When I look at the travel advisory by the State Department to Nepal, things are quite scary. Are things on the ground as bad as is portrayed?
Nepal Travel Forum about trek, visa, hotel, flight, culture » Traveler safety in Nepal
Travel Advisories to Nepal
(24 posts)-
ceid
MemberPosted 1 year ago # -
Normally the travel advisories are conservatively cautious. They report even a single, isolated incident and at times try to draw conclusions from that. This is the case at this reporting.
Things are safe and sound here. There are some instances where violence has been used to make a political point. But they have to be looked into context - these things happen almost everywhere. Travelers have not been deliberately harmed.
Posted 1 year ago # -
gabriel
Memberwhen I visited Nepal this fall, things were very safe out there. I did not feel, in any way, threatened by anybody and people were very friendly and helpful.
I have read that now there is blackouts for 10 hours a day. I think that might be a greater problem for travelers:)
Posted 1 year ago # -
The blackouts are a problem to the economy - everybody is affected by it. We usually get around 10 hours of electricity per day. But we are having our fingers crossed to see it reduced.
But life goes on. We do not get to use much electricity but we have sufficient electricity to charge our mobiles, emergency lights and other very essential items.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The strikes called in Terai for around 2 weeks have been called off from Sunday, March 15. Now, travelers will not have much problem moving around the plains by road. Travelers can visit Chitwan National Park as well.
Posted 11 months ago # -
ceid
MemberThings are normal at the time being.
However, watch out for the strikes on the highways. If possible, read the daily newspapers to brief yourself about the situation on the roads. Ask local people (the staff at the hotel you are staying in, transporters and the likes0 about the situation on the ground.
As far as practicable (in terms of reach and budget) use the air services. You might later regret having to spend considerable time on the highways. I, for instance, had to spend 5 hours on the highway waiting for the traffic to resume while traveling from Kathmandu to Pokara.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Those of you who are thinking of visiting Chitwan National Park need to postpone their visits there, for the time being as there is vehicular strike going on there. Those of you who are using the road to travel around via Chitwan, Dang, Sunauli need to cancel traveling via the road. Airlines are operating their services and are not affected by the strike. So, as far as practicable, use the air transport.
The highways to Pokhara have not been affected. The highway to Kodari, Jiri, Trisuli Bazaar have also not been affected.
Posted 10 months ago # -
The restrictions of road movement have been removed. Now travelers can be able to travel freely anywhere they want.
The recent political developments in Nepal (Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda has resigned) should not be a problem to anyone traveling Nepal. Although there are some demonstrations in Kathmandu and other parts of the country, they are small and do not cause any problem to the travelers.
Posted 10 months ago # -
ceid
Memberagree with Bijaya. I am visiting Nepal at the moment and have not encountered any problem related to the political developments.
However, vehicular movement along the highway can grind to a halt as locals obstruct the highways to force the government to fulfill their demands . Got stuck there for a moment on my way to Chitwan but the issue was quickly resolved.
Posted 10 months ago # -
exotic
MemberRecently there was a bomb blast in a Church in Lalitpur, apparently by an extremist Hindu group with the membership around 15- 20 people. There were two deaths and scores of injuries. The authorities are trying their best to apprehend the culprits.
Life is normal in Kathmandu valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur) and this incident should not deter you from visiting Nepal.
Posted 9 months ago # -
There is a Kathmandu bandh (strike) today. So, travelers should use caution while traveling around. Although tourists are not targeted, please refrain from going to places where there are disturbances. You should be safe even on the day of the strike.
Posted 9 months ago # -
There have been quite some strike at the moment, primarily due to the political instability as we are in the process of forming a new government. So, would advise travelers visiting Nepal to gather information about the strike, or the lack of it, before embarking on your journey. This ensures you won't be stuck on the way. However, there is no need to postpone your visit to Nepal.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Things are normal at the moment- the strikes along the highways have decreased significantly. You need to watch out for flood and landslide while traveling along the highway - we have not had the instances till now.
Carry some dry food and an extra bottle of water, in case you got stuck in middle of nowhere and can not find food till the roads are cleared.
Posted 7 months ago # -
There have been some heavy downpours across the country and there are reports of some highways being blocked by the landslides. In some places, the bridges have been washed away by the swelling rivers. However, traffic on the major highways have not been blocked till now. Ask local people about the road condition before you embark on a journey - read some newspapers as well.
Posted 7 months ago # -
There has been some flooding in the southern plains due to heavy downpour since last few days. If possible, use the air service for your travel. Make an informed decision if you are using the road service.
Posted 6 months ago # -
The current time is most conducive for travel to Nepal. The weather is pleasant, the monsoon is approaching its end, the weather is warm during the days and cool during the nights. There are big festivals around the corner - Eid Ul Fitr of the muslims, Dashain and Tihar of the hindus and Chhath, which is predominantly celebrated in the southern plains. The political situation is not expected to hamper travel around the country and there has been some improvements in the security situation of the country.
Posted 5 months ago # -
vatsala
Moderatortravelers intending to visit Sauraha, Chitwan (in a day or two) are advised to put off their plans for the moment as workers of the hotels inside the National Park are protesting about the government's lack of decision on the status of those hotels.
Those hotels were ordered by the government to close some time back and there was some controversy going on at the moment. However, I expect this to be resolved very soon - may be by Saturday. So other visitors might not need to worry.
Will keep you all posted about the latest developments.
Posted 5 months ago # -
It seems that the trouble has been resolved for now.
Posted 5 months ago # -
You might be worried lately about the Maoists protest program and how that will affect your travel plans. Here is our response (please visit the site for regular updates):
The Maoists have called for the blockade of Kathmandu valley on November 10th. We do not know how this will play out - I do not know how far are the maoists willing to go in relation to the blocking of the airport. I think they might just pretend like protesting to close the airport. They can not actually go and close the airport - there is sufficient security at the airport for that not to happen. There will be counter preparations from the government to fizzle out this protest program. The government can not and will not allow the country's main artery to be closed down.
But one consequence will be that you will find it a bit hard to find a mode of transportation. However, the government always arranges for transportation on tourist coaches on the days of bandhs and strikes. So, you might need to use those services instead of the taxis on that day, if Maoists are really serious about enforcing the bandhs, which I doubt they will be.
If you are traveling by bus, it might be impossible for you to travel by road transport from Kathmandu to other cities but you could work around this by leaving Kathmandu quite early in the morning, if you have to make that happen and return to Kathmandu later in the evening if you are coming from other cities.
November 10th is the only day when the Maoists have called for such strike. Other days are picketing the various government offices.
Posted 4 months ago # -
vatsala
ModeratorThe Maoists have called off the airport blockade announced for November 10th. However, the blockade of road transport is still not withdrawn.
Posted 4 months ago #
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