If I am asked to pick a book which inspired me to travel to a particular place, I would choose Conor Grennan’s “The Little Princess”. The book describes the author’s experiences
Nepal has plenty of places to visit. I knew it is unwise attempting to rush everywhere. I had very few days. So decided to explore Kathmandu and Pokhara. A small trek was also there in mind. My friend Sankar was also with me.
Why you should visit Nepal?
This is not about the top places or the reasons why you should visit Nepal.
In 2015, there was a massive earthquake in Nepal. It took thousands of lives and caused a huge loss to the already struggling economy. Many of the ancient and heritage buildings were destroyed.
Even after 4 years, Nepal couldn’t fully escape from those bad memories yet. The marks of the earthquake can be still seen everywhere. Nepal is not an affluent country, tourism is the backbone of the economy. After the earthquake, the tourism industry has plunged. The number of tourists visiting Nepal has reduced.
There are thousands of trekking guides, tour operators, taxi drivers, hoteliers, people of run homestays and tea houses who struggles to make a living from tourism. Majority of the young generation is engaged in this industry.
An earthquake should not be the reason for striking off this amazing country from the list of our destinations. As travellers, we can also contribute and help. Instead of spending all our money in some other expensive destinations, help these people by visiting their country. Either it is adventurous sports, trekking, spiritual or heritage, Nepal can satisfy all kind of travellers. We can make a big difference and make our travels more meaningful.
The people of Nepal are amazing. We met Arjun from Kathmandu, he told us many things about this country and helped us plan Panchase peak trek. He became our good friend and showed around Kathmandu that last day.
Every homestay we stayed where just like another home, especially the one at Makhanpur. The rooms were warm and cosy. The food everywhere was amazing. I can’t forget the guy who served us hot tea all the time when we were at Panchase Bhangyang. It was raining on the day we were coming back from Panchase, he gave us his own raincoats and walking sticks.
I still remember the old man with charm we met during the trek. He waited for us to come along with him while we were struggling to climb the mountains. Dinesh from Pokhara was another beautiful soul we met. There was another man who runs a cafe in Thamel, he won’t charge extra for water like other shops. More than the places, it is the people we met on our journey made Nepal beautiful.
How to visit Nepal from India?
Do Indian need visa to visit Nepal?
Visiting Nepal is pretty easy for Indian citizens. India is considered as a close ally, so Nepal does not have any problem to accommodate visitors from India. You don’t have to go through any visa process to visit Nepal.
As per the 1950 treaty between India and Nepal – “freedom of movement across the border”, people of both nations can travel without a passport.
However you should carry one of the identification documents just to prove that you are the citizen of India. Election ID card or driving licence is more than enough. You don’t have to show the ID card at border or take any permits. This is incase some officials asks to prove your identity.
Traveling to Nepal from India by air
There are many flights from major Indian cities to Kathmandu, the capital city. The more frequent ones are between Delhi and Kathmandu. I have read that passport is not mandatory to travel to Nepal. Many websites provide this information. I had my passport with me and almost all of my co-passengers also had passports.
If you have a passport, then I would suggest to carry it unless you are so sure that it is not required.
In the Kathmandu airport, there will be separate queue for Indian citizens for immigration clearance. Everything is processed very fast. The officer will stamp in your passport and it is done. You can easily get out of the airport while tourists from other countries still wait for their turn in immigration counter.
Traveling to Nepal from India by road
Gorakhpur is the nearest railway station to Nepal border. Trains are available between Delhi and Gorakhpur. From Gorakhpur, there are buses or taxis to Sunauli, the Indian side of the border. It is a 3 hours journey.
You can walk towards the Nepal side and get an overnight bus to Kathmandu.
There is another way also. From Kolkata, you can reach New Jalpaiguri (NJP). From NJP, there are local buses or taxis available to Panitanki, the border village. Cross the border and you get buses to Kathmandu.
7 day itinerary to visit nepal
Day 1 : A day in Kathmandu
My Day 1 began at Kathmandu. The previous night, from airport, we came to Thamel and stayed there.
Kathmandu is a busy crowded city. The streets are narrow and dusty, where you have to struggle among the many people and motorbikes. It will take quite a time for someone to get used to this congested environment if coming from somewhere much peaceful.
Most of travellers stays in Thamel. It is a kind of backpackers heaven. The streets of Thamel are lined with cafes, restaurants, hostels , money exchange centers and tourists information centers excetra.
Our first job was to convert the Indian currency to Nepali currency. Since we reached late yesterday, couldn’t get the money converted.
Previously Nepal accepted Indian currency, means we can use Indian money just like Nepali currency. But after the 2016 Indian demonetisation, new currency notes are not valid. You have to convert it into Nepali currency through money exchangers. Though you can find people ready to accept the new bank notes, it is always good to keep money as Nepali Rupee.
We started walking, from one street to another, slowly getting into the pulse of the city. The weather was pleasant, sunny but cold. The cafes were opening up, steaming momos are getting ready from the kitchen. Kids are hurrying to schools and shops are slowly moving up their shutters. The open areas are filled with people; elders, couples and tourists who came out to get some sunshine.
The streets are very narrow, if you spread your hands wide, you touch the buildings on both sides. The electric poles here are interesting. It is a mess actually, generations of cables are intertwined and going in all directions from each pole. It is extremely difficult to figure out a particular cable. But I found people working on it without much worries.
Suddenly the street ended up into a large open area. That was Kathmandu durbar square. There was a palace complex on one side and temples on the other. The architecture of those buildings is alluring.
Some of the structures are standing with the support, the earthquake has done some really bad damage to all those heritage buildings. Many of them are completely destroyed. Many such buildings are under restoration by the support of different international organizations and nations.
It was evening when we walked to Swayambhunath temple. The sun was setting down on the mountains. From Thamel, Swayambhu is a 4 km walk. It is one of the oldest temples in Nepal and a prominent tourist attraction. The temple is located on a hill, you need to climb steep steps to reach the top. The temple overlooks the complete city of Kathmandu.
Once you reach the top, you get an entire view of the Kathmandu city. The temple is also known as “Monkey temple”, there are thousands of monkeys roaming around the temple complex.
The Swayambhunath temple was peaceful , the ambience serene. The night was slowly swallowing the valley and the cold was taking advantage of it.
Day 2 : Kathmandu to Pokhara
On our second day in Nepal, we were on the way to Pokhara. We got bus in the morning and started the day long journey.
There are plenty of buses available from Kathmandu to Pokhara. From Thamel, the nearest place to catch bus was Balaju chowk. There are two types of buses, the one is normal minibus and the other is kinda small vans. The small vans are fast and expensive whereas the mini-buses will take some more time but cheaper.
If you want to save a day travelling to Pokhara, you can also take a bus during night. Overnight buses will reach Pokhara by early morning.
The roads are pretty bad in Nepal. Our journey took almost 6 hours. The bus ride was little tiring on the dusty and bumpy road.
By evening we reached Pokhara. The bus stops at Prithvi chowk. While figuring out what to do next, we met a person, he asked us to check out his guest house near to the Phewa lake. The idea sounded good, we agreed to go with him and stayed there at the night.
Pokhara is amazing, much peaceful than Thamel. The city is clean.
The beauty of the town lies in the lake and the mountains surrounding it.
I would say, if you are in Pokhara, stay somewhere near to the lake. It is an happening place. You can find plenty of cafes and restaurants on the lake side.
Day 3-5 : Panchase peak trek
Another beautiful day in Pokhara.The sunrise over Phewa lake was beautiful. We got ready to leave for Panchase peak trek.
Panchase peak trek is a small 3-day trek near Pokhara. The good thing about this trek is, unlike other known treks, we don’t need any guides or permits. The trail is beautiful, takes us through amazing landscapes and beautiful villages on the mountains.
We can complete the trek in 3 days on a less budget.
Panchase Bhangyang is the last place to stay before trekking to the top of the Panchase peak. If the sky is clear, we will get some amazing views of Machupuchure and Annapurna II mountains. The trek was a nice experience.
We came back to Pokhara on Day 5 evening. It was raining on the way back.
Read more about, Panchase Peak trek
Day 6 : Return from Pokhara
Same as like Day 2. We were on the bus back to Kathmandu.
It was raining, the roads were in pretty bad shape. It took more time to reach Thamel.
Day 7 : Exploring Kathmandu again
Our last day in Nepal. We only spend one day in Kathmandu earlier. Kathmandu has more to show us.
Patan was the first destination. It is not that far from the city. You can take shareauto to reach Patan from Thamel.
Patan Durbar square was huge compared to Kathmandu Durbar square. The architecture was more intricate and fascinating. We spend a lot of time walking through the temples and streets of Patan.
The museum in the square is a must visit place. It has a lot of stories to tell about the people and culture of this land.
After Patan, we moved towards the Pashupatinath temple. This hindu temple is famous piligrim place in the country. Similar to the temples in Varanasi, we can see lot of “sadhus” sitting on the banks of river. There was also open cremation grounds, where the bodies of dead are burnt.
The mood of the temple is kind of dark. Before coming here, I have read a lot of blogs and articles about Pashupatinath temple. Most of them insist us to not to miss the cremation grounds and the sadhus. Few things which are not supposed to be are being exploited for the sake of tourism.
I saw sadhus with bright clothes and painted face, smiling at anyone who looks like a tourist and later asking whether they want to take picture in return of some money.
People are looking curiously with their cameras open from one side of the river, when the corpses are being taken for burning on the other side.
I felt sorry about myself for being there as a tourist. We can’t just always intrude into everyone’s life since we are travelers or whatever we call ourselves.
Another place I wanted to visit was the Boudhanath stupa.
Unknowingly we become one among the thousands walking around the stupa chanting prayers when we enter inside the complex. I could see the eyes of wisdom looking us from the top of the stupa. Circumbulating the stupa is a transcendental experience. The best thing to end up a journey.
The next day morning, we headed back to India.
Few things to know before visiting Nepal
Summer is the major tourist season in Nepal. Travellers and trekkers from all over the world will come to this small country. To avoid the rush, it is better to visit Nepal just after the winter. February end and March are the best time, there won’t be much crowd.
The weather in Nepal will be cold throughout, so make sure you have enough warm clothing. Winter wears are little cheaper in Nepal, you can purchase them once you reach here also.
Always take care of yourselves. There are many scams happening, especially in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara. Be careful all the time and make sure everything is proper before paying money for anything.
I won’t say Nepal is that much cheaper to travel. But if you are careful about the expenses, then you can travel on a budget. Since the economy is not that strong, inflation is a major problem. Food and accomodation will be costlier comparatively in the cities. Local restaurants will be economical. You will get accommodations of all types in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
On a not so expensive and not so economical budget, my per day expense was around 1000 – 1500 INR excluding the cost of travel.
Bus fare between Kathmandu and Pokhara will come around 500-600 Nepali Rupee minimum. These buses are the most basic ones. You will get luxury buses also.
That’s all about Nepal. It is very easy to visit Nepal from India and also, it is not that much expensive.
Do let me know if this blog post was helpful to plan your travel.
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