General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Nepal. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
TRAVEL TO NEPAL: This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird, and starts and ends in London. The cost of the group flights between London and Kathmandu is included in the tour cost. We strongly recommend that you join the tour in London, as that removes a range of possible problems that might arise if you attempt to meet the group in the tour country. You can choose, however, to make your own travel arrangements to Kathmandu; you would receive a corresponding discount to the tour cost should you decide to do this. Please read the Important Travel Information for Participants on Sunbird Tours.
ENTERING AND LEAVING NEPAL: United States citizens need a passport valid for at least six months after the date of departure and a tourist visa. US citizens may obtain visas prior to travel or upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Visas and further information on entry/exit requirements can be obtained from the Embassy of Nepal or from the Consulate General in New York. Visas can also be obtained for an additional fee through services such as CIBT. Citizens of other countries may need a visa and should consult their nearest Nepalese embassy. Evidence of a Yellow Fever vaccination must be presented if you are arriving within six days of leaving or transiting an endemic area. There is a departure tax on leaving Nepal of NPR 1695 (approximately $27); this tax must be paid in local currency.
MAPS AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Nepal in the University of Texas series here. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Nepal here.
HEALTH: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) currently recommend taking an anti-malarial drug when visiting Nepal. Further, the CDC currently recommends the following vaccines: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, and polio. Travelers should also make sure that their routine vaccinations, including tetanus, are up to date. Biting insects are not numerous but may occur locally; insect repellent will provide adequate protection. Tap water is not safe to drink, but bottled water, soft drinks, and beer are widely available. The latest CDC advisories for Nepal can be reviewed here.
CLIMATE: Daytime temperatures will vary widely on the tour. Early mornings at Koshi Tappu and Chitwan can be slightly damp, though it warms up rapidly mid-morning, and temperatures can reach 85-90°F later in the day. Our excursions to higher elevations in the Kathmandu Valley, in particular the days near the summit of Phulchowki, will take us into cooler conditions where frost may be encountered. Rain is unlikely throughout the tour, but can never be completely discounted.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: This tour is not physically strenuous in any way. Many days will be broken up into optional sections, with pre-breakfast excursions, morning/afternoon trips, and on some nights evening spotlighting for nightbirds. On a couple of days we will have long drives, so come prepared to spend a little more time than usual in the vehicle. On most of the days that we offer a pre-breakfast option, we will start at about 5:45, returning for breakfast around 9:00. On most of the days we will have a picnic lunch in the field, and we’ll usually return to the hotel in the late afternoon or early evening. We’ll almost always have a break of an hour or so to shower and relax before dinner. Our two days spent on Phulchowki Mountain will involve early starts around 4:45 am; we’ll be walking downhill and birding almost exclusively from the road, with the vehicles catching up with us every hour or two, so that anyone wishing to take a longer break can easily do so. On one morning we will take a leisurely boat trip down the Koshi River, stopping to take short walks on several occasions. On another day we’ll have a full-day excursion to the Dharan forest, leaving shortly after breakfast and returning to our comfortable camp in the early afternoon. We’ll have a fairly lengthy drive of about six hours on Day Nine as we head from Koshi Tappu west to Chitwan National Park. Much of Day Fourteen of the tour will also be taken up with a long drive, but again we’ll have ample time to stop to birdwatch and stretch our legs en route.
ACCOMMODATION: In Kathmandu we’ll be staying in a good-quality, international-style hotel with private facilities in each room. At Koshi Tappu we’ll spend four nights in a good-quality, attractively laid-out tented camp owned and run by our ground agents. The tents are spacious, and it’s no problem for all but the tallest of people to stand upright in them; the tents are clean and relatively well equipped. Each tent has two proper full-size beds (not camp beds) and a small table inside, and there are two chairs, a mirror, and a water container on the “porch.” Each tent is also provided with a kerosene lamp, which will be lit by the camp staff every evening. Two blocks of four toilet and shower rooms are shared between four neighboring tents and are within about 25 yards of each set of tents. There is a separate dining room and a bar. The camp compound is well lit at night, and there is usually a multitude of birds within the camp itself. We’ll also spend five nights inside Chitwan National Park. We’ll be staying at two different camps: first at Machan Wildlife Lodge in the east, and then at Temple Tiger Jungle Lodge in the west. Both offer excellent, comfortable accommodation. As with all of the tented camps in Chitwan, electricity is not allowed and lighting is by kerosene lamps. Each tent at both camps has private washing and toilet facilities.
DRESS: Dress is informal throughout. Light warm-weather clothing, including a sun hat, is the general rule, but a jacket, warm sweater, gloves, and a hat may be required for early mornings on Phulchowki. For the occasional longer walks, bring comfortable walking shoes or boots. Rain is rather unlikely, but bring a light rain jacket just in case.
TRANSPORT: Transportation between the main sites is by coach. At Koshi Tappu and at the two tented camps in Chitwan National Park, we will use the camp’s jeeps to move around. We will have a boat ride down the Koshi river and at least one elephant ride in Chitwan National Park. There is alson one internal flight of 50 minutes, from Kathmandu to Biratnagar in southeastern Nepal.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group. If any lodge, accommodation, or location where the group is staying or is gathered has a more restrictive smoking policy than the WINGS policy, the more restrictive policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF WINGS AND SUNBIRD TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours, and other information that will help you prepare for your tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Nepal will be sent to each registrant on receipt of booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Updated: March 08