Good to know
Good to Know
- The important thing to know is that Nepali people are very relaxed. Although the items listed below are strictly followed by Nepalese, they don't expect tourists to get everything right. Nepal is a very tolerant country, so as long as you show respect to locals and be polite, they'll be happy.
- The do's and don'ts listed here are more flexible than they sound. You'll make gaffes all the time and Nepalis will rarely say anything. When in doubt, do as you see Nepalis doing.
- In Kathmandu and Pokhara, social norms are more flexible and influenced by global culture compared to rural areas where traditional practices remain more visible.
- LGBTQ+ travelers should expect a more open environment in metropolitan centers. But are best to be cautious and sensitive in more conservative places.
Tipping
Restaurants
- Guidance
- Though it is not a specific percentage, a small tip (5-10%) is expected in restaurants.
To Your Driver or Porter Is Regarded As Polite and Generous.
- Context
- Guides and porters
General
- Guidance
- Tipping is not mandatory in Nepal, but it is appreciated, especially in the service industry.
Dress Code
Pokhara urban areas
- Guidance
- While in Kathmandu and Pokhara, many local Nepalese are wearing western-style clothing, it is still seen as provocative. It may mean an openness to sexual advances or disrespect. So, caution is advised.
General public spaces
- Guidance
- Showing too much skin is not accepted, such as short shorts, backless, or low-cut tops. Even in cities, you could earn suspicious looks or even disapproval. Tourists are also not expected to dress as the local people, but to dress modestly.
Religious sites and temples
- Guidance
- Modest clothing — covered shoulders and knees — is respectful for both men and women, particularly at religious sites and in villages.
Gift Giving
- Guidance
- Giving gifts in Nepal should not be seen as a social courtesy. It is a significant action between people, a sign of respect, thanks, and goodwill. The value placed on gifts is not dependent on the amount paid but rather on the thought of the person consuming it.
Home visits
- Guidance
- When called into a Nepali household, it is expected and welcomed to make a small form of thanks. Gifting sweets, fruits, or tea is the norm.
Alcohol
- Guidance
- Do not bring the gifts of alcohol unless you absolutely know that the host drinks.
Right hand usage
- Description
- It's considered good manners to give and receive everything with the right hand. In order to convey respect, offer money, food or gifts with both hands, or with the right hand while the left touches the wrist.
Greeting Customs
Namaste
- Context
- Universal greeting used when meeting someone, leaving, or showing respect
- Description
- This greeting is performed by pressing hands together and bowing your head slightly, as a sign of respect and acknowledgement. It isn't used freely or casually: think of it as 'how do you do?' rather than 'hello!'
Formal Variant
- Description
- Namaskar is a more formal or subservient variant of Namaste.
Honorific Forms of Address
- Description
- It's well worth learning didi ('older sister'), bahini ('younger sister'), daai ('older brother'), bhaai ('younger brother'), buwa ('father') and aamaa ('mother') for the warm reaction they'll usually provoke. To be more formal or respectful, just add ji to the end of someone's name, as in 'namaste, John-ji'.
Punctuality And Time
Nepali time (relaxed attitudes)
- Description
- By 'Nepali time', people are far less punctual than what is the norm in Western culture. However, one's required level of promptness will change depending on the relationship one has with the person. It is best to be punctual yourself and understand that you are likely to be kept waiting in social contexts.
Professional settings
- Description
- Nepalis are generally more punctual in professional settings.
Hand And Body Gestures
Right hand preference
- Description
- If eating with your hands, use the right one only. The left hand is reserved for washing after defecating; you can use it to hold a glass or utensil while you eat, but don't wipe your mouth, or pass food with it. It's considered good manners to give and receive everything with the right hand.
Yes/No gestures
- Description
- The gestures for 'yes' and 'no' are also confusing to foreigners. To indicate agreement, tilt your head slightly to one side and then back the other way. To tell a tout or a seller 'no', hold one hand up in front of you, palm forwards, and swivel your wrist subtly, as if you were adjusting a bracelet; shaking the head in the Western fashion looks too much like 'yes'.
Head as sacred
- Description
- It is considered rude to touch someone's head or to point your feet at someone. In Nepal, the forehead is regarded as the most sacred part of the body and it's impolite to touch an adult Nepali's head. The feet are the most unclean part, so don't put yours on chairs or tables, and when sitting, try not to point the soles of your feet at anyone. It's also bad manners to step over the legs of someone seated.
Pointing
- Description
- To point use the chi [source text cut off in original], but Don't point with your finger but rather use your whole hand or your chin
Hospitality And Hosting
Guest welcome
- Description
- Being hospitable is a very important quality in Nepal, and being a guest should not be approached too casually. As it is an honour to host, people are regularly invited to have tea with someone in their house or shop. The common Nepali saying demonstrates the generous approach to hosting: 'Guests are our god.'
Dining And Food Etiquette
Food purity (jutho)
- Description
- Probably the greatest number of Nepali taboos are to do with food. One underlying principle is that once you've touched something to your lips, it's polluted (jutho) for everyone else. If you take a sip from someone else's water bottle, try not to let it touch your lips (and the same applies if it's your own). Don't eat off someone else's plate or offer anyone food you've taken a bite of, and don't touch cooked food until you've bought it.
Serving yourself
- Description
- It is best not to help yourself to a common dish or drink. Wait for the host to serve you instead of serving yourself.
Beef consumption
- Description
- Hindus do not eat beef out of veneration for the cow. The whole of Nepal has generally followed suit. While it is usually okay to eat it in front of a Nepali, do not offer beef to them.
Food waste
- Description
- Leaving food uneaten can be seen as wasteful or disrespectful. If you're full, a polite way to express this is to say, 'Ma khana sakiyen' (I have eaten enough).
Public Behavior And Displays
Public displays of affection
- Description
- Male friends will often hold hands in public, but not lovers of the opposite sex. Couples who cuddle or kiss in public will at best draw unwelcome attention.
Eye contact with elders
- Description
- In Nepalese culture, prolonged eye contact, especially with elders, can be seen as disrespectful. Therefore, it's best to keep eye contact brief when interacting with older individuals.
Respect for elders
- Description
- Elders should be treated with marked respect.
Religious And Temple Etiquette
Shoe removal
- Description
- When visiting these sacred places, always remove your shoes before entering.
Clockwise circumambulation
- Description
- It's also customary to walk around the shrines or stupas in a clockwise direction.
Photography restrictions
- Description
- Be mindful of photography restrictions; in many temples, taking photos is not allowed, or permission may be required.
Feet orientation in temples
- Description
- To avoid this, sit cross-legged or kneel on the floor while in a temple or holy place. If you must extend your legs, point them away from sacred icons. Never turn your backside to a religious statue.
Pokhara Specific Characteristics
- Note
- In Kathmandu and Pokhara, social norms are more flexible and influenced by global culture. In rural hill districts and mountain settlements, traditional practices are more visible in daily life.
- Note
- Nepali Hindu devotees celebrate festivals alongside Tibetan families, while indigenous Gurung communities, tied to the Gurkha heritage, maintain shamanic practices. As a major tourism hub, the Valley has been a crossroads for centuries, where Hindus and Buddhists, trekkers, and indigenous communities, including the Gurkha, have woven a rich tapestry of traditions.
- Note
- In terms of religion, 82.4% were Hindu, 13.2% Buddhist, 2.4% Christian, 0.9% Muslim, 0.6% Bon, 0.2% Prakriti, 0.1% Kirati and 0.2% others.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this culture & etiquette research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Pokhara
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.