Travelling outside Europe

All British citizens require a tourist visa to enter India. An E-visa system operates for tourists requiring a visa for stays of up to 60 days. You must apply for the E-visa no earlier than 120 days prior to arriving, but also a minimum of 4 days prior to your arrival in India. The visa will be valid for 60 days from your date of arrival. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from your date of arrival in India and have two blank pages. You can apply for the visa here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

If you are travelling to India for more than 60 days then visa applications are submitted and processed by post; we advise that you allow up to 3 weeks to obtain your visa by this method. You can find full details and obtain an on-line Visa Application Form by visiting http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk. If you or any member of your party is not a British citizen or holds a non-British passport, you should check passport and visa requirements at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.

There are no reciprocal health agreements between the UK and India. It is therefore all the more important that you have comprehensive travel insurance to cover you in the case of illness or an accident. Check that whichever policy you purchase covers you if you fall ill with Covid-19 while on holiday.

You will need to take sensible health precautions while travelling in India, and we will send you full details with your holiday documentation. The NHS website www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk gives a general outline of the immunisations you are likely to need, though you should seek advice from your doctor or practice nurse in good time before your holiday for more tailored information.

India is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT all year round, and is therefore four-and-a-half hours ahead of BST.

English is widely spoken in Delhi and Mumbai, but much less so in the rural villages where the local dialects are most prevalent. Most villagers will be delighted to try to communicate with you, while your guide will act as interpreter and even instruct you in the rudiments of Kumaoni (Himalayan foothills), Marwari (Rajasthan), Malayalam (Kerala) or Kannada (Karnataka)!

API details are also required by train operators in India.

All British citizens require a tourist visa to enter Nepal, which you can apply for in person at the Nepalese Embassy in London, by post (allow 2-3 weeks), or on arrival in Kathmandu airport. A 15-day tourist visa currently costs £20 (the 15 days start from the date of arrival in Nepal). You can find full details, including an application form that you can print out if applying by post or what is required if obtaining a visa on arrival, at uk.nepalembassy.gov.np. As well as having a visa, you must ensure that your passport is valid for a further six months from the date of entry into Nepal and that it has at least 1 blank page. If you or any member of your party is not a British citizen or holds a non-British passport, you should check passport and visa requirements.

There are no reciprocal health agreements between the UK and Nepal. It is therefore all the more important that you have comprehensive travel insurance to cover you in the case of illness or an accident. Check that whichever policy you purchase covers you if you fall ill with Covid-19 while on holiday.

You will need to take sensible health precautions while travelling in Nepal, and we will send you full details with your holiday documentation. The NHS website www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk gives a general outline of the immunisations you are likely to need, though you should seek advice from your doctor or practice nurse in good time before your holiday for more tailored information.

Nepal is five-and-three-quarter hours ahead of GMT all year round, and is therefore four-and-three-quarter hours ahead of BST.

English is widely spoken in Kathmandu, but much less so in rural areas. Most villagers will be delighted to try to communicate with you, while your guide will act as interpreter and even instruct you in the rudiments of Nepali!