Getting around Nepal: transport and apps

The Lukla trap, if you are going to Everest

• In the two trekking seasons - roughly March to May and October to November - Lukla flights do not leave from Kathmandu. They leave from Manthali airport in Ramechhap.
• Manthali is a 4 to 5 hour drive from Kathmandu, and the jeeps leave between 01:00 and 02:00 to make the morning flight window.
• Outside those seasons the flights go from Kathmandu as everyone assumes.
• Nobody tells you this when you book the trek. Ask your agency which airport your flight leaves from, in writing, before you plan the night before.
• Lukla flights only fly in the morning and only in clear weather. Build two spare days into the end of any Everest trek, or you will miss an international flight.

Domestic flights

• Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and Shree Airlines run the network. Kathmandu to Pokhara is 25 minutes against most of a day on the road.
• Foreigners pay a separate, higher fare than Nepali and SAARC nationals. Kathmandu to Pokhara is around USD 120 for a foreign passenger.
• Every Nepali carrier is on the UK Air Safety List and barred from EU and UK airspace. It is a real assessment of the country's oversight, and it is why some insurers ask.
• Book flights, not connections. A domestic delay that costs you an international departure is your problem, not the airline's.

Buses, which are how the country moves

• Tourist coaches on the Kathmandu to Pokhara and Chitwan routes are the sensible option: NPR 1,200 to NPR 2,500, 6 to 8 hours, with a lunch stop.
• Greenline and the tourist operators leave early, usually 07:00, from Kantipath or Sorhakhutte in Kathmandu.
• Local buses cost a fraction and take longer, are crowded, and drive the same cliffs.
• Book through 12Go, a guesthouse or the operator directly. In season the good coaches sell out a day or two ahead.
• Bus accidents are the single biggest physical risk to visitors here. Choose the tourist coach, sit away from the cliff side, and refuse night buses on mountain roads.

Trekking permits, which are separate from everything

• Most trekking areas need a national park or conservation area permit. Annapurna (ACAP) and Sagarmatha are NPR 3,000 each for foreign nationals, plus 13% VAT.
• The Everest route adds a Khumbu rural municipality fee of NPR 3,000 collected at Lukla or Monjo, on top of the park permit.
• Permits are issued in Kathmandu and Pokhara at the Nepal Tourism Board offices, and at some checkpoints. Bring passport photos and photocopies.
• The rule is that trekkers in the national parks take a licensed guide. Enforcement at checkpoints is uneven and has been since it was introduced, but the checkpoint decides on the day, not the internet.
• Restricted areas - Upper Mustang, Manaslu, Dolpo - require a group, an agency and a much larger permit fee, and there is no way around it.

Around town

• Taxis do not use meters. Agree the fare first: most rides inside Kathmandu are NPR 300 to NPR 600.
• Pathao and InDrive work in Kathmandu and Pokhara and end the negotiation. Bikes are cheaper than cars and much faster in traffic.
• Kathmandu's air is bad in the dry season. A ride in an open tuk-tuk in March is a decision, not a saving.
• Renting a motorbike is easy and the traffic is not. You need an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle category; police checks do happen.

Apps worth having

• Pathao and InDrive for rides.
• Maps.me or Google Maps offline, downloaded before you leave the city.
• 12Go for tourist buses.
• eSewa and Khalti are the local wallets, and they need a Nepali bank account, so they are for watching other people use.