How to Get to Nepal - Travel to Nepal by Flight or by Road

Located about 5 KM from Kathmandu City center, Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (IATA: KTM, ICAO: VNKT, commonly called TIA) is the one and only international airport in Nepal. Thus, all air travelers always take Kathmandu as the gateway city to visit Nepal.

The airport not only has domestic flights to Chitwan, Pokhara, Lukla and other cities in Nepal, but also operates over 30 international air routes between Nepal and many Asian and Middle East countries, such as China, India (Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata/Bengaluru...), Bangladesh (Dhaka), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Bangkok), Singapore, United Arab Emirates (Dubai/Sharjah/Abu Dhabi), Qatar (Doha), Oman (Muscat), South Korea (Seoul), Turkey (Istanbul) and Saudi Arabia (Dammam), etc. After landing, most travelers can get Nepal Visa on arrival at Kathmandu Airport quickly.

★Useful Link: Flights to Nepal

International Terminal of Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport

Bordering Nepal in the southwest, China is one of the popular portals to fly to Nepal with multiple choices of departure city and diverse tourism resources. You’re advised to make a China discovery tour before flying to Nepal.

By now, there are about 10 cities in China (including Lhasa in Tibet, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Kunming, Hong Kong, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guiyang and Changsha) operating direct flights to Kathmandu, Nepal. Air journey is usually a few hours short. Among them, Lhasa-Kathmandu Flight takes less than 2 hours (the shortest) and flies across world’s highest mountain - Mount Everest en route. Connected flights to Kathmandu, Nepal from Beijing, Shenzhen and Changsha need more than 10 hours separately. So, it's highly suggested making a China Tibet Nepal tour to explore great and gorgeous landscape, history and culture, holy Buddhist belief in Tibet and then travel further to Nepal.

Everest View from Chengdu Lhasa Flight

India bordering Nepal in the north, west and east is also a favored entry to Nepal. There are over 10 cities in India offering flights to Nepal within several hours. New New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru has direct flights to Kathmandu while other Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Marmagao, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Port Blair… provide connecting flights to Nepal with at least 1 stopover.

Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India

There are more cities in Asia and Middle East you can take flight to get to Nepal, including Paro (Bhutan), Shajah, Dhaka, Dubai, Muscat, Incheon, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Singapore, Bangkok, etc. If you happen to visit one of the cities, or can book cheap connecting flight ticket, you can choose your departure city to Nepal based on your own travel schedule.

Nepal and Bhutan are both located in the southern Himalayas, famous for natural wonders, religious and local culture. It’s quite popular to travel the two kingdoms together for an once-in-a-lifetime Himalayan exploration. And so far, there are about 10 non-stop flights flying to Nepal from Bhutan every week. The air travel is just less than 1.5 hours. Select from our most popular Bhutan Nepal Tour Packages or contact us to customize a dream tour to Nepal!

Paro International Airport in Bhutan

Overland Route: Tibet → Gyirong Port → Nepal

In Tibet side, the Zhangmu-Kodari Port was severely damaged and remains closed now due to the Nepal earthquake in April 25, 2015. However, Gyirong-Rasuwa Port has reopened as international land port for foreign travelers since August 2017. That means, except taking a Lhasa Kathmandu Flight to Nepal, you can also have an overland driving journey from Tibet to Nepal via Gyirong Port (about 160km away from Kathmandu) with picturesque scenery along the way. After crossing Gyirong Port, you're in Nepal, and later you can take a bus or car to Kathmandu, costing about 7~12 hours depending on the road condition. Roads can be dangerous in rainy season, so better pay attention to the weather before you take the overland ride.

Drive from Lhasa to Kathmandu Nepal via Gyirong

Overland Route: India → one of six Border Ports → Nepal

If you don’t want to take Indian to Nepal flight, you can travel to Nepal by overland car driving via one of the six opened land ports at India-Nepal border area. The ports are Kakarbhitta-Jhapa, Birgunj-Parsa, Balahia-Bhairahawa, Jamunaha-Nepalgunj, Mohana-Dhangadi, Gaddachaudki (BANBASA)-Mahendranagar. Immigration Offices along the Nepal-India borders issue On Arrival Visa of Nepal conveniently as Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport does. This kind of journey is more recommended for Indians, slow-paced travelers who plan to reach Nepal from India by road.

Nepal India Border Ports

1. Plan Your Nepal Tour Early. Lots of works need to be done for your Nepal tour, such as booking air tickets, hotels and make day-by-day itinerary and so on. And it’s quite difficult to but ticket during high season. Hence, you’re recommended to do the preparation ahead of time. Learn More about How to Plan a Nepal Tour >>

2. Change Bus at Border Port. There are no international buses or trains available now. Foreign travelers taking overland driving have to change to another bus at Gyirong Port, or India-Nepal border ports after get entry permitted. Travel with Tibet Discovery, you can enjoy worry-free transfer from Tibet to Nepal, with licensed driver and local vehicle.

3. Road Condition from Gyirong to Kathmandu. During the rainy months, the roads between Gyirong and Kathmandu and among many popular destinations in Nepal will be muddy, which upgrade difficulty for transfer driving if it rains a lot.

Congested & Sludgy Kathmandu-Pokhara Road in July

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