Nepal has been divided into elevation zones, south to north:

• Outer Terai - Level plains, a cultural and linguistic extension of northern India. Nepali is spoken less than Awadhi and Bhojpuri dialects related to Hindi and Maithili. Lumbini (Lord Buddha's birthplace) and Janakpur (Hindu Goddess Sita's birthplace) are in this zone. Other cities -- Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, Butwal, Birgunj, Janakpur and Biratnagar -- are transportation hubs and border towns more than travel destinations. Nevertheless, the Terai may offer opportunities for intimate exposure to traditional Indian culture that have become less available in India itself.
• Siwalik Range or Churia Hills - the outermost and lowest range of foothills, about 600 m (2,000 ft) high. Extends across the country east to west but with significant gaps and many subranges. Poor soils and no agriculture to speak of. No developed tourist destinations, however the forests are wild and the sparse population of primitive hunters and gatherers is unique.

• Inner Terai - large valleys between the Siwaliks and higher foothills to the north. The Dang and Deukhuri valleys in the Mid West are the largest, offering opportunities to experience Tharu art and culture. Chitwan south of Kathmandu is another of these valleys, known for Chitwan National Park, a World Heritage Site where tigers, rhinos, crocodiles, deer and birds can be observed. Originally these valleys were malarial and lightly populated by Tharus who had evolved resistance and developed architectural and behavioral adaptations limiting exposure to the most dangerous nocturnal mosquitoes. Suppression of mosquitoes with DDT in the 1960s opened these valleys to settlers from the hills who cleared forests and displaced and exploited Tharus. Nevertheless, more remote parts of these valleys still have a Garden of Eden quality - forests broken by indefinite fields, lazy rivers, fascinating aboriginal peoples.
• Mahabharat Range - a prominent foothill range continuous across the country from east to west except for narrow transecting canyons, with elevations ascending up to 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Steep southern slopes are a no-man's land between lowland and Pahari (hill) cultures and languages, which begin along the crest and gentler northern slopes. Given clear skies, there are panoramic views of the high himalaya from almost anywhere on the crest. Underdeveloped as a tourist venue compared to India's 'Hill Stations', nevertheless Daman and Tansen are attractive destinations.
• Middle Hills - Valleys north of the Mahabharat Range and hills up to about 2,000 m (6,500 ft). are mainly inhabited by Hindus of the Bahun (priestly Brahmin) and Chhetri (warriors and rulers) castes who speak Nepali as their first language. Higher where it becomes too cold to grow rice, populations are largely Magar, Gurung, Tamang, Rai or Limbu, the hill tribes from which the British recruited Gurkha soldiers while the soldiers' families grew crops suited to temperate climates. Men in these ethnic groups also work as porters or may be herders moving their flocks into the high mountains in summer and the lower valleys in winter. Trekking through the hills is unremittingly scenic with streams and terraced fields, picturesque villages, a variety of ethnic groups with distinctive costumes, and views of the high Himalayas from high points.

• Valleys - Kathmandu and to the west Pokhara occupy large valleys in the hills. The Kathmandu Valley was urbanized long before the first Europeans reached the scene and has historic neighbourhoods, temple complexes, pagodas, Buddhist stupas, palaces and bazaars. Its natives are predominantly Newar farmers, traders, craftsmen and civil servants. Newar culture is an interesting synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist elements. Unfortunately a range of hills north of this valley limit views of the Himalaya. Pokhara has fewer urban points of interest but outstanding views of the nearby Annapurna Himalaya. Pokhara's Newar population is confined to bazaars. Elsewhere upper caste Hindus dominate, whose ancestors probably were Khas peoples from far western Nepal. Both valleys offer excellent opportunities to experience Nepal without strenuous trekking. Narrower valleys along streams and rivers are important rice-growing centres in the hills. There is a limited amount of this land and most of it is owned by upper caste Hindus.
• Lekhs - Snow occasionally falls and lasts days or weeks in the winter above 3,000 m(10,000ft), but melts in summer below about 5,500 m (18,000 ft). Treeline is about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). This zone is used for summer pastures but not year-round habitation.

• North of the lekhs, the snowy high Himalayas rise abruptly along a fault zone to peaks over 6,700 m (22,000 ft) and even over 8,000 m (26,000 ft). Himalaya means 'abode of snow', which is uninhabited. Valleys among the peaks are inhabited, especially along trade routes where rice from the lowlands was traded for salt from the Tibetan Plateau along with other goods. Trade has diminished since China annexed Tibet in the 1950s but catering to trekkers and climbers has become an economic engine. People living along these routes have Tibetan affinities but usually speak fluent Nepali.
• Trans-Himalaya - Peaks in this region north of the highest Himalayas in central and western Nepal are lower and gentler, mostly around 6,000 m (20,000 ft). Valleys below 5,000 m (17,000 ft). are inhabited by people who are essentially Tibetan and have adapted to living at much higher elevations than other Nepalis. Roads have not yet penetrated this far and travel is expensive by air or arduous on foot. Nevertheless, it is a unique opportunity to experience a very significant and attractive culture in spectacular surroundings.

These are also important geographic divisions. The Mahabharat Range is a major hydrologic barrier in Nepal and other parts of the Himalaya. South-flowing rivers converge in candelabra shapes to break through this range in a few narrow gorges. Travel is usually easier within these candelabra drainage systems than between them, so high divides between river systems became historically important political, linguistic and cultural boundaries.

The Karnali system in the far west is the birthplace of Pahari ('hill') culture. It was settled by people called the Khas, speaking an Indo-European language called Khaskura ('Khas talk') that was related to other north Indian languages and all claiming descent from classical Sanskrit.

East of the Karnali proper, along a major tributary called the Bheri and further east in another basin called the Rapti lived a Tibeto-Burman people called Kham. Khas and Kham people seem to have been allies and probably intermarried to create the synthesis of aryan and mongoloid features that especially characterizes the second-highest Chhetri (Kshatriya) caste. It appears that Khas kings recruited Kham men as guards and soldiers. Khas and Kham territories in the far west were subdivided into small kingdoms called the Baisi, literally '22' as they were counted.

Nepal has one of the world's highest birthrates because Hindu women usually marry by their early teens, causing their entire reproductive potential to be utilized. Furthermore, men who can afford it often take multiple wives. This may trace back to Khas culture, explaining relentless Khas colonization eastward as finite amounts of land suitable for rice cultivation were inevitably outstripped by high birthrates.

The Rapti river system east of the Karnali-Bheri had few lowlands suitable for growing rice and extensive highlands that were not attractive for Khas settlement but were a barrier to migration. However the Rapti's upper tributaries rose somewhat south of the Himalaya. Between these tributaries and the Dhaulagiri range of the Himalaya, a large east–west valley called Dhorpatan branching off the upper Bheri provided a detour eastward, over an easy pass called Jaljala into the Gandaki river system further east. The Gandaki is said to have seven major tributaries, most rising in or beyond the high Himalaya. They merge to cut through the Mahabharat and Siwalik ranges. In this basin elevations were generally lower and rainfall was higher compared to the Karnali-Bheri and Rapti basins. There was great potential for rice cultivation, the agricultural base of the Khas way of life. A collection of small principalities called the Chaubisi developed. Chaubisi literally means '24', as these kingdoms were counted. Not all were Khas kindoms. Some were Magar, a large indigenous hill tribe people related to the Kham. Other kingdoms were Gurung and Tamang. Several Gandaki tributaries rose in the trans-Himalayan region where inhabitants and rulers became increasingly Tibetanized to the north.

Within the Chaubisi kingdoms of the Gandaki basin, Gorkha was a small valley east of Pokhara ruled by a Khas family now called Shah, an honorific title that may have come later, however any earlier name seems to be forgotten. In 1743 AD Prithvi Narayan Shah became the ruler of Gorkha after his father Nara Bhupal Shah died. Prithvi Narayan already had a reputation as a hotheaded upstart. Resolving to modernize Gorkha's army, he was bringing modern arms from India when customs officers demanded inspection and payment of duties. Prithvi Narayan refused and attacked the officers, killing several before escaping with his arms and men. He also visited Benares to study the situation of local rulers and the growing encroachment of British interests. Prithvi concluded that invasion was a chronic danger to rulers on the plains of northern India, whereas the hills were more defensible and offered more scope to carve out a lasting empire.

Prithvi Narayan must have been a charismatic figure, for he recruited, equipped and trained a formidable army and persuaded his subjects to underwrite all this from his ascension to the throne until his death in 1775. Through conquest and treaty, he consolidated several Chaubisi kingdoms. As his domain expanded, Khaskura became known as Gorkhali, i.e. the language of the Gorkha kingdom. Then he moved east into the next river basin, the Bagmati which drains the Kathmandu Valley that held three small but prosperous urban kingdoms. Like the Rapti, the Bagmati rises somewhat south of the Himalaya. Unlike the Rapti basin, this valley had once held a large lake and the remaining alluvial soil was exceptionally fertile. Between the agricultural abundance, local crafts, and extensive trade with Tibet, the cities were prosperous. Prithvi Narayan encircled the valley, cutting off trade and restricting ordinary activities, even farming and getting water. With a combination of stealth, brutality and intimidation he prevailed and deposed the local kings in 1769, making Kathmandu his new capital. This was the high point of Prithvi Narayan's career, however he continued consolidating the Kathmandu Valley with the Chaubisi and Baisi federations to the west until his death in 1775. Gorkhali was re-dubbed Nepali as 'Nepal' came to mean not only the urbanized Kathmandu Valley, but all lands ruled by the Shahs.

Prithvi Narayan's heirs, Pratap Singh, Rana Bahadur and Girvan Yuddha continued expansion of their kingdom into the Koshi river basin east of the Bagmati system. Like the Gandaki, the Koshi traditionally has seven major tributaries descending from the Himalaya before joining forces to break through the Mahabharat and Siwalik ranges. Ranges drained by Koshi tributaries include Mount Everest and its neighbouring peaks, as well as the western side of the Kangchenjunga massif. Kangchenjunga and a high ridge to the south are the watershed between the Koshi and Tista basins as well as the border between Nepal and the former kingdom Sikkim that India annexed in 1975.

According to one theory, Hindu castes migrated from India to Nepal after the 11th century due to Muslim invasion. Another theory says that present day Hindu hill castes come from the Buddhist/Hindu population of the ancient Khas kingdom (present day Mid-western and Far-western Nepal). The traditional Hindu caste system is based on the four Varna Vyavastha "the class system" of Brahmin (Bahun) priests, scholars and advisors; Kshatriya (Chhetri) rulers and warriors, Vaishya (merchants); Shudra (farmers and menial occupations not considered polluting). Below the Shudra Dalit perform 'polluting' work such as tanning and cleaning latrines. However, the middle Vaishya and Shudra are underrepresented in the hills, apparently because they did not have compelling reason to leave the plains while Muslim invaders tried to eliminate previous elites. Dalits seem to have accompanied the upper castes into the hills because they were bound by longstanding patronage arrangements. However, the absence of Vaishya people in the Hindu hill population supports the second theory.

Traditional caste rules govern who can eat with whom, especially when boiled rice is served, and who can accept water from whom. Until the 1950s these rules were enforced by law.

Dalits are subject to caste-based discrimination and so called ‘untouchability’ in social, economic, educational, political and religious areas. The National Dalit Commission (2002) categorized 28 cultural groups as Dalits. Some argue that the use of the term Dalit will never ever help to abolish caste-based untouchability. (Literally, 'Dalit' translates to 'suppressed' in Nepali.) There are suggestions that the term should not be used because it not only breeds inferiority but is also insulting.

Newars, the indigenous people of the Kathmandu valley, follow both Hinduism and Buddhism. According to the 2001 census they can be classified into 40 distinct cultural groups, but all speak a common language called Nepal bhasa (Newa bhaaya). Newars use prevailing lingua francas to communicate outside their community: Nepali in the hills and Maithili, Bhojpuri and Awadhi in the Terai.

The ethnic groups of the hills, Tarai and mountain areas are grouped as Janajati. According to the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities^{[dead link]} (NFDIN), ethnic groups are those “who have their own mother tongue and traditional customs, a distinct cultural identity, a distinct social structure and written or oral history all of their own". 61 Adibasi Janajatis have been recognised by the Nepal Government. Five are from the mountain regions, 20 from the Hills, 7 from inner Terai and 11 from the Terai region. A Janajati is a community who has its own mother tongue and traditional culture and yet does not fall under the conventional fourfold Varna of the Hindu system or the Hindu hierarchical caste structure according to the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities^{[dead link]}. Many of these ethnic groups are Hinduized to some degree, although Hindu practices supplement rather than replace more ancient beliefs and practices. Unlike the Hindus, many indigenous nationalities of Nepal such as the Sherpa people as well as the people of Muslim & Christian faiths, have a culture of eating beef.

Caste and ethnic groups included in the ‘other’ category are Sikhs, Christians, Bengalis and Marawadis.

Different indigenous nationalities are in different stages of development. Some indigenous nationalities are nomads, e.g. Raute, and some are forest dwellers, e.g. Chepang and Bankaria. Most of the indigenous nationalities rely on agriculture and pastoralism and very few are cosmopolitan, e.g. Newar.

The census of 2011 listed 10 religions: Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Kirati (Kirati people worship nature and their ancestors, and practice shamanism), Christian, Jain, Sikh, Prakriti, Bon and Bahai. Of that total Hindus comprise 81% and Buddhists about 9%.

Citizens of India may stay in Nepal indefinitely without a visa.

Citizens of Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka may obtain a free visa-on-arrival for stays of up to 30 days regardless of reason of visit. Citizens of China (mainland), Hong Kong and Macau are also eligible for a free visa-on-arrival for stays of up to 30 days, but are only permitted to visit for tourism.

Nationals of Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Eswatini, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan are required to obtain visas before arrival.

Tourist Visas are available on arrival for citizens of many countries at Kathmandu airport and designated frontier posts (see below) and cost:

• US$30 for 15 days
• US$50 for 30 days
• US$125 for 90 days

Tourist visas can be granted for a maximum of 150 days in a visa year.

You can also pay this on arrival in other convertible currencies such as euros, pounds sterling, Chinese reminbi and Australian dollars, although US dollars are always preferred and some smaller entry points (like Birgunj) may only accept US dollars, and Kodari only accepts US dollars and Chinese reminbi.

All tourist visas are the "multiple entry" type and allow multiple entries and exits during the period of validity.

Volunteering while on a tourist visa without permission is strictly prohibited.

More details are available on the official website of Nepal Immigration

Visa Application

Visas can be applied for on line: <span typeof=\"mw:Entity\" data-parsoid='{\"src\":\"&amp;#91;\",\"srcContent\":\"[\"}'>[</span>dead link<span typeof=\"mw:Entity\" data-parsoid='{\"src\":\"&amp;#93;\",\"srcContent\":\"]\"}'>]</span></sup><link rel=\"mw:PageProp/Category\" href=\"./Category:Articles_with_dead_external_links\" about=\"#mwt80\" data-parsoid='{\"stx\":\"simple\",\"a\":{\"href\":\"./Category:Articles_with_dead_external_links\"},\"sa\":{\"href\":\"Category:Articles with dead external links\"}}'/>"}]]}'>https://online.nepalimmigration.gov.np/tourist-visa%5Bdead+link%5D, but as the online application form requires information about the intended place of stay in Nepal that is difficult to acquire (such as ward number, municipality, district etc.), it generally more convenient to complete the visa application after arrival.

To extend your tourist visa, visit the Nepal Immigration Office in Kathmandu or Pokhara with your passport and another photo, and pay US$2 for every day past your visa you want to stay, up to the maximum of 150 days per year.

Money

Cash payment is recommended (non-USDs are also accepted, but expect the exchange rate not to be the best). Visa and Mastercard payments are also available—they are coded as cash advances on the credit card. A US$1 fee is added in addition to the required visa payment amount if paying with credit card.

• Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu
• Kakarbitta, Jhapa (Eastern Nepal) - closed for non-Indian/Nepali nationals as of October 2023.
• Birganj/Birgunj, Parsa (Central Nepal)
• Kodari, Sindhupalchowk (Northern Border)
• Belahia, Bhairahawa (Rupandehi, Western Nepal)
• Jamunaha, Nepalgunj (Banke, Mid Western Nepal)
• Trinagar Bhansar (Mohana), Dhangadhi (Kailali, Far Western Nepal)
• Gaddachauki, Mahendranagar (Kanchanpur, Far Western Nepal)

Annapurna - North of Pokhara, from lush middle hills into high mountains.

• Annapurna Circuit: A 2-3 week trek around the Annapurna mountains, leads up the Marsyangdi river to Dharapani, Chame, Manang, over Thorung La (5,400 m) to the Hindu temples at Muktinath and (possibly) ending at Jomsom. Down the Kali Gandaki on the Jomsom trail (the last week of the Annapurna Circuit which is done by itself in the opposite direction). Known as the "Apple Pie Trek" partly for crossing the apple growing region of Nepal, and partly for being one of the easier treks, enjoying Gurung and Thakali hospitality. Up through spring rhododendron blooms to Poon Hill for a dawn Himalayan vista. Another shorter but spectacular mini-circuit is the Nayapul-Ghandruk-Ghorepani-PoonHill-Nayapul route.
• Annapurna Sanctuary: A trek up into the very heart of the range provides an awesome 360 degree high mountain skyline.

Everest lies in the region known as Khumbu - To get here, take a bus to Jiri or fly to Lukla then hike up to Namche Bazzar, capital of the Sherpa lands at the foot of Everest. Main "teahouse trek" regions, in each of these areas there are a number of trail options, there is plenty of scope for short treks of less than a week to much longer if you have time and wanderlust.

• Everest Base Camp Trek: Lukla to EBC, stunning scenery, wonderful Sherpa people. The most popular trek is up to Everest Base Camp and an ascent of Kalar Patar. Visit the Buddhist Tengboche monastery for the Mani Rimdu festival in November.
• The 'Classic Everest Base Camp Trek': Jiri to EBC
• Gokyo: Lukla to the sacred lakes of Gokyo. Explore the Gokyo valley with its sacred lakes and stupendous views of four 8,000 m peaks. Or a circuit of the region crossing the high passes or Cho La and Renjo La.
• Numbur Cheese Circuit: Trek through the largest cheese producing area, via the sacred lakes of Jata Pokhari and Panch Pokhari to Numburchuili base camp.
• Island Peak Trek in the Everest region takes in some of the most spectacular scenery in the Himalayas. See 'Regions' - Khumbu
• Pikey Cultural Trail
• Dudh Kunda Cultural Trail

Trekking peaks require a qualified "climbing guide", permits and deposits to cover camp waste disposal:

• Island Peak Trek - The Island Peak trek in the Khumbu region takes in some of the most spectacular scenery in the Himalayas.
• Mera Peak climbing - Enjoy panoramic views of Mt Everest (8,848 m; 29,030 ft), Cho-Oyu (8,201 m; 26,910 ft), Lhotse (8,516 m; 27,940 ft), Makalu (8463 m; 27,770 ft), Kangchenjunga (8,586 m; 28,170 ft), Nuptse (7,855 m; 25,770 ft), and Chamlang (7,319 m; 24,010 ft).

• Helambu Langtang Trek. A short taxi ride from Thamel to the roadhead at Shivapuri leads to a trail through the middle-hills countryside of Helambu. Either circle around and return to Kathmandu or cross the pass to the sacred lake at Gosainkhund, descend and then hike up the Langtang valley beneath mountains that form the border with Tibet. Descend back to catch a bus on a rough road through Trisuli to Kathmandu. If you don't fancy the long shaky bus ride (>8 hours) from/to Syabrubesi, Dhunche or Thulo Barku, you can get a 4x4 pickup for about Rs90,000 to/from Kathmandu.
• Langtang Valley Trek
• Tamang Heritage Trail

Tourism is a dynamic sector of economy and accepting it as a vehicle of poverty reduction is a relatively new concept in Nepal. Nepal is a predominantly rural society, with 85% of the population living in the countryside. Naturally, Nepal's rich culture and ethnic diversity are best experienced in its village communities. You can engage in local activities, learn how to cook local cuisine or take part in agricultural activities like kitchen gardening, etc.

According to the NTB, rural tourism in Nepal focuses on "village trek" visits to indigenous people that “...will make tourists, experience rural life and Nepalese hospitality off the beaten path with all the beautiful scenery and cultural diversity of Nepal.”

In the rural Nepal context, pro-poor tourism means expanding employment and small enterprise opportunities especially pro-indigenous peoples, youth and pro-women. Pro-poor initiatives in Nepal include the UNDP-TRPAP^{[dead link]} and ILO-EMPLED projects.

• Tamang Heritage Trail
• Chepang Heritage Trail
• Pathibhara Trail
• Limbu Cultural Trail
• Dudhkunda Cultural Trail
• Pikey Cultural Trail
• The Guerrilla Trek
• Numbur Cheese Circuit
• Indigenous Peoples Trail

Trekking on the Indigenous Peoples Trail and the Numbur Cheese Circuit is a means for Nepali as well as foreign visitors to experience the rural and traditional Nepali way of life, and for the local community to participate in and benefit directly from tourism. You'll feel better knowing that your visit is genuinely helping your hosts. And if you want to simply lie on a beach, well, the Majhi Fishing Experience on the Sun Kosi in Ramechhap features one of the best beaches in Nepal.

Ethno-tourism is increasingly popular in Nepal and is designed to maximize social and economic benefits to the local communities and minimize negative impacts to cultural heritage and the environment. Ethno-tourism is a specialized type of cultural tourism and can be defined as any excursion which focuses on the works of humans rather than nature, and attempts to give the tourist an understanding of the lifestyles of local people.

• Numbur Cheese Circuit in the Everest Region
• Indigenous Peoples Trail in Ramechhap
• Majhi Fishing Experience on the Sun Koshi
• The Guerrilla Trek in Mid-Western Nepal
• Helambu Trek in Langtang
• Tamang Heritage Trail in Langtang
• Chepang Heritage Trail in Chitwan

Other more remote regions will require a bit more planning and probably local assistance, not least as the required permits are only issued via Nepali guides/agents. Camping is required on one or more nights.

• Kanchenjunga - far eastern Nepal, accessible via Taplejung (from Kathmandu 40min by plane, 40hrs by bus), a strenuous trek through sparsely populated country to the third highest mountain.
• Dolpa - Upper Dolpa in northwestern Nepal beyond the highest Himalaya is the remote Land of the Bon, almost as Tibetan as Nepali. Lower Dolpa is more accessible and can me reached by plane.
• Manaslu Trek - Unspoiled trails through remote villages and over the Larkya La, a remote pass at 5,100m, to circuit an 8,000m mountain. The Manaslu massif rises above the old kingdom of Gorkha close to the Tibetan border about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara and will be close at hand for the last half of the circuit.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and hiring a local company will benefit the local economy, however the involvement of travel agents in Kathmandu must be approached with caution. The numbers of travel, trekking and rafting agencies registered in 2007 were 1,078, 872 and 94 respectively. The rapid growth in tourism in Nepal coupled with the absence of a self-regulating code of conduct has helped to grow unhealthy competition among travel agents with regular undercutting in tariffs. Such undesirable actions take away benefits not only from trekking guides and porters but also from others engaged in supplying goods and providing services to the tourists. By paying lower tariffs tourists may save money but directly at the expense of local communities. Try to use 'socially responsible' tour operators that promote proper porter treatment and cultural and environmental sensitivity among their clients in line with the UN-WTO Sustainable Tourism Criteria^{[dead link]}.

• Organised group trekking or independent trekking?

While organized groups from "western tour operators" from overseas drain the operational profit out of the country, organized groups hire a larger amount of local workforce from porters to guides. With local tour operators, most of the operational profit remains in the country. Groups are more likely to go remote areas, and rely as much as possible on local resources to minimize transport cost and hire maximum local porters.

In comparison, individual travellers are concentrated on the main trails with lodges and usually a lower budget. These trekkers usually use simpler lodges with lower costs. They may venture less often into remote areas, as that would mean more expense or very basic local services which most try to avoid. They generally spend less than organized travellers on same trails simply because they often have more restricted budgets.

Safety and comfort are higher with organized tours. There is a full range of choice for any demand, just be sure to think about what trekking means for you. For the hard core trekkers, no porter will ever carry, while for others, to carry a 15-18 kg backpack might be more than they would want.

• Keep working conditions and wages in mind when selecting a trekking company. For visitors from the west, hiring guides and porters is affordable and an extra few dollars can make a big impact in the life of a guide or porter. In order to feed themselves and their families, porters take on the job of carrying heavy loads to high elevations. Some of the problems porters face are underpayment, inadequate clothing and gear, being forced to carry excess weight, insufficient food provision and poor sleeping facilities. Sometimes these issues leave porters open to illness and neglect on the mountain. Nowadays most companies care better due to past awareness campaigns to their staff, however, some backpackers employ (illegally) porters and guides and there continue to be reports that some tourists pay less than the going rate.
• There are a number of websites that facilitate direct contact with recommended trekking guides and porters. By law this is not permitted, as foreigners on tourist visa are not allowed to employ any kind of workforce, but only legal registered companies as use in most countries around the globe. So unless you want to break the law, do not employ yourself any kind of porters or guides and ensure to hire only through legal companies, in case of an accident it may bring severe problems to have employed illegally staff.
• The International Porter Protect Group’s (IPPG)^{[dead link]} was set up in response to these issues, to improve health and safety for the trekking porter at work in the mountains and reduce the incidence of avoidable illness, injury and death. This is achieved by raising awareness of the issues among the trekking community and travel companies, leaders and sirdars. The IPPG recommends the following guidelines:
  • Adequate clothing is made available for protection in bad weather and at altitude. This should include adequate footwear, hat, gloves, windproof jacket and trousers, sunglasses, and access to a blanket and pad above the snowline.
  • Leaders and trekkers provide the same standard of medical care for porters they would expect themselves.
  • Porters must not be paid off because of illness without the leader or trekkers being informed.
  • Sick porters are never sent down alone, but rather with someone who speaks their language.
  • Sufficient funds are provided to sick porters to cover the cost of their land rescue and treatment.
  • All trekking porters should have provision for security, personal protective equipment including shoes and clothes, depending on the weather.

Although Indian currency is also widely accepted in Nepal (at an official exchange rate of 1.60 Nepalese rupees to 1 Indian rupee), it is officially illegal to carry or trade in any Indian rupee note above 100 rupees (being the 200, 500 and 1,000 Indian rupee notes). In practice though these higher value notes are still unofficially accepted, even at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport to pay for your government issued visa on arrival!

There are banks in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan,Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Lumbini and in several other major cities that will allow you to retrieve cash from ATM or credit cards. There are many ATMs in those cities that are open around the clock.

Keep all currency exchange and ATM receipts as they are required at the airport bank to convert back to your original currency. If you don't have them, they will refuse to convert your currency but they will suggest going to the Duty Free shop upstairs, even though it isn't a licensed money changer. Traveller's cheques may be useful outside of the major cities.

Never accept dynamic currency conversion (DCC) when withdrawing at ATMs. Instead, always let your home bank do the conversion as ATM rates can be off 7% or more. Your home bank's conversion is usually 1-3% off, in addition to a potential fixed fee, and will convert the amount dispensed plus any fee charged by the ATM itself. The fees charged by ATMs can vary according to whether the card is a debit or credit card, is MasterCard or Visa, and even the country of the issuing bank. This means that you may need to experiment with different ATMs before deciding on the best one, but the table below may be helpful when deciding on which ATMs to try first.