Getting Around Nepal

2013 update – Taxi prices have again gone up a little – This March I paid 500NPR ($6) from the airport to Thamel, I walked into the car-park opposite the main entrance ignoring all the taxi touts and negotiated the price direct with the driver and it was Easy, The driver was Happy and so was I !!

I Thought that it would be Useful for Travelers arriving in Kathmandu Tribuvan Airport to know the going rate for a taxi into Thamel
Maximum of 200 NPR as of March 2007
Then when you have agreed your fare tell the driver that he must stay in the taxi when you get to your chosen hotel – Otherwise he may well tell the hotel / guesthouse owner that he “Brought” you there and claim commission – Then the price of your room WILL go UP !!

2008 - Fuel prices are on the up in Nepal. March 2008 a litre of petrol was anything between 80 NPR and 100 NPR. So this obviously effects the price that you will pay.
Typically a taxi will now cost 250 / 300 NPR

2010 Update - Again things have gone up and now you should expect to pay around about 300 / 350 NPR, If you have just arrived and haven’t changed your money yet don’t worry as a $5 bill is equally acceptable

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If you have just read the above tip you will be able to see why I didn't fancy catching the bus from Kathmandu to Dunche for my latest trek in Langtang – Well not both ways !!

So I decided to splash out and go by Toyota Landcruiser, As usual I got my friend Nirmal at HMA to organise the hiring of one and as I had 2 other trekking companions to split the cost with it wasn't too expensive. To cut the costs down further I also placed a posting on here and Lonely Planet Thorntree's and got one other person, so we had four westerners + our Nepali “Staff” (3).
The vehicle that Nirmal found us was Great, The Driver. Hari was competent and the journey went as smoothly as the road allowed and was a Much more Pleasant experience than the bus of 10 years before – and NO the road wasn't any better !!

Cost in Spring 2010 was $150 inc so split four ways hardly excessive – I would recommend Anyone thinking of trekking in Langtang to opt for the same mode of transport, at least on your outward journey !!

The cheapest way to get from London to Kathmandu is If you can be flexible with your dates to book an easyjet flight from London to Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen Airport and from there a flight with Air Arabia to Riyadh and from there to Kathmandu – Prices start at around £400 Return Inc of all taxes !!!!

The next Cheapest is by finding a cheap ticket to Delhi and then from there up to Kathmandu.

Then there are various other routes, the most popular and hassle free ones are via the Gulf with airlines like Qatar, Etihad and Gulf.

Good Luck and Happy Flying
Rob

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When you arrive in Kathmandu you will see that there are literally thousands of travel agencies to pick from !! Most Hotels run there own little travel agency too !!
My Recommendation would be to go and See Nirmal Nakarmi at "Himalayan Magic Adventures" He can sort anything out from a Bus Ticket (including direct busses to India) to an Air Ticket -- both national and international. Rafting trips (using his own rafts and experienced rafting guides) Overland Trips to Tibet, Guided Treks and Packages to Sauraha for Royal Chitwan National park. + many other things.
Nirmal is a Gentleman and is 100% Trustworthy -- I have personally known him for fourteen years and ALWAYS use his services when visiting Nepal (Now seven times)
Nirmal has the VERY BEST Recommendation from Me !!!

Once again, on this my 7th trip to Nepal in 2008 I again used Nirmal and " Himalayan Magic Adventures " for All my internal travel requirements including a fully supported trek to Upper Mustang, Again he gave me the Best Possible deal. Like Many other travel agencies in Nepal he has suffered because of the general downturn in Tourism but I am Very Pleased to say that, at least for now he is still surviving :-)
The latest news is that Nirmal now has an email address, I have tried to talk him into this for a few years now and am Pleased to say that he has now taken my advice – I Just hope that he keeps checking it ;-)

2010 Update - I used Nirmal' services again for this trip, These included
Hiring a Toyota Landcruiser to transport us in comfort from Kathmandu to Dunche.
Hiring a Good Porter Guide (Two treks, Langtang and then Helambu)
TIM's Permits
Tailor made 5 night Bardia package including flight and car hire.
Pokhara hotel and fight.
Overnight stay in Bhaktapur including return transport.
Stay at The Nepalaya Hotel in Kathmandu (Good Discount on web prices)

2012 update
Nirmal organised me my Arun Valley and EBC Trek including overland transportation by 4x4 to Tumlingtar, Guide and Porters, all permits and Lukla flight back to Kathmandu – It all worked out exceptionally well and as usual, I can give Nirmal the Very Best of Recommendations

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On my 2012 trip to Nepal I changed factories for my Pro-Tectorenterprise and had to find a new shipping agent to get my order back to the UK

I Chose Euresia Export and Cargo Pvt.Ltd (Worldwide Cargo Forwarder) who are based in Thamel in Kathmandu.

Ram the owner is a really nice guy and can arrange shipment of packages from Nepal to most destinations – This might well come in handy for visitors to Nepal who want to send a package home, or someone like myself who needs larger orders processed.

Euresia Export and Cargo offers a Varity of services including Air Cargo, Air/Sea Mail. Freight Forwarding, Land/Sea Cargo, Custom Clearance, and Documentation, Packing and Moving.
His prices are fair and his service is reliable so if you are looking for an export agent for either a large or a small order then go and see ram – You won’t be disappointed.

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Since july 2012 Malaysian budget airline Air Asia has been flying cheaply between Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu and they are worth having a look at if you are coming from South East Asia and want to go to Kathmandu.
Air asia is a no thrills budget airline, but they are opne of the best budget airlines in the world and actually quite nice flying.
So have a look at their website for any special deals if you plan to head to nepal from South East Asia.

If you are trekking in the Everest region and want to start your trek in Jiri then the only practical way of doing this is by local bus. Jiri is approximately ten hours bus ride from Kathmandu. A new road is under construction to Salleri, the district headquarters, but this will probably be complete for another five years at least.
I don’t know the current price of the bus ticket but suspect that it will be around 250NPR
Buses to Jiri currently leave from the old bus park in central Kathmandu.

If there is a large group of you then you can again consider hiring a minibus but other than that you are stuck with the local bus !!

2012 update
The road now goes as far as Bhandar but busses only go as far as Shivalaya – Still, if you are on a tight timeframe this saves you ½ days trekking from / to Jiri – There is at least one daily direct but to / from Kathmandu from / to Shivalaya

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More and more people now fly both into and back out from Lukla when trekking Everest Base Camp / Kala Pattar , The big advantage of this is that you can then do the EBC trek in around 14 days.
There are several airlines flying the route, Yeti, Gorkha and Nepal Airlines (Formally Royal Air Nepal) to name three,
Personally I would go with either Yeti or Gorkha as Nepal Airlines has a reputation for being unreliable !!
You can Reserve your flight at a Thamel travel agent like HMA and pay for the air-ticket when you arrive in Nepal or book your flights on-line, If you are trekking in the high season I would recommend that you do this, It is also advisable to book your return flight, leave yourself plenty of time to complete your trek comfortably when you do this as when you get back to Namche Bazaar you can telephone Lukla and try and bring your flight forward if you are ahead of schedule, as long as there is availability of seats then you will be able to fly out earlier, if there is no availability of seats you can have a couple of extra days around Namche which is a Lot nicer place to stay than Lukla !!
Also if you are running late, Again you phone the airline office and reschedule your flights for the next available flight with spare seats.

2012 update - Tips for flying out of Lukla

1) I always try to arrive in Lukla around Mid-Day / Early afternoon the day before I am flying
2) I choose to stay at “The Sunrise Lodge” as the lodge owner has a certain amount of “Power” with the airlines
3) When the airline office opens myself accompanied by the lodge owner make our way down to the airline office to ensure that my name is on the list
4) The next morning I head to the airport early, the lodge owner is at the check-in desk, I pay my 200NPR departure tax, my luggage is weighed and I am issued with a boarding pass.
5) As long as the aircraft arrives I fly

There are many things that can go wrong at Lukla, the most common of these are flight cancellations due to bad weather (Either at Kathmandu or at Lukla – Lukla might have clear blue skies but there might be fog in Kathmandu and visa versa)
Backlogs soon build up and when this happens Lukla soon descends into Pandemonium with the guides in charge of the large groups exerting pressure on airlines to try and ensure that their group flies as soon as possible, and at the same time individual trekkers trying to bribe officials.
Therefore most experienced trekkers allow several buffer days to try to cover this eventuality and in the worst-case scenario walk out to Jiri to avoid missing their international flight home.
It is unlikely that things will improve in the future as Lukla can only take small planes, the weather will always be unpredictable and because of the recent air crashes in Nepal airlines are now a little more cautious than they used to be.