Nepal is a shopper's paradise whether you are looking for a cheap souvenir or a real work of art. Although you can find almost anything in the tourist areas of Kathmandu there are specific specialities in different parts of the valley. Nepal has quite a broad collection of crafts and clothing.Antiquities cannot be taken out of the country, and baggage is inspected by Nepalese customs with greater thoroughness on departure than on arrival. If you've brought something which is possibly antique, you should get a receipt and a description of the object from the shop where you bought it. Art theft is a real problem in Nepal and it would be a great shame if some of the superb museum pieces which currently stand in the open, where they may have been for over 1000 years, have to be moved into protected museums. A permit is required from the department of Archaeoloty in order to take any object which looks as if it could be more than 100 years old out of the country.

Thangkas:
Thangkas are the traditional Tibetan paintings of religious and ceremonial subjects. They illustrate goods, associated deities, mandalas, the wheel of life and other such subjects. The figures may be of the various Buddhas, Buddhisattvas or Taras although often they are of the fierce and angry Tantric gods.Thangkas are available in many locations including the Tibetan shops around the city.Thankas do vary considerably in quality but buy one because you like it, not as a valuable investment. Traditional Thankas are framed in silk brocade.

Block Prints:
Locally produced rice paper is used for the block prints of Nepalese, Tibetan and Chinese deities. They are sold as pictures or for calendars, cards, lanterns and many other uses.

Other paintings:
Patan has some very interesting small shops selling paintings just north of Durbar Square . The two interesting specialties here are paintings of Nepalese birds and a native art style clearly influenced by the Sherpa paintings of the Solu Khumbu region.

Tibetan Carpets:
Carpet-weaving is a major trade in Nepal brought from Tibet by the refugees who now carry on the craft with great success in their new homes. There are carpet-weavers around the Kathmandu Valley and also in Pokhara. Some of their output is now exported to Tibet , where the Chinese have unfortunately managed to totally stamp out the archaic craft. There are larger and smaller sizes available' but the traditional size for a Tibetan carpet is 1.8 metres by 90 cm. They are sturdily woven with colourful desighs featurind Tibetan Buddhist symbols and dragons. Small square carpets are often used to make seat cushions.

Clothing & Embroidery:
Tibetan and Nepalese clothes have always been a popular buy but recently Western fashions made strictly for the tourist market have also become an important industry. You can buy handmade shirts at outlets in Thamel and there are also shops in Kathmandu selling superb hand painted silk dresses at a fraction of what they would cost in the West. Despite the growing market for Western fashions there is still a demand for traditional styles such as the Tibetan wool jackets which are popularly known as yakets. Nepalese coats, crossing over at the front, closed with four ties and traditionally made in purple velvet material, are a popular buy.

Embroidery has always been popular in Nepal and there are lots of little tailor's shops around Kathmandu where the sewing machines rattle on until late at night adding colorful dragons and Tibetan symbols to customers jackets and jeans. Mountaineering expeditions like to return from Nepal with jackets carrying the message. You can take your own clothes to be embroidered or buy T-Shirts and other items already embroidered. Badges embroidered with suitable messages are another good buy you can add a badge to your backpack saying that you walked to the Everest Base Camp or completed the Annapurna Circuit.

A Nepalese cap or topi is part of Nepalese formal wear for a man and they are traditionally made in Bhaktapur. There's a cap shop right beside the Bhairabnath Temple in Bhaktapur as well as a group of cap specialists between Indra Chowk and Asan Tole in the old part of Kathmandu .

Pottery :
Terracotta pottery is made in a number of sites but particularly in Thimi and Bhaktapur. The Pottters' Square just south of Durbar Square in Bhaktapur, is a wonderful sight. Thousands of pots are neatly lined up across the Square while in the shelters around the sides of the Square; potters busily turn our more and more. In Thimi they specialize in making attractive little flowerpots, often in the shape of Dragons, Elephants or mythical beasts. You can buy themin Thimi or from stalls near Indra Chowk in Kathmandu or Taumadhi Tole in Bhaktapur.

Masks & Puppets:
Papier mache masks are colorful puppets are sold at shops in Kathmandu , Patan and Bhaktapur. Thimi is the centre for manufacturing the masks which are used in the traditional masked dances in September and it's interesting to see them being made and painted there. Ganesh, Bhairab and the Kumari are the most popular subjects for the mask and they make good wall decorations.

Puppets make good buys as gifts for children and are made in Bhaktapur as well as other centre. They're often of multi armed deities, clutching little wooden weapons in each hand. The puppet heads may be made of easily broken clay or more durable papier-mâché.

Jewellery:
Kathmandu 's many small jewellery manufactures turn out a wide variety of designs with an equally wide range of standards. You can buy jewellery ready made, ask them to create a design for you or bring in something you would like copied. There are several good shops around Thamel, particularly down towards Chhetrapati.

These outlets mainly cater to Western tastes but there are also many shops for the local market as Nepalese women, like Indian women, traditionally wear their wealth in jewellery. Cheap ornaments can also be fun; you can buy an armful of plastic bangles for a few rupees or colorful beads by the handful.

Metal work:
Patan is the valley centre for bronze casting and the best variety of metalwork will be found in the shops around Patan's Durbar Square . Often beautifully made figures featuring the fall range of Tantric Buddhist deities can be brought. The metal game boards and pieces for the traditional Nepalese game bagh chal make a good buy.

Other Nepalese & Tibetan Crafts:
A khukuri, the traditional knife of the Gurkhas, Cassettes of Nepalese, Indian and general Himalayan music are a fine souvenir of a visit to Nepal Tibetan crafts include a variety of religious items including the dorje symbols and the popular Tibetan prayer wheels.

Tea:
Tea is grown in the east of Nepal , close to the border with India near Darjeeling where the finest Indian tea is grown. Ilam and Mai Valley are the best Nepalese brands.