Things to know before going to Nepal

If you are heading to Nepal soon, I am so excited for you!! Nepal is truly an incredible country and I am confident you will have an amazing time, it’s hard not to! There is such a rich culture in Nepal, and so much to learn while you’re there. Anytime you experience a new culture, there will be times you feel surprised, confused, or a little thrown off. Of course, this is all part of travelling and learning about new places. But, to help you feel a bit more prepared, I have put together a list of things you should know before going to Nepal. This list is largely based off things that surprised or confused me during my time in Nepal.

1. If you are invited to someone’s house for a meal, you will probably be eating alone

In a lot of countries it is polite to serve your guests first, so the first time I had dinner in someone’s home, I wasn’t surprised when they brought out my food first. That is, until about a minute had gone by, no one had made any indications of getting themselves food, and they started motioning for my friend and I to eat. It turns out they take serving their guest first to the next level here. It’s common for the guests to eat their entire meal before the hosts eat. So don’t be surprised if you’re eating alone!

2. You should eat with your right hand

There’s two points here. You can eat with your hand, and it should be your right one. In Nepal, cutlery is not super present outside of tourist areas. People just wash their hands before and after meals and eat directly with their hand! Even rice and curry. Most times they will give cutlery to tourists, so you don’t have to eat like this if you don’t want to. But on the other hand, isn’t travel all about trying new things? It is surprisingly fun, despite a bit of a learning curve!

The second point to note is that you have to use your right hand, not your left. This is because the left hand is typically reserved for bathroom usage. Be careful to keep this in mind so you don’t accidently come across as rude!

3. You’ll have to get used to squat toilets

Speaking of bathroom usage, if you are used to western toilets, you might be surprised by public bathrooms in Nepal! There are a few different situations you might find yourself in depending on the toilet style, and, let’s say, cleaning amenities available. Some bathrooms, especially in hotels and restaurants geared towards tourists, will have a western toilet. However, you will see a squat toilet more often. If you haven’t used one before, don’t worry too much. It will start to feel natural after a few times, after all it’s the way our bodies were designed to go!

There will also seldom be toilet paper, so it’s best to keep some with you at all times. That said, there won’t always be a garbage can to dispose of it and you can’t flush paper in Nepal. Sometimes there will be a water gun hose thing that is pretty user friendly as you can easily aim it. But there will always be a bucket and a tap. Learn how to use that here.

4. The three most important words to know before going to Nepal

I think as a general rule, the two most important words to learn while travelling are “hello” and “thank you.” In Nepali, when you greet someone you say “Namaste.” and, optionally, put your two palms together in front of your chest. Yes, like you do in yoga. The word for thank you can be spelled a few different ways. The one I have seen closest to it’s pronunciation is “dhanyabad.”

After these obvious choices, the next word I recommend you know before going to Nepal is the word for tasty/delicious! It’s such an easy way to connect with people and show appreciation. This is true both in restaurants and, especially, if you are eating in someone’s home. The way to say this sounds like “me – toe – sa.”

5. They don’t have a separate word for cousin, they just use brother and sister

If you start getting to know a family, you might be confused by how they’re all related. While I was staying with a family who had just one young son, I met a girl in the neighborhood who said that son was her brother. Later, the mother, who grew up in a different village, called her her sister. As you can imagine, I was very confused by all this. It turned out she was a cousin of the family. In Nepali there is no word for cousin, they just call them all brothers and sisters! But, a bit contradictory to this, they have many words for aunts and uncles so that you know exactly the relationship, such as “father’s sister” or “mother’s brother.”

6. Red bangles, red powder at the hairline and a special necklaces are a signs of marriage

Similar to a wedding ring, there are certain things that married women wear to symbolize they are married. Two things, in addition to rings, that always symbolize marriage are a special necklace, and sindoor powder placed at the very top of the forehead, near the hairline. This is similar to tika, the red paste worn in the middle of the forehead as a blessing, just worn higher up. But red bangles can also be a sign of marriage. While you will see unmarried girls wearing bangles of all colours these days, especially during festival times, traditionally red bangles are a symbol of marriage. In fact, if a woman’s husband were to die, one of the first things she would do would be break her bangles, and wash off the sindoor powder. Traditionally, a Nepali widow would never remarry so she would never wear these things again.

So, if you are wearing red bangles, be prepared that you might be asked if you are married. Especially if you are wearing the bangles and no ring, or if you look young! While at a homestay in Nepal, I was given some red bangles as a gift. They were so tight I just left them on all the time for my last week there and I was asked pretty frequently.

7. People will constantly be trying to sell you things (especially in Kathmandu)

The only thing you really need to be looking out for in terms of the people is them trying to sell you things, and sometimes in a sneaky way! Walking around the streets of the more touristy cities, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Pokhara and Sauraha (Chitwan), you’ll have loads of people coming up to you trying to sell things. But what you really need to look out for, are the ones who pretend they aren’t doing just that.

After greeting you and asking where you’re from, or how you are, it’s pretty common they will start by telling you something they are NOT trying to sell to put you at ease. For example, they might lead with saying “oh! Don’t worry, I’m not a guide!” when their intention is to sell you paintings. They might even claim they just want to practice their English, or that they are bored and just want to chat. Which is fine, but in my experience, when approached in this context, there is always a catch. Perhaps it will lead to them inviting you to their art school, or suggesting somewhere you should visit and offering to drive you there.

8. You need to learn how to bargain, and how to say no

When you do want to buy something though, it’s important to learn how to bargain. Whatever price you originally get quoted will be a mark up, and it is part of the culture to negotiate. However, the amount you negotiate will depend on a few things. Consider how much you think you are being upsold (get a sense of this by shopping around a bit first), how expensive of an item it is, and how much you feel like “playing the game.” Some people really enjoying bargaining, and it can give you a chance to form a relationship with the seller. Personally, though, I often find it stressful. Sometimes I would just offer 15 – 20% less, let them counter somewhere in the middle, and then accept that price.

In addition to bargaining, you also have to practice saying no while you are shopping around. Otherwise, it can be very intimidating to go in any store to look around or ask for prices. Once you have shown interest, they usually don’t want to let you leave without buying something, and can often be very convincing! If you aren’t ready to buy something, you have to be firm when you say no. This can be difficult sometimes. Just remember, you can’t buy from everyone.

Another important thing to know before going to Nepal is that you will find that you will see a lot of the same products over and over again. So, it’s a good idea to save most of your souvenir shopping for the second half of your trip! This way you can get a better sense of what you want and how much you are willing to spend.

9. The people are very kind and honest, it feels safe even as a young solo woman

The people in Nepal are some of the kindest people I have ever met. In fact, while I was in Nepal I had multiple Nepalese people tell me the same thing – that 98% of the people are very trustworthy and generous. At no point in 2 months in Nepal did I feel unsafe (due to people, the roads are a different story!). Even in situations I might have at home – like walking alone at night. That said, there are exceptions to every rule and you should always use common sense and trust your gut. But in general, I can definitely recommend Nepal as a safe destination!

---

PS. Are you looking for a unique experience in Nepal?

The best way to learn more about the culture in Nepal is to spend time with locals. And what better way to do that than a homestay? Staying with a Nepali family is an amazing way to learn more about local customs, make new friends, and help contribute directly to the local economy. For more information on how to find a homestay and what to expect check out this post!

Save this for later on Pinterest!

Thanks for reading! If you want to follow along for more content like this, subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date on new posts!