After you fight through the inevitable taxi driver touts at the airport you'll be driven through a maze
of streets eventually to the tourist area of Thamel. At the airport the taxi drivers and touts will do
almost anything to get you to their hotel. (a free taxi ride is the usual incentive) If in doubt agree
a price to Thamel (100Rs-150Rs) and insist on being dropped at a set point like the Kathmandu guest house
or Thamel Chowk - one of the main road junctions. From there head off to the hotel of your choice. Orientation
here isn't easy, but if you have a starting point it'll become easier.
The taxi is likely to bring you along Tridevi Marg (middle right on the map) into Thamel Chowk, a busy
junction on the edge of Thamel.
Often they'll want to drop you here to avoid entering the one-way
system in Thamel - that's fine most hotels are closeby. If they haven't conned you into going to the
hotel of their choice and they are prepared to go into Thamel, get them to drop you near the Kathmandu
guest house.
The best plan is to insist at the airport that you want to go the Kathmandu Guest
house and don't take no for an answer. There is a big neon San Miguel sign near the Guest house, look
out for this and you'll have a starting point.
Getting away - Your operator will probably have arranged the next leg of your journey and it pays to
call on them straight away to make sure there have been no changes to the plans. There's often a pre-departure
meeting on the night before to go over any other details.
If you are travelling independently
both Green Hill tours (near the Kathmandu guest house), who book Ultimate descents trips and Equator
expeditions will sort out a bus ticket for you. Alternatively your Hotel will make arrangements also.
Most Bus and Air travel prices are fixed so there's less chance of getting ripped off with these than
gifts and souvenirs.
Hillary travels is an independent agency. It provides bus and plane ticketing
at fair prices and is in the entrance foyer of the Hotel Garuda (four doors up from Equator.)
Prices
for flights from Kathmandu, (Aug 2000) are as follows, and are fixed by the government. Locals pay much
less but the prices are reasonable. The prices are one way in US$. The mountain flight is a circular
flight out of Kathmandu (Photo Gallery, Scenery has some shots.)
Pokhara $61
(then $50 to Manang or Jomsom) Nepalganj $99 Lukla $83 Mountain
flight $99
If you need more information on Kathmandu or Pokhara feel free to e-mail me via the Customised Itineraries
page and I'll pass on what information I can.
One of the great experiences in Kathmandu is to set off walking and loose yourself in the backstreets
and bazaars. There always seems to be a Rickshaw or Taxi nearby ready to take you back to Thamel if you
get completely lost!
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