Kathmandu City Guide - Getting There By Road

Nepal is connected by road to India and Tibet in China but few people attempt to enter Nepal with their own vehicles. There are three major highways in Nepal - the Tribhuvan Highway, which connects Kathmandu to Birganj on the Indian border, the Arniko Highway, which connects Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet, and the Mahendra Highway, which runs east-west across the Terai. Most other roads are unsealed and road travel is often disrupted during the monsoon. Travelling by road in Nepal is a chaotic experience; few people obey traffic rules and most drivers prefer to use the horn rather than the brakes. Self-drive car hire is non-existent, but many visitors hire a car and driver for longer road trips.

Emergency breakdown service: None.

Coach services: Long-distance bus services operate from Gongbu bus station (Kathmandu bus station; tel: (01) 435 3030), just off the Ring Road in the north of Kathmandu. A number of private companies run comfortable air-conditioned 'tourist buses' from central Kathmandu to Pokhara, Lumbini and Chitwan National Park. Try Greenline (tel: (01) 425 7544; website: www.catmando.com/greenline), Blue Sky Tours and Travel (tel: (01) 441 1322; website: www.blue-sky-tours.com) or Golden Travels (tel: (01) 422 0036) in the Woodlands Complex on Durbar Marg. The Sajha Yatayat Bus Company (tel: (01) 555 2680) bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa was suspended in 2006, but it could restart at any time.