Shopping

"Enjoy Nepali Products"


Shopping in Nepal is easy. With a little money and some time one can obtain the best buys this little country has to offer. It will be helpful to have a Nepali accompanied if a huge shopping project is at hand. Common tourist shopping items include verities of handicrafts and trinkets like gems and jewelry. To our experience tourists love shopping in Kathmandu to make their visit to this Himalayan country long lasting in their memory and for souvenir to their family, friends and relatives.


There are government restrictions that visitors should be aware of before purchasing antique 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.


Popular products among visitors

• Gems and Jewelry

  Nepal has some of the best goldsmiths and silver smiths in the world, i.e. the Newar craftsmen, who have been delighting collectors and patrons with their exquisite creations for more than 600 years. So if you've ever wanted to buy the finest jewelry, Nepal is the best place.
  Nepal's most distinctive gems are the exquisite tourmalines from the eastern ranges, in pink, sunset rose, peach, golden, amber and green. There are very rare lime-green tourmalines that are found nowhere else, and some with more than one color in a single stone. The newly-discovered lemon-yellow tourmalines are especially fine.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Carpets

  Neplease carpets are popular floor coverings in Europe and America. Actually much of Nepal's foreign exchange earnings have come from the sale of carpets in the past two decades. The designs are traditional as well as modern. Today, special effort is being made to break into the American and Japanese markets with special designs and quality rugs.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Handwoven Clothes

  Many weavers in Kathmandu Valley produce handwoven cotton cloth of many colors and patterns. Visitors will find beautifully designed clothing and fabrics in Kathmandu's shops. The Magars of western Nepal also weave fabrics for readymade garments. Tussar which is the best Nepalese silk is not shiny but has a natural glow. It is made from an undomesticated forest worm found in the southern jungle regions. The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and the Rai people of eastern Nepal have passed on the tradition of making block printed paper and cloth to modern producers.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Metal Works

  
  The metal work is also exceptional art of Nepal. Metal statues of high quality are available for prices ranging from a few thousand rupees to gold inlaid life-sized works. A special method is used to create these works of art. The wax figure is covered with clay and put in the sun to dry. Once ready, the wax is melted out and molten metal poured into the clay hollow. When the metal cools down and sets, the clay covering is destroyed and careful work with hammer, chisel and sanding material follows. The metal statue is then painted as per the specifications of religion or as per the request of the client.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Paper Products

  
  Traditional Nepalese paper, popularly known as "rice paper" is actually made of lokta, a bark found in remote areas of the country. Because of its strength, government offices use it for official documents. Many stores in Thamel and Patan sell writing pads and bound journals, as well as calendars and lamp shades of lokta paper.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Thangkas and Paubhas

  
  For hundreds of years, scroll paintings have decorated the walls of monasteries, temples, and homes in East Asia. Especially, the Tibetan and Newar styles come from a time when these cultures were at their peak. Most of the older surviving scroll paintings are reminders of a period when the rulers and the public were concentrating upon the arts as offerings to the deities.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Woodworks

  
  Woodcraft is the specialty of the Newar artisans of the Kathmandu Valley. Among the items that you may wish to purchase while in Kathmandu are windows and frames, statues of gods, erotic carvings, traditional figures etc. The wooden images are made by using tools that were used a thousand years ago.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Khukuris

  
  Khukuri is a medium-length curved knife each Gurkha soldier carries with him in uniform and in battle. In his grip, khukuri is a formidable razor-shape weapon and a cutting tool. In fact, it is an extension of his arm. When his rifle misfires, or when his bullets have run out, a Gurkha unsheathes his Khukuri and makes his final “do-or-die” run on the enemy in a fury to finish the business.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Stone Crafts

  
  The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal has a very old stone carved history. Highly skilled and capable artisans in Nepal today continue to use techniques and tools unchanged over the centuries. Most of the stone carving that have survived throughout Nepal around temples and other heritage sites in Nepal. Clans of Newars, the “old people” of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, have been passing their stone carving skills from generations to generations.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Singing Bowls

  
  Singing Bowls are widely used since from the ancient times in Nepal and Tibet mostly by the Buddhist monks for meditation and religious ceremonies. They produce the rich harmonic soothing sound, tones and vibration. In this modern time, these singing bowls are found in meditation halls, home use, medical cures, relaxation etc. Many doctors, sound therapists, sound massage experts, health practitioners, yoga practice use singing bowls as curing tools for activating higher brain function, calm the nervous system, clear and purify air, relaxation and soothing mind and balance our entire being.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

More Shopping

• Baskets and Bags

  
  In the Terai region, the southern part of Nepal baskets used for household and decorative purposes are made from grass. The baskets come in different shapes and sizes according to their application. In Kathmandu, local women produce verities of handwooven woolen bags which are very attractive and easily available in Kathmandu fabric shops.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Tea

  The eastern districts of Nepal, notably llam, are where excellent varieties of Himalayan tea are grown and produced. Though most of it is exported, shops in Kathmandu and elsewhere in Nepal offer a wide selection of the fine tea, packaged attractively as suitable gifts, and guaranteed as a great brew.
  
  
  For further information and price click here

• Spices

  Asia is an ancient spice stronghold. Therefore, Kathmandu, in the middle of Asia, is no exception. Kathmandu is, in fact, the entrecote of spices-those exotica to flavor curries and other dishes. Nutmeg, ginger, saffron, mace, green anise, fenugreek, peppers, and coriander seeds are just some of the spicy names.
  
  

  Asia is an ancient spice stronghold. Therefore, Asia is an ancient spice stronghold. Therefore, There are government restrictions that visitors should be aware of before purchasing antique 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 For a good choice of hotels with discount prices visit Place to stay in Kathmandu. for more information.