Everest 2021: Nepal Removes Quarantine for Vaccinated Foreigners

Continuing a circuitous path for visitors to navigate, Nepal now says that if a foreigner has been vaccinated they can enter Nepal not go through quarantine. This includes trekkers and those climbing mountains such as Everest.

Of course, this announcement comes as travelers are leaving for Nepal with schedules that factored in a seven-day quarantine thus Nepal will still financially benefit from the prolonged stay in Kathmandu, one of the most polluted cities on earth. Perhaps visitors should take a side trip to Pokhara to avoid the pollution before going to the Khumbu.

This headline in the Kathmandu Post tells the story: “In a bid to boost tourism, Nepal lifts mandatory quarantine for vaccinated tourists” No mention of safety for foreigners or, more importantly, the indigenous population. Upon arrival in Nepal foreigners will need to present proof of vaccination, and proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure from their home country.

However, as usual with most public “policies” it was first presented in newspapers with the caveat, “We will make the details public once we receive the copy of the decision.” Typically we rarely see the actual rules so when it is ignored all involved save face.

If you are going to Nepal, minimize your time in Kathmandu and expect the usually overcrowded teahouses, packed cheek to cheek with no masks insight. Perhaps camping and cooking your food is a better path this year.

A Personal Story

This quarantine change had been rumored for a few weeks but given the uncertainty, and massive confusion around the visa process, most travelers trusted their operators and got on a plane. This is a story of a US citizen traveling to Everest Base Camp as a journalist what he went through this week:

A freelance journalist is going to base camp to work on a few different stories. He was told that he needed to send his actual passport to the Nepal embassy in Los Angeles, but wasn’t willing to “give it up” for fear of it getting lost and not coming back. So, he opted for the letter from a Nepali operator and hopped on his flight. At every point – LAX, Ankara coming and going, Nepal – he was asked for the results of his COVID test. At the Ankara airport, there was a little concerned he didn’t have a VISA at the first checkpoint. When he went to the next customs agent (again, not sure who he was talking to) they asked for his VISA and he simply handed them the “letter” from his Nepali operator which was written entirely in Nepalese. They looked it over, looked confused, didn’t understand it and, he thinks, ultimately waved him through. He thinks they did that because it was the easiest thing to do.

He was also told that because he’s not with a tour he would need to quarantine for 14 days when he arrived unless he took a COVID test five days after arrival that had a negative result. He was told he needed to show a reservation at the airport for a hotel in Kathmandu that offered three meals during his quarantine. He made the reservation and the confirmation. When he arrived in Nepal no one asked who he was, where he was going, or to see his passport. He honestly doesn’t think they have any idea where he is staying. He has no idea who to contact regarding obtaining a new COVID test in five days. The hotel operator has indicated he is free to come and go as he pleases. He doesn’t think anyone really cares. He takes the coronavirus very seriously and will do everything they asked, but it’s pretty clear they would never know if he did.

Nepal COVID Status

As of this posting, Nepal added 125 new cases today taking the national total to 275,750. Kathmandu has seen 30 new cases in the last 34 hours. The national death toll is 3,016 for a country with approximately 29 million residents. The health ministry reports 2,230,708 PCR tests have been conducted, 8% of the population.

According to a report in the Record, Nepal received its first set of vaccines from India in late January but waited a month to administer it to their elderly population. A second phase was scheduled to begin on March 7 to 3.7 million people 55 and older. They go on to suggest that only 450,000 Nepalis have been vaccinated as of March 4, far below the 10 million suggested by some as the trekking and climbing season begins in mid-March.

Current/Previous Quarantine Rules

This was the protocol before the change announced today by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, for foreign tourists visiting Nepal for Mountaineering Expeditions and Trekking:

1. All tourists coming to Nepal for mountaineering and trekking must acquire visa before arriving in Nepal

2. In case of countries where visa provision for Nepal is not available, expedition teams or trekkers can coordinate with Travel and Trekking agencies based in Nepal for arrangement of prior approval to enter Nepal.

3. For prior Visa approval the Nepal based Agencies must submit all prescribed details of the client/s and relevant details to the Department of Tourism (DOT) for Expedition teams and the Nepal Tourism Board for Trekkers, for recommendation of Visa to the Department of Immigration.

4. Tourists arriving in Nepal as per point 1, the visa shall be provisioned at the point of entry by the Department of Immigration.

5. Tourists entering Nepal must present following documents at the entry point;

• RT (Polymerase Chain Reaction: PCR) Negative taken within 72 hours before departing home countr
• Visa or prior approval document (ref point 1) for entry to Nepal.
• Hotel booking for at least 7 days’ quarantine in Nepal.
• Insurance of at least 5,000/- (Five thousand US Dollars) against COVID-19 per person.
• After entry to Nepal tourists must stay in hotel quarantine for a minimum of 7 days

6. Tourists are required to take PCR test on the fifth day of hotel quarantine at own expense, and shall be allowed to proceed for expeditions or trekking on obtaining RT PCR Negative.

7. As per Article 3, for tourists who test RT Positive for COVID-19, Quarantine shall be extended till he/ she obtains RT PCR Negative test report.

8. Expedition or trekking teams must provide insurance coverage of minimum of NPR 100,000/- (One lakh Nepali Rupees only) against COVID-19 to team members from Nepal prior to obtaining permission for expedition or trekking.

9. While in expedition or trekking in Nepal, health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Population of the Government of Nepal must be duly followed.

10. Other conditions and criteria to be followed by the tourist shall be as per regular updates from the Department of Tourism. The concerned agency must provide detailed information on the same to tourists before the expedition or trekking .

Himalayan Database

I use the Himalayan Database as my primary source of Everest summit statics. If you are climbing in 2021, they are asking you to fill in an electronic web-based survey. This replaces the time-consuming process of visiting each team in their hotel before the climb. Please use this link to complete the survey. You can now download the HDB for free at their site.

Follow Along!

I have begun to create my annual team location table and tracking climber’s blogs (see sidebar). If you have a team not listed, please let me know and I will add them if I can track them. If you prefer not to be mentioned, please contact me.

I will post a few background articles and interviews between now and early April when the teams arrive at the base camps. If you would like to see anything special this year, post a comment or drop me an email.

Here’s to a safe season for everyone on the Big Hill, but only take selfies!

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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