All Participants excluding those who are scholarship recipients must arrange their own travel and visa.

Reaching Kathmandu by Air from South Asia

Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is Nepal’s only international airport.

• Participants coming from Bangladesh can take direct flights from Dhaka.
• Participants from Pakistan can take direct flights from Islamabad and Karachi.
• Sri Lankan participants will have to take connecting flights as there are no direct flights to Kathmandu as of now. Some convenient flight options can be found via Delhi or Mumbai.
• Indian participants can take direct flights from Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Please note that non-Indian participants planning to travel to Kathmandu via India, would require a transit visa.

Reaching Kathmandu by Road

Travel to Nepal by road is possible via India, either by bus or by car.

Bus connections are available from the Indian cities of Patna, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Lucknow.

The 5 road entry points from India to Nepal are:

• Sunauli-Bhairawa, closest to Varanasi
• Raxaul-Birganj, closest to Patna and Kolkata
• Siliguri-Kakarbhitta closest to Darjeeling
• Bahraich-Nepalganj, closest to Lucknow
• Banbassa-Mahendrenagar, closest to Delhi

Local travel

Pre-paid taxis are available from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. There are also post- paid taxis available for travel within Kathmandu. If you hire a cab, we suggest you negotiate the price beforehand.

Visa

Participants from South Asia:

Participants who are citizens of Bangladesh, Pakistan or Sri Lanka:

• Require a valid passport and a visa to enter Nepal.
• Visas can be obtained on arrival or from the Nepalese Embassy/Consulate in their region. Please carry a valid passport and two passport size photographs to obtain your visa on arrival in Nepal.
• Need not pay a visa fee for a stay of up to 30 days in Nepal.

Indian participants do not have to apply for a visa. They only need to carry any of the following valid identity cards - passport, driving license or voter identity card.

Participants from Outside South Asia:

All participants are encouraged to check with their local Nepalese Consulate/Embassy for updated visa regulations and travel information.

Citizens of most countries can obtain a visa on arrival in Nepal. However, please note that if you are a participant from one of the following countries, you will not be able to get a visa on arrival in Nepal, and must obtain one beforehand from the Nepalese Embassy/Consulate in your country.

Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan.

For more information on obtaining visas, please contact the Nepalese Embassy/Consulate in your region or:

Department of Immigration
Maitighar, Impact Building
Kathmandu, Nepal
Telephone: 00 977-1-4221996/ 4223590/ 4222453
Website: www.immi.gov.np

Money

The currency of Nepal is the Nepalese Rupee. 1 Nepalese Rupee is made of 100 paisas. Notes are in denominations of Rs 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25 and 10 paisa. ATMs are easily available in Kathmandu and American Express, MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards are accepted in many shops, hotels and restaurants.

Carrying Indian currency notes of INR500 and INR1000 into Nepal is illegal. If you have a INR500 or INR1000 note with you, it will be confiscated by Nepalese authorities.

Weather

March to May is spring time in Kathmandu, so the weather is pleasant in April. The temperature ranges from 20 to 30 degree Celsius. Cottons and light jackets are appropriate for this time of year.

For travel related queries, please contact Sushma Luthra at sluthra@creaworld.org