Nepal has been a striking experience until now, and along the way I learned some local customs or tips that could help travelers crossing by Nepal. I’ll do my best to list the under here for future reference!

Toilets

Don’t expect European toilets. Most of the places have crouch-style toilets, and make sure to bring your own toilet paper as it is usually not provided by default. Also, most of the time the pipe system is quite limited, so you will be dumping your paper in a waste bin instead of flushing it down like in Europe.

Crossing the road

Like in India, the best way to cross the street here is to go slow, let the motorbikes and cars avoid you, and slowly make your way to the other side while being very attentive to surrounding vehicles. The easy way is to follow some local or stick with other tourists crossing and doing the job for you 😋

ATMs

Getting some cash is not the easiest in Nepal. Expect to be withdrawing 20’000 to 35’000 rupees maximum at once, and mostly through your credit card (worked well with a Revolut Visa) with an added 500 rupees fee, just for good measure! If you plan to hike the Annapurna circuit, make sure to retrieve more than enough money in the city before heading up the mountains. You won’t find any ATMs up there.

Politeness

Always use your right hand to receive or give things. The left hand is considered impure, and therefore bad manners to be used in polite transactions.

Prices

If no price is indicated for a service, and you feel like the price is a bit high, it is common practice to haggle a bit, and try to get to an understanding for a lower price.

Most of the time, you will be paying a higher price than locals do. Nothing wrong there, you’ll just have to accept to pay the tourist price for visiting the country.

Buying gear in Nepal

If you come here to hike and have no gear at all, I would recommend you to come here with the minimum, and then buy the remaining here. In Katmandu and Pokhara, every other shop is a gear shop, and you’ll find yourself spending very much less money than you would in Europe, for fake gear that actually has a good average quality, and does the same job as the super expensive gear you could have bought back home. Everybody wears NorthFake gear here 😂

Annapurna Circuit and amount of days

When you read about that circuit, you will see many different number of days and itineraries. None of them make really sense, as you can actually choose where to begin and where to end the circuit, which can make a huge difference in the number of days announced. Most of the companies won’t make you hike the full circuit, but rather skip the start and the end to make it fit in two weeks, travel from and to the city included.

If you really push it, you can condense it into something like 8 days, but will be more exposed to altitude sickness and bad experiences, as your body won’t have enough time to acclimate, and that you will hike more than reasonable. That’s definitely not a good idea!

The best way to know how much your Annapurna circuit trek will take, is to process all the different articles around, make yourself a rough idea, and then add 2 days to your estimated amount, just in case of sickness or tiredness, to fit in some rest days in addition to the one acclimation day around Manang that should figure in your plan. More important than anything: Go slow, take your time and enjoy the ride!

Trekking, guides and porters

If you are travelling on a budget, or are quite stubborn (as I am), renting the services of a guide and a porter are quite unattractive. And well, who can blame you, in Nepal, hiking with just a map and a limited backpack is very easy and safe.

My personal recommendation would be not to use any guide or porters, lighten your load by leaving things in a hostel in the city you spend your last night in, and just head out there. It is a wonderful and safe experience. But in reality, renting these services greatly help the local mountaineering and Sherpa community, and it can be a bit hard for them and local economy if everybody begins to hike on their own. So if you feel super fit, go ahead, but if you have doubts and fancy a more comfortable hike, just hire a guide and a porter on the spot, and enjoy the ride! You’ll make a lot of people happy, you included.

In addition, I wouldn’t ever book any pre-packed expeditions online. They are very over-expensive compared to the really costs, and profit mainly companies. You should better head here in Nepal, plan 2-3 days to organise your trip in a city before leaving, and try to find a local guide with the due qualifications and papers. You’ll help them way more, and it will cost you less! But check well that you guide and porters are equipped with proper gear, especially shoes and good eye gear, and have a valid insurance in case of problems.