DISCOVER

Namaste and warm Greetings from Naturally Nepal! We are happy to inform that Nepal is now open for travelling. The Nepali government has decided to reopen all the border crossings for the movement of Nepali and foreign nationals, as the South Asian country has been reporting fewer COVID-19 cases in recent days, a Nepali minister said Wednesday. The move ended a months-long ban on foreigners visiting Nepal through land routes that was imposed after the second wave of the coronavirus hit the country in April. Following the cabinet decision on Tuesday evening, “fully vaccinated foreigners can travel in Nepal after being tested negative for coronavirus either through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen tests,” . The decision came at a time when new COVID-19 cases in Nepal have come down to less than 2,000 per day in recent days from a record high of 9,317 on May 11. On Tuesday, the country logged 1,036 new infections and five deaths, taking the total cases to 786,577 and the death toll to 11,053. Nepal has a total of 35 border crossings with India and two border points with China. On June 21, Nepal’s Health Ministry imposed a blanket ban on foreign nationals visiting the country through land routes. Shrestha said the decision to relax the cross-border movement of foreigners was taken to give a boost to the country’s tourism which has been hit hard amid the pandemic. “We can attract vaccinated Indian tourists through the land routes,” he said. Indian nationals have been allowed into Nepal in the past days despite the blanket ban still in place. “Due to cross-border family, social and cultural relations, we have been allowing Indian nationals to visit Nepal if they are fully vaccinated or they could produce PCR negative for coronavirus,” said Phanindramani Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Please find the latest update on the travel protocols to be followed while entering Nepal. 1. There is no quarantine rule for fully vaccinated travelers, but they need to make sure that they have received their last dose at least 14 days before they enter Nepal. 2. On arrival visa service has resumed for fully vaccinated travelers. They need to present the following documents at immigration: • Vaccination Certificate with proof of 14 days after the last dose • RT-PCR negative test issued within 72 hours or less before first flight • Proof of hotel booking • Print copy of filled International Online Arrival Form available at CCMC website ( https://ccmc.gov.np/arms/person_add_en.php ) • Permit copy of mountaineering or trekking 3. There is no on arrival visa provision for non-vaccinated travelers. They need to have prior visa from Nepalese Diplomatic missions in their respective countries. 4. Non-vaccinated travelers need to stay 10 days in quarantine at their own cost in the hotels designated by Nepal Government. https://www.tourismdepartment.gov.np/pages/notices/33/195 5. Upon arrival, non-vaccinated travelers need to present all the documents specified in no. 2 (except vaccination certificate), plus proof of quarantine hotel booking 6. All travelers should have rapid antigen test while entering Nepal. If found positive, they should be in quarantine at the hospitals or isolation centers designated by Nepal Government. Though, there are some travel restrictions, if you abide by the rules, travelling in Nepal will not be a hassle. With the Government’s aggressive inoculation campaign, more than 19% of the total population is fully vaccinated and more than 21% has already received their first dose. As tourism professionals belong to the prioritized frontline groups, above 95% of the tourism workers have been fully vaccinated by now (97% in Khumbu and Mustang region). Looking forward to seeing you soon! Regards, Liberty Holidays Team