How to Get from Bandipur to Pokhara

The Newari hill-top town of Bandipur is a convenient place to break the journey between Kathmandu and Pokhara for a couple of days—it's about halfway between the two cities—as well as a pretty and peaceful destination in its own right. 

By Private Transfer

Duration: 3 hours

Many travelers book a private transfer to take them from Bandipur to Pokhara. These can be arranged through hotels in either destination or independently. As Bandipur is a popular overnight stop between Kathmandu and Pokhara, many travelers arrange transfers that will take them the whole way.

Bandipur is a couple of miles up a steep hill from the town of Dumre, on the Prithvi Highway that connects Kathmandu and Pokhara. The journey between Dumre and Pokhara is scenic, with the Annapurna Himalaya visible from certain places on clear days, and pretty village and farmland scenes.

The traffic on this stretch of the Prithvi Highway tends to move more smoothly than on the stretch leading to/from Kathmandu, and although you may encounter delays due to roadworks or accidents, it's not such a slow journey.

By Bus

Duration: 3 hours

All buses traveling between Kathmandu and Pokhara can stop in Dumre, on the highway, on request. Travelers can pre-book a tourist bus from an agent in Kathmandu, who will advise of the best time to stand on the highway and wait. If you have a local cell phone number, this is the best way to keep track of the progress of the bus, so you don't end up waiting at the side of the road for hours in the event of delays.

From Bandipur, most accommodation can arrange for a private transfer down to Dumre in time for you to meet a bus. They may charge an extra fee for this. Local buses also leave Bandipur periodically. Bandipur is a small town and the vehicle road stops before reaching the center, so head to the start of the road to find where the buses park.

Check that the bus would get you to the highway in time for your onward bus. There's also a hiking trail down the hill, or you can follow the road. As most tourist buses leaving Kathmandu in the early morning would take at least four hours to get to Dumre (and probably longer), it's safe to aim to be at the highway and waiting at 11 am, earliest.