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Nepal travel questions

 
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AminoUp



Joined: 19 Nov 2008

PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:56 pm    Post subject: Nepal travel questions Reply with quote

I'm traveling to Nepal for 6 days and I had a few questions / things I'd like advising on.

1) Can I exchange won for Nepalese rupees once I arrive at the airport?

2) I have a very short amount of time for break, and I'd like to see at least a little of the Himalayas. What would be a good area to head to after 3 days in Kathmandu?

3) Are short-distance plane flights within Nepal a safe and good idea, or would I be better off taking a bus?

If anyone has any other tips or good ideas, I'd love to hear them too. I'm excited to go traveling, but I'm a bit clueless, unfortunately. Thank you! Very Happy
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Kurtz



Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me

PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can I assume you'll be traveling there soon? as in monsoon season when you'll be lucky to see the mountains due to clouds?

1) Not sure but doubt it. US dollars are good to take. You won't need much money for a week but saying that, you can get through the money in Kathmandu, especially if you poke your head in shops selling mandalas which are hard to resist.

2) If you're leaving soon, I'd just stay in the KTM valley for a week. There is heaps to see.

3) Flights in Nepal are OK, buses are terrible and slow due to the road conditions. I wouldn't want to travel by bus in the monsoon. Hire a taxi for the day to do some sightseeing.

TIPS

Watch out for thieves in KTM. Barter to get a good room rate. Patan is a nice place to check out, but I really liked the Shiva temple Pashupatinath which is where you can see bodies being cremated (it's a much nicer place than the horrid Varanasi in India), Bhaktapur, Swayambhunath are nice and maybe stay a night in Nagarkot which is a resort place where you might catch a glimpse of the mountains.

KTM is very hot in the monsoon.
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schwa



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap

PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread brings back some memories.

I was in Nepal in 1972. Had a flight booked from Kathmandu to Pokhara ($15!). Two mornings in a row the sky was stormy & glowering & the flights were cancelled. Third morning looked just the same but they decided to go for it anyway. Bumpy! All the seats had been removed (we sat on the floor) & the windows were drafty. There were chickens running around in the cabin.

I loved Nepal. Kind people, colorful country, & many perfectly legal ganja shops back then.
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chris_J2



Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.

PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:12 pm    Post subject: Nepal Reply with quote

Quote:
1) Can I exchange won for Nepalese rupees once I arrive at the airport?


There is a bank at the Airport (Nepal Arab Bank Ltd) where you can exchange travellers cheques and major currencies. Not sure if they take won. I came from Thailand. There may even be an atm by now. I went in 2002.

Quote:
2) I have a very short amount of time for break, and I'd like to see at least a little of the Himalayas. What would be a good area to head to after 3 days in Kathmandu?


Nagarkot from Bhaktapur

http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=310860

Patan is another place worth staying in addition to Bhaktapur.

Quote:
3) Are short-distance plane flights within Nepal a safe and good idea, or would I be better off taking a bus?


Yes, planes are a good idea.

http://www.nepal-guide.com/flight_tickets.htm

There's Buddha Air, Cosmic Air, Yeti & Gorkha Airlines. Try to book a window seat on the left side of the plane heading east, & the right side, heading west. This will give you uninterrupted views of Everest, if the weather is clear. Even mid winter, my flight to Janakpur was delayed several hours by thick fog.

http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=5&p=148323
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sara210



Joined: 20 Jul 2009

PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If youve only got a week it may just be worth staying in KTM....as above you could risk a flight to Pokhara...dont take the bus it would be a waste of your day as it takes about 8 hours....but thats variable to say the least.


Pokhara is much more scenic and pretty than KTM. KTM itself is very built up and busy and not the most relaxing place to stay. If i had a week i would probably go and stay in Pokhara, then maybe take a couple of days out in Chitwan to go on Safari. ( and pokhara has THE best steak house ever! )

If you stay in KTM for the week and want to see the mountains then you can always go on an flight round everest which is about �50.00 i think. And if you wanted to get outdoors you could take a rafting trip from KTM, or some chill out days up at the last resort where you can do a bungee jump and some rafting /biking up there. Theres is also nearby Patan ( i think) which has lots of temples, and theres the monkey temple to visit! Theres also a really really depressing zoo!

Dollars is definatley the most useful thing to have in KTM and there are an abundance of money changers and cash points that accept foreign cards.

If you havent booked anywhere to stay yet KTM Guesthouse is very very popular, or i could reccomend the Red Planet ( i think).

If you have any more specific ideas of what you like to do then i can help you out more.
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freeridden



Joined: 27 Apr 2008

PostPosted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:03 pm    Post subject: Nepal Reply with quote

This thread seems old, but I'm going to post anyways.

I am thinking of going to Nepal either during Xmas or right after winter camp ends (late January?). I will have two weeks to spare, so any information for a 14 day trip would be great. I won't be doing any Mt. Everest trekking. I like hiking, but I'm not a climber. I want to see the culture, hang with the people, drink some beer, eat some good food, see the sights, etc. Thailand is always full of foreigners during the Jan/Feb seasons, so I don't want to go there.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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DrugstoreCowgirl



Joined: 08 May 2009
Location: Daegu-where the streets have no name

PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm planning to go to Nepal next year after my contract ends and I will definitely be doing an Everest flight.

http://www.buddhaair.com/everestexperience.html
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Kurtz



Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me

PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:00 am    Post subject: Re: Nepal Reply with quote

freeridden wrote:
This thread seems old, but I'm going to post anyways.

I am thinking of going to Nepal either during Xmas or right after winter camp ends (late January?). I will have two weeks to spare, so any information for a 14 day trip would be great. I won't be doing any Mt. Everest trekking. I like hiking, but I'm not a climber. I want to see the culture, hang with the people, drink some beer, eat some good food, see the sights, etc. Thailand is always full of foreigners during the Jan/Feb seasons, so I don't want to go there.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.


Guidebooks always help.

Good trekking to be found near KTM in the Helambu and Langtang regions.

Try a few days in the KTM Valley, KTM, Patan. Good tourist spot in Pokhara where you can hang out, do some good MTB rides (the downhill from the Golden Buddha is sweet, quality bikes with a guide can be found in the main tourist strip from this French guy who has set up shop....not far from the damn Korean guesthouse where some ajosshi was training the locals how to make bulgoggi and kimchi), paraglide, and head out and do a short trek up to Poon Hill (a lookout with superb views of massive peaks-again, kimchi can be found in the village where you spend the night, Koreans are EVERYWHERE!)

Winter is a great time to go to Nepal, but it gets pretty damn cold in the mountains in the evening.

Maybe keep sightseeing in KTM to the end. There are often fuel shortages, strikes and all manner of things annoying for the tourist. You don't want to be stuck out in Pokhara with a fuel strike or some kind of protest when you're meant to be flying out the next day. It can happen.
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