Is Nepal a safe country to visit?
Is it safe? Generally this question is asked in relation to the Maoist ‘problem’ that Nepal has been experiencing since 1996. It would seem that the Maoists don’t bother tourists although there have been 3 documented incidents of robbery on trekkers that were blamed on Maoist insurgency. The evidence to support any political motive behind these incidents is scant. An incident is an incident and who cares if the people doing the dirty are motivated by the good Chairman or just the chance to make a fast buck? Well, it seems that the authorities care – and any incident against tourists seems to be put down to ‘Maoists’ by them. When I was last in Nepal in April 2000 there was a raid on a holiday complex in Pokhara where political statements were reportedly uttered by the group but… Nepal is a very safe country to visit – certainly ‘safer’ than most countries in the developed countries that tourists come from. Still, common sense must prevail even though you are on a holiday. I could lau
