Is Nepal Safe to Travel?

With spectacular gifts of nature such as high mountains, beautiful waterfalls, rapid rivers, majestic glacier lakes, and tropical habitats for varied flora and wildlife, Nepal is a country that resembles peace and warmth for everyone around the globe. The togetherness found here with the diversity in ethnic groups and religions portrays the true feelings of brotherhood shared by Nepalese people.

Is Nepal safe to travel to? 

Home to the great Himalayas, Nepal has attracted many foreign tourists from different parts of the world for trekking, mountain climbing, and other adventurous holidays. With all the thrilling traveling plans, the big question “Is Nepal safe for foreign travelers?” always pops up in the traveler's head. 

And the answer to that question will again be a big YES. 

Nepal is one of the safest countries to travel even if you don't have a group. The inbuilt kindness in Nepalese people has contributed to providing ‘unforgettable hospitality’ to tourists.

Famous for being the location of the highest peak in the world and its cultural diversity, Nepal has ranked 73rd on the Global Peace Index of 2021 out of 161 countries. The civil war between Maoists and the government of Nepal ended with peace offerings on November 21, 2006. After that, the 240-year-old reign of the monarchy officially ended in May 2008 in Nepal with a Jana Andolan movement. Nepal was announced as a Federal Democratic Republic on May 28, 2008. Since then, there’s been a low rate of violent crimes in Nepal.

Nepal is also the 3rd safest country in South Asia as per crime rates. It is the home to 125 different ethnic groups that live together in this small piece of gem with joy and harmony. That being said, Nepal has yet not face any sorts of disputes due to discrimination based on caste, color, religion, gender, ethnicity, etc. As a matter of fact, Nepal is the only country in South Asia that does not prohibit same-sex relationships.

Likewise, if you are roaming around city areas like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Chitwan, etc., then you don’t have to carry a huge amount of cash with you. Most places accept credit cards like American Express, Visa, and MasterCard. There is easy access to public transportation such as taxis, buses, or digital vehicle hire platforms like Pathao and Tootle, even at night. Hotels, inns, homestays, or even Couchsurfing are safe and can be easily found in the city as well as in rural areas.

Is trekking in Nepal safe? 

Trekking in the mountains and rural regions is also safe, but requires a few precautions to follow. The mountain weather is unpredictable, and there are also chances of natural uncertainties. 

Before indulging in the adventurous journey, taking trekking insurance with medical evacuation will be a wise option. It will be helpful to deal with any future uncertainties. High altitudes can cause acute altitude sickness, bad footing, and twisted ankles due to slips, so you need to be prepared for such health issues with proper medicines, cures, and even mountain rescue if needed. 

Likewise, we also suggest you carry around the photocopies of your passports and documents in case of an emergency. 

Trekking around high mountainous ranges such as Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Range, and Langtang Trek Region, it is always a good idea to travel with an experienced guide who knows the area. They will help you reach your destination as well as avoid the chances of getting stranded.

Is Nepal safe to travel alone? 

Nepal is very safe for solo travelers. However, as per the policies of the Tourism Act of Nepal, it is mandatory for some restricted and preserved areas to trek accompanying an authorized guide through a government-authorized travel agency. 

Even without the policy of the Tourism Act, we do not suggest trekkers trek alone in Nepal. The high Himalayas, located at an elevated altitude, come with a package of certain risk factors. Trekking with an experienced, professional, and destination expert local guide will provide you with a layer of safety, as well as be very helpful to communicate with the locals, get in-depth information about the destination, keep track of your health, and best of all, our guides are known to make the best decisions in any case of emergencies or unfortunate.

Similarly, some protected areas like Upper Mustang, Humla Railing Gompa, Limi Valley, Nar Phu Valley, Upper and Lower Dolpo, Api Saipal, Olangchunggola in Kanchenjunga Region, Manaslu Circuit, Tsum Valley, only allow group permits of at least two making it quite not possible to trek alone however if you pre-inform us, Himalayan Trekkers will try our best to put together a group of trekkers interested to trek in the same region whom you can join. 

Apart from trekking, it is possible and very safe to travel alone in Nepal.

Is Nepal safe for solo female travelers?

It is a little sad that even during this modern era, where modernization has reached its peak, women still have to worry about certain things. 

Traveling anywhere in the world as a solo female traveler, it is normal to raise questions about your safety. But luckily enough, Nepal is a safe country for solo female travelers. Any sort of activities like tours, treks, climbing, and others are safe for female travelers. In fact, Himalayan Trekkers has organized several tours and treks for solo female travelers. 

Likewise, in Nepali culture, women are taken as an embodiment of the divine herself. Hence, women are respected here. The hotels, lodges, hostels, and homestays are all safe, making it stress-free to travel even for female backpackers.

In the mountains, the guesthouses are mostly family-run, and the males of the family are usually guides/porters. As such, they are run by the females of the family, which, without any doubt, is safe and more comfortable for the female travelers.  

Likewise, we assure that our guides are professional and respectful, but if you still feel a sense of discomfort, we also provide female tour/trekking guides. Nepalese are very friendly people, so they might casually come and talk to you, but most of the time, it is nothing to worry about, as they just want to make sure that you’re fine, and sometimes they like to practice their English with Westerners. But we suggest you be wary as they are talking because sometimes they might have an intention of begging.

Nepal has the lowest rate of sexual harassment, fraud, abuse, kidnapping, etc., crime rate. But it does not mean that it doesn’t happen at all. So, we highly suggest not only to female travelers but to everyone to do your research and properly look into the company or guide that you are choosing.

Similarly, walking alone at night in some places might also not be a good idea. We also advise all the solo female trekkers to purchase all the sanitary materials like pads, tampons, wet tissues, etc. in the city before trekking, as they are still not found easily in many rural areas. For more indept know-hows, here’s a blog for: Is Nepal Safe for Female Travelers?

Is it safe to travel to Nepal post-pandemic? 

Nepal thankfully didn’t reach the apex of Covid-19 infection in comparison to the highly spread neighboring countries. Many factors, including its diverse geography, contributed to the minimization of COVID-19 spread in Nepal. The populated cities, however, were infected, but the small towns and countryside remained safe. 

Nepal is a small country with a comparatively small population and is full of hills and mountains, which resulted in the least infection. The hilly and mountain regions are geographically challenged and isolated, resulting in less movement of people. Hence, the pandemic was controlled. Another factor that supported this was that Nepal is a landlocked country with only one international airport, therefore it falls in the movement of tourists.

Similarly, Nepal is finally open after a long lockdown which the Government of Nepal took action at the right time, and the locals followed to minimize the risk it bears. The border between Nepal and China was also sealed immediately after the first news of COVID-19 was spread. 

The border between Nepal and India was also closed, but had to be open in between due to cultural, matrimonial, working, trading, and business relationships between Nepal and India. Which, unfortunately, led to the Covid-19 spread again. But now, things are under control with minimized cases and people getting vaccinated, so the movements of tourists are seen as well.  

Although the cases of coronavirus in Nepal had dropped, our borders were not open and international travelers were not allowed here due to the widespread in our neighboring country. But finally, with everything on hand, we are pleased to notify you that Nepal is open and safe for foreign travelers.

Nepal is an absolutely magnificent destination with beautiful landscapes and people. It is indeed one of the safest countries to travel in the world, with the lowest crime rates, a religious nature, and kind inhabitants.

Here in Nepal, people follow the motto of “Atithi Devo Bhava,” which literally translates to “Guests are god”, hence, people believe in treating their guests identically to how they would treat God. With that being said, Nepal is very safe to travel to.