Kathmandu Valley Travel

Local Travel
The best way to get around Kathmandu is by walking or bike. It is a very pleasant and interesting place to walk around. As the city itself is a living-museum, many things are seen by walking and the city can be appreciated. If you get tired you can get a rickshaw or taxi back home. There are also many short walks that can be done around Kathmandu Valley.

If you are going to ride around the valley, it would be a good idea to hire a mountain bike with multi-gears. Most places in the valley can be visited on a day trip in the valley.

To and From Airport
A taxi from Thamel to the airport costs about Rs 200 and can be Rs 150 going from Thamel to the airport. There is a pre-paid taxi stand at the airport, where you pay a fixed (posted on a board) price in advance. Fixed rates to most places in Kathmandu is Rs 200, Patan Rs 250 and to Bhaktapur Rs 400 (50% extra after 9 pm). There are a lot of touts (hotel commission agents) at the airport who want to bring you to a hotel of their choice, even for free, so they can get a good commission on what you pay for a room. The hotel drivers hold up signboard with the name of the hotel that they are working for and if you want to go to one of these hotels the transportation is free. If you take one of these taxis you will be less likely to get a discount, as the hotels has to pay the taxi driver a commission (often 50% of the price of the room) for bringing you to the hotel.

There are local buses (Rs 4) that departs from the main intersections, 250m from the entrance, that goes to the City (Ratna Park) bus stand, around 1½ km (15-minute walk) from the main hotel area. Unless you do not have much luggage and know where to get off, the bus is not usually a good option.

Taxi and Auto Rickshaws
Taxi prices are not expensive and they are a good way to get around. Taxi driver will often use their meter during the day, but you will often have to negotiate the fare at night. Usually if you go to the airport or the immigration office, most of the time the taxi drivers will not use the meter. A short ride in town is not usually more than Rs 50. Most of the time the taxi meters are out of date and the taxi driver will charge you a certain percentage extra. Many times the drivers will try to charge a higher percentage then they are supposed to. So it could be a good idea to ask at your hotel what the percentage is. Price rise because of rising fuel prices, which is expensive in Nepal. The metered price is Rs 7 flagfall and Rs 2 for every 200m.
If you arrive at the airport, most taxi drivers will not use the meter. There is a 50% extra charge at night after 8 pm. Taxis hang out on Tridevi Marg in Thamel. Many so-called taxi are just private cars and do not have meters. A licensed taxi has black license plates and a private car has red plates.

For journeys outside the valley the fare is Rs 2500, plus the fuel cost of around Rs 40 per litre.
A taxi can be booked at 420-987 and at night 224-374. Some companies that rent out cars for the day are Yeti Travels (221-234) and Gorkha Travels (224-896, 224-895). Other travel agencies can also rent out cars, but you can expect them to arrange a car at a higher price than you could arrange yourself.

Taxis wait at certain areas at Tridevi Marg, an intersection in Thamel, at the Jamal end of Durbar Marg, and at the top of Freak Street.
A half day sightseeing tour of the valley is around Rs 900 and a full trip is Rs 1600. Some sample prices are: Bhaktapur Rs 220, Bodhnath Rs 90, Changu Narayan Rs 550, Dhulikhel Rs 900, Nagarkot Rs 900, Patan Rs 125 and Pashupatinath Rs 60.

Auto-rickshaws are about half the price of the taxis. Flagfall is Rs 6 and then Rs 6 per kilometre. They will often refuse to use the meter. A ride within Kathmandu should not cost more than Rs 40.

Bicycle Rickshaws
The bicycle rickshaws are not cheap and can be tough to deal with. They often try to charge more than a taxi would, to go to the same place, but should be about half the fare of a taxi. You must agree on a price before you begin and definitely don’t pay until you reach your destination. At night be careful if a rickshaw driver is drunk, as they can be very difficult to deal with. If you want to go from the Kathmandu Guest House (Thamel) to Durbar Square you will first be asked for Rs 70. The real price is Rs 30 or Rs 35. The ride from Thamel to the Yak and Yeti Hotel on Durbar Marg is around Rs 25. In general you should pay less than half of the first quoted price.

Bus
Buses in Kathmandu are very cheap (less than Rs 10) and can often be very crowded and painful. Often it is just as quick to take a bike ride to close places such as Bodhnath, as it is to take a bus. The smaller minibuses are usually quicker and a little higher priced than the large buses.

Buses to most places around the valley depart from City bus stand across the street from Ratna Park. From here buses depart to Bhaktapur (#7, 45-min), Boudha (#2, 30 min), Budhanilkantha (#5, 1 hr), Dhulikel (#12, 2 hr), Kirtipur (#21, 45-min), Patan (#14, 15-min), Sankhu (#4, 1 hr) and Thimi (#10, half-hour). Most buses depart every half-hour.

The electric trolley bus (Rs 5, every 15 minutes) to Bhaktapur departs the south end of Kantipath near the National Stadium. From where the bus lets you off in Bhaktapur it is a ten-minute walk to Durbar Square. Buses to Pharping (Dakshinkali) depart from Martyr’s Gate.

Buses to Godavari, Bungamati and Chapagaon depart from Patan.

Tempo
Tempos go along fixed route to various places in the city and are usually quicker than the large buses. You can often get them on Kantipath, near the GPO, where they originate. To Patan (#14, 20-min, Rs 5) and to Boudha (#2, 25-min, Rs 7). To Budhanilkantha from Rani Pokhari (#5, 50-min, Rs 7).

Bicycles
Riding a bicycle is a pleasant way to get around the valley. It costs around Rs 50 to Rs 70 per day to rent a single-speed Indian or Chinese made bike. You should check to see that the brakes and bell work. You should arrange a bike early in the day or the night before.

Multi-geared mountain bikes with a helmet can be rented for Rs 150 to Rs 250 per day depending on the quality. You can rent Indian, Chinese and imported bikes, which are more expensive for Rs 250 to Rs 500. Many place rent bikes in the Thamel and Freak Street areas. Dawn Till Dusk in the courtyard outside the Kathmandu Guest House rents out good bikes.

Motorbike
A motorcycle is a good way to get around Kathmandu Valley. There are several places to rent motorbikes in the Thamel and Freak Street areas. 100cc Honda motorcycles can by rented for around Rs 400 per day. You are supposed to have an international license, but no one asks to see it. To rent a 250CC bike or a dirt bike cost around Rs 900 per day. Renting a motorbike can be a great way to get around, but getting around in traffic may not be so easy. You are expected to leave your ticket or passport as a deposit.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides