Fastest way to cross border from India-Nepal

beautysan · Jul 1st, 2003, 13:37

Hi Guys,
I'm a first-timer here.

Am going to India/ Nepal in October for only 3 weeks.(yes i know it's crazy to have such short trip!)

Need your advice on the fastest and cheapest way to Nepal from Delhi. (obviously flight is out of the question) As time is a major factor here, you experienced travellers out there pls tell me how long it takes to take a bus(or maybe taxi if it's not too expensive?) from Delhi to Nepal, inclusive of chai breaks...

Thanks!

avkaash · Jul 1st, 2003, 14:50

You can travel from Delhi to Varanasi on rail and from there to Nepal on bus or hire your private conveyance.

edited by admin-please see this thread Advertising/Signature Rules

Alan D · Jul 1st, 2003, 14:55

Hi beautysan and welcome to the forum!

Cheap and fast don't usually go together.

From Delhi the best way is probably to take a night train from Delhi to Gorakhpur (book your ticket at the foreigners reservation office at New Delhi station) reaching Gorakhpur in the morning. Take a shared jeep from outside the station (faster than a bus), cross the India -Nepal border and take a bus to Kathmandu reaching there in the evening.

A taxi from Delhi to Kathmandu would cost you almost as much as the airfare so if you're on a budget I think this is the best way.

There used to be a direct bus from Delhi to Kathmandu but I'm not sure if this is still running. Has any member of the forum got up to date info on this?

IainC · Jul 1st, 2003, 17:47

Also you can get an overnight train from Delhi to Gorakhpur (12 hrs) and then a bus to the border town of Sonnauli (3hrs), from there you can get a bus to either Pokhara or Kathmandu (about 9hrs). There is also a route via Rishikesh, but I have never done that.
IainC.

angelika · Jul 1st, 2003, 19:57

welcome beautysan,

I've done the trip from Varanasi to Gorakhpur by train and then by jeep to Sonauli this year. The train takes about 5 hrs and the jeep about 2 - 3 hrs.

Enjoy your time in India and Nepal!

beautysan · Jul 2nd, 2003, 07:51

Oh thanks guys!

hmm....looks like it's gonna take one whole day to travel from Delhi to Nepal... any nice scenery on the way there?

wonderwomanusa · Jul 2nd, 2003, 08:19

Dunno about the Gorakhpur side but from the bus from Roxaul (around 12 hours), the views of the mountains (getting closer and closer) and the rhododenron forest were both wonderful. It's around 10 hours of double switchback curves from the time you hit the mountains.

At the summit, there's a telescope from which you can see Mt. Everest .. it looks tiny, like your fingernail -- but then you realize that you are looking all the way to Tibet...

steven_ber · Jul 2nd, 2003, 11:09

Beautysan

You may want to re-think your itinerary as there will be an awful lot of travelling involved, also, you will need to carry clothes for 2 different climates.

Unless there are other reasons you need to be in Nepal or India you could consider leaving one of them out.

beautysan · Jul 10th, 2003, 08:58

Steven, I know all the hassle I'll be in for rushing through the journey, I guess I'll just follow my heart when I get there...if it's too much for me, I'll just have to cut it down...hope I won't end up like this:

haha...

Hey, does anybody know if we could obtain Nepal visa on-the-spot if we arrive in Kathmandu by bus from India? Do we have to go through much hassle?

dharmasoul · Jul 10th, 2003, 16:33

Hi Beautysan,

Yes, you can get your visa at the Nepali border town of Sonauli (the route mentioned by IainC). It will cost you USD 30 for a 60 day visa. Have the dollars cash with you and a passport photo. It's no hassle, no hurry, no worry.

Good luck and have fun

paan wallah · Jul 10th, 2003, 19:10

crossing the border in nepalganj was a really special experience for me some years ago!!!
I got there by taking the wrong bus from haridwar,i was supposed to cross the border in mahendrenagar.....shit happens..
that time the visa was 25 dollars...I only had 23 dollars with me in cash..so they refused to give me a visa...sure I asked them if i can pay the rest in indian ruppees....but they refused...
I asked them if it s possible to change some indian money back in dollars..not possible..without a visa you can t go to nepal to change money...
after 2 hours begging they allowed me to enter nepal "illegally"
I went to a bank trying to change some ruppees into dollars..but they refused..without a visa it s not possible to change money..
but the third bank did change ruppees into dollars at a good rate..
so I went back to the border payed my 25 dollars and got the visa immediately..so this whole procedure took me 6 hours

I checked in a nice hotel found out that I had some amoebia dysentery got really sick and had to stay 8 days in nepalganj..

leaving nepalganj was also much of a hassle,after visiting nepal for a couple of weeks I went back to nepalganj,I had made a friend there who even spoke a perfect german,a nepali pharmacist
who wanted to emigrate to germany...
I tried to check at the border post,not expecting any problems..
but they invited me to "visit" the head chief of the border on the nepali side...
they searched my backpack...
they were asking me 5 different questions for 5 hours!!!!!!!!
-how many dollars you have?
-you have german girlfriend?
-you have german walkman?
-you don t like nepal?
-is india better than nepal?

this whole procedure nearly freaked me out...nearly..
I guess they were waiting for me to freak out and do some silly things..

I think they were really bored that time and tried to make a fool out of me..

after finishing this "interview" the boss invited me to have a chai with him......bastard!

I refused and crossed the border to india...I never was so lucky to be in india

so maybe next time i try to cross the border somewhere else

-m2- · Jul 11th, 2003, 03:16

well you got a good 'shit happens' story to tell from your experience, paan wallah.

paan wallah · Jul 11th, 2003, 03:37

but that wasn t my worst bordercrossing experience...

crossing from west to east berlin was much more "fun"

maybe we should open a thread about border crossing experiences???

mjball · Jul 16th, 2003, 06:42

Very interesting comments...I too am needing to know the best way to get from India to Nepal...I don't want to fly either if possible - too expensive and not really being part of the culture from past experiences...thanks for the info!!!

samsage · Aug 27th, 2004, 19:18

Hi Beautysan!

Well, same question, same travel, same period :
I sent you a message!

Anyway thank you from france.

Bye :

Jul 1st, 2003, 13:37	#1
beautysan Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 13	Fastest way to cross border from India-Nepal Hi Guys, I'm a first-timer here. Am going to India/ Nepal in October for only 3 weeks.(yes i know it's crazy to have such short trip!) Need your advice on the fastest and cheapest way to Nepal from Delhi. (obviously flight is out of the question) As time is a major factor here, you experienced travellers out there pls tell me how long it takes to take a bus(or maybe taxi if it's not too expensive?) from Delhi to Nepal, inclusive of chai breaks... Thanks!

Jul 1st, 2003, 14:50	#2
avkaash Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Kolkata Posts: 41	You can travel from Delhi to Varanasi on rail and from there to Nepal on bus or hire your private conveyance. edited by admin-please see this thread Advertising/Signature Rules __________________ Pinaki Sengupta Cheap Travel to India http://www.avkaashresorts.com Last edited by indiamike : Jul 1st, 2003 at 16:43.

Jul 1st, 2003, 14:55	#3
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,869	Hi beautysan and welcome to the forum! Cheap and fast don't usually go together. From Delhi the best way is probably to take a night train from Delhi to Gorakhpur (book your ticket at the foreigners reservation office at New Delhi station) reaching Gorakhpur in the morning. Take a shared jeep from outside the station (faster than a bus), cross the India -Nepal border and take a bus to Kathmandu reaching there in the evening. A taxi from Delhi to Kathmandu would cost you almost as much as the airfare so if you're on a budget I think this is the best way. There used to be a direct bus from Delhi to Kathmandu but I'm not sure if this is still running. Has any member of the forum got up to date info on this? __________________ What a long strange trip it's been!

Jul 2nd, 2003, 11:09	#8
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 8,578	Beautysan You may want to re-think your itinerary as there will be an awful lot of travelling involved, also, you will need to carry clothes for 2 different climates. Unless there are other reasons you need to be in Nepal or India you could consider leaving one of them out. __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information.

Jul 10th, 2003, 16:33	#10
dharmasoul Junior member ..... but I can play the spoons!! Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: France Posts: 43	Hi Beautysan, Yes, you can get your visa at the Nepali border town of Sonauli (the route mentioned by IainC). It will cost you USD 30 for a 60 day visa. Have the dollars cash with you and a passport photo. It's no hassle, no hurry, no worry. Good luck and have fun __________________ ~ "Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion" ~ H.H. XIV Dalai Lama

Jul 1st, 2003, 17:47	#4
IainC Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London Posts: 194	Also you can get an overnight train from Delhi to Gorakhpur (12 hrs) and then a bus to the border town of Sonnauli (3hrs), from there you can get a bus to either Pokhara or Kathmandu (about 9hrs). There is also a route via Rishikesh, but I have never done that. IainC.

Jul 1st, 2003, 19:57	#5
angelika Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Munich - Germany Posts: 109	welcome beautysan, I've done the trip from Varanasi to Gorakhpur by train and then by jeep to Sonauli this year. The train takes about 5 hrs and the jeep about 2 - 3 hrs. Enjoy your time in India and Nepal!

Jul 2nd, 2003, 07:51	#6
beautysan Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 13	Oh thanks guys! hmm....looks like it's gonna take one whole day to travel from Delhi to Nepal... any nice scenery on the way there?

Jul 2nd, 2003, 08:19	#7
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,861	Dunno about the Gorakhpur side but from the bus from Roxaul (around 12 hours), the views of the mountains (getting closer and closer) and the rhododenron forest were both wonderful. It's around 10 hours of double switchback curves from the time you hit the mountains. At the summit, there's a telescope from which you can see Mt. Everest .. it looks tiny, like your fingernail -- but then you realize that you are looking all the way to Tibet...

Jul 10th, 2003, 08:58	#9
beautysan Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Malaysia Posts: 13	Steven, I know all the hassle I'll be in for rushing through the journey, I guess I'll just follow my heart when I get there...if it's too much for me, I'll just have to cut it down...hope I won't end up like this: haha... Hey, does anybody know if we could obtain Nepal visa on-the-spot if we arrive in Kathmandu by bus from India? Do we have to go through much hassle?

Jul 10th, 2003, 19:10	#11
paan wallah kitchen guru Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: universe Posts: 347	crossing the border in nepalganj was a really special experience for me some years ago!!! I got there by taking the wrong bus from haridwar,i was supposed to cross the border in mahendrenagar.....shit happens.. that time the visa was 25 dollars...I only had 23 dollars with me in cash..so they refused to give me a visa...sure I asked them if i can pay the rest in indian ruppees....but they refused... I asked them if it s possible to change some indian money back in dollars..not possible..without a visa you can t go to nepal to change money... after 2 hours begging they allowed me to enter nepal "illegally" I went to a bank trying to change some ruppees into dollars..but they refused..without a visa it s not possible to change money.. but the third bank did change ruppees into dollars at a good rate.. so I went back to the border payed my 25 dollars and got the visa immediately..so this whole procedure took me 6 hours I checked in a nice hotel found out that I had some amoebia dysentery got really sick and had to stay 8 days in nepalganj.. leaving nepalganj was also much of a hassle,after visiting nepal for a couple of weeks I went back to nepalganj,I had made a friend there who even spoke a perfect german,a nepali pharmacist who wanted to emigrate to germany... I tried to check at the border post,not expecting any problems.. but they invited me to "visit" the head chief of the border on the nepali side... they searched my backpack... they were asking me 5 different questions for 5 hours!!!!!!!! -how many dollars you have? -you have german girlfriend? -you have german walkman? -you don t like nepal? -is india better than nepal? this whole procedure nearly freaked me out...nearly.. I guess they were waiting for me to freak out and do some silly things.. I think they were really bored that time and tried to make a fool out of me.. after finishing this "interview" the boss invited me to have a chai with him......bastard! I refused and crossed the border to india...I never was so lucky to be in india so maybe next time i try to cross the border somewhere else

Jul 11th, 2003, 03:16	#12
-m2- . Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: . Posts: 1,578	well you got a good 'shit happens' story to tell from your experience, paan wallah.

Jul 11th, 2003, 03:37	#13
paan wallah kitchen guru Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: universe Posts: 347	but that wasn t my worst bordercrossing experience... crossing from west to east berlin was much more "fun" maybe we should open a thread about border crossing experiences???

Jul 16th, 2003, 06:42	#14
mjball Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 129	Very interesting comments...I too am needing to know the best way to get from India to Nepal...I don't want to fly either if possible - too expensive and not really being part of the culture from past experiences...thanks for the info!!!

Aug 27th, 2004, 19:18	#15
samsage Samsage Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: France Posts: 1	Hi Beautysan! Well, same question, same travel, same period : I sent you a message! Anyway thank you from france. Bye :

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