First time in Nepal? First time in Asia?

If you are considering travelling to Nepal, you probably have a rough idea of what you would like to do in Nepal. It’s hard to imagine anyone travelling to Nepal, a landlocked country sandwiched between India and China, without an itinerary of sorts. There are no accidental tourists to Nepal.

Mount Everest may be on your mind. It is on every bank note and bill in Nepal. You are likely visiting to trek to the world’s highest peak. You could be visiting Nepal for the 15th time. Repeat visitors are extremely common. You could be a mountaineer. You might also be a traveller to South Asia looking to tick Nepal off your bucket list having already visited India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

How easy is it to visit Nepal? Very.

Many tourists arrive by air on one of the many flights landing at the sole international airport of the country’s capital, Kathmandu, daily. Visas can be easily obtained for most nationalities on arrival. Foreign currencies can be conveniently changed into the local rupee at reasonable rates before you even step out of Tribhuvan International Airport. One U.S. dollar fetches about 140 rupees.

Ever since Nepal was open to foreigners in the 1950s, its tourism has boomed. Despite being an impoverished economy, the tourism infrastructure in Nepal is very well-built and many Nepali people work in the tourism industry. The vast majority of those interacting with foreign tourists in Kathmandu and big cities speak good English.

Most foreign tourists come from India. Coming in second and third are visitors from the United States and China, respectively. European tourists as a group are on par with the number of U.S. and Chinese tourists combined. More than 1.1 million tourists visited Nepal in 2024 in total.

Nepal’s population is as diverse as the country’s natural landscape. Nepal is also a very inclusive society, with a Hindu temple peacefully co-existing with a Buddhist monastery or a Muslim mosque. Nepal also allows a same-sex couple to register as a married couple, although they still do not have all of the rights of an opposite-sex couple.  

And not everyone in Nepal is a Sherpa.

In fact, the Sherpas are just one of several highland ethnic groups that include the Tamangs, the Gurungs, and the Magars. In Kathmandu and other urban areas, the Newars dominate, known for their culture, art and affinity with trade and commerce.

Nepal is generally a safe country for foreign travellers, who are never targets during even politically unstable times in the 21st century, including the so-called Gen Z protests in September of 2025.

Indeed, Nepali people are very welcoming to foreigners. It is common to stop by at a village home for tea after a serendipitous encounter on the road.

We try to answer some of the frequently asked questions here on our website.

One of the biggest decisions for visitors is perhaps choosing a local travel operator, whether you are looking to sign up for a trek to the hills or a tour of Nepal’s many scenic towns and cities.

And there is a plethora of travel operators and agents to choose from. Some of them are very cheap. Without disparaging fellow colleagues, all we can say is that there is no free lunch. Also, some might not be licensed, or their licences have already expired. Do your due diligence and make an informed choice. (Pick us!!)