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General Info for TravelersVisas: All foreigners (except Indian nationals) require visas, which can be obtained in advance or on arrival. Single-entry tourist visas costing US$30 are issued for up to 60 days and can be extended for a maximum of three months (for an extra US$80). Double and multiple-entry visas are also available. Visas permit travel around the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara and Chitwan National Park in the Terai. Trekking
permits are no longer required. National park
and conservation fees have risen substantially:
it now costs Rs2000 to enter the Annapurna
Conservqation area.
Nepal consists of hot plains, cool hills and cold mountains as you move south to north. Access: Kathmandu is connected by direct flights with Amsterdam, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Karachi, Bahrain, Kolkotta, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Patna, Varanasi, Dhaka, Paro, Lhasa, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Osaka. Alternatively, you can enter Nepal by land from India through six points - Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Belhiya, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar - or through Kodari from Tibet. In addition to Tibet and Bhutan, Kathmandu in also connected by air/road to Sikkim and Darjeeling which makes it the natural gateway to these places. Season: March-May and September-November are the best times to visit Nepal. The rainy season lasts from June to August. Adventure: Mountaineering, trekking, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, bungy jumping, canyoning, motor gliding, paragliding, and rock climbing. Accommodation:
There are accommodations
to suit every budget
in Kathmandu,
Pokhara,
Dulikhel,
Nagarkot
and Chitwan,
ranging from non-star
lodges with basic
amenities to sheer
luxury in some of
the world's outstanding
hotels. Lodges are
available elsewhere. Climatic factors are very important in deciding when to visit Nepal. October-November, the start of the dry season, is in many ways the best time of year: the weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the country is lush following the monsoon. February-April, the tail end of the dry season, is the second-best period: visibility is not so good because of dust, but the weather is warm and many of Nepal's wonderful wild flowers are in bloom. In December and January the climate and visibility are good but it can be chilly: trekkers need to be well prepared for snow, and for cheaper hotels in Kathmandu - nonexistent heating makes for rather gloomy evenings. The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. It is though the main season for trips to Tibet and sightseeing in the Kathmandu valley is rather intimate. FestivalsNepal's festive calendar is hectic. Dasain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepalese celebrations and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year and as the name das suggests, takes only 10 days. Running a close second with 5 days is Tihar (November), but unlike Daisan, animals are honoured rather than slaughtered. Other festivals celebrated nationally include the water-tinged Holi (March) and Chaitra Daisan (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Hindu festivals number the Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March), both celebrated in Pashupatinath, the Gai Jatra (August) in Kathmandu and the Krishna Jayanti (August/September) in Patan. Buddhist celebrations are just as thick on the ground, and include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu, Buddha Jayanti (May) in Kathmandu, and Losar (Tibetan New Year) (February) in Bodnath, Swayambhunath, Jawlakhel and highland communities.
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