Nepal
Nepal
Forget climbing Everest. We're conquering Nepal one pint at a time.
Most people go to Nepal to suffer. They buy expensive boots, climb towards thin air and come home with blisters, frostbite and a photo of a flag. We go to Nepal to drink. Kathmandu has a craft beer scene that nobody tells you about, the hills are full of home brewers with a worrying talent for fermenting anything that grows, and the national pastime appears to be eating momos until you can no longer stand. Add ancient temples, prayer flags, holy cows wandering through traffic and a backdrop of the highest mountains on Earth, and you have a trip that is spectacular, slightly chaotic and almost entirely uphill-free.
Featured Tour
Our expert-led small group tour in Nepal
Nepal Highlights
Tongba, Chhaang & Raksi: Nepal's Homegrown Drinks
Long before craft beer reached Kathmandu, the hill peoples of Nepal were fermenting millet, rice and barley. Chhaang is a cloudy, gently sour rice or millet beer, often brewed at home and served in brass bowls. Tongba is fermented millet packed into a wooden vessel, topped up with hot water and sipped through a bamboo straw. You keep adding water and it keeps on giving, which is either brilliant or dangerous depending on your plans for the evening. Raksi is the distilled version: clear, potent and frequently homemade. Today these sit alongside big-name lagers brewed in the Kathmandu Valley and a small but enthusiastic crowd of craft brewers. Old and new, side by side, usually on the same table.
Tongba is designed to be refilled with hot water several times. Locals judge a good batch by how many top-ups it survives before it gives up.
Why Tipple Tours Goes to Nepal
Because "beer tour of the Himalayas" sounds like a joke, and we love proving jokes wrong. Nepal has proper breweries brewing proper lagers, a new wave of Kathmandu taprooms pouring IPAs and stouts, and an ancient drinking culture that most visitors walk straight past on the way to base camp. Tongba, a hot millet brew sipped through a bamboo straw, is one of the most charming drinks on the planet. Raksi, the local spirit, is one of the most alarming. Both are best enjoyed with locals who will be delighted, and slightly concerned, that you're trying them. Nepal is also one of the friendliest countries we've ever visited. People smile first and ask questions later, usually "more momos?"
Weird Facts & Local Legends
The Only Non-Rectangular Flag
Nepal's flag is two stacked triangles, making it the only national flag in the world that isn't a rectangle or square. It comes with official geometric instructions.
Fifteen Minutes Ahead of Everyone
Nepal's time zone is UTC+5:45. Your phone will be confused. So will you, but that may be the tongba.
A Living Goddess
In Kathmandu, a young girl is chosen as the Kumari, a living goddess. She lives in a palace in Durbar Square and appears at a window to bless onlookers.
Monkey Temple
Swayambhunath, high above Kathmandu, is better known as the Monkey Temple. The monkeys consider themselves the management. Guard your snacks.
Things to Do in Nepal
Drink Tongba Through a Straw
Hot fermented millet in a wooden pot, sipped through bamboo. Strange, warming and surprisingly moreish.
Hop Kathmandu's Craft Beer Bars
Thamel and Patan have taprooms pouring IPAs, wheat beers and stouts brewed in the valley. Enlightenment by the pint.
Eat Your Body Weight in Momos
Steamed, fried, in soup or smothered in chilli sauce. Momos are Nepal's dumplings and its unofficial religion.
Explore Ancient Durbar Squares
Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur each have royal squares packed with temples, carvings and pagodas centuries old.
Meet the Monkey Temple Locals
Swayambhunath's hilltop stupa has prayer wheels, views over the valley and monkeys with no respect for personal property.
Best Time to Visit Nepal
October - November
Clear skies after the monsoon, crisp mountain views and the big festivals of Dashain and Tihar.
March - April
Spring warmth, rhododendrons in bloom and pleasant evenings for rooftop beers. Our April departure lands right here.
June - September
Monsoon season. Heavy rain, cloud-hidden mountains and roads that turn into rivers.
Getting to Nepal
By Air
- Airport
- Kathmandu Tribhuvan International (KTM)
- Flight Time from London
- Around 13-16 hours from London with one connection
- Airlines
- Qatar Airways via Doha, flydubai or Emirates via Dubai, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul
- Visa
- UK citizens can get a tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport or apply online in advance. Check the latest fees and rules before you travel.
Pro Tip
Grab a window seat on the right-hand side flying in. On a clear day you may glimpse the Himalayas before landing.
Local Tips for Nepal
Walk clockwise around stupas and temples. The monkeys walk however they like.
Use your right hand for eating and passing things, and take your shoes off where others do.
Power cuts happen. Bring a small torch and keep your phone charged.
Drink bottled or filtered water, and go easy on homemade raksi. It is stronger than it looks.
Haggle with a smile in Thamel. Everyone expects it and nobody minds.
"Namaste" with palms together works everywhere, every time.
Nepal Travel FAQs
Do I need to be fit to join?
Is the altitude a problem?
Is Nepalese beer any good?
Is Nepal safe for tourists?
What about vegetarians?
Ready to Explore Nepal?
Join one of our small group tours and experience Nepal like a local.
