Hotels in Nepal

Nepal or officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is a country which is landlocked in the region of South Asia, is situated mainly in the Himalayas as well as part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. To the north, it borders China; to the south, east and west, India; to the southeast, Bangladesh. It has an area size of 147,181 square kilometres and an estimated population of 26.4 million residents. With these figures, Nepal. It is the 48th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area.

The capital of this country is Kathmandu, as well as its largest metropolis.  For many years, it has been the centre of Nepal’s history, art, culture and economy. With the area size of 899 square kilometres, the population of Kathmandu is about 1.5 million people in the city proper and

Nepal is first mentioned in the late Vedic Atharvaveda Pariśiṣṭa as a place that exports mainly blankets and in the post-Vedic Atharvashirsha Upanishad. In Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar, it is mentioned as a country at the border. The Skanda Purana has a separate chapter known as "Nepal Mahatmya", which explains in more detail about the beauty of Nepal. Nepal is also mentioned in Hindu texts such as the Narayana Puja. In the mid-18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha king, would go on to set out and put together what would become present-day Nepal. He embarked on his mission by securing the neutrality of the bordering mountain kingdoms. After several bloody battles and sieges, notably the Battle of Kirtipur, he managed to conquer the Kathmandu Valley in 1769. A detailed account of Prithvi Narayan Shah's victory was written by Father Giuseppe, an eyewitness to the war. This Kingdom of Nepal would then engage with the East India Company over several other states bordering Nepal. This lead to the Anglo-Nepali War which happened from 1815 to 1816. The British forces who underestimated the Nepal forces were soundly defeated. It was from this incident that Gurkhas begin to earn their reputation as fierce and ruthless soldiers.

In the late 1940s, newly emerging pro-democracy movements and political parties in Nepal were critical of the autocracy of Rana. Meanwhile, with the invasion of Tibet by China in the 1950s, India sought to counterbalance the perceived military threat from its northern neighbour by taking pre-emptive steps to assert more influence in Nepal. India sponsored both King Tribhuvan rule in 1951 and a new government, mostly comprising the Nepali Congress, thus reducing the influence of Rana dynasty in the country.

The king and the government would eventually compete for power, and after decades of struggling, King Mahendra stripped democracy in 1959 and replaced it with a Panchayat system which makes all political parties illegal. In 1989, constitutional reforms were made to allow multiparty parliament and later in 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal started a movement to replace the royal parliamentary system with a republic. After a series of events happening in the royal family, amendments were made to the Constitution of Nepal to declare it as a republic.

In Nepal, the majority of the citizen practices Hinduism with 81.3 percent, Buddhism with 9 percent, Muslims with 4.4 percent, Kiratism with 3 percent and 1.4 percent is the Christianity; Another 0.9 percent is the one practising Sikhism, Jainism, and other religion. For Singaporean tourists, no free visa can make them enter Nepal since Singapore is not part of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation. Hence, tourist visas are charged at the designated land borders with various rates – USD34 for 15 days, USD54 for 30 days and USD136 for 90 days. These visas can only be granted for a maximum of 150 days in every 12 months.

The linguistic heritage in Nepal stems for three major language families – Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman and other indigenous languages that are isolated. As of 2011, the major languages spoken in Nepal are Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Tamang, Nepal Bhasa, Bajjika, Magar, Doteli, Urdu, Awadhi and Sunwar. In addition to that, the country is also home to four sign languages which are completely indigenous. Among all these languages, Nepali is widely spoken as the official language, with the government and even businesses  

Regarding the weather, Nepal has five climatic zones, which corresponds to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres, the temperate zone is for altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 metres, the cold zone for altitudes ranging from 2,400 to 3,600 metres, the subarctic zone for altitudes ranging from 3,600 to 4,400 metres, and the Arctic zone is for altitudes above 4,400 metres. As for the seasons, Nepal experiences five seasons, namely summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya mountainous range blocks cold winds from Central Asia in the winter and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns.

Throughout the history of the country, the Nepalese cuisine has evolved to comprise a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, soil and climate which is strongly related to Nepal's cultural diversity and geography. Much of these dishes are a variation of Asian dishes. For instance, Momo is a Tibetan-style dumpling with Nepalese spices; chow mein is a local favourite based on Chinese-style stir-fried noodles and many more. All over the country, dal-baht-tarkari is eaten, with dal is a soup made of lentils and spices, served over boiled grain, bhat which is usually rice but sometimes another vegetable curry, tarkari. Condiments are also included, usually small amounts of extremely spicy pickle which can be either fresh or fermented. There are numerous varieties of this dish alone, which is said to number in the thousands.

How to Get There

By Flight

The tourists who came from Singapore that wants to get to Nepal, they need to travel there by plane. As such, it is crucial to take a flight from Changi Airport and choose for flights to Nepal. The ticket price per person will be around SGD 500 to SGD 600. However, the price of the ticket will be changing during the peak season which is during the public holiday and school holiday season. The main airport in Nepal will be at Tribhuvan International Airport. The journey from Changi Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport will be around 4 hours and 50 minutes.  Once they have arrived, they can grab a taxi and go straight to their place to stay.

What to Do There

Annapurna Conservation Area

The breathtaking Annapurna Conservation Area is said to be Nepal’s most popular trekking destination. There are multiple treks here ranging from a few days to a few weeks on offer. Its landscape of rhododendron-swathed hills, high-altitude mountain passes and wildlife encounters with snow leopards and blue sheep are all part of the draw, as are the friendly villagers and homestays where you can stay over in comfort each night. For those with enough time, the 21-day Annapurna Circuit is the most wholesome trek, while the 7-day Muktinath route follows the Kali Gandaki Valley on Annapurna’s eastern edge.

Patan

Once being ruled as an independent city-state which rivalled even Kathmandu, today Patan is more like a suburb that has been enveloped by the capital but remains a worthy destination to visit while in Nepal. Known in Sanskrit as Lalitpur or “City of Beauty”, some of the interesting places to visit here include a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage-listed Durbar Square which consisted of some of Nepal’s most impressive temples and palaces. There are traditional atmospheric guesthouses to stay in, as well as numerous fair trade handicraft shops selling unique souvenirs.

Lumbini

Believed to be the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama or Lord Buddha, Lumbini is one of the Buddhist religion’s most sacred pilgrimage sites. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed site is also included as a top destination to visit when in Nepal, with its features of ancient ruins and historic temples, including the Maya Devi Temple which is dedicated to Buddha’s mother and buildings on the spot where Buddha is said to have been born. An ancient 2nd century stone monument would depict this momentous event, while there are also monasteries built by Buddhist countries from across the world with distinctive architectural styles that can be found throughout the site.

Where to Stay

AMBASSADOR

AMBASSADOR is situated not too far off the airport, being less than five kilometres away from the Tribhuvan International Airport. This hotel offers a pretty high standard and very quality accommodation in the city of Kathmandu. It is the perfect destination for travellers to come over to rest after a long day trip to a few places in Kathmandu, or even to relax after the long hours of flight simply.

Kathmandu Grand Hotel

Located 20 minutes away from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu Grand Hotel offers some of the most affordable accommodation in Kathmandu. Every room in this hotel is well equipped with the basic facilities. Besides that, the hotel provides quite decent facilities and services package to make their guests feel more comfortable and convenient during their stay at this hotel. The guests can access free Wi-Fi from their room and also in the public area of the hotel. For those who want to have a light snack and drink, there is a coffee shop available in the hotel as well as free flow coffee and tea at the lobby.  

Crowne Plaza Kathmandu-Soaltee

For those who have the extra budget and want to stay in a better-prepared hotel, the ideal choice would be to head on to Crowne Plaza Kathmandu-Soaltee. It is a perfect accommodation for a big family and groups of friends and also for those who want to stay a bit longer in Kathmandu comfortably. The guests can freely use a few facilities that provided by the apartment.  Breakfast is provided in the rooms with some surcharge. The rooms are also connected upon requests from the guests. There will be a 24-hour receptionist to handle the process of check-in and out of the rooms as well as other services like concierge and porter. With these, the staffs would also be available to help the guests in case if the guests need any assistance from them. Moreover, there are car rental services, and for guests who rented a car, they can park them in a provided space. They also can stay connected with their family and friends because there are a free Wi-Fi and LAN available in public area.