Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal; likewise, Pokhara is the most famous tourist destination in Nepal. Pokhara is also renowned for the name of adventure city of Nepal.
It’s because of being a getaway of treks in the Annapurna region. Adventure activities such as trekking, tour, Paragliding, Hot air ballooning can be done in Pokhara. So, how to reach Kathmandu to Pokhara to access these activities?
Kathmandu to Pokhara is not a long journey; it’s just about 205 km. In this article, I am going to share various ways to reach Kathmandu to Pokhara.
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Kathmandu to Pokhara By Road
As I already said Kathmandu to Pokhara is just about 205 km by road. Kathmandu to Pokhara by road will give you the opportunity to see beautiful countryside villages of Nepal as well as Nepali traffic jam too.
The benefit of going Kathmandu to Pokhara by road is it will be far cheaper than flights. Here is the various way to go Kathmandu to Pokhara by road.
Kathmandu to Pokhara By Private vehicle
Going Pokhara by Private vehicle is the best idea for those who are in a group & ready to share the cost. The benefit of hiring a private vehicle is you don’t need to wake up early at 6 AM to catch the regular tourist bus. And also you can stop wherever you want to eat lunch or for using restrooms.
A private vehicle will not stop at a place to take other passengers so that you will reach places on time. Roughly it will take around just 6 hours to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu if there are no traffic jams.
Where and how to book a private vehicle in Nepal to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu?
There are lots of travel agencies in Kathmandu they all can arrange Private vehicle to go Pokhara. I recommend you to visit at least five different travel agencies to get the best possible price.
Alternatively, you can directly ask with just a vehicle service providers too because from them you will get middle man free price if you directly book with them.
Here are some of the vehicle service providers in Kathmandu
1. Smile Car Rental
2. Overland Tours & Vehicle Service
3. Lama Tours Vehicle Service
How much will it cost to hire a private vehicle to go Kathmandu to Pokhara?
We all know that booking two-way transportation will be cheaper if you are going Pokhara for just a day or sightseeing around Pokhara only. Because the driver also doesn’t need to be back to Kathmandu without a passenger. You can book both way transportation by adding just a few more price on a one-way cost.
Here I m going to mention the price for both one way and two-way cost to go Pokhara from Kathmandu by car, jeep, taxi, Hiace or even big Tourist Bus.
| Vehicle Type | One-way price | Both way price | No of people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car | $ 85 | $ 105 | 3 |
| Jeep | $ 140 | $ 170 | 6 |
| Taxi | $ 75 | $ 90 | 3 |
| Hiace | $ 180 | $ 220 | 14 |
| Tourist Bus | $ 350 | $ 420 | 32 |
Note: The both way price will be applied only for the traveler visiting Pokhara for one day. That means going today and returning tomorrow.
Kathmandu to Pokhara By Regular Tourist Bus
The regular tourist buses to go Pokhara from Kathmandu will leave from Kaldhara/Shorekhutte (near Thamel) at 7 am and also at 7 PM for night travelers from Balaju(20 minutes walking destination from Thamel).
The tourist bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara will go from the route, Sorakhutte – Balaju – Swayambhu – Kalanki. You can catch the bus from the handy en-route location.
Note: There will be lots of buses during the morning but only a few during the evening.
Tourist bus doesn’t mean there will be no local people. There will be some local Nepali peoples too, but they are well educated and are also traveling like a tourist, they won’t disturb you.
Tourist bus will have decent English speaking conductors with whom you can ask about the places or anything. The bus will be comfortable with 4*4 folding seats. Some buses have bathrooms also, and some will provide you buffet lunch and travel insurance too. The cost will vary.
Roughly it will take around just 7 hours to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu by Tourist bus if there are no traffic jams.
Where to buy a Tourist bus ticket to go Pokhara from Kathmandu?
It is not necessary to buy a Tourist ticket before, but during the peak season sometimes there will be hard to find a nice bus with the seat.
Most of all tourist buses will provide you a bottle of water, air conditioning, on board WiFi, charging slots for free.
How much will it cost for a Tourist bus to go Pokhara from Kathmandu?
If you buy a ticket with travel agencies or trekking agencies, they may charge you around $ 8 or maybe more. Buy a ticket directly with tourist bus service providers. The cost will vary depending upon the facilities of the bus.
Here is the cost of Normal, medium & high tourist buses with facilities
| Bus Type | Cost per Traveller | Facilities | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | $ 7 or NPR 700 | Air-condition, 4*4 folding seat, WiFi & a bathroom. | A bottle of Mineral water, |
| Luxurious | $ 25 or NPR 2500 | Fully air-conditioned coaches, on board WiFi, Bathroom, Non-slippery fabric seat | A bottle of Mineral water, Buffet Lunch at Riverside Spring Resort, Insurance coverage of NPR 500,000 |
The night tourist bus will be a bit expensive than a day once and cost around $10 or 1,000 NPR for Normal facilities bus with Bathrooms.
Normal Tourist Buses to go Pokhara from Kathmandu
Mountain Overland Travels & Tour
Global Vacation Travel & Tours
Luxurious Tourist Bus to go Pokhara from Kathmandu
Greenline Tours ( Most Recommended)
Kathmandu to Pokhara By Public Bus
Public buses are the cheapest option to go Kathmandu to Pokhara. You can go either by a full-size bus or a smaller Hiace/microbus. They leave around every half an hour throughout the day.
And the local buses will leave from Nepali Local New bus park (Gongabu Buspark). You can also catch a bus at Balaju(near Shorekhutte and Thamel).
Public buses will carry local passengers and sometimes wait long with the hope of getting more passengers. But it will be around the same time that the Public bus and Tourist bus will reach Pokhara. It’s because of Tourist bus drivers will drive with more care, and they hardly overtake another vehicle on the road.
Public buses are also less comfortable than tourist buses, with no air conditioning, old seats, loud music and usually people standing in front of you.
It’s only really worth taking a public bus if you’re on a minimal budget, or you lose the early morning Tourist bus.
Roughly it will take around just 7 hours to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu by Public bus if there are no traffic jams.
Where to buy Public bus ticket to go Pokhara from Kathmandu?
It’s not necessary to buy tickets for Public buses you can catch the bus and pay the fare. But booking a ticket in advance will gives you the opportunity to choose a seat and even a bus. If possible choose a deluxe good looking bus with no bad smells inside.
Public buses will leave from Gongabu New bus park; you can go there to book a ticket. You can take a public bus from Shorekhutte to reach New bus park and cost you just 20NPR.
How much will it cost to go Pokhara from Kathmandu by Public Bus?
The bus will cost you around USD 5(NPR 550) to reach Pokhara, and the smaller Microbus will require you around USD 5(NPR 650) to reach Pokhara.
Kathmandu to Pokhara By 30 minutes Domestic Regular Flight
The most comfortable & luxurious way to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu is by taking a 30 minutes domestic flight. Each day more than five flights will fly from Tribhuvan Internation Airport to Pokhara Airport. Flight is the best option for those who have fewer days of holiday and also for those who are not in a budget limit. Thirty minutes of scenic flight will also give you the opportunity to see the Himalayas without even starting to trek.
How much Kathmandu to Pokhara flight cost?
As we all know flight fare will change frequently. So it does not fare to say the exact cost, but it would be around $124 for one way. The flight fare will decrease during off seasons in Nepal that means the less popular season for trekking which is Summer and Winter season.
Note: Booking both way flight at once will be cheaper, but they will charge extra if you have to postpone the day to fly back later.
Where & How to book your flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu?
If you are visiting Nepal by buying some travel or trekking packages, then it would be better to request your travel planner to add flight cost too on a trip cost because it will be hassle-free for you and I bet they wont take any profits from flight cost because they are already taking on a trip.
If you are going to do trek individual or visiting Pokhara without booking any trip, then I recommend you to book your flight with either Buddha Air or with Yeti Air because they have regular flights every day & less chance of being a delay.
How can I book a cheap Kathmandu to Pokhara flight?
I am not sure, and I haven’t tried till now, but it’s a good idea to check at least once on Nepflights, and Nepalcheapflights because I heard that sometimes they would leave cheap fares on domestic flights.
Kathmandu to Pokhara By Bike
Not all have the same choices; I have seen some bikers who had traveled around six months regularly on a bike. It is also the same road to go Kathmandu to Pokhara for bikers too.
And it takes around 6 hours to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu on a motorbike. You don’t have a bike no worry you can hire it in Kathmandu too.
Where to hire Bike in Kathmandu?
You can hire a bike in Thamel, Kathmandu. There are numerous places to hire a bike in Kathmandu, but I would recommend you to hire with B.S Motorbike. They will offer you the best prices for hiring different motorbikes as well as mountain bikes too.
What do I need to hire a bike?
Your passport and visa is necessary to hire a bike in Kathmandu. You can deposit your original national ID of your country to hire a bike in Nepal; if you don’t have any valid IDs, then You need to deposit some amount of money which you will get later after your trip complete that means when you returned the bike.
How much does a motorcycle hire cost in Kathmandu?
Hiring motorcycle will cost vary depending upon your choice on a motorbike. Bikes such as Tornado, CRF will require higher than the regular bikes like Pulsar, FZ, etc.
It will cost around $20 per day per bike. You can browse the prices of the hiring bikes in Kathmandu by the model of bikes here. Please keep in mind that vehicle hire cost will not include petrol cost & other expenses.
Conclusion
Above all the possible ways that I had explained to go Kathmandu to Pokhara, I recommend you to go by flight if you have a reasonable budget. Also, you can hire a private vehicle if you are in a group. If not you can go on a Normal tourist standard bus.
