Help... overland into Nepal and Bhutan..

Hi all..

I am planning a motorbike ride to the North East region in March 06. There are 3 of us with our own vehicles. We are all Indian Nationals with valid passports.

I would like to know if you can take your private motorbikes into Nepal and Bhutan overland and what are the formalities for the same. Didn't find much information in this regard either on the web or on IM.

Any help or information in this regard will be highly appreciated.. Also if anyone has some good high res maps of this region.. plz plz.. plz.. I need them....

Waiting for replies...

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Friend,
You'll need 30 dollars for visa on entry into Nepal. They'll also charge you for each day you intend to be in the country regarding the bikes - I think it's about 110 nepali although may be less.
It's just occured to me that you may not need to pay for a visa if you are Indian nationals - in fact I think you may just ride accross. Best to go in via Mahendranaggar - great road toward Kathmandu but a long ride; from memory about 500 km.
Bhutan - well I think you need to apply in writing and the authorities there treat each application on "merit" Much more difficult to enter.
Hope this helps - watch out when the Maoists close the roads.
Good luck.

@Sprocket : for bhutan isnt this true that we need to apply before hand but will get the actual permits once we reach the border.. and this is a week long permit which can be extended to two weeks..
and also, does any one have a good road network map of bhutan ?

any chance of a road connection between nepal and bhutan thru sikkim ?

Crimson, I don't know if you are an Indian national, but check into what it costs to get a visa for Bhutan. The rumor is that for Westerners they charge something like $200 a day for package tours and nothing else is allowed. I really don't know, it could be an old wives' tale, but since nobody is answering your thread I thought I'd warn you about it. Don't let it go till the last minute and then count on it.

@Tomi - I am an Indian citizen... and so far the info from net conveys that the 200 USD fee isn't applicable to Indians..

Bhutan and India have a special treaty, so it may not apply. Other SAARC countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, SL and Maldives) may also be exempt. Otherwise, they are out for scalps; it's $200USD per diem minimum! No white backpackers for them!

this is the reply I got from bhutan tourism..

Maybe they would waive my $200 a day fee just for a couple days in exchange for some expert proofreading...?