Safety in Nepal

Altitude sickness: This is a real risk above 3,000 metres. Gain height gradually and drink plenty of water to avoid swelling. At the first sign of a severe headache or nausea, descend immediately.

Insurance: Take out a policy that explicitly covers helicopter rescue from high altitude. Without that document, getting off the mountain will cost you several thousand dollars, demanded in cash before the rotor turns.

Guides: Since 2023, walking the popular trekking routes without a licensed guide has been prohibited. A guide does more than find the path; they watch your condition when oxygen runs thin. That is the point of the rule.

Crime: Nepal is a remarkably calm country, but watch your pockets in the crush of Thamel. Do not leave valuables or cash in unlocked rooms in mountain lodges. Theft is rare, but vigilance costs nothing.

Animals: The wild monkeys around the temples can turn aggressive and can carry rabies. Do not show them food and do not try to interact. Keep your distance and never provoke them with shouting or sudden movements.

Traffic: Pedestrians have no priority whatsoever in the cities. Cross with real care even at a marked crossing. On mountain roads keep rockfall in mind, especially after heavy rain, and check your own government's travel advisory before you travel.

Nepalis are welcoming and violent crime is low. A visitor's losses here come from trekking and trade.

Fake trekking agencies. Thamel in Kathmandu is packed with offices selling treks. Some operate without a licence: a guide with no insurance or experience, questionable equipment, permits filed wrongly. Check the licence with the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal and do not pay the full amount upfront.

Permits. TIMS and national park permits are issued officially at Department of Tourism offices. Street offers of a cheaper permit are forgeries, and the first checkpoint will turn you back.

Gemstones and thangkas. An "antique" thangka painted last month sells at museum-piece prices. Buying is fine as long as you know it is new.

The "monk" with a blessing. At Swayambhunath and Boudhanath a thread is tied on and a donation requested. Real monks do not ask passers-by for money.

Taxis. Meters are not used; agree in advance. The Pathao app works in Kathmandu.

Currency exchange. Change at licensed offices with a receipt: you will need it to convert rupees back on departure.

Solo trekking is prohibited. Since 2023, foreigners in Nepal's national parks need a licensed guide — independent trekking on routes such as Annapurna and Manang is not officially permitted. The rule was introduced because of the number of missing persons, and checkpoints enforce it.

Exporting antiquities and religious objects. Strictly prohibited. Statues, thangkas and anything over a hundred years old require a certificate from the Department of Archaeology. Foreigners have been detained at the airport with figurines bought at a market as souvenirs.

Drugs. Despite the reputation of the 1970s, cannabis has been illegal in Nepal since 1973. Possession and purchase are criminal offences, and offers in the streets of Thamel often end with the police.

Drones. Civil Aviation Authority permission is required, and flights over Kathmandu, airports and a number of temples are prohibited. Permits are hard to obtain.

Photography. Photographing people in temples, and especially at the cremation ghats of Pashupatinath, is inappropriate and in some zones outright prohibited. Military installations are off limits.

Beef. The cow is a sacred animal and a national symbol, and slaughter is prohibited by law. It is not on menus, and the subject is best left alone.

Altitude, not crime, is Nepal's main danger. Altitude sickness kills tourists every season, almost always because of haste. The rules: above 3,000 metres gain no more than 500 metres of sleeping altitude a day, take an acclimatisation day every 1,000 metres, do not ascend with a headache or nausea, and descend immediately with confusion or breathlessness at rest. Dropping 500 to 1,000 metres cures what no tablet will. Discuss Diamox with a doctor beforehand.

Insurance is its own subject. An ordinary policy does not cover trekking above 3,000 to 4,000 metres. You need one that names your route's altitude and includes helicopter evacuation. Note also that Nepal had a well-known racket in unnecessary helicopter evacuations, so insurers are now exacting about paperwork.

Vaccinations. None mandatory. Hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies are advised, plus Japanese encephalitis for rural areas.

Water and food. Bottled or treated water only. Mountain lodges boil it, which is reliable. On the trail, eat vegetarian: meat is carried up from below without refrigeration.

Kathmandu's air. The valley's air quality index climbs very high in winter.

Healthcare. Kathmandu has the international-standard CIWEC clinic. In the mountains there is none at all — only the Himalayan Rescue Association posts at Pheriche and Manang.

Nepal sits in the lower part of the Corruption Perceptions Index, but police are generally correct with tourists.

Tourist police. Operating in Thamel in Kathmandu, in Pokhara and in Chitwan. The Thamel office is the first place to go over a dispute with an agency, guide or hotel. Officers speak English.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued. The process is slow; it is better to come with someone from your hotel or agency.

Road checks. Renting a motorcycle requires an International Driving Permit with category A. Police check, and fines are issued on the spot.

Strikes (bandh). Political strikes are ordinary in Nepal: roads are blocked, transport stops, shops close. Foreigners are not targeted, but plans collapse. Follow the news and leave slack before a flight.

Earthquakes. Nepal is seismically active. Find the exit at your hotel, and avoid old unrenovated brick buildings.

Emergency numbers: 100 police, 102 ambulance, 1144 tourist police.