Month: September 2021

24Sept
2021

Light of hope on Nepal Tourism with On-Arrival VISA and Quarantine Removal

Thursday, 23^rd Sept 2021, The Government of Nepal has finally announced a piece of hopeful and consoling news which we travel agents and the travel enthusiast interested to travel in Nepal have been waiting for a long time. Finally, after a long wait, the mandatory quarantine rule of 10 days after arrival in Kathmandu is relaxed and thrown away. Along with that, the concerned authorities have also declared to resume providing the On-Arrival Visa to the travelers which were restricted since the pandemic began. Prior to this official notice, the travelers were obliged to get their entry permits from the respective Nepali diplomatic missions, and also stay in a mandatory 10 days quarantine in the government-listed hotels.

However, the easing of these strict restrictions does not imply to all the travelers. It is valid for only those travelers who have already received the full dosages of the vaccination against Covid, at least 14 days before their travel dates. The travelers who are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated are not able to get the on-arrival VISA and still follow the previous guidelines for getting the Visa.

While on the other hand, there are still certain rules and regulations which are implied upon the travelers despite being vaccinated.

The updated rules to be practiced by the vaccinated tourist are as follows:

• The vaccination card proving the completion of at 14 days of receiving the final dosages of vaccination.
  (We recommend you to have a photocopy or QR code of the same for your ease.)
• PCR Test Negative report, at least 48 hours prior to check-in date to the immigration.
• The photocopy of trekking and mountaineering permits.
• The proof of hotel booking in Nepal.
• A printed copy of the International Traveler Form submission that the travelers shall fill up by logging into the CCMC website (https://ccmc.gov.np/).
  (Note: After submitting the form, a System Generated Bar Code is displayed, please take a screenshot (Win + PrtSc) or print it and keep it safely. If any error occurs or you shall make any corrections after the form submission, you can click on correction support)
• The foreign tourists shall have a travel insurance which covers all the expenses related with travel as well as Covid-19.

The updated rules to be practiced by the non-vaccinated tourist are as follows:

• The foreign tourists who are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated shall go for Antigen Test (RT-PCR or Gene Expert or True NAAT) at the Immigration Check-In point after arrival in Nepal and if the test report is positive, the foreign tourists are bound to stay in a 10 days quarantine in the hotel on their own expenses. On the 11^th day, if the Covid-19 test report is negative, the foreign tourists are allowed to embark on their desired trek/tour.
• The foreign tourists shall be liable of the expenses that occurs during their stay in isolation, the travel insurance and other miscellaneous expenses.
• All foreign tourists who are traveling in Nepal and having any sign or symptoms of Covid shall immediately go for the test and in case if the test report is positive then s/he shall stay in isolation.
• The concerned agencies are responsible to make the tourists follow these rules and regulations to those foreign tourists who are traveling in Nepal through travel and trekking agency.
• The concerned hotels are responsible to make the tourists follow these rules and regulations to those foreign tourists who are staying in quarantine or isolation in the hotel.
• If the foreign tourists are not following these rules and regulations then the concerned travel agency or hotel shall inform Nepal police or other concerned authorities regarding the same.

For more details: https://www.tourism.gov.np/files/NOTICE%20MANAGER_FILES/Travel%20Advisory%20Aadesh078%20to%20Upload.pdf

Ultimately, the disrupted travel and tourism industry of Nepal is getting light of hope for recovery and reviving. While the streets of Kathmandu and the trekking and mountaineering trails should have been full of tourists in this season, there are scarcely a few foreign tourists in the Nepali territory because of the pandemic and travel restrictions. Now, with the easing of the On-arrival Visa procedure and removal of the quarantine rule, travel lovers could visit Nepal without any hassle from September 2021 onwards. After a long hectic and exhausting period of more than 2 years, the nature and travel lovers are able to explore the untouched beauty of Nepal and we at Nepal Mountain Trekkers are keenly waiting to welcome all the travel enthusiasts to Nepal for a relaxing, revitalizing, and remarkable experience of a lifetime.

Thank you for reading the post and if you would like to explore travel and tours packages in Nepal, you can browse through our web portal: www.nepalmountaintrekkers.com or directly contact us via email. And, we would love to hear your feedback and suggestion regarding this post. Have a wonderful time ahead!