Nepal transport: domestic flights, tourist buses, taxis and monsoon roads

Fly or ride: the choice on each leg

Most Nepal trips come down to three transfers out of Kathmandu, and each has a short flight and a longer road option. Yeti Airlines gives Kathmandu to Pokhara as about 25 minutes. Plan the road journey as a full travel day.

For Chitwan, Buddha Air flies Kathmandu to Bharatpur in 25 minutes, and the Nepal Tourism Board puts Bharatpur 145 km from Kathmandu by road, with the park headquarters at Kasara another 21 km on. For Lumbini you fly to Bhairahawa: Yeti Airlines gives approximately 35 minutes. By road, the Lumbini Development Trust puts Kathmandu to Lumbini at approximately 280 km and around 10 to 11 hours by bus.

For an Everest trek, book a licensed trekking agency first and have it book the Lukla flight; then book the flights or buses between Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini. A trek leaves the least room for a missed day, and the rest of the trip can bend around it.

Domestic airlines, fares and baggage

Airlines serving the routes below include Yeti, Buddha Air, Tara Air and Summit Air. Yeti Airlines flies Kathmandu to Pokhara and Kathmandu to Bhairahawa. Buddha Air says it operates more than 17 daily flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara, 6 to Bharatpur and 8 to Bhairahawa. Tara Air flies to Lukla from Kathmandu and from Ramechhap, and Summit Air's booking form lists Kathmandu, Lukla, Pokhara and Ramechhap among its airports.

Yeti Airlines and Tara Air list USD fares for foreign nationals other than Indian and Nepali citizens; non-resident Indians also pay USD fares. Yeti offers NPR fares to non-resident Nepalis who present a valid Nepal-government NRN card, and has separate residential and refugee categories. Use the airline's booking page for the fare for your date; Yeti sells tickets on its website from anywhere in the world or by telephone with no booking fee.

Checked on 18 October 2026, Yeti's adult free baggage allowance on its USD fares is 30 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry on Super Flexi (N), 25 kg plus 5 kg on Flexi (Y) and 20 kg plus 5 kg on Flexi (G). Extra baggage on Kathmandu to Pokhara and Kathmandu to Bhairahawa costs NPR 150 per kilo, so 5 kg over the limit costs NPR 750. Tara Air's adult allowance is 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand carry. Children's allowances differ: check the airline's fare policy when booking.

For voluntary cancellations on Yeti's USD Super Flexi (N) and Flexi (Y) fares and Tara Air's USD fare, cancelling up to 12 hours before departure costs 10% of the base fare and up to 1 hour before costs 33.33%; a request inside check-in time is a no-show with no refund. Rescheduling has no change fee up to 1 hour before departure, though Yeti Flexi (Y) passengers pay any difference if the same fare category is unavailable. Yeti's USD Flexi (G) fare cancels at 50% of the total fare up to 12 hours before, and rescheduling costs USD 10 plus any fare difference if the same category is unavailable. Yeti and Tara Air state that passengers receive a full refund if the airline cancels. Yeti and Tara Air pay eligible refunds in the equivalent local currency, credit app or website tickets back to the same account and do not refund name, date or time change charges. Summit Air charges 10% of the fare for cancellation more than 24 hours before the flight and 33.33% on the day.

Check-in at Tribhuvan International Airport

Check your departure terminal with the airline before travelling to Tribhuvan International Airport. Yeti Airlines has no web check-in for domestic flights and asks passengers to report to the airport at least one hour before departure; Tara Air gives the same one hour at its counter. Carry the passport you booked with, since Yeti checks your nationality against it at check-in.

If a domestic flight connects to an international one, Yeti recommends at least 7 to 8 hours between them and says domestic airlines do not compensate passengers who miss an international flight through weather or air-traffic delays. On 15 September 2026 France's foreign ministry said works at the airport have partly closed it and may affect bookings on arrival or departure, so check your flight with the airline before you travel.

Weather delays and the airline safety lists

The UK government says no Nepali airline currently meets international safety standards and that all are on the UK Air Safety List, which bans them from operating commercial air services to or from the UK. Germany's Federal Foreign Office says all Nepali airlines are on the EU list of unsafe airlines and that air traffic does not meet European safety standards.

The UK government also says internal flights in high mountain areas can be delayed by poor weather and that cancellations are common, and it advises carrying enough funds for delays in remote areas, where cash machines may not work. France Diplomatie urges trekkers to leave as long a gap as possible between the end of a trek and the international flight. Add buffer days at both ends of any mountain flight. The Nepal Meteorological Department's toll-free number 1155 gives extreme-weather and flood information: press 1 for the forecast and 2 for flood early warning.

Lukla: from Kathmandu or from Ramechhap

Tara Air flies to Lukla both from Kathmandu (KTM-LUA) and from Ramechhap (RHP-LUA), and says the sector on your ticket shows which airport you leave from; with an RHP-LUA ticket you make your own way to Manthali Airport.

Summit Air says Ramechhap, served by Manthali Airport, can be reached only by road, a four hours' drive from Kathmandu, and that in its high seasons, March to April and October to December, all the flights to Lukla are rerouted there to avoid delays and backlogs. Transfer in daylight and sleep near Manthali before the flight. Check the road is open with your agency before leaving; if the transfer cannot run, postpone the flight.

A Lukla ticket is the one booking in this guide that the rest of a trek depends on, so choose a flexible fare and read the cancellation terms above. The trek itself, its permits and the days to allow are in the Everest Base Camp trek guide.

Kathmandu to Pokhara by tourist bus

The Nepal Tourism Board says intercity tourist buses to Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini leave from Kantipath in Kathmandu. Tourist-bus operators and fares are not listed on that page; check both when booking. Have the final boarding point written on your ticket.

Plan the Kathmandu to Pokhara road journey as a full travel day.

Take a marked tourist bus, travel by day and arrive before dark; this holds for every road leg in this guide. The UK government says bus accidents are common in Nepal, advises against overloaded or overcrowded buses and against travelling at night, and adds that tourist buses usually offer a higher standard of comfort and safety. Germany's Federal Foreign Office tells travellers to use only marked tourist buses.

Chitwan and Lumbini: air or road

To Chitwan, Buddha Air flies from Kathmandu to Bharatpur 6 times a day. By road, the tourism board's tourist buses serve Chitwan; treat the ride as most of a day on a tourist bus by day, check the road is open, and fly if it is shut. The Chitwan guide names the lodge town and the park fees.

Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA) is at Bhairahawa, which Yeti Airlines flies to every day from Kathmandu and Buddha Air 8 times a day. The tourism board says regular buses run from Bhairahawa to Lumbini, 22 km away, and that taxis are available at Bhairahawa. The Lumbini Development Trust lists Kathmandu bus departures at 7 am and 7 pm, with tickets at about NPR 1,500 to 2,000, checked on 18 October 2026; use a road service only if it can complete the journey before dark; otherwise fly or change the plan. See the Lumbini guide for the sights.

Between Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini

Most routes in this edition run Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan, and some go on to Lumbini. Buddha Air flies Pokhara to Bharatpur once a day in 20 minutes and Pokhara to Bhairahawa once a day in 20 minutes. A cancellation can disrupt the onward plan; use a road transfer only if it is open and can run in daylight, or stay another night and change the booking. Buddha Air marks Bharatpur to Bhairahawa as temporarily suspended, so plan Chitwan to Lumbini by road and hold the plan if the road is closed.

For a road transfer between the hubs, check the road is open and leave early enough to arrive before dark.

From Pokhara, Tara Air also flies to Jomsom in the Mustang district, and says the flight takes 15 to 20 minutes and leaves early in the morning to avoid the strong midday winds.

Roads in the monsoon and the flood districts

The monsoon runs from June to September. The Nepal Tourism Board supplies that climate window; the UK government gives June to October as the season when travel can be hazardous, with floods and landslides making roads impassable and cutting off towns for days. Germany's Federal Foreign Office says floods regularly leave roads impassable, especially the larger roads around the Kathmandu Valley, and that short-notice road closures and local night driving bans can occur; France Diplomatie says road, phone and internet links can be cut for several days.

The UK government, checked on 17 October 2026, listed areas of Gorkha, Nuwakot and Dhading among those affected by the floods of 26 August 2026 and warned that heavy rain could trigger more landslides. Check the day before that your road is open and keep a flight as a possible fallback; if neither can run, stay put and change the plan.

For the state of the road on the day, call the Tourist Police on 1144 or ask your hotel or the bus operator. These are the UK, German and French governments' warnings; other governments may draw a wider line, so check your own government's advice before you travel.

Taxis, Pathao, inDrive and city buses in Kathmandu

The Nepal Tourism Board says you can hail a taxi, recognised by the taxi sign on top and a black licence plate, that private taxis charge higher rates, and that no tip is expected. Its FAQ says the cities have metered taxis, so ask for the meter or agree the fare before you set off. Use an authorised tourist vehicle and note its number, following the board's tourist-safety advice; make road journeys in daylight.

Pathao lists its car service for the Kathmandu Valley: choose Car in the app, set the pickup and destination and wait for the driver. inDrive's Nepal page names Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bharatpur among the cities where you can book a ride, and you set your own fare in the app. Outside the valley, use flights, tourist buses, or a car or jeep with a driver, which the tourism board says can be hired exclusively or on a cost-sharing basis; a travel agent or your hotel can arrange one.

The green Sajha buses, which the tourism board calls government-run and Sajha Yatayat describes as a cooperative, follow the main north-south and east-west roads of the valley and stop only at designated stops, and the board lists battery-run three-wheelers and rickshaws, the latter best for the old city. Sights, fees and day trips are in the Kathmandu guide.

From the airport to your bed

Outside the terminal, a prepaid taxi service is available, and taxi drivers, travel agents and hoteliers wait to offer rides. No fare or road distance to Thamel is published, so ask the fare at the counter before you pay, or have your hotel send a car. The other choices are a taxi with the roof sign and black plate, or a Pathao or inDrive ride, which inDrive says you can book through its app on arrival. In Pokhara, the Pokhara guide covers the airport and the ride to Lakeside.

If you want a local SIM card, the tourism board advises bringing an extra passport photo to the arrival halls. Visas, arrival forms and money are covered in the guide to entering Nepal.

Leaving overland: India yes, China no

Germany's Federal Foreign Office says foreigners can travel on to India by land only at Sonauli/Belahiya (Bhairawa) and Raxaul/Birgunj, and that a crossing can close at short notice without warning. No route in this edition depends on a land crossing; check your own government's advice and India's entry rules before you plan one, and see the entry guide for Nepal's visa points.

Germany also says foreigners cannot currently enter China overland from Nepal, and the UK government reports that the 26 August 2026 flood severely damaged roads, transport and communications in Rasuwa district and the Nepal-China border area; Germany tells travellers to avoid the Rasuwa disaster area. To go on to China, fly from Kathmandu.