Money

Currency
The Nepalese rupee is the official currency of Nepal. It is subdivided into 100 paisa. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal. The Nepalese rupee was introduced in 1932, replacing the Nepalese mohar at the rate 2:1. There are coins for denomination of one, two, five and ten rupees and banknotes in denomination of one, two, five, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupee.
Prior to 1994, the Nepalese rupee has been tied to the Indian rupee with an exchange rate of 1.45:1, since then it has been pegged at the rate 1.60:1.

ATM’s
ATM’s can be found in the bigger cities Kathmandu and Pokhara. Most of them are working with Visa & Mastercard, although some of them are just accepting local cards.

Cash
Major currencies like US Dollars, Euros and Pounds can be changed at various places in bigger cities. The Indian rupee is also like a hard currency, since it’s begged to the Nepali rupee, although 500 and 1000 INR bills are not accepted anywhere in Nepal. Changing Nepali rupees or other currencies into Dollars might be a problem and it is highly recommended to bring enough Dollars for Visas and other official purposes. It is also recommended to have enough small bills with you, since for many local, small businesses it will not be possible to change a 500 or 1000 rupees’ bill. Especially in remote areas bigger bills are not usable.
Generally, it is good to bring enough small denominated Cash with you, if you are staying for a while in the countryside. And even if you are staying in the cities, remember to always have some cash for emergencies.

Changing Money
Money can be changed in every bigger bank, where you will also get a receipt and should be able to change rupees back into hard currency at the end of your stay, showing the receipt. You can change at the International Airport in Kathmandu as well as at several borders. There are many licensed Money Changers in the bigger cities, which have slightly lower fares than the exchange rates set by the government’s Nepal Rastra bank, but have very long opening hours and the whole process is very quick.