Getting Around Kathmandu

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Kathmandu Airport is small but busy airport. I have travelled to Kathmandu by using different airlines including including Qatar, Etihad, Thai, and PIA but I found Qatar airlines to be the best. The airport is elegant and surrounded by the mountains.

I used Emirates from Johannesburg and connected with Flydubai from Dubai to Kathmandu.
If you take this option, you should have at least 3 hours connection time, as you have to be transferred to another terminal by bus.
We arrived around noon in Kathmandu, and had absolutely wonderful views of the Himalayas!

When I was preparing for my Nepal trip, I got into the dilemma of booking a domestic flight from KTM to Pokhara. None of the local airlines' websites had online booking and payment facilities, and if at all possible I didn't want to go through the hassles (and possibly greater expense) of booking only when I arrived there.

Lucky for me, I took in the tip of a VTer (into-thin-air) who recommended Nirmal Nakarmi , a local travel agent who booked me my plane ticket even before I got to see and pay him. He had his assistant deliver the ticket to my hotel, he only charged me the regular fare plus the taxi fare for his assistant.

Nirmal is the owner/manager of Himalayan Magic Adventures and he can help you arrange your travel needs within KTM and Nepal.

As he was recommended to me, so now I recommend him to you.

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We had no view of mountains on our way into Kathmandu but sat on the left side of the plane on our way out and got fantastic views of the Himalayas. Unfortunately we did not have a window seat but we still managed to get a couple of pictures. I suppose it is just a matter of luck on how clear or hazy it is when you fly.

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While in KATHMANDU, it is strongly recommended that one should take the famous Mountain Flight, which takes you to Everest and other famous peaks. It's a life time experience. Don't' miss it.

There are two to 8 flights operated in the morning depending on the no of passenger on a clear day. The first flight leaves from Domestic Airport at around 6.20Am Kathmandu time and the last one is at 7.45AM. There are two flights announced on at 6.45 and the other at 7.45 but they make extra trips if the no of passenger are more.

It costs USD$ 100 for this one hour long flight in a modern Beech craft turboprop 16 seater plane. Each person is guaranteed a window seat and with my experience I can only say every penny is worth of this money.

You can book the flight over phone to Buddha Air and also pay by credit card. They will deliver the ticket to your hotel and also bring the card punch manual machine. A real home delivery and nice way to win the customer. Please call Mr. Karn or Mr. Diwakar over mobile for any assistance!

They also give a certificate on return.

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My Kathmandu page will be incomplete, if I do not write about my experience in this Air India flight no IC 747. Last time the aircraft was old and the service was bad without any smile. But this time I was in for pleasant surprise. The aircraft IC 747 an Air Bus 320 was brand new fitted with 6 channel movie, GPS, nice clean sheet. The food was excellent though only vegetarian and given with smile. Not only this when I told the hostess that if she can provide me little more, she not only went to the business class and got me one more plate but she wanted to make sure if I am still hungry!

This is where the difference lies. On return too the aircraft was little old but the food was great with great service. Surly, The Air India flight to neighboring country has improved a lot.

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You can reach Nepal or Kathmandu in all three ways, by Road, by Rail upto Raxaul ( India border) or by Air Plane from Kolkata, Delhi, Bangkok, Singapore, Karachi, London, and many other destinations from Asia and Europe. Kathmandu airport though small but quite busy.
We travelled to and fro by air from Kolkata( Indian Airlines). For Indians no visa required but valid Indian ID such as Passport, PAN Card or Voter's ID is required. For other nationals valid Vias and Passport is required.

Indian Airlines operates daily flights except Friday to Kathmandu from Kolkata. Return Fare is Rs.10705/- per person 0r USD$ 220. There is a chance to get promo fare also if you book in advance using net. The Indian Airlies flight uses Airbus A320 and is quite efficient but the crew are from 40+ age group??? Food is just okey and they give only vegetarian food in this one hour flight. Reason, they have reduced the fare to remain competitive.
From Kolkata there is also direct train to Raxaul everyday. It takes about 14-16hrs from Howrah to Raxaul.

Sometimes, especially when working or studying or on an around the world you may want to ship some papers home. For this you do not use the postal system, it may not be reliable or fast enough. DHL is the thing, and they are well represented in Nepal. Even from town to town in Nepal you can use them. Expensive, naturally, but reliable.

Very conveniently, DHL has a Thamel office in addition to the country office up in Naya Baneshwor.