Is Nepal Safe for Women?

Despite our southern counterpart of India having a bad reputation as not a safe country for female travellers, Nepal is completely different when it come to travel safety of women on boots. We share some close cultural values with India and the way of life is somewhat similar but when it comes to female travellers, we Nepalese no way share similar thoughts or looks for female tourists.

Saying that, yes Nepal is a safe country for female travellers. No incident on the tails regarding harassment or misbehave has been reported. Except for the solo travellers who went missing and died on the trail and couple of issues related to couchsurfing, there has not been anything else reported. However, there are few things which you would like to know as well as avoid. Having said that, you should be well aware that Nepal is a culturally rich country and even in the 21st century people do not like wearing revealing clothes or showing affection in the open. Here are few don’ts that you may want to peek at !

Don’ts

• Wear short shorts and skirts while you are on trek (be it foreigners or Nepalese, rural people stare at unusual attire or fashion)
• Do not show affection to the locals by hugging them or kissing them. Instead, a simple namaste will do the trick.
• Please do not kiss or smooch in the public in any conditions
• Do not wear tight fitting lycra clothes while on the trail. Even if you wear, try wearing a loose fit shirt or shirt or shorts over it.
• Do not wear tank tops or shirts without wearing bra
• At night, in the cities, try remaining in the city center. For nightlife, Thamel and Durbar marg is an ideal place.
• Avoid dark alleys at late night.
• Avoid going to local dance bars or Nepalese hangout spots

Note: It is very important for female travellers to understand that Nepal is a third world country and money is of a bigger value for people here. Having said that, it is requested not to couchsurf throughout the country or accommodate in a random person’s place because he or she offered it. There has been incidents related with female travellers in the count who accommodated for offered by locals. Instead, you can find a cheap hotel, hostel or any sort of accommodation that is available in budget but is registered with local authorities.

Other than that there are no such cases of sexual abuse or female traveller related crime in the country. At times, you need to have an open mind towards people as our culture and way of life may vary from yours.