Himalayan Kingdom: Bhutan & Nepal

Please note that the order of the itinerary may be subject to change should local conditions necessitate. Festival dates in Bhutan are tentative and may change without notice as they are planned around Bhutanese Lunar Calendar. A reasonable level of fitness/mobility is required as we include plenty of sightseeing/travelling, sometimes with early starts. There is a significant amount of walking on this holiday particularly due to the layout of the towns and activities featured. Please refer to Medical Conditions in Important Information here.  

The currency of Nepal is the Nepalese Rupee (NPR; symbol Rs) = 100 paisa The currency in Bhutan is the Ngultrum (BTN; symbol Nu) = 100 chetrum (Ch).

For Nepal -your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your return from Nepal – Entry requirements – Nepal travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) A tourist visa is currently $30 – please visit the Nepal Embassy website for further information – https://uk.nepalembassy.gov.np/visa/ Upon entry to Nepal, a tourist visa is required: $30 (cash) for 15 days (US dollars recommended but sterling or euros accepted). It is best to apply for the visa pre-arrival online: Online Services (immigration.gov.np). NB, link may be slow! If arriving via the airport, no passport photos required. Please note the proof of a Covid-19 vaccination certificate is required on arrival in Nepal. For Bhutan –  VISA will be arranged by our local agent and cost is already included in the price of the tour. We will require scanned passport copies 35 days before arrival in order to process the visa applications. Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months after the date you intend to leave Bhutan. You may also be asked to show proof of:

• A travel insurance document which covers health, immediate crisis, or rescue for the duration of your travel in Nepal
• Your initial hotel booking

From Kathmandu Airport to the hotel, it will be 10-15 minutes depending on traffic.

Between October and March, lightweight clothes are worn in Kathmandu, with a coat for evenings and warm clothing for the mountains. When trekking in the mountains, high-quality trekking gear that can handle minus temperatures is recommended all year round. In Bhutan lightweight cottons, linens and waterproof gear are recommended. Light sweaters and jackets are advisable for the evenings. Upland areas: thick, warm clothing for evenings, particularly during the winter months. It is not recommended that visitors wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or short clothes when visiting religious temples or official buildings.

Nepal: Sandwiched between India and China, Nepal’s cuisine is heavily influenced by its neighbours – although dishes tend to be simpler and less varied. Meals are typically spicy and meaty, although that’s not to say you can’t find good vegetarian cuisine. Indeed, the national dish is dal bhat (lentil curry), which, like most dishes, is accompanied by rice and thin pancake-like bread known as chapatti. Adventurous gastronomes should venture into the markets to sample fresh fruits including umpteen varieties of bananas, which are some of the sweetest you’ll ever taste. At the higher end of the market, Kathmandu has developed an international culinary scene where diners can find dishes from all over the world. Chefs artistically prepare five-star menus, and food competitions have aimed to encourage budding restauranteurs. Bakeries and cafés are scattered around tourist towns, where patrons can quaff Nepali tea (ask for it kaalo (black) or with chini (sugar). It is considered rude to eat with your left hand. Utensils are provided in most tourist destinations, but locals still eat with their hands. Bring your own water bottle to be eco-conscious or buy bottled for cheap on the street. Bhutan: Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Mineral water is widely available. Milk should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled. There is a fair choice of restaurants in Paro and Thimphu but most tourists eat in their hotels where hygiene is good and chefs temper the spicy Bhutanese dishes to suit Western tastes. Rice is the staple (sometimes flavoured with saffron or of the red variety) apart from in central Bhutan where the altitude makes rice cultivation difficult. Buckwheat is more common here. The country is replete with apple orchards, rice paddies and asparagus, which grows freely in the countryside and there are over 400 varieties of mushroom including orchid mushrooms. Meals are often buffet-style and mostly vegetarian. Meat and fish are now imported from nearby India, and Nepali Hindus living in Bhutan are licensed to slaughter animals. Usual precautions apply. Tipping is not widely practised. The government has declared Tuesday a dry day whereby no alcohol sale is permitted in stores/ restaurants and hotels.

We suggest a Group Collection to cover guides, transfer drivers, and hotel staff. We recommend USD 25 per person for Nepal Portion and USD 30 per person for Bhutan portion per person for the guide,  USD 10 per person for Nepal and USD 15 per person for Bhutan sector for driver and USD 5 per person for Nepal and USD 7 per person for Bhutan portion for coach helper. Your Tour Leader will collect this on your behalf and distribute it accordingly, thus relieving you of the burden of who, when and how much to tip. The tipping of housekeeping will be left to your individual discretion (a small amount left in your room on departure should cover this and would be much appreciated). As is customary, ‘the hat’ will be passed around for the driver and guide on all optional excursions. For any meals that are not included in your itinerary, or taxi fares, your Tour Leader can advise of an appropriate % to add on.