Goto Specific Travel Advice for Nepal, Tibet, or Bhutan

Entry requirements and Immunizations

U.S. citizens require a visa (see below) for Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and India which can be obtained on arrival (except India which must be obtained ahead of time). Trip members should consult their physician regarding the necessary immunizations. You can also check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web pages for up to date recommendations. Some guidelines are an up-to-date tetanus shot, typhoid, gamma globuin, and an adult polio booster. We will send you a list of recommended immunizations with your trip confirmation packet.

VISAS

Obtaining the appropriate visas is your responsibility, although feel free to call us ((585) 721-7958, email us (info@earthboundexp.com) or write us if you have questions about the visa process.

Earthbound Expeditions, 5427 Palmyra Road, Pittsford, NY 14534

General
Upon booking your trip, we sill send you a packet of information including some help in acquiring the necessary visas. We recommend that you start the process of acquiring your visa for the countries you will be travelling in 8-10 weeks before departure. If you will be travelling to multiple countries then you must start earlier still so that each government has enough time to process your visa requests. The following is a mini-guide on where to start. Rules and prices regarding visas tend to change quite often, so it is a good idea to only take the information provided here as a first step and check it before you rely on it.

Nepal You can obtain a Nepal visa either 1) at the Kathmandu airport upon arrival or 2) up to six months prior to the trip from the Nepal consulate. In the USA the Nepal consulate can be reached at:

Royal Nepalese Embassy, 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008

phone: 202-667-4550; FAX: 202-667-5534;
www.newweb.net/Nepal_embassy/

Visa prices for Nepal are as follows:

$15.00 Per visa/Up to 15 days stay, single entry
$25.00 Per visa/16 to 30 days stay, single entry
$40.00 Per visa/double entry, stay up to 30 days
$60.00 Per visa/multiple entry, stay up to 60 days

If you plan to get your visa prior to your arrival, we recommend you start the process 8-10 weeks before departure (it should only take 4-6 weeks, but mess-ups happen so give yourself extra time). There is no real advantage to getting your visa before arrival, except 1) it exempts you from the bustle of getting one at the Kathmandu airport and 2) may give you piece of mind.

TIBET For all of the trips into Tibet, we will be originating from (and returning to) Kathmandu, so you must have a double entry Nepalese visa. We will get a group visa for Tibet once you have arrived in Kathmandu. You need not concern yourself with a Chinese visa, except to be sure that you meet all of the requirements for a visa into China, which are: Passport of more than six months validity with a blank visa page.

INDIA - You must obtain your Indian visa prior to, yet within sixth months of, your departure. In the USA contact the following offices for a visa information:

STATES - IL, IN, MN, ND, SD, WI, MO

Consulate General of India Chicago, 455 N. City front Plaza Drive, Suite 850, Chicago, IL 60611
Tel: 312-595-0405 Visa section: 312-595-0411, Visa by mail section: 312-595-0405 Extn. 21;
FAX: 312-595-0418; http://Chicago.indianconsulate.com/

STATES - AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, LA, MS, OK, TX

Consulate General of India Houston, 1990 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77056; phone: 713-626-2148; FAX: 713-626-2450; www.tourindia.com/htm/cgihou.htm

STATES - CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, PR, RI, VT, VI

Consulate General of India New York, 3 E 64th Street, New York, NY 10021;
phone: 212-879-7800; FAX: 212-570-9581;
www.indiacgny.org/

STATES - AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NE, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY

Consulate General of India San Francisco, 540 Arguello Blvd, San Francisco CA 94118;
phone: 415-668-0662; FAX: 415-668-9764; www.indianconsulate.com/

STATES - DC, DE, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV

Embassy of India Washington, 2107 Massachusetts Ave., NWWashington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 939-7000; Fax: (202) 265-4351;
www.indianembassy.org

BHUTAN - For many of the trips into Bhutan, we will be originating from (and returning to) Kathmandu, so for these trips you must have a double entry Nepalese visa. We will get a your visa for Bhutan when you arrive there. The price is $20.

Getting There & Away

Most of our trips originate and finish in Kathmandu, Nepal. To see a schedule of international flights in and out of Kathmandu click here. There are no direct flights between Nepal and the USA. The most common flights into Kathmandu originate from Germany, Singapore, and Bangkok. We recommend that you arrive at least 1 day before your trips actually starts. If you are coming from India, you can take any number of trains to near the Nepal border, then take a bus to the border and finally a direct bus to Kathmandu from the border. If you plan to do this, book your bus to Kathmandu ahead of time to be sure of a seat. We can discuss this with you further if need be. Feel free to call us regarding any pre-trip plans and we can help you book your air tickets, trains, buses, or additional hotel nights in Kathmandu.

Trekking

Trekking has become synonymous with Himalayan travel. There is perhaps no where else on Earth that has such an extensive system of foot trails than the Himalaya. The trails throughout the Himalaya are generally very well used, most of them having existed for many hundreds of years.Walking is still the most common way to get from place to place, so on all of the treks on our trips you will be hiking the trails with local people. The variety of items which are carried into the mountains is astonishing, ranging from barrels of apples, sacks of grain, beds, and even refrigerators. While we are trekking we will have porters to carry most of your gear. They will be carrying 2-3 peoples gear per person, so we ask you to limit your personal gear to 10 kg or less. You will want to carry a daypack with whatever you will need during each day.
A typical day trekking: Wake-up call around 7-8am with a basin of hot water waiting outside your tent, eat a lite breakfast, pack your personal gear into your duffel bag and leave it for the staff to pack for transport. Begin the day's walk of about 5-7 hours. All you need to carry is a daypack and camera, stopping as necessary to enjoy the scenery and discuss the local customs, flora, and fauna with the staff and guides. We'll stop and eat lunch mid-day. Around 2-4 pm arrive at the next camp/village and washup in preparation for dinner which has already been started. You can rest in your tent which was waiting for you when you arrived, explore the local surroundings, or just relax your feet and talk with the local people or staff. After dinner there is time to talk, dance (if you want), drink local brew (if you want), stargaze, or simply ponder the day. We'll shut down activities to allow others to sleep with plenty of time for some shut-eye before the next day.

Touring

Touring involves very little exertion. We will however be walking for a good portion of each day as we see the sights. These trips are meant to be very relaxing, with added attention to comfort, quality food, and easy transport. These trips are a great mix of culture and scenery, but generally they don't get 'out there' into the less travelled regions of the Himalaya. You can expect to be treated especially well on these trips.

In Country Travel

All of our trips involve some form of in country travel, either by plane, train, bus, automobile, horse, or foot. The most common mode of transport will be by foot, bus, taxi, and plane. Please check the detailed itineraries for each trip for modes of travel. We only use tourist class buses which are much more comfortable, safer, and less crowded. Our flights are booked through the most reputable carriers in each country. We will book all in-country transport during the trips.

Money

You will not need a substantial amount of money while on the trip. You should plan on having a few hundred dollars for this portion of the trip to cover meals and foods not included (indicated on the itineraries and cokes, candy, alcoholic beverages), gifts/memorabelia, departure taxes, tips (we will take care of this for all services we employ), etc. Also plan for enough money for the trip to and from your home and Kathmandu (this will usually include a stop over in Bangkok or Seoul). We recommend bringing a few hundred dollars in cash, and the rest in travelers checks. The larger cities throughout Asia have facilities to cash travelers checks and many places are now also accepting credit cards.