» According to our sources in Nepal there is nothing special to report at this time. The situation in the main tourist areas of Nepal remains "normal". Normally tourists will face no major problems.

Please contact your travel agency for further information.

The continuing fragility of the peace process in Nepal was demonstrated through a year marked by political stalemate. The low point was the failure of the Constituent Assembly to meet the May 2010 deadline to finalize a new constitution. The mandate of the Assembly was thus extended by a further year, until May 2011. The prolonged impasse has meant that a new Prime Minister has not been elected by Parliament more than six months after Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal agreed to stand down, a situation which remained unresolved at the time of submission of the present report, and many important laws remain pending before the Parliament.

The election of Jhalanath Khanal, chairman of the UML (Unified Marxist Leninist) party, as Prime Minister of Nepal, was a move that ends a prolonged stalemate on forming a new government in Nepal. (Source: UN News 03 Feb 2011)

During your travel or trekkig you should remain vigilant and remain in close touch with your tour operator or trekking agency. Bandhs, rallies and demonstrations can cause widespread disruption and can be called at short notice, leaving transport severely disrupted and blocking roads and major highways.

Nepal's peace process is at a crossroads. The journey that began a little over five years ago with the signing of the Twelve-point Understanding in November 2005 was solidified in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement a year later as well as through subsequent agreements and constitutional, legislative and political measures, has opened up the possibilities of substantial political and social reform.

After 16 attempts, Nepal's feuding parliament still has not been able to elect a new prime minister and only a recent last-minute emergency decree by the president allowed the government to access new funds.(Source: UN)

» Nepal's governmenthas declared the year 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year, through which Nepal will endeavor to achieve higher number of tourists from all over the world. Nepal is committed to preserve and promote its natural and cultural heritage.

The figures released by Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reveal that visitor arrivals in the month of October 2010 have increased by 12% to 62,712 compared to the same month last year.

An increased number of dengue fever cases were reported in Chitwan district since mid-August 2010. Other cases of acute febrile illnesses have also been reported from four other districts, namely Rupandehi, Kailali, Parsa and Bara. Cases of diarrhoea were reported in each of the following districts: Dang, Kailali and Dolakha. Cases of cholera were registered in Nawalparasi, Rupendehi, Arghakhachi and Kathamandu (Source: Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of the Department of Health Services)