Lonely Planet Nepal (Travel Guide)

I've always loved the Lonely Planet travel guides and this one is no exception, I purchased the 2015 edition of the Nepal guide before our trip last year and it was full of invaluable advice on everything from Nepal's history, local customs and religion to language guides, dos and don'ts and suggested itineraries for the main destinations. There is also a section on trekking (which I can't really comment on because we didn't use it) but I'd probably recommend purchasing the separate trekking guide if that's the purpose of your trip.This guide includes a small section about the destruction caused in the 2015 earthquake but this edition was published within months of the disaster and there has been a lot of rebuilding work carried out since then so it isn't completely up to date. You will notice that a lot of the old temples in and around Kathmandu and Bhaktapur are still undergoing repair so there is a lot of wooden scaffolding around and unfortunately some buildings were completely destroyed but considering it had only been 2 years I was impressed by how much rebuilding had already been done. Lonely Planet is publishing an updated Nepal guide in July 2018 that will probably be slightly more accurate but we still found this was an incredibly useful guide.We were staying with Nepalese family so had local tour guides for our entire trip but this book really is packed with interesting information about many of the larger temples and places of note and it has some fantastic itineraries for the main areas. We used the guide in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bhaktapur and Chitwan National Park and there were definitely experiences we would have missed out on if we hadn't read about them in here first. The book gives a good rough idea of entrance fees for most attractions but we did notice that these weren't always completely correct.If you're planning a trip to Nepal it is well worth trying to travel around the country to some of the larger cities and the National Park, there are so many amazing things to see and do that it's impossible to fit everything in in one trip - even without doing any of the major trekking routes! One piece of advice I can't stress highly enough is not to drink the local water without boiling it first though and if you do end up having a stomach issue go to one of the many local pharmacies as quickly as possible because the local medication is far better than anything you can purchase at home to take with you.I'd definitely recommend purchasing this guide before your trip and it is well worth taking the time to read up on local customs and tips for travelling before you leave home. Take the time to learn a few Nepali phrases (the most important one being Namaste which can be used as hello, goodbye and just as a general friendly gesture), the Nepalese people are incredibly friendly and welcoming and very quick to smile even if communicating can be hard because of the language barrier.

This updated version revises the situation after the earthquake which allows anybody using this book to understand the significance of what is left standing and to appreciate how the Nepalese have responded to the situation. Throughout the book there is a lot of additional information which makes interesting reading. I found this guidebook very useful during my two week tour of Nepal and an additional few days in Katmandu.

Updated version. The book is easy to read. There are useful tips and tours to follow.However I felt the old version had a lot more information which is still useful to this date as result I felt the new version lack information in certain areas of the book when compared to the old version. I would next time prefer to buy a hard copy, so local people can read the maps. The problem I found, was more related to the fact that people could not view the map on the kindle.

An excellent review book, I used it extensively for my trip to Kathmandu and Pokhara.I also took in the recommended restaurants and places to visit in both cities.I followed the recommended walking routes. All very useful.I was not disappointed.

Decent guidebook. Always use lonely planet though I find the accommodation mentioned is not so much geared toward backpackers anymore.

really good guide, information about everything you need to know. There is a newer version but this one is still pretty ok.

This guidebook was very useful for my trip around Nepal. Nepal is a great destination and I would highly recommend getting this guidebook and going on holidays there. Namaste :-)

I have the last two Nepal lonely planet guides but felt this would be a useful update following recent events , it is and has begun to draw me back to one of most beautiful countries i've been to.