Food & Water
What to eat, what to avoid, and how to stay healthy.
Nepali food is hearty and affordable. The staple is dal bhat — lentil soup, rice and seasonal vegetable curries, often with unlimited refills. Momos (dumplings), Newari specialties and Tibetan dishes are everywhere.
Drink only treated, boiled, filtered or reliably bottled water. Tap water is not safe to drink. On trek, purify water with tablets, a filter or a UV pen to avoid single-use plastic bottles.
Eat at busy places with high turnover — fresh food is more likely. Avoid raw salads and peeled fruit from street stalls unless you can wash them yourself. Hot, freshly cooked food is the safest bet.
Vegetarian food is widely available and excellent. In the mountains, teahouse menus are surprisingly varied, though prices rise with altitude as everything is carried in by porter.