Shopping

Shopping in Nepal is easy. With a little money and some time one can obtain the best buys this little kingdom has to offer. It will be helpful to have a Nepali for company if a huge shopping project is at hand. Common tourist shopping items include souvenirs and trinkets like gems and jewelry. However, one should be careful while buying jewelry as assessing their quality is difficult. Hand-weaved cotton fabric is a popular buy among visitors. Some buy pashmina that this Himalayan region is famous for and some also buy fresh tea and spices.

Popular buys among visitors are local craft and artwork. Among these are the Tibetan and Newar Thangka and Paubha paintings that belong to the time when these cultures were at their peak. Visitors buy Newari woodcrafts of picture frames, windows, statues and carvings. Carpets that represent the age-old folk art of the Tibetans are also very popular. Shops have rugs on display, however, carpets can be custom made by contacting the manufacturer. Traditional Nepali paper is popular as writing pads and bound journals, calendars and lampshades.

There are government restrictions that visitors should be aware of before purchasing items to take home. Antiques are not permitted to be taken out of the country. Hence inspection by the Department of Archeology is required for export of antiques. To be on the safe side, visitors should have all material examined by the Department of Archeology and obtain a certificate from the office before leaving Nepal.

Tourist shopping is popular here as foreign money goes far and that the quality of Nepali products have improved to be of international standards. Here the labor is cheap and hence the cost of production. Today many foreign companies have manufacturing plants in Nepal. To name a few, Coke, Pepsi, Colgate, Pepsodent are just a few of the brands. Foreign imported goods are also available at competitive prices. Handicraft goods are favorite shopping done by tourists. These souvenir products reflect many days of handwork, artistic, traditional and social values of Nepali people. Among the purchase is a Nepali Knife known as Khukuri. Following are major shopping areas in the two important tourists places in the region.