GETTING TO AND AROUND NEPAL

The following airlines serve Nepal from Europe, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Australia, and North America:

Flight to Nepal

Air Arabia from the Gulf; Air Asia, a budget carrier, flies from Kuala Lumpur; Air India via Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), and Varanasi; Arke Fly is a seasonal charter service from Europe. Bangladesh Biman for budget travelers with time to kill via Dhaka Chinese airlines link Kathmandu with Lhasa, Chengdu, Kunming, and Guangzhou (Canton); Dragon Air from Hong Kong; Durk Air from Paro, Bhutan, to Kathmandu, and on to Delhi; Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi from Europe; Indigo is a budget Indian carrier. Jet Airways (India) has a through service from London to Nepal via Delhi and Mumbai. Korean Airlines from the Far East; Nepal Airlines flies from Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, and Hong Kong for those with bags of time; Oman Airways via Muscat; Silk Air from Singapore; Spice Jet, a low-cost Indian carrier; Thai Airways via Bangkok from Europe and Australia/New Zealand; Qatar Airways via Doha from Europe; Turkish Airlines via Istanbul from Europe; plus Virgin, BA, and other airlines to Delhi, then one of the Indian carriers to Kathmandu.

This information is subject to change.

Getting around

Air: Nepal has an excellent network of domestic flights, but services rarely leave on time, and many flights are cancelled at the last minute because of poor visibility. In the event of a cancellation, airlines will rebook on the next available flight. Safety is something you should bear in mind, but this has to be weighed up against the risk of traveling by road and the time saved by flying.

Bus: This is the main form of public transport; tickets are very cheap, but journeys can be uncomfortable. It’s better to travel by tourist buses, though they cost a little extra.

Taxi: metered taxis in larger towns such as Kathmandu and Pokhara can be hired for both local and long-distance journeys.

Car hire: you can easily hire a car or jeep with a driver through a travel agency. Having your own car gives you the most flexibility, but it can be expensive.