They Told Me Not to Go to Kathmandu, but I Did! Here’s What I Found!

Just before my Nepal vacation, I met a lot of people who were sceptical about my trip and kept saying things like: “But who goes to Nepal? There’s nothing to see in Nepal.” Well, I am glad I didn’t pay any heed to their comments and went with what my heart said. Because Nepal turned out to be a traveller’s dream with beautiful treks, peaceful temples, ancient monasteries, quaint structures, great Nepalese and Tibetan food and bustling street markets. Everywhere you turn, there is raw natural beauty. I am really glad I chose to go with the flow and listened to my heart.

I went to Kathmandu over the Gurupurab long weekend in Nov 2019 for 4 days and 3 nights and came back craving for more.

Did you know that Nepal is a visa free country for us Indians and carrying a passport is not even mandatory? You can just carry your Aadhar/ voter ID instead, if you don't have a passport yet. I booked my tickets a few months in advance to get the best fares. I found that 9-10k return airfare is the best deal you can get, so take it if you are getting it!

As a female traveller I would rate Kathmandu as one of the safest places I have travelled to. It's safer than most places in India as well. You don't need to worry about your wallet being stolen or being eve teased. You don't even need to worry if a local will give you an expensive exchange rate on your currency. People in Kathmandu are very honest and well behaved and very hospitable too.

Being the capital, Kathmandu is better developed than most parts of Nepal. I found that their public transport was pretty good, and they also had many ATMs and lots of cafes with diverse eating options. However, I found that none of the cab-based apps work there. I guess the local cab guys find it more profitable that way. My advice would be to download the fare finder /easy taxi app to get an idea of the fares and negotiate better with cab drivers. That's exactly what I did.

INR is not an issue at all. It's widely accepted whether you are paying for your cab, eating at a restaurant, or shopping for souvenirs. The Indian rupee is your best friend in Nepal, and I found that both my credit and debit cards were fully functional in Kathmandu. Before going, people told me that only denomination of INR 100 or less is acceptable, but I didn’t find anyone imposing any such restriction.

I found that staying in centrally located districts of Thamel or Lazimpet road or near Durbar Square saved me a lot on cab fare because almost all the attractions were within walking distance. With their glittering restaurants and casinos, this place is also the hub of nightlife, in Nepal.

November is the perfect month to visit as it's not very hot and neither is it very cold. I was glad that I carried a thin jacket with me as evenings were a bit nippy.

It’s also important to carry an ID card with you while sightseeing. Most of the attractions in Kathmandu have different tickets for different nationalities, and those from SAARC countries pay lesser. So a proof of residence/ nationality always needs to be shown at the ticket counters. Oh and everyone needs to carry their passport/ official Government issued ID when visiting a casino too.

From the lush expanse of the Garden of Dreams, chaotic magic of the Thamel and Asan Tol markets, old world charm of Kathmandu’s Durbar Square to the spiritual vibes of  Pashupatinath temple and Swayambhunath and Boudhanath Stupas, I spent most of my days dreamily exploring every nook and corner of this intoxicating town surrounded by Himalayan peaks.

I took a day trip to Patan in Lalitpur District and Bhaktapur to see the three Durbar Squares of Kathmandu. The drive took about 45 minutes to an hour (one-way) and we paid 2500 NPR for a round-trip from Thamel in a Maruti Alto. The trick is to keep asking every driver who drives you during your stay how much they’ll charge for a day trip to Patan and Bhaktapur, take their phone numbers and call the one who quotes the lowest. 2500 NPR for a day trip is reasonable considering you leave around 10am and get back by 3pm.

When in Nepal, eat like a local! There are loads of Thakali (regional cuisine) places and Nepali Khaja Ghars. I tried both their Nepalese thali and Newari thali as they are slightly different, and I simply couldn’t stop binging on their local sweets.

The area around Boudhanath Stupa has some great Tibetan restaurants, where I had a delicious Tibetan meal. I also tried the Thamel House restaurant for a Nepalese set meal and loved it! If you can splurge, do not miss the Krishnarpan restaurant at Hotel Dwarikas for their Nepali set menu experience. It will cost you about 4000 INR per head, but I promise it will be an experience of a lifetime. It's a beautiful restaurant where everyone from Prince Charles to the ex US president Jimmy Carter have dined.

And how can I forget momos, the Nepalese queen bee of culinary delicacies! I gorged on all kinds of momos on my trip – from steamed, fried, kothay (half steam/half fry), open, closed, to jhol and spinach momos.

My adventurous foodie soul was also satiated with the many exotic Nepalese dishes I tried like the chatamari (Nepalese pizza), yamari (steamed sweet rice cake), thukpa (noodle soup), lakhamari (dessert), juju dhau (sweetened honey yoghurt), sel roti and dal-bhat thali. You can also try the local Nepalese alcohol like the local rice wine or chhang and aila or go for the local rum brands like Khukri and Gorkha.

I went to Kathmandu with an open mind and without any expectations, I chose to surrender to its chaotic magic and came back with a heart full of happy memories.