Tumultuous Tales Of Traveling From Kathmandu To Pokhara By Road

Kathmandu to Pokhara by road? Well, to get the facts right, there’s no road.

And if someone can call the road from Kathmandu to Pokhara a road, it vanishes into thin air. Whoosh! Go. Went. Gone.

This is precisely why it takes 8 hours to cover the Kathmandu to Pokhara distance by road which is merely 201 km. If a speed of 50 km per hour is maintained, it should take 4 hours. It took us double. Gosh!

What Is Wrong With Traveling From Kathmandu To Pokhara By Road?

Everything.

The journey has potholes so deep they could swallow a car whole; patches so rocky they could puncture tyres; and stretches of construction so long they could erupt volcanoes of frustration from within anybody alive.

I erupted 10 volcanoes of helplessness along with 20 litres of dried tears (molten lava, really) that came out in chuckles.

Ever experienced being so frustrated, you laugh? That. There. You got the feeling. 

One family member pointed out (while working on the itinerary) that covering a distance of 200 km in 6 hours (which took us 8) seemed somewhat off. However, we didn’t fully consider the implications, assuming that the roads would be circular, hence time-consuming.

Little did we realise that there would be no roads at all! 

Experiencing Kathmandu To Pokhara By Road in 2024

I’m not sure when and how soon things will change, but Kathmandu to Pokhara by road in 2024 tested our tolerance and left us with sore muscles and frayed nerves.

If you read the details of my 6D-5N Nepal Itinerary, you’d know that a 76-year-old (my Nanima) was also travelling with us. If it was a frustrating journey for me, imagine…

A 21-gun salute to her soldier spirit. 🙂

Our travel date from Kathmandu to Pokhara – 27th January 2024
(Day 2 of the 6D-5N Nepal Itinerary)

How Did We Make It Through This Tough Journey?

We collectively faked our laughs to ease the pain. Ha.Ha.He.He. The pain was real though. *Sobs*

We kept telling each other, “Waah! Ki njaare ne. Oyee Hoyee, Oyee Hoyee!”
Translation: Woah! What epic scenery. Oh my! Oh my!

Typical Punjabi stuff, I know. But we faked it till we made it… to the land of the “no-road” land – Pokhara. 

Alternative To The Road Journey

If you have the resources, please save yourself from the torture and book a Kathmandu to Pokhara flight instead.

Nobody warned us when we went on this Nepal trip with family. But now that you’ve landed on this blog, please consider this a sign.

Cost Difference Between A Kathmandu To Pokhara Flight Journey & Road Journey

• Kathmandu to Pokhara Flight 2024 (Round Trip) – INR 15,000 (Approx.)
• Kathmandu to Pokhara Road Trip 2024 (Round Trip) – INR 5,000 (Approx.)

Details of the Cost of Kathmandu To Pokhara Road Travel

We paid INR 30,000 for a 13-seater van i.e. 48,000 Nepalese Rupees.

And because we were 7 people in total, the cost per person came out to be INR 4,828 each. 

Flight Cost Too High? Let Me Help You!

One day I’ll have collaborations that offer flight discounts to my readers but today is not the day. 😛

Until I have that in place, here are 2 things that you can look forward to if you travel to Pokhara via road (God Bless You) –

1. Wait For Sugarcane

A sweet surprise on your Kathmandu to Pokhara road trip will be sugarcane stalks so soft and juicy that you’ll feel like sipping nature’s own nectar. We got 2 bundles of sugarcane stalks (each bundle had 7-8) for 100 Nepalese Rupees i.e. INR 64. They were beyond yummy. (Ah, missing them now.)

Note: The sugarcane sellers are found in a small area only. Make sure you buy them at the first sight. We kept looking for them ahead but to no avail.

On our way back, we asked the driver some 5 times about the area where sugarcanes are sold, irritating him. 😛 Talk about not wanting to miss something that tasted heavenly.

2. Add Manokama Devi Temple

We covered the Manokamana Devi Temple (a detailed blog will come on this) while coming back from Pokhara to Kathmandu. You could add that to your itinerary while going to Pokhara as well.

We chose the other way because our Kathmandu to Pokhara travel happened on a Saturday and the temple is extra crowded on Saturdays.

Parting Words

If you want to experience the best of both worlds, I’d suggest you book a Kathmandu to Pokhara flight (i.e. while going) and travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu by road (i.e. while coming back). This will save you from both – the travel torture and spending overly. Yay!

And with this, I wish you immense luck. <3

May your journey (be it via road or air) be full of lovely memories and may your time melt away like mist on a meadow, leaving only the joy of exploration in its wake.