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Nepal
Eight of the world’s fourteen highest mountains, the living temple towns of the Kathmandu Valley and the jungle of the Terai — all of it a short flight from Delhi, and none of it requiring a visa.
The Himalaya begins
where the plains end
Nepal is the shortest possible journey from India to somewhere genuinely other. An hour and a half after leaving Delhi you are circling into a valley ringed by terraced hills, where the air is thinner, the light is harder, and the skyline is made of pagoda roofs rather than towers. It is one of the few countries where a traveller from India needs no visa, no fee and no waiting — and yet arrives somewhere that looks, sounds and tastes nothing like home.
The country is small enough to cross in a day and vertical enough to hold everything from tropical jungle at sixty metres to the summit of Everest at 8,849. That compression is the point. In a single fortnight you can walk under rhododendron forest at three thousand metres, ride an open jeep through grassland looking for one-horned rhino, and stand in a courtyard where a living goddess still appears at a carved window.
For Indian travellers Nepal carries a second layer that most visitors never see: it is a pilgrimage country. Pashupatinath is one of the twelve most significant Shiva sites anywhere; Muktinath sits at 3,800 metres in the Mustang rain-shadow and draws Vaishnavite pilgrims through the same passes trekkers use; Janakpur in the Terai is Sita’s birthplace. A Nepal itinerary can be a mountain holiday, a devotional journey, or — quite comfortably — both.
Four Nepals,
one short country
Nepal divides cleanly by altitude — valley, lakes, jungle and high mountain.
When is your Nepal?
Nepal has two clear windows and two that suit particular travellers — altitude changes the answer as much as the calendar.
How long you need
for Nepal
Nepal rewards fewer places and more days. Altitude, weather and short-but-slow roads all argue against a packed route.
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Nepal entry — what Indians actually need
Indian nationals do not need a visa for Nepal. What matters is which identity document you carry.
Under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Indian citizens travel to Nepal without a visa, without a fee and without a visa-on-arrival process — expecting a visa counter is the most common source of confusion at Kathmandu airport, because there is not one for you. Immigration operates a dedicated counter for Indian nationals; you complete a short arrival card and pass through.
Nepal Rastra Bank confirmed on 24 July 2026 that ₹200 and ₹500 notes issued on or after 9 November 2016 may be carried, up to a combined ₹25,000 per person. This reversed a ban in place since January 2019, and much published advice is still out of date. Pre-demonetisation ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes remain prohibited.
Muktinath, Namche and most trekking routes sit above 3,000 m. Build acclimatisation days into any itinerary that climbs quickly; this is the single most common reason a Nepal trip goes wrong.
Conservation-area and national-park permits are inspected on the trail, not just at the trailhead. Arrange them through your operator before you start walking.
For all Nepal journeys we design, we prepare your complete visa documentation package — the forms, the supporting documents, the sequence of submission. Our visa specialists help travellers prepare complete applications with careful document guidance. Final visa decisions always remain with the relevant authorities.
Nepal, practically speaking
Most of what goes wrong in Nepal is altitude, weather or the wrong identity document — not crime or complexity.
Nepal travel FAQ
The questions Indian travellers ask most often before booking Nepal.
Nepal for every kind
of traveller
The same country supports a four-day teahouse walk, a two-week expedition approach, a temple pilgrimage and a jungle lodge stay. What changes is pace and altitude.
The Ghorepani–Poon Hill circuit is the classic introduction: teahouse nights, a maximum of around 3,200 m, rhododendron forest and a sunrise view along the whole Annapurna and Dhaulagiri wall. No technical skill required.
Lukla, Namche, Tengboche and the moraine to Base Camp and Kala Patthar. It is a long walk at altitude rather than a climb, but it demands acclimatisation days, flexibility around Lukla flights and proper insurance.
Nepal holds sites of the first rank for Hindu travellers: Pashupatinath on the Bagmati, Muktinath at 3,800 m behind the Annapurnas, and Janaki Mandir at Sita’s birthplace in the Terai. Lumbini adds the Buddha’s birthplace.
Chitwan is the accessible option for greater one-horned rhino, gharial and wild elephant, with lodges on the park edge. Bardia in the far west is quieter, wilder and the better bet for tiger.
The valley’s temple squares, a boat on Phewa Lake, the Sarangkot sunrise and a jungle lodge make a week that works for mixed ages without anyone having to trek.
Pokhara is the adventure hub: tandem paragliding from Sarangkot over Phewa Lake, white water on the Trishuli and Seti, canyoning, and some of the most accessible mountain flying anywhere.
Tell us how much walking you actually want to do and how much altitude you are comfortable with, and the rest of the itinerary follows from that.
How far in advance
to book Nepal
Nepal’s two good seasons are short and the trekking infrastructure is finite. Autumn in particular sells out — teahouses, Lukla seats and the better lodges all at once.
Decide between autumn clarity and spring rhododendron before anything else — it changes availability entirely.
Match the route to the least fit person in the group, then add an acclimatisation day.
If Everest is the plan, flights and teahouses need months, not weeks.
TIMS and area permits are handled by your operator, but need your passport details in advance.
What Nepal actually asks you to bring
The valley and the Terai are warm; three thousand metres is not. Almost every Nepal packing mistake is a traveller who packed for one altitude.
Trekking gear can be bought or hired cheaply and well in Thamel and Pokhara — down jackets, sleeping bags, poles. What you should not improvise is footwear: bring boots you have already walked in for weeks.