Getting there

In the autumn and spring tourist high seasons (late Sept to mid-Nov and late Feb to late March), flights to Kathmandu –Nepal’s only international airport –often fill up months ahead. Most people book tickets through to Kathmandu, but you can also make your own way to a major regional air hub such as Delhi, and arrange transport from there. Airfares depend on the time of year, but timings of the high, low and shoulder seasons are calculated differently by each airline, and may not always coincide with tourist seasons.

If you’re flying into or out of Kathmandu via Delhi or the Gulf, it’s worth trying to book a daytime flight, as the views on clear days are astounding. Flying west from Kathmandu, many flights now take a particularly astonishing route, during which the western Himalayas scroll right past your window. Check in early to ensure a window seat on the best side: on the left on the way in (seats lettered A), and on the right on the way out.

You can sometimes cut costs by going through a specialist flight agent such as STA Travel (Wstatravel.com) or Trailfinders (Wtrailfinders.com), but the best deals tend to be found online (compare prices on an aggregator like Wmomondo.com or Wkayak.com). Round-the-World tickets are worth considering, but cheaper off-the-peg tickets don’t generally allow you to fly both into and out of Kathmandu. Figure on around at least £1500/ US$2250 for a ticket that includes Nepal.

Flights from the US and Canada

Flights from the UK and Ireland

There are no direct flights from London, Ireland or indeed Europe as a whole to Kathmandu, so you’ll have to make at least one stop en route. Fares are seasonal, and airlines generally charge full whack (around £650–900) from late September to mid-November, late February to late March, and during the Christmas period. It’s often possible, however, to find discounted fares (around £550–700), especially on less convenient routes, and prices drop outside of these periods, when you may be able to get a flight for as little as £500.

From London, Emirates (Wemirates.com) and Qatar Airways (Wqatarairways.com) offer the most direct routings via the Middle East. Another good option is to fly on Jet Airways (Wjetairways.com) or Air India (Wairindia.com) via Delhi/Mumbai. Travelling by other routes takes longer (sometimes with long stopovers), but relatively inexpensive deals can often be found on carriers such as Etihad Airways (Wetihad .com), Oman Air (Womanair.com) or a Virgin Atlantic/ Jet Airways combo (through an online agent). Flights on Malaysian Airlines (Wmalaysiaairlines.com) and Singapore Airlines (Wsingaporeair.com) aren’t really worth considering because you’ll have to double back from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Travellers from Ireland will generally have to journey via London or another European city. If you live on the east coast it’s quicker to fly to Nepal via Europe and then – typically – the Middle East or India (see p.22). From the west coast it’s easier to go via the Far East on a carrier like Singapore Airlines (Wsingaporeair.com), Thai Airways (Wthaiairways.com), Malaysian Airlines (Wmalaysiaairlines.com) or Cathay Pacific (Wcathay pacific.com). Expect to spend 20–24 hours on planes if you travel via these routes. Seasonal considerations may help determine which route you fly; note that these airline seasons don’t necessarily coincide with Nepal’s autumn and spring tourist seasons. Most airlines consider high season to be summer and the period around Christmas; low season is winter (excluding Christmas), while spring and autumn may be considered low or shoulder season, depending on your route. High-season prices from both the east and west coasts are around US$1350–2000. From Canada, the cheapest flights tend to be from Toronto, flying eastwards, and cost around Can$1750–2400 in the high season.

Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

The cheapest flights by far ipi8hfBu+Fu1Tqp6g5eaALs= from Australia (and more or less everywhere else in Asia) are with Air Asia (Wairasia.com). These can cost as little as Aus$850 return, and are often quicker than travelling with other airlines. Air Asia don’t fly from New Zealand however. Flying from Australia or New Zealand with a mainstream carrier invariably means travelling with Malaysian Airlines (Wmalaysiaairlines.com)

via Kuala Lumpur, Air India (Wairindia.com) via Delhi, or combo-flights with Singapore Airlines (Wsingaporeair.com) via Singapore, with a stopover en route. Some airlines such as Virgin Australia (Wvirginaustralia.com) via Abu Dhabi, are well-priced but go via very circuitous routes.

Fares with the mainstream carriers depend on the time of year. Generally, low season runs from mid-January to late February, and from early October to the end of November; high season is from around mid-May to August, and early December to mid-January; shoulder season takes up the rest of the year. Low-season prices to Kathmandu via Singapore or Bangkok start at roughly Aus$1100–1600 from Australia, and NZ$2000–2500 from New Zealand, and can be several hundred dollars (in either currency) higher in peak season.

Fares to Delhi are about the same as to Kathmandu, so another possibility – although not the most economical – is to fly into India and fly or travel overland from there (see below).

From South Africa, the cheapest flights are with Emirates (Wemirates.com) via Oman, or Jet Airways (Wjetairways.com) via India, though both these flights can have long stopovers; Qatar Airways (Wqatarairways.com) via Doha is a bit more expensive but tends to be shorter. Try different combinations of flights/carriers online for the best price and shortest durations. Expect to pay around ZAR9500–13000.

Specialist agents and tour operators

Getting there from neighbouring countries

Many travellers combine Nepal with a trip to India, even if they’re just making the connection with a flight to or from Delhi. There are numerous border crossings between the two countries, and overland routes can easily be planned to take in many of northern India’s most renowned sights. Travel agencies in India and Nepal offer bus package deals between the two countries, but these are generally overpriced and it is far better to organize things yourself.

Three border crossings see the vast majority of travellers: Sonauli/Belahiya, reachable from Delhi, Varanasi and most of North India (via Gorakhpur); Raxaul/Birgunj, accessible from Bodhgaya and Kolkata via Patna; and Kakarbhitta, serving Darjeeling and Kolkata via Siliguri. A fourth, Banbaasa/Mahendra Nagar, in the little-visited west of Nepal, is handy for the Uttar Pradesh hill stations and (relatively speaking) Delhi too. All these border crossings are described in the relevant

sections of the Guide. Two other border points (near Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi) are also open to tourists, but they’re rarely used. Other crossings near Janakpur, Biratnagar and Ilam rarely admit foreigners. Flying between Delhi and Kathmandu rewards you with Himalayan views (see box, p.21) and opens up a wider choice of international flights. Air India (Wairindia.in), IndiGo (Wgoindigo.in), Jet Airways (Wjetairways.com), SpiceJet (Wspicejet.com), and Nepal Airlines (Wnepalairlines.com.np) all serve this route for around US$100–150 one-way, or half that on one of the low-cost carriers if you’re lucky. Travel from Tibet is possible as long as you have the correct permit; entering Tibet from Nepal, however, is limited to group tours (see p.96). It is also possible to fly to Kathmandu from Bhutan, though again it needs to be as part of an organized tour. The classic Asia overland trip is just about alive and kicking, and several operators, including Dragoman (see p.23) run trips to Nepal. The following operators are good options for special interest, sightseeing, wildlife and trekking tours in Nepal. It’s worth bearing in mind that, while booking a package through an operator in your own country might be much easier, and perhaps more secure, the more agencies you put between you and the product the more expensive it gets – there are very few things that can’t be organized more cheaply (and with more benefit to the local economy) by a Nepali agency, or by using this book to organize yourself.

A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL

At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We feel that travelling is the best way to understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – plus tourism has brought a great deal of benefit to developing economies around the world over the ipi8hfBu+Fu1Tqp6g5eaALs= last few decades. But the growth in tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is exacerbated by most forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ trips are carbon-offset, and every year we donate money to a variety of charities devoted to combating the effects of climate change.