Kathmandu - Getting Around - Road

Nepal is connected by road to India and Tibet in China but few people attempt to enter Nepal with their own vehicles. There are three major highways in Nepal - the Tribhuvan Highway, which connects Kathmandu to Birganj on the Indian border, the Arniko Highway, which connects Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet, and the Mahendra Highway, which runs east-west across the Terai. Most other roads are unsealed and road travel is often disrupted during the monsoon. Travelling by road in Nepal is a chaotic experience; few people obey traffic rules and most drivers prefer to use the horn rather than the brakes. Self-drive car hire is non-existent, but many visitors hire a car and driver for longer road trips.

Emergency breakdown services
None.

Coach services
Long-distance bus services operate from Gongbu bus station (Kathmandu bus station; tel: (01) 435 3030), just off the Ring Road in the north of Kathmandu. A number of private companies run comfortable air-conditioned 'tourist buses' from central Kathmandu to Pokhara, Lumbini and Chitwan National Park. Try Greenline (tel: (01) 425 7544; website: www.catmando.com/greenline), Blue Sky Tours and Travel (tel: (01) 441 1322; website: www.blue-sky-tours.com) or Golden Travels (tel: (01) 422 0036) in the Woodlands Complex on Durbar Marg. The Sajha Yatayat Bus Company (tel: (01) 555 2680) bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa was suspended in 2006, but it could restart at any time.