Costs and Money Matters
EAN and INF are charitable organisations. Although the ETTC generates some of its funds from payments for treatment, it is only able to cover the costs of its Nepali staff. Volunteers will need to cover their own costs. We are grateful to those who are able and wish to make a financial contribution to the medical charity fund of the hospital to support patients in need.
Some approximations of expenditure by volunteers are added below.
Travel
Airfare to Nepal return: £650-1100 (from UK) depending on airline and season.
Internal Travel in Nepal: about 130 USD per flight (each way). We can arrange these for you. Payment will be in US Dollars or Nepali rupees. Flights can also be booked on line.
Accommodation
Hotel in Kathmandu – £30-40 per night.
Hotel in Pokhara – £20-40 per night
(Cheaper accommodation is available and can be found online or we can advise).
Guesthouse in a village – £5-10 per day.
Credit/Debit card can be used in larger hotels but cash (Nepalese rupees) will be needed in the villages
Cash
You can only get Nepali currency in Nepal. You can change money at the airport on arrival and can also change money or travel cheques in larger hotels as well as banks and currency counters. It is advisable to change about 12-15,000 rupees (about £100-£130) in small denomination notes.
There are now many ATMs in Kathmandu and in other larger towns. Do not entirely rely on these functioning! It is advisable to use one of the mainstream bank ATMs such as Nabil or Standard Chartered, though many others also now accept international cards.
You should change enough cash in Kathmandu or Pokhara to cover trips to more remote areas as there will be limited opportunity in the villages. Make sure you carry sufficient small denomination notes and please remember to keep your cash safe.
Visa and MasterCard are accepted in banks, big hotels and some shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
