How to Travel from Kathmandu to Lumbini: By Flight or By Bus?

Route: (Kathmandu - Siddharthanagar by flight) + (Siddharthanagar - Lumbini by drive)

Travel Time: 25~35 minutes + 1 hour

So far, there is no airport serving Lumbini and the nearest airport is Gautam Buddha Airport (also called Bhairahawa Airport) in Siddharthanagar, Rupandehi District, Province No.5, Nepal. Bhairahawa Airport (IATA: BWA, ICAO: VNBW), about 28 km from Lumbini, mainly operates a few domestic flights between Siddharthanagar and Kathmandu, Pokhara. So, if you want to travel from Kathmandu to Lumbini by air, you need to make transfer in Siddharthanagar. Saving lots of your time and offering a relatively comfortable travel experience is the biggest advantage you can enjoy when taking a flight to Lumbini.

Step 1: Fly to Siddharthanagar from Kathmandu

First, you can take a non-stop flight from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) to Bhairahawa Airport (BWA). There are about 8 daily flights available each day, arranged between 3:00 am to 5:00 pm by Shree Airlines, Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines. One-way air travel needs almost 30 minutes, depending on diffeprent airlines.

Step 2: Transfer from Siddharthanagar to Lumbini

After arrival, you can take a local taxi or public bus from Bhairahawa Airport to get to Lumbini in the north. The driving takes about 40 minutes while the public bus needs 1 hour. You can let the taxi driver take you to Lumbini Sacred Garden or your hotel directly. Don’t worry, you will drive on well-paved Siddhartha Highway and can see local people and Nepalese houses along the road.

Kathmandu to Lumbini Flights Leaving from Kathmandu Airport

Local Taxis outside Bhairahawa Airport

Road travelers may try a long bus journey from Kathmandu all the way to Lumbini, viewing different local lives en route in a Nepalese style tourist bus. There are two buses departing from Kathmandu Gongabu Bus Park (also named Gongabu New Bus Station Parking) to Lumbini every day. One leaves at the 07:00 am and arrives at nearly 5:00 pm or later. Another one is overnight bus starts off at 6:00 pm and reaches Lumbini at nearly 5:00 am the next morning. All Kathmandu to Lumbini tourist buses are international standard buses, which will make several stops and let passengers rest and have meals, buy supplement from roadside shops. You can get off at Gate 5, in front of Lumbini Sacred Garden, where most hotels are located. No extra transfer and authentic local life scenes are highlights of the bus trip, but also it’s quite tedious and time-wasting.

Tips: Gongabu Bus Park is situated about 3.5 km (15 minutes’ driving) from Thamel, Kathmandu.

Optional Choice: Except the direct bus from Kathmandu to Lumbini, tourists can also choose from many tourist buses from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa (now is changed to Siddharthanagar), the closest city to Lumbini. And then take another hour local bus from Bhairahawa (a little border town) to the front gate of Lumbini Garden.

Tourists Bus Running from Kathmandu to Lumbini

Nepalese Women Walking through Golden Sea of Rape

Tourists always start a Nepal tour from Kathmandu - the capital city and tourist distribution center. 4 days is enough to enjoy the world heritage sites and Himalayan views in Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and Nagarkot). For those travelers who won’t want to miss the most astonishing nature of Nepal, spend 1 or 2 more days visiting lakeside Pokhara. For more experience, Chitwan is a good choice to offer Nepal’s oldest wildlife (various mammal and birds species) as well as a variety of excursions in 2 days usually. If you are a Buddhist follower or fan, travel Lumbini and other Buddhist sites in 3~4 more days. If you are a trekking enthusiast, there is a bucket of trekking routes, like Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit, Poon Hill, etc.

☞ 4 Days Classic Kathmandu Valley Tour
☞ 5 Days Kathmandu Pokhara Leisure Tour (by Flight)
☞ 8 Days Nepal Holiday Tour (Kathmandu - Pokhara - Chitwan)

Travel with Us

Traveling with Himalayas Discovery, you are assured to use our high-quality travel services, including vehicles, professional tour guide and experienced driver, well-organized itinerary, assistance of visa and permits application and other travel related services. We will settle all arrangements in advance to make sure you always enjoy a worry-free journey.

Adam's Family from USA visited Kathmandu with Himalayas Discovery