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General Information NEPAL

Introduction	History	Geography	Climate	Religion	Nepal Visa
Language	Accomodation	Currency	Culture	Nepal at Glance	Dos & Don'ts

Introduction:-
Imagine a place where you could gaze at the wonders of the world’s highest mountain range whose beauty is a feast to behold. Nepal is one of the most beautiful Country in the world in terms of geographical, natural, cultural, and historical. The Lord Buddha was born in the land of Mt Everest. The self-explanatory combination of opulence culture and natural diversity elate Nepal turn to be the most famous preferable destination in the world. At the same time, she can offer new height in conference facilities and incentive opportunities with the Himalaya in a backdrop. In this tiny part of world, you can find absolute isolation of culture and natural beauty as you proceed from low to highland including the highest peak in the word, the Mt. Everest (8,848meters) ablazing it’s surrounding with non-negotiable ice band, whereas the lowland of terai also turn to be the most visited destination in Asia for exotic wildlife. The fantastic combination of High Himalaya in highland and exotic wildlife and diverse culture make the Nepal once visited paradise in the world. The others features are natural beauty, shining mountains, Living cultural Museum, green valley & beautiful green places with terraced farmlands & hilly foot trails & the forests full of rare wild lives including the lordly tiger, one- horn rhinoceros, exquisite art & architecture of Nepal reflect the artistic ingenuity & the religious tradition of people as well. The country of living goddess, city of golden and parasols, Natural amphitheatre, abode of Shiva, land of Mysticism and Exoticism, land of non-stop festivals and prosperous culture heritage, city of more than 1200monasteries and more than 300 temples, 8th of 14the highest peak in the world, 10th world heritage sites within tiny kingdom. In addition, the melting pot of Hinduism and Buddhism. 8%of world population birds,4% of mammals on earth, 11 of the wildest 15 families of butterflies, more than 600 indigenous plant families, 319 species of orchids etc. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the western imagination and it is a difficult place to dislodge from your memory once you return.

History of Nepal
Nepal History begins with the origin of the Katmandu valley. There is an interesting legend regarding the origin of Katmandu valley. According to the legend, Katmandu valley was once a lake in the re-historic age verities of aquatic animals lived in it and no lotus grew upon it. Long time ago Vipasya Buddha, one of the fore runners of Lord Gautam Buddha Came and chanted over a lotus and threw it into the lake. He prophesisted, when the lotus flowers Swayambhunath shall be revealed as fame. Next came siti Buddha who prophesisted, this shall be the delighted above to the dwellers and a sweet place for pilgrimages and tourists. The third Buddha vipau Prophesisted the prosperity of the valley soon as abodhistawa cause the land to appear above the water. Later on, according to the Santmist, Vishnu or Krishna and according to Buddhist, Manjusri assumed the form of Viswakarma and walked around the lake seeing that the waters of Lake could be drained off, he cut the mountain with his sword through which the Bagmati drain the waters of the valley and its surface of good soil appeared. This was the beginning of the valley. The disciple of Manjusri built the stupa of Swayambhunath with the overseeing eyes on the summit of the Lotus hill.

Then after Nepal witness, many kingdoms with different rulers and dynasties play vital roles for the modern Nepal. Kirat ruled Nepal from 9th century to first centaury A.D. After ruling many years over the nation they were followed by Lichhavis who, according to the earliest evidences in inscriptions of the 5th century A.D. found in the courtyard of Changunarayan temple which is about 15 km north east of Katmandu, ruled this country from 1st century to 9th century A.D. Thakuris belonging to Malla dynasty followed later on Lichhavis. Then Later Lichhavis took over Kiratas from third to 13th century and then Thakuris belonging to Malla dynasty followed them. Then Shah Dynasty held the reign. King Prithvi Narayan Shah was the king of Gorkha; take this task to concurred 2200 to 2400 small kingdoms into the one. Taking such a dream, he begins to concur the small kingdom one after another and made the framework of Modern Nepal. After the death of Prithvi Narayan Shaha, There begun conspiracy for the power, resulting contrast had provided the great time for the Jung Bahadur Rana, who organized the famous historic Kot massacre in 1846 this give rise to another Chhettri. Historians say the next day over 6000 members of these clans fled Kathmandu in fear for their lives. Jung bahadur, who proclaimed himself Ranaji later on, rose to power after the Kot Prawa and his descendants were to rule Nepal for the next 104 years, keeping the Shahs confined to the places as nominal kings. King Tribhuwan, who had suffered humiliation at he hands of the Rana for years, quietly slipped to the nearby Indian embassy and then made it to Delhi. In 1951, King Tribhuvan with the help from India as well as other Political parties’ coalition restored democracy. The major political agenda, after the overthrow of the Rana regime, was to write a new constitution through constituent assembly elected by the newly sovereign people. After his death his ambitious son, never agreed to the idea of a constitution assembly. In1960, King Mahendra, sacked the first popularly Prime minister of Nepal, B P Koirala, and impose a party less Panchayat system that ushered in the absolute rule of the kings for the next 30 years. King Mahendra, under his Panchayat project, tried to construct a Nepali nationalism based on the single edifice of one nation, one language, one religion, one culture and even one national dress.

Students rose up against Panchayat system in 1979 as well as Janaandolan or People movements. King Birendra promptly accepted multi-party system.

The democracy come with novice system and that made the country very chaotic, and there was unhealthy competition among the party, resulting political conflicts, Maoist insurgency, emerge that leads the nation into the crisis. In the mean time, another mysterious massacre was framed in the Royal family in 2001 on Friday left whole world in complete shock. King Gynendra was crowned Nepal’s king after his brother, King Birendra’s assassination.

The King Gynendra, in his short periods, he possessed all the power under his control by dissolving the coalition Government. With the advent of 2006, all major political parties committed to reform their past mistakes, Maoist rebels came together with the support from Nepali people and jointly went on several days’ strikes to restore democracy, and now Nepal become a Republic.

Geographical location
Sandwich between the Tibetan Autonomous region, the Republic china in the north and India in the south, with an area of 147,181 square kilometers occupies the central Himalayas between the palaeartic and Palaeotropical regions. The country is located between the altitudes of 26*- 22’ north and longitudes of 80*-40’ and 88*-12’ east. The average length of the country is 885km from east to west; the width varies from 145km north to south. Hills and high mountains cover about 86% of the total land area; the remaining 14% is composed of flatlands of the Terai, which are less then 300m in elevations. Altitude within the country varies from 67m above the sea level to Mt.Everest {8848m}, the highest point on earth.

Climate
Nepal is a one of the unique country in the world in terms of geographic position, altitudinal and climatic variation. Nepal experienced a wide range of climatic conditions, due to the extreme altitude variation. This reflects in the contrasting habitats vegetation, flora, and fauna that exist in the country. Other important climatic factors influencing biodiversity and the distribution of flora and fauna include precipitation, humidity, temperature, and aspects.

Nepal has four distinct seasons. Spring {March to May} is warm and dusty with rain showers. Summer {June to August} is dominated by the monsoon, when the hills turn lush and green. Autumn {September to November} is cool with clear sky and is the best time to travel in Nepal. Winter {December to February} it is chilly at night and can be foggy in the early morning, but afternoons are usually clear and pleasant.  In Nepal, it rarely snow below 2000m. Above 4000m the weather is always chilly, but the permanent snow line is much higher, an about 5500m.

The monsoon in the Bay of Bengal monitors the weather pattern, creating rainy season from Mid June to early September. In this time, we often get the rain until mid afternoon; however, it stops in the evening. The average annual fall In Nepal is 1600mm but total precipitation differs in each eco climatic zone. The eastern regions is wetter than the western region, Midhill receives an average annual rainfall of 2050mm, whereas in the far-western region receives only 950mm. The southern flank of the Himalayas , such as pokhara, receive a higher amount of rainfall that is about 3353mm, while the rain shadow areas of Dolpo, Jomsom, and Mustang receive considerable less 265mm. Temperature variations within topographic variations is pronounced . The average temperature is indicated to decrease by -6*c for every 1000m gain in altitude. Winter temperature in the Terai are between 23*c-28*c., while summer temperatures exceed 40*c. In the Midhill temperature generally remain between of 12-16*-c.

In Katmandu, spring an autumn days are comfortable in the evenings are cool, winter in Katmandu brings often foggy in the morning but pleasant daytime temperature.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Katmandu	19-2	20-4	25-8	30-11	30-16	30-20	30-21	29-20	27-19	23-15	23-4	20-2
Pokhara	20-8	21-8	27-11	30-16	30-19	30-20	30-21	30-21	29-20	27-18	23-11	20-8
Chit wan	24-7	26-8	33-12	35-18	35-20	35-23	33-24	33-24	32-22	31-18	29-12	24-8

Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions in Nepal. The advent mixes of Buddhism and Hinduism have co-existed that have shown with the complete mix of temples, stupa and other religious shrines at the same boundary. The religion practice is the very important part of the lives of the Nepalese people. Mythologies of various Hindu god and goddesses abound in this country and cultural values, are based on the philosophies of holy books like the Gita, Ramayana, etc. however the Buddha never wrote his Dharma {religion} or teaching, a schism later developed. However, both Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

In this regards both religions are practiced in the country as well as other religion like Islam, Christianity, Muslim, Bon, etc. The religion also varies according to its geographical features of the country. The people of the high Himalaya, such as Sherpa, tamang, Tibetans, Gurung, magar, mainly practice Buddhism and the Newar in the Katmandu valley, as well as all people in the country practiced both Hinduism and Buddhism. Some of the earliest rulers the Kirats practice their own kind of religion based on their own ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism.

The practice of these religions can see clearly in the temples, stupa, or even at home. Women and children visit neighborhood shrines at dawn to offer worship to the Gods, Holding plates of rice, flower ad vermilion powder, they perform worship by lighting incense, ringing the temple bell, and applying tika, a red paste, on their foreheads. Passers by stop at temples and show their reverence to the god by spending a few minutes praying .Occasionally , groups of men sit new temples playing music an singing hymns until midnight. However essential follow it in the different festivals.

People culture and language
Ethnic diversity and custom, Official statistics indicates that Nepali population of around 28 millions includes more than 70 ethnic groups speaking 100 different languages and dialects. Northern Himalayan People on of Nepal make Nepal the most fascinating tourist destination in the world. Due to the diverse ethnics, groups and their diverse culture play an important role to make the Nepal unique destination in the world. However, the culture, people and their language can be geographically categorized according to their habitats. The high Himalayan people such as Sherpa, Dolpas, Lopas, Baragaonlis and Manangi whereas Magar, Gurung, Tamang, Sun war, Newars, Thakali, Chepangs and majority of Brahmans and Chhetris are regarded as Middle Hills and Valley People. The Terai People are Tharus, Darai, Kumhal, Majhi and migrants from India.

The Sherpa who are of Tibetan Burman generally are the Buddhist but some follow the Bon, the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet, and other religions. The Sherpa are famed for their valor and mountaineering skills and are professionally involve in this field as well as involved in many other occupations like business, administrations, etc. The mid hills people like, Sunuwars, Newars, Thakali, occupy in the mid hills. They are both Hindu and Buddhist. The other mid hills people like Kirats, Limbus, and Rai are neither Hindu nor Buddhism. They are ancestor worshippers. The population of the Kathmandu valley consists mostly of Newars. They practice both Hindu and Buddhism. Their cultures also reflect tantrism and animism. Historically the Newar are well known for establishing the three artistically beautiful cities of Patan Bhaktapur and Katmandu. Tamang, who made up one of the largest Tibetan burmain ethnics group in the kingdom In the Tibetan language, tamang means horse soldier, which gives us an idea about their past occupation. However today they practice agriculture or worked as a labor in the different field. The magar lived in the western centre hills, which is closely associated Hindu indo-Aryan and they also practice agriculture as well as serve as Gorkha soldiers. Another ethnic group is Gurung. They also lived in the western part of Nepal. They have their own language and practice Buddhist religion. Moreover, the Brahmin regards the superior case of Nepal have especially involve in religious ceremony they served as a priest. The Tharu are one of the original ethnic groups to inhabit the Terai. The Majhi, Danwar, Rajbansi Darai, Satar, and Dhimal also occupy the flat lands. The Thrau have practices their own religion called animism. In addition, they speak their own Language. Nepali is the official language. Official statistics shows that 89.5% of the population is Hindu, 5.3% Buddhist, 2.7% Muslim, 2.4% Shamanist and Animist, 0.1%Jain and 0.04% Christian. Regardless of ethnic background or religion, Nepali people are the most hospitable and friendly people you could ever wish to meet. Nepalese revere their guests as gods. Visit to Nepal can surely be an experience of a lifetime

Communication in Nepal
Communication system has tremendously increased after the advent of modern technology in Nepal. Nepal government has provided reliable postal services and many other private entrepreneurs have provided the widely communication media. This makes the life quite easier. Many places of the country have provided telephone service as well as fax machine. On the other hand, most of the major cities have been serving internet facilities. Nowadays even in the high Himalaya due to the advent of the tourist. Some places provided internet facilities. Now the telephone becomes very common in the major cities. However, its access has not reached yet all over the nations. Some important communications are postal service, telephone service, internet services, media, etc.

Nepali cuisine
There are different types of Nepali food depending on the region and the kind of food belong to the But most Nepali have Dal {lentil soup}, Bhat {steamed rice} and Tarkari {curried vegetable}, It is often accompanied by Aachar {pickles}. Curried meat is popular, but since meat is expensive people save it for special occasions. When Nepali eats food, they do not use any cutlery to eat food but use their right hand. Daal-Bhat: The taste of Daal and Bhat vary, depending on the cook. It always tastes wonderful with Aachar. It is often available in restaurants. Rotis: They are flat pancake-like breads made of wheat or rice flour. They are available in restaurants and can be eaten with the Daal and curry. Dhedo: The average Nepali people have this as a meal. It is made of different kinds of flours, ranging from wheat to millet, which is boiled until thick.

Nepali language: Nepali is the official language of Nepla and it started to be used in writing during the 12th century A.D. It is written with the Devanagari alphabet, which developed from the Sanskrit in the 11th century. However, educated people, and those involved in the tourist industry also understand and speak English and many other foreign languages. Some examples of Nepali pharase.

Hello-Namaskar
Thank you-dhanyabaad
Excuse me/pardon me-Mafgarnus
How are you-tapaai laai kasto chha?
I am well,-sanchai chha.
I don’t understand- Maile bhujhina
What is your Name-Tapaai KO nam kayho?
My name is Man- Mero Nam Man hoo.
What is this- Yo ke ho?
I do not know – Thaahaa chhaina.
It is cold-aaja jaaro chha
Please give me a cup of tea- ek cup chiyaa dinuhos

Accommodations
Nepal offers a wide range of accommodation, from 5 star luxury hotels to budget–priced guests houses. Since the advent of the tourism has increased in the country, the large number of hotels commences to build in the country. The rate varies from USD 5 to USD 200 dollars per night. All, it based on quality of hotels. In addition, some famous trekking regions such as Everest, Annapurna and Lang tang regions have also provide sufficient number of hotels and lodges en-route.

Time and Business Hours
Nepal is Five hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT. Government offices are open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to through Friday in Katmandu valley. Saturday is the Holidays of Nepal. Banks are open from Sunday through Friday from 10am to 3.00pm. On Friday banks, remain open until 12pm only. Business offices are open from 10am to 5pm Sunday through Friday. Embassies and international organizations are open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Nepal celebrates many festivals through out the year that make the holidays at least couple in a month. However, the rates of the holidays have reduced gradually.

Drinking water
Drinking water is the very important factors to be considered while trekking in the Himalaya. Drinking water from the tap can be fatal. While traveling to the rural areas of areas of Nepal, carry iodine tablets with you. However, the mineral water easily available in most of the guest house or lodges. In addition, some area like,  Annapurna circuit, where Annapurna conservation area projected have been provided the Ozonated treated water in cheap price as compare to mineral waters with an aim to preserve the fragile environment. However, the mineral water is available in the guesthouse or shops. On the other hand if you trekking to Annapurna Base camp trek, the mineral water are strictly banned instead of it they provide the well-boiled filter waters to enhance the economic status of the rural people as well as to protects environment. Therefore, we would like to suggest, that you should carry the bottle for the waters or can easily buy in Kathmandu.

When to visit?
The peak seasons of October to November and March/ May are obviously the most popular trekking peaks season for Nepali Himalaya. At these times, the weather is mild and generally dry, making the waling conditions good. The spring season is good for wild flowers, particular the rhododendrons, while the autumn season generally gives the best mountain views, as the air at this time is crystal clear. Winter is also possible for the lower treks but the passes often closed with abundance of snow, particularly during late winter. The summer/monsoon period is generally is not suitable for the treking, however if you come to Nepal for the trekking except peak season , this is somehow escape from crowds of people and will give you the fantastic time to interact and get experienced the local Nepali culture and People. Having extreme varied altitude, Nepal experienced different climates, which can be more appropriate to another region. It means all round the year you can do trekking in Nepal Himalaya and chance of visibility of mountains are equally high.

Nepalese Currency.
Nepal currency is termed as Rupee. Rupees come in the form of Bank paper note with Rs 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 inscribed on the notes. Nepali coins also come in 25 paisa, 50 paisa, 1 rupee, 5 rupee and 10-rupee coins. Three are several authorized moneychanger and widely ATM are available in the Katmandu as well as other major cities like pokhara, etc. where you either changes your money at bank or with authorized moneychanger.  Banks are usually open from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm Sundays through Thursdays and from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm on Fridays. Saturdays are weekend holiday. However, the best exchange rate can be obtained, in Katmandu. Upon your arrival at Tribhuwan international airport of Nepal, the airport also provide for the exchange service. Exchanged rate are published in English newspaper. Most of the places in Katmandu, they accepts visa cards, master cards, credit cards. However, not in the mountain except few particular places, even you get exchange the money the rate that you obtained is quite low. Therefore, we suggest that you should exchange the expected required money in Katmandu then other places.

Clothing in Nepal
Clothing is also a very important matter to think what sorts of clothes that should bring while traveling in Nepal?. From April to the end of October, it is warm in Katmandu. In Nepal, clothing for traveling purpose should be light and comfortable. In the months of November to the end of March, days are usually warm and evenings are cool. Put on your summer clothes during the daytime but in the evening and night, it is advisable to carry a light jacket. Winter season starts from December to February. One must be equipped with sufficient winter wears like jackets, sweaters, trousers etc to stay protected from the cold. In accordance to Nepali weather, you can have your clothes well packed in your luggage or you can also purchase clothes of your choice and needs in Katmandu or other cities of Nepal.

Shopping in Nepal:-
Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan, Pokhara and chitwan, are the major shopping places in Nepal. However, Kathmandu valley is, indeed known as the shopper’s paradise for real work of art and cheap souvenirs. Some of the popular things that foreigners usually shops in Nepal are embroidered clothes, Tibetan carpets, pottery, masks and puppets, metal work, species of tea, jewelries, wood carving, statues, Thanka Paintings and hand made paper and productions. Other things are electronic goods, cosmetics, and food, decoration items to kitchenwares. Whatever you would like to make shopping in and out of Kathmandu, you can find the pretty good and genuine items in reasonable price.

Getting Nepal
By flight:

• Tribhuwan international airport is the only one international airport of Nepal. However, it links with outside world by several international airlines countries. You can fly directly to Kathmandu from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Amsterdam, Doha, Dubai, Dhaka, Karachi, Munich, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Paro, Lhasa, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Calcutta and Varanasi.
• Thai Airways International operates daily flight between Bangkok and Kathmandu.
• Qatar Airways flies daily between Doha and Kathmandu with connecting flights to/from Europe and America.
• Gulf Air has daily flight between UAE and Kathmandu with connecting flights to/from Europe and America.
• Air China flies between Lhasa, with connecting flights to/from mainland China.
• Austrian Airlines flies between Vienna and Kathmandu once a week.
• Indian Airlines have frequent flights between Delhi, Calcutta and Kathmandu.

By land:
Train and road network in India can be used to travel from north India to Nepal. In the east Kakarbhitta, across Silguri and Darjeeling of West Bengal and in the center Bhairawa (Lumbini) provides easy access to enter Nepal. Bhairawa entry-exit point provides suitable train and bus connections to Varanasi, Bodgaya, Patna and Agra. In Far West Nepal, the entry point is Mahendranagar. It can be reached by road from Delhi. There are good network of road and train in India. Most recently Dacca in Bangladesh has also open up overland route to Nepal for tourist:

Visa information:-
All visitors except the Indian nationals must hold passport and valid visa. Visa can be obtained at the Nepalese diplomatic missions and consulates abroad. Visa is also issued at the entry points. If you would like to extend the visa, you can extend in department of Immigration, Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu. The children below 10 years old need not pay any visa fee. Upon your arrival, you need to fill a form with passport photograph to  get the entry visa at the Tribhuwan international airport.  
Important information:-

1. No foreigner is entitled to enter into and stay in the Kingdom of Nepal without valid visa.
2. Tourist entry visa can be obtained for the following duration from Royal Nepalese Embassy or Consulate or other mission offices or immigration offices located on entry points in Nepal.
3.  Free Visa for 3 (or less than) days single entry.
4.  Once the visa is issued, it will not be amended, revalidated and visa fees will not be refunded.
5.  Personal cheque and credit cards are not accepted.
6.  There will be no charge for children under 10 years. However, visa is required.

	For First Visit		For Second Visit
Types of visa	Visa valid for	fee	Visa valid for	fee
Single visa	60 days	US$30	30 days	US$30
Multiple visa	60 days	US$80	30 days	US$30

Essential requirements for the visa:

1. At least six months valid passport
2. Application form
3. One photograph
4. Minimum time required for personal application to process a visa is 24 hours

Some dos and don’ts

1. The form of greeting in Nepal is Namaste and is performed by joining the palm together
2. Respect privacy when taking photographs
3. Before entering a Nepalese home, temple, and stupa remember to remove your shoes.
4. Cheap charity breeds beggars but does not solve their basic problems therefore do not encourage beggar by being benevolent.
5. Protect the natural environment.
6. Develop a genuine interest to meet and talk to Nepalese people and respect their local customs.
7. Take photographs only after receiving permission for the object or person being photographed.
8. Keep local water clean and avoid using pollutants.
9. Burn dry paper and packets in a safe place.
10. Never touch anything with your feet. This is considered an offence among Nepalese.
11. Respect local traditions, customs, values and sentiments to help them protect local culture and maintain local pride.
12. Plants should be left to flourish in their natural environment.
13. It is better not to touch the persons when they are on the way to temple.