Cost to expect for route in the Kathmandu valley, and North India...

Hello all,

I'm planning a solo trip in Kathmandu's valley for this summer (total time of 3.5 to 4 weeks in jully), followed by an extension to India (2.5 weeks in the end of jully, start of august). I need to know what cost should I expect for everything : typical guest house/hotel, restaurants, and transport for the various sites listed below. Take note that I'm looking for modest but clean hotel rooms (2 to 3 stars hotels). No luxury hotels (4 stars and up) ! The numbers shown below aren't the day number, but just a chronological order.

0 - Arrival in Thamel.  Some rest.
1- Visit of Swayambunath, which is close to Thamel.
2- Visit of Buddhanath (big white stupa).
3- Visit of Pashupatinath (cremations site).
4- Buddhanilkantha Temple (sleeping vishnou).
5- Move to Bakthapur (change of hotel).
6- Visit of Panauti.
7- Visit of Namo Buddha (monastery).
8-  Return to Bakhtapur.  Some rest.
9- Nagarkot (what to see there ?).
10- Changu Narayan (is this place damaged by the 2015 earthquake ?).
11- Return to Bakhtapur.  Some rest.
12- Patan (this site was devastated)
13- Kirtipur (what to see there ?).
14- Chobhar (temples and caves).
15- Khokana (is this place devastated by the 2015 earthqauke ?).
16- Pharping (temples and caves).
17- Dakshinkali (sacrifice temple).

The Nepal part would last a total of about 3,5 to 4 weeks (24 to 28 days). I'll then take a plane from Kathmandu to Varanasi (India) :

18- Flight from Kathmandou to Varanasi. Some rest.
19- Full week in Varanasi. I would like to do some Yoga there.
20- Varanasi to Bodh Gaya with a private driver.
21- One or two days in Bodh Gaya.
22- Flight from Bodh Gaya to Delhi. Transfer to Rishikesh (flight and car).
24- Full week in Rishikesh. I would like to do some Yoga there.
25- Return to Delhi (car and flight).
26- Back home.

The India part would last a total of about 2.5 weeks (approx 18 days).

So how much money (in US$) should I bring with me ? How much should I expect to pay for the Nepal part, and for the India part ?

Take note that this trip would be done during the monsoon. So I do expect some heavy rain and some hot temperatures, especially in India. How hot do you think it would be, in Bodh Gaya, Varanasi and Rishikesh ? I'm planning to do some Yoga in Varanasi and Rishikesh.

Any comments about this planned trip ? Any advice ?

So how much money (in US$) should I bring with me ?

Were it me (and it has been 3 times to Nepal so far), I'd have $100 or so stashed and use my ATM card.

You trust the cash distributors in Nepal and India, while your bank acount is in America ? What if you're there and it's not working ? And if it's working, what about the change rate ? You may pay a lot for the service.

Welcome to Thorn Tree.

If you weren't brand new, those would be really lousy questions. But since I've been using my ATM card CONTINUOUSLY in Europe and Asia for over 8 years now, we'll cut a little slack. I even have 15k in Nepali rupees for when I arrive in May.

Get yourself a decent card at a decent bank and the time, energy & money you'll save haggling with the money-changing crooks will be plentiful. You don't think that they work for free, do you? And running around with a huge bundle of American dollars invites trouble.

#2 & #3: both posts have some valid points. We have found ATM rates to be reasonable, and personally have not had errors between Nepal ATM and our NA banks.

However, ATMs in Nepal do not always work; and sometime specific cards (from a "decent" bank) haven't worked, so we switched to a different card (we always carry cards from 2 different banks). More practically, getting enough cash for a long trek will require multiple withdrawals at max amount, taking multiple days. Not everyone wishes to wait several days in Kathmandu until enough rupees obtained.

We don't find dealing with moneychangers in Nepal a problem (and there are also banks).

When trekking, one must carry funds in cash, almost all in rupees. With few exceptions (perhaps Namche), depending on ATMs and/or exchanging foreign currency on the trek would be difficult to impossible.

Get yourself a decent card at a decent bank and the time, energy & money you'll save haggling with the money-changing crooks will be plentiful. You don't think that they work for free, do you? And running around with a huge bundle of American dollars invites trouble.

Oh well, yes, it would make my life easier if I could only bring a few dollars only, before finding a cash machine.

But then, where in Kathmandu, Bakthapur and other major places in the Kathmandu's valley are located the cash machines ? And do they recognize the Cirrus/Maestro/Interac protocols ?

Also, I may need the same in India, in Varanasi, Bodh Gaya and Rishikesh.

EDIT : My questions are also about the cost of modest/clean hotel/guest houses in the Kathmandu's valley, and the price of a typical good meal, and the price of taxis to bring me from, say, Thamel to Bakhtapur, and back.

Hotel room : is 10$US/night for a reasonable three stars hotel ? Or more in the 30$US range ? Or course, I may need to negociate the price, but what to expect ? I'm on a tight budget here.

Typical good meal : 5$US, 10$US ? Or much less ?

1L mineral water bottle : is 1$US right ? Or is it 2$ or more for the tourists ?

Taxi transport from Thamel to Bakhtapur : is it around 10$US ? I know that I'll need to bargain with the driver, but what should I expect to get, typically ?

I'll have to go from Bakhtapur to other places in the valley (Panauti, Namo Bouddha, Changu Narayan, etc. See the list above). So what cost for the various typical hotel, meal and transport ?

This time I booked using Agoda.com. Any price you want is on there.

Guidebooks have all the simple things. I understand that Lonely Planet has good ones.

This time I booked using Agoda.com. Any price you want is on there.

I don't know that one. Please, could you post a specific link to a price list for Nepal/India ? I know I could search myself, but this is why I asked the question here in the first place.

OP: The answers to your questions are available (i) from a good guide book such as Lonely Planet and (ii) from online booking sites (as suggested). Your questions are asking others to do (too much) of your research for you.

And questions regarding prices in India should be posted in India forum.

But then what is the purpose of this forum ?

I don't think the purpose is provide such a detailed description of costs for everything. Clearly, LP doesn't provide this forum so that users do not buy their guidebooks. Rather, I woyld expect forum is to add to the information in their guides. That is, read the guides, then ask.

Then may I ask a list of working cash machines (with Cirrus/Maestro/Interac logos) in the Kathmandu's valley, or do I need to generate a new question in the forum with this query in the title ?

Asking for a "list" of working ATM machines in the Kathmandu valley is both excessive and impractical (working today doesn't mean working tomorrow). Certainly easy to find in tourist areas such as Thamel.

However, ATMs that display the Maestro/Cirrus (never seen Canadian "Interac" logo in Nepal, but that didn't matter) are ubiquitous in the Kathmandu valley and Pokhara (even seen them in small villages, provided they were on roads). You will have no problem finding an ATM (bank ATM, not a private non-bank machine).

But take note of my warning about bring two cards. One likely be fine, but....

But take note of my warning about bring two cards. One likely be fine, but....

Hmm, I currently have two canadian cards : Bank of Montreal, and Caisses Populaires Desjardins. I'll ask them for information about cash machines in Nepal/India. Thanks for the info.

Almost certainly they won't really know.

We use a BC credit union card - - worked most times (but one trip not... in that case, we used our Bank of Montreal card).

WAY back in 2002, our only trip to India, our debit cards worked fine in India.

Are there any swindle to know about with the ATM in the Kathmandou's valley and Varanasi ?

Any problem like an ATM extracting money from your account but not deliver the money ? Or a machine that eats your card for no reason ? Or failed communication with Canada ?

WE never had any such problems.

Many years ago, a friend had their card eaten at ATM in Jomsom (at the time, a notoriusly inconsistent ATM), and it took some work in Pokhara (or Jomsom?) to deal with it - - all worked out, except for destroyed card.

Bank ATMs such as NABIL bank in Nepal have worked well. Be sure to use a machine that is clearly a banks (though they are very often not physically next to the bank). Usually inside a booth; sometimes with security guard outside of booth.

No idea/memory about Varanasi ATMs.

You can get a decent, clean room from 1000 to 1500 rps in Kathmandu, think twice before spending more than 2000 rps on a room.
Meals start at 200 rps in Thamel, even 100 rps in some other areas.

Thankful to @landfall38 for taking over babysitting chores.

Looks more like pa-troll duty to me. :)

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