis A and B.
Security
Pickpocketing is quite common in cities, especially in Kathmandu. Therefore, be careful about your things, do not demonstrate wealth. No need to walk the streets at night alone.
In general, the people of Nepal are very hospitable, they are always ready to help a foreigner, unless, of course, he is polite and not rude
