Plugs, phones & digital Nepal

Phones & Internet Connections
Generally speaking there is good Internet, Wi-Fi and mobile phone coverage in Kathmandu, but please note that more remote areas may not be fully covered. Increasingly hotels will offer Wi-Fi access in the lobby, or sometimes your room. Larger hotels may make a charge for this, but most hotels now include Wi-Fi in their rates.

If you plan to make occasional use of your mobile phone whilst abroad you should receive a text on arrival, from your phone provider, outlining the costs to make and receive calls and text messages. The cost of making and receiving calls can be quite expensive, but text messages are normally free to receive and cost around £0.50 to send. If you can’t use your mobile network whilst in Tibet you will still be able to make calls when you are in a Wi-Fi zone (e.g. hotel lobby or room) by using applications like Viber, Skype and WeChat etc.

Unless you have a suitable tariff, avoid using your phone provider to use the Internet as data roaming charges can be very expensive. If using a local Internet connection on your mobile / tablet ensure the settings are Wi-Fi enabled.

Tablets & other devices
If you are taking an iPad, or other sort of tablet, then you will be able to download a range of applications that offer assistance with the local language or provide country guides & maps of Nepal. If you choose not to take your mobile or tablet most hotels will have access to a PC, or a business centre, for online communication. Failing that there are a large number of Internet cafes in Kathmandu.

Plugs & adaptors
Electricity sockets in Nepal vary. Some are two pin, either flat or round, and some are three pin. Therefore it is highly likely you will need an adapter. If you are travelling with multiple devices then you may wish to take a second adapter to facilitate overnight charging.

Photography
There are excellent photographic opportunities in Nepal so remember to pack your camera. For ease, we recommend taking a memory card for your digital camera that is big enough to store all of the photos and videos that you are likely to take on your whole trip. If you do need to purchase a new memory card while you are away or want to transfer photos and videos that you have already taken onto a flash drive or a CD then there are a few cyber cafes and photography stores where this can be done in Kathmandu, but not necessarily in the more remote parts of the country.

Photographic film and videotape are very hard to find in Nepal as digital cameras have become the norm. If you wish to use a film camera then we recommend taking enough of the appropriate film with you to last for the full length of your holiday.