Pokhara Transportation

The trendy bars/shops and restaurants in Lakeside can only entertain for so long. If you like a bit of independence and have some time, hiring a motorbike/scooter is a great way to see the extremities of Pokhara, from Devi Falls in the south west, to the Gurkha Museum and Mahendra Bat Caves in the north.

There are a range of places hiring bikes, with the majority at the end of Manswara road which starts at the cross roads to the north end of Lakeside.

The most common bike is a Pulsar 180 which, if in good condition handles the road conditions well. The older ones can have clapped out gearboxes which cause them to drop out of gear so try and get a newish one (look for digital speedometers) They ride ok with a passenger and reach fast enough speeds for round town. c. 350NP (you will need to leave your passport or a deposit but no license is required)

Most of the smaller cc bikes use very little fuel and the rental places may try to convince you you need to buy more than necessary from them. Its cheaper to fill up at the garages in any case.

If you are a seasoned biker you may wish to check out Hearts and Tears (www.heartsandtears.com) next to the Busy Bee bar, who rent bigger bikes (they will want to see your license to provide proper insurance). There are also a few places renting Honda XL's and copies which would be my preference, particularly for longer journeys.

Watch out on the roads and take your time, fast filtering (or driving) is not expected, cows roam freely, the driving standards are sub par and road conditions are variable (bumpy). On the other hand there's few better ways to cool down on a hot day while taking in the sights, sounds and smells.

Pokhara Airport is located on the outskirts of Pokhara, but only a few minutes from the Lakeside or Pokhara Central. It is a small airport, but does have a rooftop restaurant to enjoy before departure.
As is the case with Kathmandu, flight delays are common, mostly due to fog or other weather conditions.
A taxi from Pokhara Airport to the hotel at the Lakeside, was NRs250.

Yeti Air is one of the many domestic airlines offering flights to different destinations in Nepal, and also offers ‘Mountain Flights’.
We flew to Pokhara with Yeti Airlines. The flight to Pokhara is only 22minutes (opposed to the 6-8 hours by bus).
If you do take this option, try to sit on the R side (window) for spectacular mountain views! (It is as R side as you are in your seat facing the cockpit). From Pokhara to Kathmandu - on the left side. On our way back, we were pushed and elbowed out of the way by a group of tourists from the East, giving no chance to get a seat. At least we had on the KTM - POK flight.
A return flight was around 90 US$, and flights are quite full

Pokhara airport is small and quite efficient. It has easy access from Lakeside and downtown (10 minutes), you pass two ticket/access checks prior to be let into the check-in counters. Easy to see/ask if your flight is ready to check in/delays etc. If seriously delayed, check in, security check your luggage and go upstairs to the rooftop cafe. Expensive prices for Nepal, but hey, a good way of waiting over a lemon soda or beer and snacks. When you see your plane is landing, proceed to security check and enter the departure hall. A bit confusing regarding what airline is departing, and lots of people pushing to get on what they think may be their flight, but it will sort itself out. It is a good idea to call your airline before your flight to find out if it is worth leaving the hotel or not!

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We decided to go to Pokara by Micro Bus as we wanted to travel with the locals in a comfortable way and also to learn about them. Let me tell you that these buses are not at all uncomfortable as said by the travel agents. We were told that the fare is Rs.900/- per pax in Nepali currency to Pokhara from Kathmandu. We paid only Rs.300/- in Micro Bus per head. And to our surprise we returned from Pokhara in Tourist Class bus by buying tickets from Dharma Inn by paying only Rs.350/- NC per head!!!!
One advise to fellow traveller, please try to buy your tickets from the company itself as the travel agents make huge money9 Comission) by selling the tickets for Bus or Air. I have seen travel agents give their own tickets and mention the bus no only.

Our experience in both the buses were excellent and we enjoyed the trip both ways.

For 390 rupees you can get to Pokhara with squashed knees and people who love to recline their seats as far as they can no matter how uncomfortable you are and they know it. I don't recommend this. It was an uncomfortable ride. The bus broke down part way. They used a lit candle to melt a rubber pipe so it would stay put, this was done whilst standing over the engine. There was water coming from the air vents. Don't do it unless you really have to.

Now this route was a perfect example as to how much deceiving a map can be to an ignorant westerner mind. A comparative analysis of the meaning of the word “highway” in Nepal seemed to indicate us that the distance to Tansen should be covered in between 2-3 hours, and that there are many buses leaving to Tansen all along the day, until late afternoon.

WRONG! It was winter time, and there were no buses leaving to Tansen after 5 pm. Nevertheless, “I have solution for you”…we were told by an old man selling tickets….”you take night bus to Tansen…leaves in one hour, at 7 p.m.”. What on earth can we do in Tansen in the middle of the night? “no, bus arrive early morning in Butwal…from there you catch bus to Tansen, veeery frequent”. This is how we arrived to a nightmarish ride….bus route Pokhara – Mulging – Narayangarh – Butwal, with the last 2 seats at the end of the bus (6 seats in a row in total), crowded like sardines in a cane with no space to move a single finger unless the whole row moved another finger, we began a 10 hours adventure on Nepali roads by night…with a decrepit bus barley holding pieces together…..bearing in mind the LP recommendation of “significant risk of accident” and “it’s uncommon to drive for more than one hour on any stretch of road without passing the burnt-out shell of a public bus crushed like tin foil into the canyon below”. Thanks god we had a 2 hours “sleep break” after midnight. The friend I was travelling with saw the bright side – “the only foreigner in the whole bus is a Japanese. He’s quite thin, his shoulder is pressing my ribs like hell, but I guess we can get some extra centimetres if I push him a little further against the window”. And so he did…

Once in Butwal, it was easy enough to jump in the first bus for Tansen, where we arrived on hour later for the price of 50 Nepali rupees.

The mountain road between Kathmandu and Pokhara is called “highway”, although it would not qualify not even as a secondary road as per other standards – average speed 30 kms/h.

Pokhara being a major town and a favourite week-end destination, there are many buses between the two, leaving before lunch. There maybe some night buses as well, but cannot be sure, better ask for yourself. Hence, we simply got up early morning and around 7 a.m. arrived in Kantipath, the road from where buses to Pokhara usually leave. We didn’t even manage to get our luggage off the rickshaw when a typical “quarrel” started among the locals, as to which bus should we take and who should leave first, thus taking us as well. Knowing it will not make any difference to us, we simply waited for the drivers to decide our faith, and in no time our luggage was up on the roof of some bus. Now the decision was clear enough, so we knew we should jump in that bus.

These being said, we arrived in Pokhara after 3 short stops and 5 1/2 hours later, for the price of 250 Nepali rupees each. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it?!