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People from Mustang are open, effusive, polite, funny, candid and practical, with a common sense approach to life coming not only from their particular history but their relationship to their environment and religion - Tibetan Buddhism and Bon overlaying the age-old animism of their ancestors. People survive in a harsh environment with dignity, humour and patience.

Here is some general and Nepal-specific information you ought to know.

Photography is not a one-way activity!

When you engage in serious image-making you become involved in a practice that has a mixed history toward peoples of color, the dispossessed and the powerless but, increasingly, has become more socially responsible as members of these communities take up cameras to display images brimming with respect, intelligence and informed creation. We must, at the same time, acknowledge that photography can still be a force for enforcing negative stereotypes, may abuse individual and community privacy and can lead to false impressions with an amazing ring of verisimilitude and authenticity. All photographers who join our trips are required to make themselves aware of the current ethics & guidelines prevalent in our field.

It is required that you read our Ethics page!

– Look at this Forms Page and make sure you have signed all the required paperwork for our Tour.
   Do you have a copy for your files? If not you may download PDF copies from the Forms page.

– Find your passport. It MUST be valid for more than 8 weeks after your intended departure from Nepal

– Check to see that there are at least TWO blank pages in your passport

– Create a JPEG of your passport photo page and put in on your home computer and cell phone.
   You never know when you may need it

– Bring five (5) visa/passport-style/size photos. You will need two for your Nepal visa, one if you wish to buy a cell SIM card and another two for the Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit.

– Read the Camera Treks PhotoMustang website thoroughly!

– Make your domestic/international flight reservations and buy travel insurance at the same time
   (it's generally cheaper to buy a policy at the same time or not long after)

– Don't worry about your Nepal Visa if you are a U.S. citizen. You will purchase it when you arrive at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport. The Immigration officer only accepts US dollars!

– Read the Nepal Restricted Areas - Lonely Planet Chapter from Trekking Guide in your trip USB Flash Drive that you receive from us (03 Travel Guidance chapter)

– Read the other PDF articles on Nepal in your trip USB Flash Drive 03 Travel Guidance chapter

– Read anything else you can find on Nepal and Upper Mustang

– Buy Travel, Medical and Medical Evacuation Insurance!
   Talk to use beforehand. NOT all policies are appropriate or even good for remote regions.

– Re-familiarize yourself with the camera you will be taking to Nepal. Read the manual!

– Buy a secure container for your unused SD, CFexpress, etc. camera cards.

– Buy a secure container for your used SD, CFexpress, etc. camera cards.

– If you carry lithium camera batteries buy a closed case for them or tape over the terminals
   (as required by TSA) and put them in your Carry-On.

– Think carefully what your flight Carry-On will be. It ought to hold critical medicines, papers, and camera gear.

– Need a mobile phone while in Nepal?
   In Kathmandu you can buy a modern mobile for about $25 that will hold 2 SIM cards!
   It will text but is not a true 'smart phone' for email.

– A smart phone might be key if it will be your main way to connect to the Internet.

– Make sure any mobile phone you take is "unlocked" for use outside your home country if you want to use it with an in-country SIM. Or, add an International Roaming package to your service BEFORE leaving on the trip.

– Read all relevant photography material in the Tour USB Flash Drive.

– If you take a laptop remove any sensitive information you would not want distributed around the world! Computers do get lost and hacked.

– Pack your device to backup photos! Having your precious images on the camera card only is poor practice.

– I would never travel to remote location with just one camera body. I urge you to bring two if you are a professional or serious amateur.

– Remember to pack your battery chargers!

– Pack an electronics outlet adapter as Nepal uses 223 Volt/50Hz. See which adapter, below.

– Make sure you will have an adequate supply of any medications you will be taking while traveling

– Have the original, labelled containers those prescriptions come in (not mandatory, but helpful)

– Give a great deal of thought to what clothing you will be packing.
   Actually pack and weigh it well before the trip

– When you know what, if any, gifts you are taking, weigh them also

– If you are buying new shoes or sandals especially for the trip, break them in!

- Buy & take a scarf or 'buff' that covers your mouth & nose!
   There will be tons of fine dust, especially that stirred up by the SUVs.

– Pack a comfortable air pillow if you are picky about your pillows!

– Bring any snacks you cannot live without or buy them in Kathmandu

– Pack ear plugs & eye-shades for air travel and sleep, a bandana for perspiration

– Sunglass are a good idea as we get loads of thermal radiation and sunlight at altitude

– Field NoteBook & Pen

– Micro-fibre Towel

– Flashlight or Headlamp

– Luggage Locks

– Lip Balm

– Cash & Credit Cards (Do you need to tell your bank you are traveling?

– Make your own list!

Upper Mustang, in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas and the Dhaulagiri ranges, is cool and semi-arid with 250-400mm / 10-16 inches of precipitation each year. Like many such places, there is no daily weather forecast system to rely on. March through August (2 to 18 degrees Celsius/30 - 65 degrees F) are good times to visit with equable weather. December, January and February can be very cold. Our daytime temperatures from about noon to 4pm can reach 18 degrees C./65 degrees F. Nighttime temps will often go to 2 to 3 degrees C./ high 30s F.

As the day progresses the wind and dust often reach epic proportions on the plateau. This happens as the high, dry plains of India to the south begin to heat up. This generates winds that blast northward through the Kali Gandaki Valley.

Like any large metropolis Kathmandu has its share of regular, licensed taxis as well as the gypsies. Not all of them are mechanically safe nor are their drivers always honest when it comes to fares.

Take official taxis, or, better, use one of the cars for hire with a driver stationed outside your hotel. Tell the driver if you wish to make more than one stop and if you will expect him to wait for you. Rickshaws are good if you are not traveling long distances. All drivers will try to scam you on fares. Determine the fare or rate before you take off or ask them to use the meter and take the shortest/quickest distance. Good Luck!

Skill & Physical Level: moderate hiking skill with a good level of fitness required; no technical difficulties, but an ability to walk around in altitudes between about 2743 meters / 9000 feet up to 4135 meters / 13,566 feet. (If you are adding the Manang horse trek via Thorong La Pass you will need to go much higher: 5416 meters /17,769 feet AND have the ability to ride a horse.) Talk to us if you have ANY questions about your ability to do this trip or if you have high altitude, lung, heart, blood pressure or other conditions that might compromise your ability to successfully complete this journey.

The water supply in Nepal is drinkable... for locals. Drink bottled water and be on the safe side. Make sure the seal on the cap is unbroken when you receive your bottle! If a bottle is brought to you in a restaurant with the cap already loose, refuse it and ask for another, unopened one.

The Himalayan sun can be intense. Take precautions by wearing a hat and a non-sticky sunscreen if you are susceptible to easy burning.

No vaccinations are required to enter Nepal. However, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend the following vaccinations: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.

Many travelers to out of the way places will already have had a course of these shots. There are only about 60 cases, worldwide, of Japanese encephalitis per year so I have never taken this super-expensive vaccine. I have also foregone the rabies ones. The danger here is with the monkeys in the 'lowlands' of Nepal (also Kathmandu). Once we get to Mustang there are no monkeys, tho there are dogs, some of which can be very aggressive. I avoid challenging male monkeys (staring directly into their eyes) and have not experienced dog problems. I try to practice prudence wherever I go. If you try to pet a wild monkey or semi-feral dog you are stupid (and do not belong on this trip.) Passport Health has the run down on vaccines for Nepal here.

NOTE: Nepal drives on the LEFT and left turns are allowed without stopping. Drivers rarely signal and vehicles will pull out in front of you at the last minute. Fortunately for you the only thing you can rent is a motorbike (a very dangerous proposition) as, to my knowledge, there are no car rentals for foreigners in Nepal. The real danger as a pedestrian is that cars have the right of way and you must learn to look to your RIGHT before you step off the curb!

Banks in the Kathmandu valley are open Sunday – Thursday circa 0930-1530 and Fri 0930-1330. Licensed money changers are open 12 hours a day, non-licensed never sleep.

Kathmandu: Government offices are open from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday through Thursday in summer and from 10 am to 4 pm in winter. On Fridays Government offices open from 10 a.m. to 3 pm. Banks often stay open one hour later than government offices.

Tourist facilities are often open every day.

Currency and Money

Nepalese Rupee (NPR; the symbol is Rs) = 100 paisa.

Paper Note denominations are: Rs1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 & 1. Coins are 50, 25 and 10 paisa.

Visitors should bear in mind that foreign visitors other than Indian nationals are required to pay their airline tickets, trekking permits and hotel bills in foreign currency.

Taking Nepalese currency outside the country is prohibited.

Credit Cards / ATM

American Express is widely accepted, with MasterCard and Visa in tourist shops, hotels, restaurants and agencies. ATMs are available in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Pokhara and Jomsom, however, it is not possible to withdraw cash in the mountains. Those embarking on treks should take enough cash for the duration of their trek.

Travellers Cheques

Travellers cheques are accepted at banks and major hotels. If trekking/touring, it is important to bear in mind that cash is necessary. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling – and, even then the rate is extortionate! Travelers cheques are best avoid unless you have no other viable choice.

Currency Restrictions

The import of US$5,000 or more, or the equivalent amount in any other currency, must be declared upon arrival. The export of local and foreign currency must be declared.

Most people and businesses in Asia will not accept foreign currency notes that are old, torn or faded and they can be very difficult to exchange or extra fees are added when exchanging at banks. Please ensure that you have new, clean notes!

Currency Exchange

It is illegal to exchange currency with persons other than authorised dealers in foreign exchange (banks, hotels and licensed money changers). Visitors should obtain Foreign Exchange Encashment Receipts when changing currency and keep them, as these will help in many transactions, including getting visa extensions, trekking permits and, importantly, changing any excess rupees back into your home currency (try to avoid having lots of rupees to exchange back as the rate is not beneficial to you.)

Nepal Duty-Free

Overview

The following goods may be imported into Nepal by foreign visitors without incurring customs duty:

–  200 cigarettes and 50 cigars and 20g of tobacco

–  1L of spirits or wine or 12 cans of beer

–  Medicine not exceeding Rs10,000 in value

–  Canned food not exceeding Rs5,000 in value

–  Fresh fruit not exceeding Rs2,000 in value

–  Still camera film, 15 pieces, and movie camera film, 12 pieces.

All baggage must be declared upon arrival and departure. Certain goods including cameras, videos and electronic goods may only be imported duty-free if they are exported on departure. They may not be left in Nepal. These items are:

–  One piece binocular, telescope

–  Video camera, steel camera 1/1 pieces

–  Tablet or laptop or portable music system, one set, and CD tape recorder media to be used in such set, ten pieces

–  Clothes, beds and used house hold goods

–  Perambulator and tricycle one piece each

–  One cycle (bike)

–  One watch

–  One cellular mobile

IMPORTANT:

–  50g of gold ornaments and 100g of silver ornaments.

Banned Imports

Prohibited items include narcotics, beef, hazardous ouzo dyes as specified by the Government of Nepal through publishing the notice in Nepal gazette time to time, high carbon disposing incandescent light bulbs, plastic bags less than 20 microns thick and goods prohibited/ banned by other existing laws.

Restricted items include firearms and ammunition, radio equipment and poppy seeds.

Banned Exports

Goods of historical, archaeological or religious importance, wild fauna, narcotics, firearms and ammunition, forest products like certain herbs and woods, industrial machinery, parts thereof and raw materials.

Electrical outlets in Nepal are 223V/50Hz. There are three types of plugs: Types C, D and M. Plug Type C has two round, European-style pins, Type D has three round pins in a triangular pattern and Type M has three round pins. Most places have the Type C outlets in combination with another type. Roll a small 3 inch piece of gaffer or duct tape in with your electrical outlet kit as practically every outlet you will encounter will have loose, wonky holes making a solid, stable connection difficult - especially as many outlets are chest high on a wall.

It is a good idea to carry a regular U.S. 3-prong (grounded) adapter for your electronic devices, too, as your computer cable may be U.S. 3-pronged. If you use a MacBook you can buy a 2-round-pin (or whatever) adapter that slides onto the charging block.

Since 1986, when the country advanced their clocks by 15 minutes over India, all Nepal observes Nepal Time (NPT). There is no Daylight Savings Time. The trick is to remember, then, that NPT is offset 45 minutes from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) making NPT equal UTC+05:45.

The international dialing code for Nepal is +977.

Each American can bring back into the U.S. up to $400 of goods for personal use.

Exempt from the above limits are artworks and informational materials, including books, films, posters, photographs and CDs. Souvenirs and touristy handicrafts are not considered works of art.

The following dates are official public holidays in 2023:

Note:
— Hartalika Teej and Rishi Panchami are observed by females only.
— Ghode Jatra, Gai Jatra and Indra Jatra are observed in Kathmandu valley only.
— Christmas Day is observed by Christians only.
— Guru Nanak Jayanti is observed by Sikhs only.
— Nijamati Sewa Diwas is observed by Civil Employees only.

All images and text © 2015-2023 Coup de Foudre, LLC & Camera Treks

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