Lonely Planet Nepal: Kathmandu

by Bradley Mayhew

Includes FREE planning and background information. For many, stepping off a plane into Kathmandu is a pupil-dilating experience, a riot of sights, sounds, colours and smells that can quickly lead to sensory overload. Whether you’re barrelling down the atmospheric winding streets of the old town in a rickshaw, marvelling at the exquisite medieval temples of Durbar Sq or dodging the tiger balm sellers and trekking touts in Thamel, Kathmandu can be an intoxicating, amazing and exhausting place.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Asia, Reference, Guides, Adventure

470 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved the Lonely Planet travel guides and this one is no exception, I purchased the 2015 edition of the Nepal guide before our trip last year and it was full of invaluable advice on everything from Nepal's history, local customs and religion to language guides, dos and don'ts and suggested itineraries for the main destinations. There is also a section on trekking (which I can't really comment on because we didn't use it) but I'd probably recommend purchasing the separate trekking guide if that's the purpose of your trip.

This guide includes a small section about the destruction caused in the 2015 earthquake but this edition was published within months of the disaster and there has been a lot of rebuilding work carried out since then so it isn't completely up to date. You will notice that a lot of the old temples in and around Kathmandu and Bhaktapur are still undergoing repair so there is a lot of wooden scaffolding around and unfortunately some buildings were completely destroyed but considering it had only been 2 years I was impressed by how much rebuilding had already been done. Lonely Planet is publishing an updated Nepal guide in July 2018 that will probably be slightly more accurate but we still found this was an incredibly useful guide.

We were staying with Nepalese family so had local tour guides for our entire trip but this book really is packed with interesting information about many of the larger temples and places of note and it has some fantastic itineraries for the main areas. We used the guide in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bhaktapur and Chitwan National Park and there were definitely experiences we would have missed out on if we hadn't read about them in here first. The book gives a good rough idea of entrance fees for most attractions but we did notice that these weren't always completely correct.

If you're planning a trip to Nepal it is well worth trying to travel around the country to some of the larger cities and the National Park, there are so many amazing things to see and do that it's impossible to fit everything in in one trip - even without doing any of the major trekking routes! One piece of advice I can't stress highly enough is not to drink the local water without boiling it first though and if you do end up having a stomach issue go to one of the many local pharmacies as quickly as possible because the local medication is far better than anything you can purchase at home to take with you.

I'd definitely recommend purchasing this guide before your trip and it is well worth taking the time to read up on local customs and tips for travelling before you leave home. Take the time to learn a few Nepali phrases (the most important one being Namaste which can be used as hello, goodbye and just as a general friendly gesture), the Nepalese people are incredibly friendly and welcoming and very quick to smile even if communicating can be hard because of the language barrier.

[Letitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all Lonely Planet books, this is probably the best guide book out there, with really useful cultural and historical information as well as "what to see" and facts. I am withholding 5 stars because I found the section on Chitwan to be not nearly so helpful as I had hoped. Had better luck talking to people who had been there. Some of the details were fuzzy. What you need to know is the schedule in Chitwan is pretty much set, so don't expect to show up with a half day and cram in things you want to do. You must run on their times table. Thankfully, everything is usually included in a package.

Nepal is a glorious country, and I have spent most of my time in Kathmandu, but definitely want to visit again to do a trek. Very affordable once you get here :-)

[Iso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide, with lots of useful info. I did get ripped off by one of the groups they recommended during my first weeks there, but that's Nepal.. One other slight annoyance in the guide was the harping of one or more of the authors in several places about the influx of Tibetan Buddhism and how it has changed things in Nepal. Yes, it has I'm sure, but many people I know, including me, would never have got to know this fascinating, wonderful, never-a-dull moment country without being interested in Tibetan Buddhism. So perhaps it's good for the publishers to remember that that's why quite a few people visit Nepal in the first place these days? And that Buddhists are working on their 'non-attachment' at the same time as the yoga people. No one is claiming to be the finished product here. Better to be open-minded to everyone surely, in a travel guide? Other than this, the book is exceptionally well written and has been invaluable over the first months, and then years, of my stay. Visit Nepal; it's mad as a box of frogs, a complete eye and heart opener on so many levels, and, in places, stunningly beautiful (this book will help you find those places). If you visit, take the most up to date version of this book. Recommended.. No, essential! :)

[Daniel Wolpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this cover to cover before my wife and I spent 2 weeks in Nepal last December and it was well worth it. It was a great primer for our trip and really prepared us for our experience. We were prepped by the history and customs of the country found in the book, found places to visit, some of which we never would have gotten to experience had I not read about them first and pressed our guide for inclusion. Nepal is such a deeply spiritual and beautiful place to be. A definite gem of a country, but there is so much to experience there that it cannot be complete on a single trip. We plan to return someday and we'll definitely revisit Lonely Planet when we do.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read this book cover-to-cover. However, as a reference guide while in Nepal, it was fantastic. I think it's the best available guidebook for Nepal.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual for Lonely Planet, this guide touches on all the major points and provides a lot of useful information. I used it a lot during my visit and found it to be very reliable. The writing tho was a little dry, and a number of segments provide historical background but not much color. For the Kathmandu area, I did the walking tours, and found them to be very interesting. The maps were excellent, and restaurant and hotel info was usually right on target, but there were a number of good places that I came across which were not in the book. This is an essential purchase if you're planning to spend some time in Nepal. However, note that altho this contains a section on trekking, it is not a guide to trekking in Nepal - that is another ($25) book.

[Jasper O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is really not much to say about this, apart from the fact that it is a Lonely Planet and thus one of the best guides around. This edition is now quite outdated, dating from only a couple months after the large and devastating 2015 earthquake, but I have seen that there is now a newer edition which should have a lot of updated information. Nevertheless, this guide already provided me with everything I needed to know for four months of studying and one month of backpack travelling in Nepal. I highly recommend Lonely Planet guides to everyone and will continue using them for the rest of my life!

[Rosie Delacruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend and I went to Nepal for a quick visit after we attended a wedding in India. We had two half days and two whole days in Kathmandu. I skimmed through a hard copy of the guide at home and then downloaded it on my Kindle so that my backpack wouldn't be weighed down. I wish I had brought the hard copy though because it's easier to flip through the pages to find what you're looking for. Nevertheless, the book mentioned the Hotel Tibet International, at which we stayed. Members of the hotel staff were very helpful and gave us suggestions on what to see during our short stay. They also found us a guide to take us on a day-long cultural walking tour of Nagarkot.

[Halik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book literally saved me from a ton of trouble while hiking, cycling and city scraping my way through an amazing week in Nepal. Seriously, this thing felt like a trail buddy with the inside scoop on the whole area. My only complaints are that LP guides are a tad expensive. but i suppose at the end of the day, worth the trouble. I originally set out using an Eyewitness travel guide but switched to this because this takes the raisin and almond ridden cake when it comes to getting you around safely via the scenic route.

[Luca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guide contains many interesting and useful tips to better travel in Nepal. Pity that the maps are not always clear and require you to keep at least three finger bookmarks in order to quickly access what you need, especially when visiting a place with many points of interest. Loney planet should focus more on usability and quick access rather than on excessive romanticised descriptions of the places, which sometimes do not correspond with reality.

[zan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first time I'd read all the content in a Lonely Planet aside from the hotel/restaurant/sight recommendations. I learned a lot about Nepal and about traveling in Nepal. I highly recommend reading this if you're planning or a considering a trip to Nepal - or the equivalent for any developing country.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a huge help for me. I am traveling to Nepal in a few weeks and this book definitely offered great advice. From language and currency to social expectations, how you should move around a temple, and interacting with the locals. These are the types of things you usually learn as you go and it's great to already know so much before heading over.

[Sarah S]

To be fair, I've skipped some of the sections I'm very unlikely to visit. Holding off on stars until I have the on the ground comparison.

Also, it's making me batty that the publication date, authorship, etc are wrong on here.

[Tiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to visit Nepal ASAP and have a cup of tea on a mountaintop.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed book, great recommendations.

[Maria]

The Lonely Planet doesn't disappoint. We found the recommendations to be good. I also liked the fact that it has a trekking section, just enough for what we needed on this trip.

[Milan/zzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nepal is not covered with many guidebooks but in spite lack of "rivals" this one is quite good indeed.

[Sarah Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where I'm moving to!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

[Lisa]

new

[Yijian]

good book!

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information. May even buy a copy to mark up on take on vacation. :)

[Robert Devine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guidebook for Nepal

[Mitch Flitcroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute must-have for travelling Nepal if you're not familiar with the country.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

And one day I will be there.

[Nash Blais · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will give you a sometimes very fast paced, sometimes very detailed overview of Nepal in a helpful manner to anyone wishing to travel to Nepal. I did not read it cover to cover (as you wouldn't read any travel guide cover to cover), so I will share which chapters I believe to be most beneficial.

Reading the entire "Plan Your Trip" section is probably a good call. You can skip the "If You Like" chapter and "Itineraries" chapter if you already have an idea of where you want to go. However, even if you are going with a trekking company, the "Planning Your Trek" section provides great general info about trekking.

As far as the bulk of the book — the "On The Road" section — I only read the Kathmandu, Kathmandu Valley, and Trekking Routes section, as these are the main focuses on my upcoming trip. They are incredibly detailed — almost overwhelmingly so — and truly have all the information you could possibly need for these areas. The Trekking Routes section in particular is beneficial to anyone interesting in trekking through Nepal.

Lastly, the "Understand" and "Survival Guide" section are deeply important for different reasons. The "Understand" section gives a view of Nepal as a whole: the people, the history, the current state of affairs, religion, etc. The "Survival Guide", on the other hand, just might save your life. The risks of trekking in Nepal can be daunting, from diarrhea to elevation sickness to the big no-no on any tap water, but this guide provides all the information needed to avoid or deal with these issues. The suggested medical kit is a great edition!

As good as this book is, it is clearly becoming more and more dated. I bought this one because I read that the newer 12th edition is not nearly as informative, and I am looking forward to seeing what the 13th edition (releasing in the near future at the time of writing this review) will hold. All in all, I think this is a great book for getting deeper into planning your trip, but I definitely do not think it should be your only resource.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, exciting, well structured as always. Learned so much in the last few chapters which I can take forward with me as I spend more time in Nepal. Definitely made me want to come back and provided ideal suggest itineraries for such a return… A great companion to my Nepali travels.

Note: I would have given it a 5/5 but I always look to see the authors of LP guides and sadly this one is written only by Westerners and without consultation of Nepalese citizens. Usually LP is pretty good at blending their author teams but on this occasion fell short.

[David Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Lonely Planet Nepal ** Read / used while traveling in Nepal (Nov./Dec. 2021)

[Saroj Dhakal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WAS LOOKING FOR A BOOK to solve all the queries about Nepal and provide me with full information. This book helps me a lot for my True Trekking experiences .

[Kate]

researching Annapurna circuit trek

[Sasha Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Padding my stats in garbage time