Health & safety
Health and safety in Nepal
Nepal is a safe country for travellers. The real risks lie elsewhere: water, roads, air pollution and, in the mountains, altitude. This advice does not replace that of a doctor or travel clinic, to be consulted a few weeks before you leave.
Vaccines and prevention
- Up to date: diphtheria-tetanus-polio, measles.
- Generally recommended: hepatitis A and typhoid (transmitted through water and food); hepatitis B depending on the length of stay.
- Depending on the trip: rabies (long stays, rural areas, contact with animals: stray dogs and monkeys are numerous), Japanese encephalitis (long stays in the Terai, in the rainy season).
- Malaria: low risk, limited to the Terai lowlands (Chitwan, Lumbini), none in the Kathmandu Valley or Pokhara. Protect yourself from mosquitoes (repellent, long sleeves in the evening); preventive treatment is to be discussed with your doctor.
- Dengue: outbreaks hit Kathmandu and the Terai in some years, from the monsoon to autumn. The only protection: avoid bites, including during the day.
Water and food
- Tap water is not drinkable, not even for brushing your teeth if you're sensitive. Use the filtered-water stations in hotels and cafés (with a bottle), a filter bottle, or bottled water (check the seal).
- Choose cooked food served hot; be wary of raw vegetables and juices diluted with water at small stalls.
- A kit for traveller's diarrhoea (rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoeal) is essential. If fever sets in, see a doctor.
Air pollution
From December to April, pollution in the Kathmandu Valley often far exceeds health limits (dust, traffic, brick kilns, burning). An FFP2 mask is useful in town, especially on motorbike taxis. People with asthma or heart conditions should take it into account when choosing the season.
Safety
- The roads are the main danger: unpredictable driving, overloaded buses on mountain roads. Prefer tourist buses to night buses, and fly when you can.
- Crime: low. Pickpocketing in crowds (festivals, buses), as anywhere; a few attacks on lone walkers have been reported on isolated trails around Pokhara.
- Scams: fake guides, fake monks or sadhus asking for donations, requests for baby milk powder (resold afterwards), jewellery or stones “to resell in Europe”. A polite no is enough.
- Demonstrations: general strikes (“bandh”) can paralyse transport for a day; stay away from gatherings and follow your hotel's advice.
- Natural disasters: earthquakes (the last big one in 2015), landslides and floods in the monsoon. Check your country's travel advice before you leave.
In an emergency
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Tourist police | 1144 |
| Police | 100 |
| Ambulance | 102 |
The best hospitals and clinics for foreigners are in Kathmandu, then Pokhara. Travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation is essential (and required for a trek: rescue helicopters are expensive).
You get your visa on arrival, at Kathmandu airport or at the border: form, fees and pitfalls to avoid on our dedicated site.
Visa Nepal →Fancy a few days of walking? Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Langtang… permits, guides, transport and day-by-day itineraries on our trekking site.
Trek Nepal →Comments
A question, recent information (prices, opening times, transport), your own experience? Share it here.
Loading comments…