Nepal Panel is a free, data-light utility page that bundles the four things people in and from Nepal check most often. Patro converts dates between Bikram Sambat (BS) and the Gregorian calendar (AD) entirely in your browser, covering BS 2070–2100, and shows today's Nepali date the moment the page loads. Paisa shows live mid-market rates for USD, INR, AED, QAR, MYR and KRW against the Nepalese rupee, explains the fixed Indian rupee peg, and includes a remittance true-cost calculator that exposes the exchange-rate margin hidden behind "zero fee" offers. Mausam pulls current weather and a 7-day outlook for Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lukla and Jomsom plus recent magnitude 4+ earthquakes from the USGS feed. Status collects the official portals for SEE results, passports, driving licences and PAN. No app install, no account, no ads — it works on slow connections and old phones.
Bikram Sambat is Nepal's official calendar, used on every government document, school schedule and newspaper masthead. It runs roughly 56.7 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar: April 2026 opened the year BS 2083. The year begins in mid-April with the month of Baishakh, not in January. Unlike Gregorian months, BS months vary between 29 and 32 days, and the same month can have a different length from one year to the next. There is no arithmetic formula for these lengths — they follow astronomical tables published in Nepal's official almanac, the Rashtriya Panchang. That is why every reliable converter, including this one, ships a precomputed days-per-month table rather than a calculation. Our table covers BS 2070 through BS 2100 (roughly AD 2013–2044) and is cross-checked against known anchor dates such as Baishakh 1, 2081 = 13 April 2024.
Nepali public holidays fall into two groups. A few are fixed on the BS calendar and land on the same BS date every year: New Year (Baishakh 1), Republic Day (Jestha 15), Constitution Day (Ashoj 3), Maghe Sankranti (Magh 1) and Democracy Day (Falgun 7). The biggest festivals, however, are lunar: Dashain and Tihar in autumn, Holi and Maha Shivaratri in spring, Buddha Jayanti, Janai Purnima, Teej, Indra Jatra, Chhath and the three Lhosars all shift each year with the lunar cycle, sometimes by weeks. A date converter can tell you what BS day a Gregorian date falls on, but only the annual official calendar — published by the Ministry of Home Affairs each Chaitra — fixes which days are public holidays. Treat any festival date list, including ours, as indicative until that notice is out.
The Employment Permit System (EPS) is a government-to-government labour scheme between South Korea and 16 partner countries, and Nepal has been one of its largest senders since 2008. Under EPS, Korean small and medium manufacturers, farms and fisheries hire foreign workers on an E-9 visa for up to 4 years 10 months, extendable for re-entry under certain conditions. The crucial design feature: recruitment runs only through Korea's HRD Korea (eps.go.kr / hrdkorea.or.kr) and Nepal's EPS Korea Section under the Department of Foreign Employment. No private agency, manpower company or "connection" can place an EPS worker — anyone claiming otherwise is a fraud. Wages follow the Korean minimum wage, and workers get the same statutory insurance coverage as locals.
Entry into EPS starts with the EPS-TOPIK, a Korean language test of reading and listening designed for workers, plus a skills test (physical fitness, basic interview, and job-relevant tasks) for higher sectors. Announcements are published by the EPS Korea Section in Kathmandu, registration is done in person or online during a short window, and the exam is computer-based (CBT) at approved centres. Passing puts you on a roster from which Korean employers pick — passing does not guarantee a job, and roster validity is limited (typically two years). Annual intake follows Korea's sector quotas, which change every year with its labour policy. Preparation is realistic self-study: the question bank and standard textbook are published free on the official EPS site, so paying an institute is optional, never required.
The legitimate cost of going to Korea through EPS is modest and published: exam fee (about USD 28), passport, medical check, visa fee, insurance and airfare — altogether usually well under USD 1,500. Yet brokers routinely charge Nepali candidates 10 to 30 times that by selling "guaranteed selection", "roster priority" or "direct employer contact". None of these things can be bought: employer selection from the roster is done in Korea, and no Nepali intermediary can influence it. If someone asks for lakhs, you are funding a scam, sometimes with borrowed money at painful interest. Once working, send earnings through licensed remittance channels (banks and money-transfer operators publish KRW→NPR rates daily) rather than hundi; the Korea–Nepal corridor is one of the cheaper ones, and formal transfers protect you if something goes wrong.
Nepal is one of the most remittance-dependent countries on earth: inflows have hovered around a quarter of GDP in recent years — among the highest ratios of any economy larger than a small island state. Millions of Nepalis work in the Gulf states, Malaysia, Korea, India and beyond, and their transfers finance household consumption, education and construction back home. This is why a few percentage points of transfer cost matter enormously: on a corridor moving billions of dollars a year, the difference between a 3% and a 6% true cost is real money that either reaches families in Nepal or stays with intermediaries. The calculator on this page compares any provider quote — fee plus offered exchange rate — against the live mid-market rate, so the full cost is visible before you send.
Costs and pitfalls differ by corridor. From Qatar and the UAE, competition among exchange houses keeps headline fees low, but margins hide in the AED/QAR→NPR rate — always compare the offered rate against mid-market, not just the fee line. Malaysia has historically been a higher-cost corridor with more informal channels; licensed operators are safer and increasingly price-competitive. Korea benefits from strong banking rails and dedicated remittance licences, making KRW→NPR one of the better-priced routes. Two universal rules: first, a great exchange rate with a big fee can still beat a "zero fee" transfer at a padded rate — only the total received in NPR matters. Second, avoid hundi entirely: it is illegal, uninsured, and repeated crackdowns have left senders with no recourse when collectors vanish.
Nepal's trekking calendar is driven by the monsoon. October–November is the classic season: washed air, stable skies, big views. March–May is second best — warmer, rhododendrons in bloom, but hazier as the pre-monsoon builds. June–September brings the monsoon: leeches, mud and hidden mountains everywhere except rain-shadow zones like Upper Mustang and Dolpo, which stay trekkable. December–February is cold but crystal clear at lower elevations; high passes may close. Above ~2,500 m, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is the real risk: headache plus nausea, dizziness, poor sleep or loss of appetite after ascent means stop; worsening symptoms mean descend immediately. The golden rules are to climb no more than ~500 m of sleeping altitude a day above 3,000 m, schedule rest days, and never ascend with symptoms. Weather on this page comes live from Open-Meteo for four key stations, including Lukla and Jomsom.
Most trekkers need a combination of a conservation-area or national-park entry permit and, for some regions, a restricted-area permit. Fees below are indicative for foreign nationals and change by government notice — verify with Nepal Tourism Board or your registered trekking agency before travelling:
| Permit | Area | Indicative fee |
|---|---|---|
| TIMS card | Most trekking routes | NPR 2,000 |
| ACAP entry | Annapurna Conservation Area | NPR 3,000 |
| Sagarmatha NP entry | Everest region | NPR 3,000 |
| Khumbu Rural Municipality fee | Everest region | NPR 2,000–3,000 |
| Langtang NP entry | Langtang region | NPR 3,000 |
| Manaslu restricted permit | Manaslu circuit | USD 75–100 / week (seasonal) |
| Upper Mustang restricted permit | Upper Mustang | USD 500 / 10 days |
Restricted areas additionally require a licensed guide and, in most cases, a minimum group size arranged through a registered agency. Keep permits accessible — checkpoints are frequent and fines apply.
Nepal sits on the boundary where the Indian plate dives under the Eurasian plate — the collision that built the Himalaya also makes the country one of the most seismically exposed on earth. The M7.8 Gorkha earthquake of 25 April 2015 (Baishakh 12, 2072 BS) killed nearly 9,000 people, and scientists agree the western segment of the fault still holds centuries of accumulated strain. Preparation is unglamorous but effective: agree on a family meeting point, keep a grab bag (water, torch, whistle, copies of citizenship/passport, cash, medicines), know the safe spots in each room — under sturdy tables, away from glass and heavy cupboards — and practise drop, cover, hold on. After a big shake, expect aftershocks, use SMS instead of calls, and check gas before relighting stoves. This page lists recent M4+ events from the USGS public feed; official alerts come from the National Earthquake Monitoring Centre (seismonepal.gov.np).
As of mid-2026 the running year is BS 2083, which began on 14 April 2026 (Baishakh 1). BS years start in mid-April, so each Gregorian year overlaps two BS years.
The Bikram Sambat era counts from 57 BC, traditionally linked to King Vikramaditya. Because the BS new year falls in April, the offset is 56 years for January–April dates and 57 years from mid-April onward.
Yes. The Nepalese rupee has been pegged at NPR 1.60 per INR 1 since 1993, maintained by Nepal Rastra Bank. All other NPR rates float — they move with the USD/INR market rate.
Total cost = fee + exchange-rate margin. Well-priced corridors land around 2–4% all-in; anything above ~5–6% is expensive. Compare the NPR amount received, not the advertised fee.
No. Employer selection from the EPS roster happens in Korea through HRD Korea's system. Nobody in Nepal can buy, speed up or guarantee selection — offers to do so are scams.
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