Shopping in Nepal – What to buy & where to buy for the best souvenir.
Shopping in Nepal is another best thing to do for travelers except for hiking and climbing activity. Nepal has a huge range of cottage enterprises encompassing apparel materials, wood makes, metalworks, and gems. Lesser-realized things incorporate tea, figures, rice paper, incense, flavors, dolls, manikins, and trekking clothing.
Who doesn’t adore shopping! Beginning from looking for everyday fundamentals to overdoing it on absolutely pointless things, markets are a vital piece of everyone’s life. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is a haven for buyers with a wide assortment of products to fill your shopping packs. Take a look at the ultimate blog to find out what you should buy when traveling to Nepal.
Peruse on to discover what these remarkable things are and where you can find out them. Furthermore the celebrated business sectors and shopping centers in the city that you can see.
Nepal has enormous – large cottage industries encompassing clothing materials, wood makes, metal works, and adornments. Lesser-realized things incorporate tea, figures, rice paper, incense, flavors, dolls, manikins, traveling dresses…etc. Vacationers visiting Nepal will frequently discover numerous remarkable things to buy in this location at extraordinary costs.
If you are intending to buy things or gifts explicitly to Nepal, it is critical to understand what you are searching for. There are many fakes – not genuine and certified things that individuals will attempt to make look veritable or old. The costs beneath depend on low-end mark-ups subsequent to bartering. Peruse on and discover what the best purchases are when visiting Nepal.
Thus, visitors can check out the full guide to Kathmandu city for more practical information on shopping, where to go, or read about the best things to buy in Kathmandu.
Top most popular things to buy when in Kathmandu, Nepal – Shopping in Nepal.
1. Clothes
Traditional dress in Nepal is one of the nation’s biggest exports and most famous vacationer gifts. Woolen goods are delivered from both yak wool and sheep wool. Woolen materials are famous and moderately modest to buy. Garments things incorporate Nepalese woolen caps (that cover the ears), woolen sweatshirts, petticoats, gloves, and shoes constantly. Lighter-weight tops, pants, and covers are additionally generally accessible.
Other export things incorporate woven or woven shirts, pants, and pullover dresses. Nepalese customary garments are discernable by their high solidness, warmth, and frequently from splendid shadings utilized in the materials. Garments clothes are best to buy in Thamel markets and other woolen clothes are best to buy either in Bhotahity, new road or Asan tole. They are the best place to buy clothes in Kathmandu. Visit some of the clothing stores before you purchase the right one from clothes shopping in Kathmandu. Tourists find the cheapest shopping in Kathmandu on their city tours. But, if you wish best shopping in Kathmandu to buy varieties of clothes then check for the best clothing stores in Kathmandu.
2. Pashmina Products
Pashmina is equally popular as Cashmere. The Pashmina fabrics spell classy in big letters! Derived from the fur of mountain goats, this fabric is soft and lightweight with beautiful embroidery – no doubt it is revered the world over. Being one of the few places in the world where Pashmina is originally woven, in Nepal, you will find these fabrics to be cheaper than in most other places.
So, it’s worthwhile to carry home some Pashmina products – think of shawls, stoles, and scarves, ideal to be gifted to anyone or for yourself. Although real Pashmina fabrics are expensive, you can get real Pashmina in Thamel markets. However, you can find also low-quality pashmina fabrics at a cheaper price in the same shops. Instead of buying 100% pure pashmina products, we suggest for 70/30 mix of pashmina silk that is more durable.
3. Thangkas
Thangkas are a unique painting product in Nepal. They normally depict Buddhist and Hindu deities, scenes, and mandalas and are made on cotton or silk fabrics. These colorful paintings rightly deserve to adorn the walls of your home.
Thus, it is a must-buy product in Nepal. Basically, Thangka paintings are possible to find in almost all the shops while you are walking in Thamel street shops. There is a Thangka painting school in Thamel and also in Bhaktapur durbar square where Tourists can watch how the artist performs his Buddhist philosophy seriously in his painting on paper. The small size of the Thangka painting cost in Nepal is starts from US$ 15. So stop thinking about what to buy in Kathmandu.
4. Singing Bowls
Singing bowls are a unique musical instrument found in Nepal. They are actually metallic bowls, either machine-made or handmade, and come with a tiny wooden stick that is rubbed on the bowls’ edge to generate sound. Machine-made singing bowls cost comparatively cheaper than handmade ones.
In fact, the sound is even better to believe to have healing qualities. The smallest size singing bowl cost about US$ 3. Tourists can buy singing bowls in almost all tourist places like World heritage sites in Kathmandu, Pokhara lakeside shopping areas, and Thamel markets while on a walking tour.
5. Gorkha Knife “Khukuri”
Gorkha knife is the most popular knife in Nepal. It is a customary Gorkha blade with twin sharp edges, you will locate these in plain view across shops in Kathmandu. Nepali battles have been used since the eighteenth century and furthermore by trackers and ranchers.
The fronts of these blades accompany intriguing examples. A decent gift to purchase on the off chance that you need a dash of vintage Nepal. The best Gorkha knife is possible to find in Thamel shops but if you wish for a really sharp one, go to Asan shops. The normal Gorkha knife price is US$ 7.
6. Beads and jewelry
While you will get conventional gold and silver jewelry on each edge of the world, adornments made out of globules, bones, and valuable and semi-valuable Himalayan gemstones are extraordinary to Nepal.
A wide assortment of brilliant and thick neckpieces, armbands, anklets, and hoops shown across different shops are sufficient to make a large portion of the ladies insane! Shop the same number of as you need for yourself, blessing some to the women in your family or companions – either instant ones or specially craft – as per your interest.
There is a wide selection of jewelry from engagement to fashion jewelry, so explore our online jewelry or find a store near you. However, visitors can find those beads and jewelry shops on Freak Street near royal palaces easily.
7. Handicrafts
Handicrafts are the best souvenirs for tourist shopping in Kathmandu. Nepali handicrafts are other important things to buy in Nepal. They range from wooden to metallic items, veils, figures, sculptures of Lord Buddha and Hindu Gods – Goddesses, puppets and dolls, prayer wheels, pottery, and trinkets. While a portion of these is unique old-fashion pieces, others are simply created for the market.
The previous by and large brings a more exorbitant cost and requires extraordinary licenses from the Government to reclaim the home. The best handicraft shops are in Lazimpat or at Boudhanath stupa place. The best handicraft shops are possible to find in Durbar square, Basantapur royal palace, Pashupatinath temple entrance areas, and of course at Patan durbar square.
8. Hiking – Trekking gear
Nepal being home to probably the tallest mountains on earth fills in as a city from where many traveling expeditions happen. In fact, there are a few shops in the capital city, travelers can purchase their hiking gear or trekking gear such as camping jackets, clothes, boots, garments, climbing ropes, and other necessary expedition gear.
Some travelers go for branded markets like Gore-Tex, Northface, and others are going to search for cheaper hiking gear. Passing Brand shops, trekking gear quality is higher and costs relatively expensive. Likewise, choosing cheap hiking gear qualities are not genuine, less durability and the prices are incredibly cheap.
Some fake gears look exactly similar to brand gears as they have written the name NORTH FACE or GORE-TEX. Normal trekking gears are possible to find in almost all places in Kathmandu. If you plan for shopping in Kathmandu Nepal think twice before you visit hiking stores.
9. Ilam Tea (Nepali Tea)
Most of us have a habit of drinking a cup of tea every day. Some are addicted even more. Generally, Ilam Tea in Nepal is the most popular. Ilam is one of four urban municipalities of Ilam District, which lies in the Mahabharata hilly range of Province No. 1, eastern Nepal.
Ilam, the eastern mountains are top popular for tea states. Before you leave Nepal, pack home some authentic Nepali tea which comes in various flavors – Orthodox tea and Crush, tear, curl tea, green tea, Ilam tea, etc.
Taste also varies according to flushes which refer to the time of picking the tea leaves. There are four different flushes- first, second, monsoon, and autumn. Travelers can buy that tea in shops in Thamel.
How to pay?
Perhaps you never know that credit cards are only just being accepted in many local stores in big cities like Pokhara, Kathmandu..etc. But do be aware of excessive charges as many have an additional 4% to your bill. That additional 4% is a bank service charge for cash processing to the seller’s account. Pay with a Credit card is risky sometimes because of paying in an unknown place. It’s still far better to pay in cash!