Kathmandu

Kathmandu Travel Tips

G-Free Travel Rating

10/10

Major Airport

Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)

Official Language

Nepali (English spoken by most guides and common in touristy areas)

Currency:

Nepalese rupee

Power Outlets:

Types C, D & M

Eating Gluten Free in Kathmandu

We stayed in a tourist district so had plenty of options to choose for gluten free. My favorite was a crepe restaurant which made crepes from buckwheat which are gluten free. They had meal crepes and dessert crepes! We ate there 3 times during the trip. There was a French bakery that clearly had gluten free experience with extensive options on their menu. Food was fantastic! We also tried a more American experience that was good but the bar was already set pretty high. There was never an issue with language as we were in the tourist area. One of our best gluten free experiences in traveling!

Things to do in Kathmandu

Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Formerly home to one of the kings during the medieval times. Now it is a dedicated UNESCO site for its numerous temples and fascinating monuments throughout the square. The best way to experience the square is to stroll through all the alleyways and take in the architecture from over the years. End with a meandering through the nearby market.

Boudhanath Stupa

A 2500-year-old Buddhist stupa keeping an eternal watch over the people and their doings. Surrounded by prayer flags and prayer wheels being continuously spun in clockwise direction. Another UNESCO site. Enjoy the different shops surrounding the Stupa maybe even stop in and learn how Thangka paintings are created. When the heat has gotten to you stop by a rooftop restaurant and enjoy a local meal while people watching.

Garden of Dreams

A perfect oasis situated right in the middle of bustling Kathmandu. Explore the six season neo-classical garden featuring lush greens, fountains, an amphitheater, and even a cafe. It’s a perfect way to relax after long days of trekking.

Entrance fee: $3 USD or 400 Rs

Nagarjun Forest Reserve

This happened to be an additional adventure since we made it back to Kathmandu a couple days earlier than anticipated. The views from the check points and top were incredible. The point to get to the top was a LOT of work. Since I can’t find the amount of stairs we had to climb I’m going to ball park it and say 1000s, or, at least, it felt that way. Some of the stairs were crumbling away and had leaves all over them so I actually preferred the hike up as opposed to down. It took us a little over 3 hours to complete the whole hike. I got to listen to complaints from my father and husband the entire time…

A couple of things to point out:

There is a cost to enter and depends on where you are hiking:
1. We hiked to the helipad and then up to Jamacho Peak: $11.25 USD for non-Nepalese residents (1500 Rs)
You need to hire a guide if not from Nepal:
1. This is an additional charge and fluctuates depending on group size.
  1. Still cheaper than going with a tour company.
It is a military base and there are check points along the way.
1. Passports (or a good copy) are required for validation. One has to be left at the entrance.
There are animals that call this place home but the sightings are scarce. We only saw different species of birds; none of the larger game like leopards or Himalayan black bear.
The elevation of Jamacho Peak is ~7000 ft!!
1. A great cardio workout.
2. Mainly covered by the trees to provide some protection from the sun.

Explore the Restaurants

French Creperie…We didn’t spend much time in Kathmandu without planned meals and we visited this restaurant THREE times!!! They are able to make pretty much all of their crepes gluten free and Terry had to try a number of them. He ate both meal based crepes and dessert crepes. He didn’t worry about cross-contamination at all in this restaurant and was excited that the communication went smoothly plus everything was labeled appropriately. If we are ever in Kathmandu again, we will be back.
French Bakery…Another pleasant surprise in the Thamel district. Communication was pretty easy and everything that was gluten free was clearly marked. We stopped in for light bites, and, of course, Terry saw many options that could be catered to him so he had to try a sandwich and dessert. Very pleased with both, but the crepes are still his favorite.
Blueberry Kitchen and Coffee Shop…We had higher expectations when we came here. The reviews were fantastic and while we were out and about earlier in the day, we stopped by and clarified with them that they could accommodate a gluten free diet. While everything went off without a hitch, it just wasn’t as good as the above two.
New Orleans Cafe…Definitely a more Americanized restaurant that a lot of tourists go. We figured it would be a safe place to start since this was the first night we were there and were a tad jet legged and wanted familiar food. While we didn’t have any contamination issues the communication was a lot more challenging and the food was just okay.
Himalayan Java Coffee…While we didn’t actually have anything to eat here; their coffee was very good. They have multiple locations but the one we stopped at a couple times was Tridevi in Thamel.

Shopping

We continued to have one adventure after another. Weaving our way in and out of the streets of the Thamel district we were able to find a couple of good souvenirs to bring back home. This is by far one of the best places to shop. They have everything you could possibly need and a couple of extras. The place is saturated with tourists and locals alike with traffic buzzing right next to you as you try to negotiate a deal. It’s a great place to practice your haggling skills. Most places we found do accept credit card, but make sure to have cash as a back-up as connectivity may not be great…Happy Shopping!

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