Introduction
I went to Nepal as part of a Nepal-Bhutan trip in March 2003. In total I stayed 16 days in Nepal. This was my itinerary:
- Days 1-2: arrival, walking in Thamel and making practical arrangements.
- Days 3-4: visit of Patan-Bakhtapur-Nagarkot-Sangku-Changu Narayan by mountain bike
- Day 5: transfer to Pokhara
- Day 6-13: Jomsom trek
- Day 14-16: Kathmandu and departure
Political situation - Touristic industry
1) It is clear that tourism in Nepal is in crisis for the moment (2003). This is due to 3 factors:
- The royal massacre in 2001 shocked the nation and tourists. The official version is that this was done by the son of the former king 5who both died in the massacre), but no one actually believes this story. Most people think it was the son of the actual king who was behind the massacre, so that he could be the future king. Therefore the present king gets less respect from the Nepalese.
- 11 september made matters worse. US tourists made up 10% of all tourists, and this definitely decreased.
- Finally the conflict with the Maoists is probably the most important factor. The conflict started in 1996, but it was more recently that matters got worse with demonstrations, and also attacks on government buildings and also the airport in Lukla. It must be stressed however that Maoists have always said not to target tourists, and they have not done this untill now. Since february 2003, there is a truce now, and everybody hopes this will remain so that tourism can flourish again.
2) Because of this, the number of tourists has decreased from 460.000 in 2000 to 200.000 in 2002. Amoung the richer tourists coming in groups, this is even more so.
3) Still, I think one should go to Nepal, even under these circumstances, as long as you take some simple measures as proposed by the foreign embassies:
- Only go to safe areas like Annapurna and the region North of Lukla.
- If you go trekking, always take a guide
- Report to your embassy
4) During my visit I didn't notice anything from the troubles. There was increased security in airports, but this could be due to the Iraq war. When you go biking outside of Kathmandu, you'll see plenty of military camps and checkpoints, but they won't bother you.
Guidebooks
Nepal Footprint Handbook- Price 17.99
- $Publis
hed 1999
- I like Footprint guides a lot, as they usually go deeper into a country. On the other hand you need more time to get a good idea about the country while reading them, and the Nepal guidebook needs an update as it is from 1999.
Order the Footprint Nepal now for only 17.99 US$ Nepal: a travel survival kit Lonely Planet- Published in august 2001
- Price 19.99
- This is of course the classical book of every backpacker. Their maps are especially good. A good point is that they have a map with highlights, so you immediately see which places you should visit, and in about 1 day you can design your holiday.
- Don't forget to go to their fantastic website where they have the "Thorn Tree". You can add your posting with practical questions about your trip:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com- They also publish an update of this book on their site at
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/upgrades/index.html , you need Acrobat Reader for this.
Order the Lonely Planet Nepal now for only 13.99 US$ The Rough Guide - Price 19.95 $
- Published 2003
- The Rough guide had a new Nepal guide just before I left. From what I could see it looked really excellent. The lay out and maps could be a bit better though, but for info I think it’s better then LP
Order the Rough Guide Nepal now for only 13.27 US$
