Getting
in to Nepal:
How do I get to Nepal?
In order to fly directly to Nepal from your home country,
Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu is the
only international airport in Nepal. TIA has direct air
link with Osaka, Shanghai, London, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Bangkok, Malaysia, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bhutan, Dubai, Dhaka,
Lhasa, Banglore, Delhi, Amsterdam, Bombay, Calcutta and
Varanasi. Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC), Air India, Jet Air,
Saraha Air, Austrian Airlines, Thai Air, Qatar Airlines,
Gulf Air, Biman Bangladesh, Pakistan Airlines, China South
Airlines and Druk Air are the airlines that carry most of
the foreign travelers into Kathmandu; and if you buy tickets
from any other airlines, you will probably connect with
one of these airlines for the final leg of your flight.
What are my options to come to Nepal from India?
You can fly between Delhi and Kathmandu for about $150 with
RNAC or Air India, Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines. However,
note that Delhi-Kathmandu-Delhi flight is very busy and
without proper reservations can be booked weeks in advance.
Make your reservations and buy your ticket well in advance.
Alternatively, you can travel overland to Nepal from India.
Buses are usually the quickest and easiest form of transport
for this. There are three main crossing points: Sunauli-Bhairawa,
Birgunj -Raxaul and Kakarbhitta-Silguri. The Sunauli border
crossing is the best one from Varanasi, the Birgunj crossing
is the easiest from Calcutta; and Kakarbhitta is the best
crossing from Darjeeling. These trips can be quite long
and stressful, both in terms of time (it takes about two
days and nights) and what you may go through during the
trip (with tickets, safety, weather, border harassment etc).
Not recommended for those people who want to have carefree
traveling.
What about getting to Nepal from Tibet?
The crossing between Nepal and Tibet via Kodari is only
open to organized groups but not to individual travelers
heading north. Be prepared with alternative plans if you're
thinking about using this route, because landslides regularly
make it impassable during the monsoon.
