Kathmandu

Mongolian citizens need a Nepalese visa, but it is issued on arrival. Easiest is to apply in advance on the Department of Immigration ETA/eVisa portal and pay by card: multiple-entry tourist visa 15 days $30, 30 days $50, 90 days $125. The approval arrives by email — print it and use it within 6 months of issue. Free for children under 10 for up to 30 days. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months.

Tip: If you get the visa on arrival, carry cash dollars (new, clean notes) — card payment sometimes fails.

There is no direct flight, so you connect via China, Korea or Thailand: check the layover time, whether bags are checked through, and the transit visa rules. If you go to the mountains, travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking and helicopter evacuation is a must.

Foreigners may not trek alone in national parks and protected areas — go with a licensed guide through a TAAN-registered agency. The agency handles park entry fees and the TIMS card. For a pilgrimage to Lumbini (the Buddha's birthplace), take a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa.

With an online ETA, show the printed approval straight at immigration. Otherwise fill in the form at the arrivals-hall kiosks, have your photo taken, pay the visa fee and go to the immigration desk. Queues are slow at busy times.

There is a prepaid taxi counter at the arrivals exit: about NPR 900 to Thamel, with a surcharge after 21:00. Touts crowd the exit — don't get into a car without a ticket. Many hotels offer a free pickup, so ask when you book.

Tip: Carry your own bags — 'helpers' ask for money afterwards.

Ncell and Nepal Telecom (NTC) have counters in arrivals; a passport is required and they take your photo on the spot. Ncell TouristPro packs cost NPR 595 for 7 days, NPR 995 for 14 days and NPR 1,995 for 28 days. For the mountains, NTC has better coverage.

If your phone supports eSIM, install the Ncell tourist eSIM or an international eSIM (Airalo and others) before the flight. Power cuts and weak signal in mountain villages are common, so download Google Maps offline.

Book a car or motorbike with the Pathao or inDrive apps — the fare is agreed upfront and the language barrier shrinks. Ordinary taxis don't use meters, so agree the price before getting in.

To cover Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur and Nagarkot in one day, hiring a car with driver through your hotel or a travel agency pays off — agree the price in writing beforehand. City buses and microbuses are very cheap but crowded, with routes in Nepali only.

Tourist buses to Pokhara and Chitwan leave in the morning from around Thamel; mountain roads are poor and landslides hit during the monsoon, so never take a night bus. If time is short, domestic flights (Buddha Air, Yeti) are more reliable but are delayed by weather.

The currency is the Nepalese rupee (NPR). Thamel and Durbar Marg have plenty of ATMs and most take foreign cards, but withdrawal limits are low and fees apply. Hotels and larger restaurants take cards; markets, temples and taxis want cash. Licensed money changers give good rates for US dollars.

Indian ₹2,000 notes remain banned in Nepal; since July 2026 ₹200 and ₹500 notes up to ₹25,000 in total are allowed, but only for Indian and Nepalese citizens — a Mongolian traveller has no reason to carry Indian rupees. Declare cash over $5,000 at the border.

Shops in Thamel and Bhaktapur expect bargaining — the first price can often come down by a third to a half. Restaurants add a service charge and tax on top of menu prices; tipping guides and porters at the end of a trek is customary.

Dal bhat — rice, lentils, vegetables and pickles, usually with free refills; momo — like Mongolian buuz, with chicken, goat or vegetables rather than beef; Newar food — samay baji, yomari; Bhaktapur's juju dhau curd. Tibetan food (thukpa noodles, thenthuk) is everywhere around Boudhanath.

Tip: Hindus don't eat beef — 'buff' on a menu means water buffalo.

Don't drink tap water — drink bottled or filtered water; hotels often have refill stations. Be careful with raw salads, unpeeled fruit and street drinks with ice. Freshly cooked hot food is the safest; carry hand sanitiser.

Police 100, fire 101, ambulance 102. The English-speaking Tourist Police on 1144 — call them first for theft, scams or a lost passport.

After the Gen-Z protests of September 2025, elections in March 2026 brought a new government. Protests and strikes (bandh) can be called suddenly and stop traffic — stay away from gatherings around Maitighar, government buildings and party offices, and follow your hotel's updates.

CIWEC Clinic (Lazimpat) is a travel clinic with English-speaking staff, open 24 hours; for serious cases, Norvic and Grande international hospitals. Air pollution is high in the winter and spring months — bring N95 masks. In an earthquake, get away from buildings into open space.

Always walk around stupas and prayer wheels clockwise — just as in Mongolia. Take your shoes off in monasteries and temples and cover shoulders and knees; ask before photographing monks.

The main Pashupatinath temple and some other Hindu temples admit Hindus only — respect the 'Hindus only' signs. Never photograph cremation rites or approach mourners. Leather goods are banned in some temples.

Greet with palms together and 'Namaste'. Don't touch people, especially their heads, and don't point the soles of your feet at people or deities. Give and receive food and money with the right hand; avoid kissing and hugging in public.

Pathao and inDrive — cars and motorbikes with upfront fares. Download the Kathmandu valley in Google Maps for offline use: the lanes of Thamel, Patan and Bhaktapur are a maze.

IQAir — the day's air quality and whether you need a mask. Download Nepali in Google Translate for offline use, though English is enough in tourist areas.

Tribhuvan Airport is close to Thamel, but traffic and security checks are slow, so arrive early for an international flight. The airport is small and the departure lounge crowded; bags are screened twice.

Nepalese rupees are almost impossible to exchange abroad — spend what's left before heading to the airport or change it back to dollars (keep your exchange receipts). Overstaying your visa by even one day means a fine on departure — match your return date to your visa.