Climate

Climatic conditions of Nepal vary from one place to another in accordance with the geographical features. In the northern summers are cool and winters severe, while in south, summers are tropical and winters are mild. Nepal has namely five major seasons: spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter. An average temperature drop of 6°C occurs for every 1,000 m gain in altitude. In the Terai, summer temperatures exceed 37° C and higher in some areas, winter temperatures range from 7°C to 23°C in the Terai. In mountainous regions, hills and valleys summers are temperate while winter temperatures can plummet under sub zero. The valley of Kathmandu has a pleasant climate with average summer and winter temperatures of 19°C – 35°C and 2°C – 12°C respectively. The Himalayas act as a barrier to the cold winds blowing from Central Asia in winter, and forms the northern boundary of the monsoon wind patterns. Eighty percent of the precipitation is received during the monsoon (June-September). Winter rains are more pronounced in the western hills. The average annual rainfall is 1,600 mm, but it varies by eco-climatic zones, such as 3,345 mm in Pokhara and below 300 mm in Mustang. An interesting fact is that there is no seasonal constraint on traveling in and through Nepal. Even in December and January, when winter is at its severest, there are compensating bright sun and brilliant views. As with most of the trekking areas in Nepal, the best time to visit are during spring and autumn. Spring is the time for rhododendrons while the clearest skies are found after the monsoon in October and November. However, Nepal can be visited the whole year round. Source: NTB

For more information about Nepal’s climatic conditions, please visit: http://www.dhm.gov.np (official web site of the Department of Hydrology & Meteorology, Ministry of Environment. As the monsoon dissipates in September, Nepal welcomes beautiful clear skies, fresh air and incredible views. October and November are two of the best months to visit as dry days make trekking easier and offer good visibility. The verdant landscapes following the rains are ideal for photographers.

Public Holidays

Public offices and most private businesses in Nepal operate six days a week and only close on Saturdays. Government holidays for the upcoming year are published in Nepal Gazette. Nepal celebrates a number of religious and non-religious holidays. On most of these holidays, most government offices and private institutions are closed, although is not mandatory for privately owned businesses to close and international organizations may operate their own calendar.

Some of these events are region, religion or gender specific. For example, a certain holiday in Nepal can only be for women.

The longest consecutive public holiday in Nepal is during Vijaya Dashami. On this festival, holidays fall consecutively i.e. from Fulpati to Duwadashi for six days. Ghatasthapana and Kojagrat Purnima holidays are part of this festival but are separate from the six-day holiday. These festival holidays do not fall on the same calendar date every year, as they are celebrated on the basis of Lunar calendar (rotation of the moon) also known as tithi. Holidays such as Loktantra Diwas (Democracy Day) and Republic day are celebrated on the basis of Vikram Sambat calendar dates.  It is the official calendar of Nepal based Hindu calendar (use of both lunar months and solar orbit of the sun and earth)

The following is the list of holidays for the calendar year 2019 in Nepal.^[1] Some holidays may overlap with Saturdays.

Food

Ask a Nepali “what’s your favorite food” and you will most likely get a laugh and a response ‘dal bhat, of course!’  It consists of lentil soup (the dal), and boiled rice (the bhat), with varours side dishes which may include steamed vegetables, vegetable curry, popadoms, pickle and curd. … The dal soup, when cooked, is a thin soup, not a thick curry.   You can say it’s a national dish.   There are plenty of other delicious traditional Nepali dishes that you should try while in Nepal. Here are some suggestions:

Sel roti

Sometimes called Nepal’s answer to the donut (because they’re deep-fried and round), sel roti are in fact much less sweet than the familiar donut, though they do have a hint of sweetness. They’re commonly found at road-side snack stalls and made in Nepali homes during celebrations and certain festivals (especially Maghe Sankranti and Tihar).

Gundruk

Wildly popular in Nepal, gundruk is made by fermenting leafy green vegetables. It’s commonly made into a pickle, called gundruk ko achar. It tastes like nothing else we can think of – slightly mushroomy and quite salty. It perfectly complements Nepali curries and a dollop of it is usually added to a dal bhat meal.

Bara

Bara cooking on a hot pan.  Newaris are a Nepali ethnic group who were the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. Their distinct culture, cuisine, architecture and language still have a strong presence in the capital. Newari food is a unique subset of Nepali cuisine. A popular Newari snack is bara (also spelled bada), which is kind of like a thick savoury rice-flour pancake. It can be eaten plain, with an egg cracked on top or with minced buffalo meat.

Chatamari

Chatamari is another favourite Newari snack that is very popular in Kathmandu. It has been called a ‘Nepali pizza’, but that’s only because it’s sort of round. Chatamari is a rice-flour crepe (thinner than bara) that is cooked with a variety of savoury toppings such as chopped onions, fresh coriander, minced meat, egg, chillis and a variety of spices.

Yomari

Yomari is such a special food that it has its own festival, usually celebrated in December, called Yomari Punhi. The Newari festival marks the end of the rice harvest and sweet yomari are made and eaten on this day. The pointed, fish-shaped dumplings are made from rice flour and stuffed either with a sweet molasses mixture or a coconut one. Either is delicious.  Aside from Newari households during the Yomari Punhi Festival, yomari are available year-round at The Village Cafe on Pulchowk in Patan and in the bakery section of the nearby Bhat Bhateni Supermarket. They are hard to find elsewhere, outside the festival time.

The Village Cafe, Pulchowk, Patan, Nepal, +977 1-5540712

Bhat Bhateni Supermarket, Krishna Galli, Patan, Nepal, +977 1-5520944

Chiura

Chiura, or pounded rice.  Chiura is a bit of an acquired taste. It is rice that has been beaten flat and dried to keep it fresher for longer. It can be quite dry to eat, so it’s best as an accompaniment to very wet curries. Be warned that it expands in the stomach once eaten, it can be quite filling.

Sandheko

This spicy Newari salad is usually made with potatoes or peanuts, as well as chillies (lots of them!), raw onions, fresh coriander, spices and is served cold. This very tasty dish is a popular bar snack.

Momos

While momos are usually called Tibetan dumplings, the truth is, they’re usually better in Nepal (feedback from those that have tried it in both places!). They are a favourite among Nepalis, not only of Tibetan origin, so it’s safe to call them Nepali food. Rice paper wrappers are stuffed with finely chopped vegetables, minced buffalo or chicken and are steamed, deep fried or added to a spicy soup. They’re also served with large helpings of spicy pickles, for dunking. Momos are always hand-made fresh to order, so don’t be surprised if your order takes three times longer than everyone else’s to arrive.

Juju dhau

Juju dhau, or ‘king curd’, is a thick, creamy, sweetened yogurt served in clay pots in the city of Bhaktapur. It’s made with buffalo milk, so it’s much richer than regular cow’s milk yogurt. It’s an important accompaniment to many Newari celebrations and a must-try when visiting Bhaktapur. Grab a pot from a street-side vendor.

Dal bhat

Finally, saving the best for last. To call this rice and lentil dish a staple of Nepali cuisine would be an understatement – it’s so much more than just rice and lentils. When served in a restaurant or at home, the rice and lentil curry is accompanied by a variety of seasonable vegetable and meat curries (spinach, potato, mushroom, chicken, buffalo, etc), as well as a salad, pickles, papad and curd. It is not just a dish but a smorgasbord of flavors that stand alone as the Nepali #1 loved dish. 

Internet

Nepal’s internet infrastructure is booming and struggling at the same time. Over the past few years mobile base stations are spreading out across the country, new telecom providers are starting and wifi options are growing. However Nepal’s chronic electricity shortages and bad infrastructure are hampering internet connectivity. Expect frequent outages and slow speeds. However using a combination of WiFi, MiFi and mobile can see you get most tasks done.
WIFI in Hotels: Many hotels and guesthouses in Nepal offer free WiFi as standard. It is however very important to find out if your accommodation with free WiFi also has a generator in case of an electricity outage. Generally speaking accommodation WiFi is around the 512kb – 1mb. In recent years guesthouse WiFi has increased, but the networks have failed to keep up with the demand which results in slow speeds. WIFI in Cafes: There are plenty of Internet Cafes in Nepal. Very few have WIFI. Most use password controlled desktop computers. Telephone calls using Skype are generally possible. However computer viruses are very commonplace so exercise caution when using memory cards. A few internet cafes allow ethernet cables for laptops but it’s rare. Charges range from 25 rupees per hour to 120rupees (tourist areas) Buy your own WIFI mast: If you are planning to spend some time in Nepal then you might consider purchasing your own dedicated WiFi mast. They are not all that big and are available from many of the WiFi companies in Nepal.
Here are some well known mobile internet providers:

Nepal telecom (NTC): The national telecom company. You can now purchase a pre-paid NTC sim card that offers CDMA and 4G. You’ll need a passport photo and a photocopy of your passport ID page. Internet is not that great though. But it does have the widest coverage. Ncell: Formally known as Mero Mobile 50% of the company was sold to a Russian Telecom then in 2016 to a Malaysian company and it’s now the premier mobile company in Nepal. To get a sim card you can go into any small corner store. Have a copy of your passport and sign up to get a card straight away. They cost 50 rupees. Avoid the expensive “tourist sim”. In 2017 they started offering 4G in most major cities. Smart Cell: This company has been around a while but never really took off. However in 2017 they rapidly began to expand and now offer 4g services in Nepals major cities at good rates. It’s not a great card to take trekking though as coverage is more limited than the others.

Internet tips:

1) Don’t rely on 24/7 fast internet – it’s not there 2) Do expect your internet connection to disappear frequently 3) Do expect to get up at odd hours of the night to get a connection 4) Do have spare batteries for your mobile devices as electricity is also not always there 5) Do be careful using public computers and sharing memory cards as computer viruses are a problem 4) Don’t believe guesthouse owners who tell you their WIFI works very well.
 

Health

ALWAYS PURCHASE EMERGENCY HEALTH AND EVACUATION INSURANCE