I was planning to visit Nepal in March of 2002 and go on the 17-day Annapurna hike with an organized tour group until I read the following Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Trade bulletin dated January 30,2002.
"Canadians should defer tourist travel to Nepal until further notice. On November 23, 2001, Maoists launched a series of attacks on government facilities and security forces in up to 30 of the 75 districts in Nepal. These attacks have resulted in the death of a significant number of police and army personnel in the districts of Banke, Dang, Gorka, Jajarkot, Kalikot, Kaski, Khotang, Makawanpur, Morang, Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan, Surket and Syangja. Attacks in the southern portion of the Solu Khumbu Valley resulted in deaths around the tourist areas of Salieri and Phaplu. The Government of Nepal has declared a nationwide state of emergency and has suspended a number of constitutional rights."
"Other areas of the country could experience violence without notice. No particular region can be considered safe. Canadians in Nepal should exercise extreme caution and review carefully the need for travel outside Kathmandu, especially travel by road to outlying areas."
ANY COMMENTS REGARDING HOW SAFE TRAVEL IS IN NEPAL WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
REGARDS
DAN
Re: Nepal - safe to visit ?
Hi Dan,
Just to let you know that we are aware of the situation in Nepal and as always, monitoring the Foreign Office advice. We will advise accordingly should there be any change in the situation. The most recent attacks have been in the northwest of Nepal. We have no clients in this region, and at this time none of our tours are affected by this action.
Many people are sending us great feedback regarding Nepal. Most of the feedback is from clients on our tours.
Below I have pasted a message that was posted on our forums a week ago (in the 'Discussions' section):
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I have just got back from Nepal and can safely say that it is a WONDERFUL time to visit. You hear all this stuff about the problems there and then you arrive and there is no indication of any of that. I had a superb time trekking in the Annapurnas (it was fairly cold but I guess that was to be expected). Awesome place and awesome country !
Author: Sarah PL
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Should the situation change in such a way that we would be putting our clients and staff at any risk, then you may rest assured that we will not hesitate to cancel out tours to Nepal.
Cheers
Ru Lea
Online Consultant
[email]ru@imtrav.net[/email]
Re: Nepal - safe to visit ?
Hi,
I am also heading for Annapurna Circuit trek in March, a Canadian, and also concerned about safety. So far, I have been getting conflicting information. A good place to try is the lonely planet thorntree, which has postings on different issues. Good luck.
Re: Nepal - safe to visit ?
I have recently got back from a Delhi-Kathmandu trip to (travelling independently) and I had a fantastic time. Despite warnings about troubles in Nepal, these seem to be confined to areas outside most travellers' itineraries and you shouldn't be affected. There are certain precautions to take (such as not travelling after dark and just generally being careful) and there is a noticeable police presence along highways and in towns along the way, but we never once felt unsafe. The Nepalis are really feeling the lack of tourist trade and will tell you that their country is in trouble but the rebels aren't targeting tourists. Nepal is definitely one of the most beautiful countries I have visited, it has amazing scenery and is a fascinating destination with lovely people. Go while it's quiet! You'll have a lot of places to yourself at the moment. I can also recommend Imtrav trips - I have enjoyed several to Africa and Turkey in the last few years.
Re: Nepal - safe to visit ?
I'm just back from the Everest Teahouse Trek and can confirm that it was great, there were no problems with security or health or anything else, and the people were always very helpful and friendly. The army and police were often in evidence, and there was a 6pm curfew in Lukla, but there was no sign of trouble. I would recommend anyone to visit this area.