Would you visit Nepal now?

duck_shoot

I had plans to spend 10 days in Nepal from 10th March onwards however given the current political climate would you visit?

TimMakins

Yes, I would. Despite what the newspapers would have us believe during times of political unrest throughout the world, tourists, and certainly sensitive tourists, are rarely if ever mixed up with or brought into internal trouble.

Unless there is actually violent rioting on the streets, and those streets were the ones that I had no other course than to walk down on a regular basis, I would feel happy going there. Just be aware of the situation, and don't provoke anyone by attending rallies or demonstrations, and certainly don't photograph any one or any thing remotely connected to the current unrest.

If you *do* get caught up in a sudden violent event, just walk away as quickly as possible, or ask someone to let you wait inside their house until the trouble has passed.

Tim in Ireland.

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

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lonelyaztec

I would not go.

go to bhutan, u can get the same experience. Except that u will not have the Annapurna circuit and the everest base camp.

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TimMakins

Be more specific, please. Why wouldn't you go? What do you think is going to happen to you if you did go? What evidence do you have that other tourists have already had any problems?

Bhutan - I'd love to go there too, but can't afford, or would wish to pay even if I could, the US$200 per day the government charges all tourists.

Tim in Ireland.

greenchutney

quite a few times you dont realise you have been caught in a violent event because its so sudden... and it develops fast..lot of people may not have the reflexes, some go in shock....i probably would if i see some one in front of me being beaten to death or hacked...and this happens in these parts of the world if not anywhere else..

the king is a mad man, the maoists and military are equally worse...why make yourself a sitting duck?..you being a foreigner...and if you are the candian or the european kind.......you might be good for some hostage money!...

there is bhutan, sikkim, himachal and leh to get similar experiences and if not..go to tibet from china.....

if you have prior experiences in going to troubled lands..then you might want to think about it...but if you are new to such possibilities...i would avoid nepal for the moment...the mountains and the landscapes will last these madmen...

TimMakins

Can you provide instances of foreign tourists in Nepal being caught up in a violent event so sudden that they were unable to escape safely ?

Can you provide instances of where a foreign tourist in Nepal has seen someone beaten to death or hacked?

Can you provide instances of Canadian or European tourists that have been taken hostage in Nepal, and ransomed for money?

Of course there are alternatives, which are well worth visiting, but there is no reason a sensible traveller should not visit Kathmandu. The press delights in playing up the risks abroad, and in consequence we all get phone calls from our nearest and dearest with comments like: 'Oh - are you sure its safe in Kerala - I heard on the news that there was a bomb in Srinagar yesterday.'

People get paranoid about every little thing, and are no longer able to assess the risks objectively.

Tim in Ireland

greenchutney

good lord Tim...are you for real?...the situation in nepal is not trivial!...i agree the media exaggerates but this is for real...you must be reading something totally different!...

nepal at the moment is really unstable with wack job as a leader....you cannot guess how an event will turn out..violent or not...there doesnt need to be a history or previous pattern...this guy can be taken out any moment...
chaos is just one step away!..yeah..the maoists will analyse why they shouldnt take you?>...sure..we are smart freedom fighters or terrorists...we discriminate when we are caught in a crossfire.....wow...

my points are completely valid and they have been all out of indian newspapers and common sense to a fair extent.....indian newspapers also dont censor and sensitise like some of the american and british news reporting media do....i have friends who travelled and we have many nepalese workers here who speak of such situations there!...

go if you want to go..but am a person who exercises caution than anything..i do assess the risks...

..go sit in a cafe in fallujah and if you make it or have an internet connection.. tell me the press is exaggerating the stories of how bad it is there...

Nick-H

Would I go? 100% no.

I agree totally with what GreenChutney says on this one. He's reading the Indian press, which is a lot closer to the situation than the rest of the world's newspapers, who probably (I could be way off here, I know) regard it as a small happenning in a far off quaint country.

He's also talking to Nepalese people, and even if I'm reading the same papers (not much about Nepal the last few days) that puts him way ahead.

Recent stuff on IM (and in the press) suggests that even getting in or out of the country depends on day-to-day whim. Last thing I read was of night time and day time curfew.

I think I would react exactly as he says in the kind of situation he describes, I suspect I wouldn't even understand what was going on until it was way too late. (look on the bright side: Mike would be able to downsize the server ).

Holiday in a war zone? Not my idea of fun

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PeakXV

Do read the November 2005 National Geographic "Nepal: Inside the Revolution" to get an idea and better understanding of the jurisdictions of higher conflict, history & reasons behind the revolution, & future maoists targets of interest + overall casualties to date.

For me, it's all about the teenage girls with the archaic unserviced weapons that sends the shivers up my spine. Guns are extremely dangerous when serviced, oiled and in perfect working order but negotiating a toll or fee at a Maoist checkpoint with wonky, hairtriggered guns aimlessly pointed is enough to pass on Nepal for the time being!

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

sirensongs

I would go. In fact I plan to go in April. But I've been before and feel that I know what to expect. I think the situation in Fallujah (Greenchutney's quote) is completely different. Nowhere in Nepal is like Fallujah now (and never has been to my knowledge).

*But* - before I go I will double and triple check conditions both in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and in general.

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Dr Funkenstein

I was thinking of going to Nepal in a couple of months but I've decided against it for the time being: there's been 24 hour curfews in Kathmandhu recently. I can't see the fun in being confined to my hotel.

I'm not the overly cautious / paranoid type - I went to Kashmir earlier this year against the advice of the Foreign Office, the Rough Guide etc and that was fine.

Ultimately it's a personal decision, though. If you're comfortable with edgy atmospheres and know how to handle yourself I expect you'd get on alright in Nepal. Personally I'd prefer to go there when things are a bit more relaxed.

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greenchutney

oh the fallujah quote was just as argument to the reply about western press exaggerations and; me here not being exactly present in rural kansas running chicken coops....rather being present in a neighbouring country very well following the developments...

there will be always people who are adventurous, thrill seekers and risk takers..and some who are not...you may think the nepal is not fallujah but for some one else it aint matter..you may go and nothing may happen...you may go and everything possible can happen...the ingredients are there..an insurgency, curfews and mad men (and women)...

Nick-H

She's in Northampton, not Kansas.

But that i s still further away than India and I still think you are right......

greenchutney

oh Nick...I meant me as me myself..rather than the OP...The below quote was reply to me for my reply to OP ...

Nick-H

Sorry: taking you too literally there