How to reach Nepal from India

How to reach Nepal from India

Travelling to Nepal from India is an exciting journey either via flight or via road. If you chose to go via air, you could catch brilliant mountain views before landing at the airport in Nepal.

Similarly, if you decided to travel via road, you can see some of the greatest cities and the beautiful countryside villages of both countries, India and Nepal.

To make it easier for you to plan your trip, we wrote this blog with a complete guide on how to reach Nepal from India. We mentioned all the possible ways to go Kathmandu from any of the cities of India.

You have to choose a route depending on how much money you’re going to spend to reach there. Scroll down, read all the ways, and select a suitable option for you by keeping your budget and travel comfort in mind.

Contents

Reaching Nepal by Air

Tribhuwan International Airport in NepalGoing to Nepal by air is a quick and comfortable option. As of now, Nepal has only one international airport at Kathmandu, which is Tribhuwan International Airport.

Many airlines operate a daily flight to Nepal from major Indian cities. Indian Airlines, such as Jet Airways, Indigo, and Air India, are some of the airlines that operate a daily flight to Kathmandu.

Also, other international airlines connect Nepal to other countries. Some of them are Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airlines, Oman Airlines, Air China, Air Asia, Silk Air, Fly Dubai, and Air Arabia.

Likewise, some of Nepal’s airline companies also operate a flight from major Indian cities to Kathmandu; some of them are Buddha airways and Nepal airlines.

You can compare the flight fare and choose one to easily reach Nepal via air within a few hours from India.

Major cities like Delhi Mumbai and Kolkatta are a popular destination to catch a flight to Kathmandu Nepal.

If you are travelling from any of the other places, you need to take a stopover flight. It takes a few hours more, but it would be cheaper than direct ones.

Flight Details from India to Nepal

from to flight fare duration flight days
Delhi Kathmandu$651 Hour and 40 minutesnumerous flights a day
Mumbai Kathmandu$852 Hour and 30 minutes3 Flight a day
Kolkatta Kathmandu$971 Hour and 30 minutes4 Days in a week

Note: There is also a connecting flight to Kathmandu from Kolkatta through Dhaka, which takes 4 hours 10 minutes with Biman Airlines that runs daily.

Things to keep in mind while going India to Nepal via air

  • Indian residents don’t need a visa to enter Nepal. However, if traveling by air, Indian nationals need to show an original passport or Voter ID when checking in at the airport. Aadhar Card is not a satisfying form of identification. So make sure to bring either a valid passport or voter ID card.
  • Foreigners can book a ticket to Nepal and travel with the original passport, and they can obtain a Nepali tourist visa on arrival at the airport in Kathmandu. You must have a valid Passport. You can also apply for a tourist Visa online or an immigration office in India or your home country.

Reaching Nepal by Road

Going to Nepal from India by Road is also very popular and more accessible by a hired car or cab from India or local transportations. It is a recommended option to come to Nepal to reduce group travel costs.

Crossing the border requires you to pay a transportation fee. Always collect the receipts and keep safe, since they can be asked for at any checkpoint along the way.

While talking about India to Nepal by road, there are six borders between Nepal and India, which is possible to cross to visit both countries.  Those six borders are Sunauli, Raxaul, Panitanki, Banbasa, Nepalgunj, and Dhangadhi. We will talk about how to reach Nepal from India using those borders in detail below.

Reaching Nepal from India by Bus

As we mentioned all possible borders crossing points above, we will talk about how to reach Nepal from India by using local buses here.

Direct Buses from India to Nepal

From Varanasi and New Delhi, there are direct buses to Kathmandu. It takes you to Nepal via the Sunauli-Bhairahawa border. From Delhi, it takes around 25 hours to reach Kathmandu while from Varanasi, it’s quite near and takes around 15 hours. The deluxe tourist standard buses cost about $35 and $20, respectively.

Information to reach the border and travel from their

Borders between Nepal and IndiaNepal via the Sunauli border

Nepal and India Sunauli borderThis is the most significant and busiest India-Nepal border crossing. Most of the peoples going to Nepal from India will cross via this border. For travellers coming from Delhi or Varanasi of India, the most nearby border is in Sunauli.

You can find public and private buses to go to major tourist cities of Nepal Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Lumbini. It is around 270 km and takes eight hours to reach Sunauli to Kathmandu. Sunauli to Kathmandu tourist standard deluxe public bus costs $8.

For more information to reach Sunauli border

Nepal via the Raxaul border

India to Nepal via the Raxaul border
image credit: LostWithPurpose

Raxual is another famous border to cross Nepal. It is possible to come to this border via Patna route from India, which leads you to Birgunj in Nepal side. Those coming from West Bengal or Bihar can use this border because it’s near there.

It is around 145km and takes six hours to reach Birgunj to Kathmandu. From here also you can find direct buses to Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan. Birgunj to Kathmandu tourist standard deluxe public bus costs $8.

Nepal via the Panitanki border

Nepal from India via the Panitanki border
image credit: Pravezish

Another frequent crossing point is the Panitanki border. If you’re travelling from the cities of North East India like Gangtok or Sikkim, You can cross the Panitanki border to go to Nepal.

It is around 450 km and takes eleven hours to reach Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu. From here also you can find direct buses to Kathmandu Pokhara and Chitwan. Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu tourist standard deluxe public bus costs $15.

For more information to reach Panitanki border

Nepal via the Banbasa border

Nepal via the Banbasa border
image credit: WeTravelLikeThis

Banbasa is another popular route to go to Nepal. If you’re planning to go Nepal from the Delhi and Uttarakhand side, you can cross this border to Nepal to reach. After crossing the border, you will reach a place called Bhimdatta of Nepal.

It is around 710km and takes sixteen hours to reach Mahendranagar (Bhimdatta) to Kathmandu. From here also you can find direct buses to Kathmandu Pokhara and Chitwan. Bhimdatta to Kathmandu tourist standard deluxe public bus costs $28.

For more information to reach Banbasa border

Nepal via other borders

Nepalgunj India Nepal Border
image credit: MyRepublica

Two other border junction points are from Jamunaha and Gauriphanta in Uttar Pradesh, leading you to Nepal to Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi. These two borders are also open to tourists. However, they’re less famous, far from popular cities and rarely used.

Non- official border crossings from other places don’t allow travellers especially foreign tourists, to enter Nepal.

Reaching Nepal by train

Since the train is the most common mode of transportation in India, most of all Indians ask us how to reach Nepal from India by train. Unfortunately, there are no direct public train services to go to Nepal from India.

But you can catch a train to Gorakhpur (India) from your current location. Gorakhpur is near to the Sunauli border of Nepal. And from Sunauli, you can take a public bus to reach Kathmandu or your desired place. From Sunauli to Kathmandu is around eight hours of the drive.

Reaching Nepal by water

Nepal is a landlocked country bordered with India and China. It doesn’t have water transportation connected with India. It is impossible to go from India to Nepal using water transportation like Ships and boats.

Conclusion

I hope this article gave you complete information on how to reach Nepal from India. If you still have any confusion, you can feel free to leave a comment below.

You can also contact us to discuss the best route you can take for your Nepal tour.

About Author

Sudeep is a co-founder of Up To Himalaya. He has trekked almost all mountains in Nepal including Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga & many more. He would love to help people to make their holiday unforgettable by sharing his own experiences on the Himalayas of Nepal. If you want any information related to different trekking trails of Nepal while planning your trip, You can directly contact him on +977-9817223143.

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