Day 1: Ranchi to Motihari, via Barhi, Gaya, Patna, Muzzafarpur.
Total distance: 480 kms covered in about 9 hours.
Road condition: Reasonable in Jharkhand with patches in disrepair. Road condition in Bihar was bad due to road widening work.
Stops: At Chouparan for brunch.
Stay: Overnight at Motihari hotel. We booked directly by phone while on road, it was just about ok, the bare minimum essentials were available. There was no restaurant attached, so had dinner in room.
Day 2: Motihari to Kathmandu via Raxaul, Birganj, Amlekhganj, Hetauda.
Total distance: 190 kms, covered in 12 hours, including 2 hours at border for all formalities like vehicle permits, currency exchange etc.
Vehicle permit: 500 NPR per day (INR 300 approx). RC, driving license, ID proof, pollution certificate, vehicle insurance policy required for Bhansar (Vehicle Permit).
A Nagarpalika (115 NPR) receipt also needs to be obtained at the border.
Road condition: Raxaul is pathetic, just one carriage way for two way traffic and an unorganized railway crossing. The Sirsiya bridge (actual boundary) was clogged and took 30 mins to cover 200 m.
The Kulekhani-Pharpin-Dakshinkali road to Kathmandu from Hetauda was atrocious. In fact, there was no road at all, just dirt tracks!! We had to use 4 -wheel drive for major portions, it was so bad. It is advisable to use alternate route even if it may take longer time. Before entering Kathmandu, there is an ID verification check-post.
Stops: At Amlekhganj for lunch. A no. of road side dhabas sell normal Nepali fare – bhat-dal thali. Fish & chicken are also available.
Stay: At Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel (review separately in Hotel review section).
Caution – All petrol pumps in Birganj are not equipped with compatible nozzle size for car diesel tanks.
Day 3: At Kathmandu.
Day 4: At Kathmandu.
Day 5: Kathmandu to Pokhara via Mugling.
Total distance: About 200 kms, covered in about 6 hours. No stops on the way.
Road condition: Prithvi Highway is overall in good condition, but patches are in bad shape, particularly the stretch where the road enters the town of Pokhara. The road mostly follows river courses, so abrupt turns and steep gradients are minimal. An ID verification check-post is at the entry to Pokhara valley.
Stop: None
Stay: At Hotel Queen’s Park
Day 6: Pokhara to Jomsom and then onwards to Kagbeni and Muktinath.
There are 2 flights from Pokhara airport – first one at 6.20 AM, second at 7.05 AM. Its a small aircraft and can accommodate only about 20 people. Checked in luggage has a limit of 10 kgs and it is strictly enforced.
Due to uncertain weather condition, our flight took off around 7.30 AM and reached Jomson at 8.00 AM.
Flight tickets are priced differently for Nepali, Indian and foreigners. We paid INR 5500 for each ticket.
Lower Mustang permit cost 1000 NPR per person.
Road condition: Distance from Jomsom to Muktinath is 30 kms. The road till Kagbeni cannot be called a road, its an ill-defined track through Kali-Gandaki river bed. The road condition changes drastically the last 15 kms when it is as smooth and wide as an expressway.
There are options to stay at both Kagbeni & Muktinath. The latter has a no. of local restaurants. The entire trip from Jomsom to Muktinath and back took us about 3 hours, inclusive of hiking to the Muktinath temple (45 mins hike each side).
Stay: At Trekker’s Inn. Accommodation options are basic and limited at Jomsom. It is advisable to book in advance. It becomes very cold with strong winds from 11.00 AM onwards. Bad weather with snow is quite a common occurrence leading to flight cancellations.
Day 7: Flight back to Pokhara from Jomsom. Yet again, flight was delayed and we left Jomsom at around 7.30 AM and reached Pokhara around 07.50 AM.
The white peaks are visible from the left side of the aircraft while returning. Since there is no seat number, plan to grab seats on that side to have a close-up view.
Day 8 : At Pokhara.
Day 9: Pokhara to Motihari via Mugling, Hetauda, Amlekhganj, Birganj and Raxaul. Took us 11 hours to cover 300+ kms.
It is not permitted to return through any of the minor border check-posts (Chhoti Bhansar or Van Bhansar in local language). Despite Google Map indicating otherwise, ensure you are using any of the official border check-posts while returning. We wasted around 3 hours and learnt this the hard way.
Road condition – Ok till Mugling through Prithvi Highway. It is the same highway that connects Kathmandu to Pokhara. From Mugling, the road diverges and continues as East-West Highway. The condition of the E-W Highway is good. It passes through a no. of towns and has heavy traffic.
Crossing over from Nepal to India is a breeze, no checking or verification at the official border. On the contrary, checks were strict at the Chhoti Bansar.
Stop: At Amlekhganj for lunch.
Stay: SS Exotica hotel at Motihari (not recommended).
Day 10 – From Motihari to Ranchi via Muzzafarpur, Patna, Barhi, Hazaribagh.
We covered the distance of 466 kms in 12 hours. There was major hold-ups at Patna, Nawada, at Bihar-Jharkhand border. It is advisable to avoid Bihar-Jharkhand border crossing between 3 PM and 5 PM, since there is a serpentine queue of trucks stretching for more than 4 kms.
Road condition in Bihar was bad, particularly from Muzaffarpur onwards, due to road widening work. Road condition was better from Barhi onwards.