Kathmandu to Pokhara Distance: By Road, Bus Fare and Flight Time

Kathmandu to Pokhara distance: the road distance is 198.55 km (about 123 miles), according to Nepal’s Department of Roads (DoR). The route leaves Kathmandu on the Tribhuvan Highway through Kalanki and Nagdhunga to Naubise, then follows the Prithvi Highway for 173.41 km via Mugling and Dumre to Prithvi Chowk in Pokhara. The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) uses 202 km for bus fares. There is no official drive time. With road widening, landslide repairs and one-lane stretches, expect it to take most of a day. The government-set bus fare is NPR 783 (ordinary), NPR 940 (deluxe) or NPR 1,128 (super deluxe). A flight takes about 25 minutes, according to Buddha Air. The straight-line distance between the two airports is about 143 km. There is no train.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Distances come from the DoR’s Statistics of National Highway 2022/23 and bus fares from the DoTM’s online fare list. Flight time is from Buddha Air. News reports from the past 12 months are named where they are used. Prices are in Nepali rupees (NPR). This page is not based on a personal visit.

Kathmandu to Pokhara distance at a glance

The road route, section by section

Use this table to see how far along the route each town is. The kilometre figures come from the DoR’s link list in Statistics of National Highway 2022/23. Under the national highway numbering in that book, the Prithvi Highway is NH17 and the Kathmandu–Naubise road is part of the Tribhuvan Highway, NH41.

• Mugling is the main junction. Here the road to Narayangadh and Chitwan branches south (36.16 km, DoR), while the Prithvi Highway crosses the river and continues west to Pokhara.
• Nagdhunga tunnel: the 2.68 km Nagdhunga road tunnel was inaugurated on 27 July 2026. From 24 August 2026 it opened on a trial basis to private cars, jeeps and vans with up to nine seats (Kathmandu Post, 24 August 2026). Buses were not part of that trial. We found no report that buses had been allowed through as of 20 October 2026.
• Road widening: the 94.66 km Nagdhunga–Mugling road is being widened with World Bank loan assistance. On 30 June 2026, Republica reported that the Nagdhunga–Naubise section was 84% complete, Naubise–Malekhu 42% and Malekhu–Mugling 43%, with the last two sections due by mid-November.

How long does the drive take?

No government office publishes a journey time for this road, and it changes a lot. Navigation apps assume free-flowing traffic, which the Prithvi Highway rarely has. In February 2025, a Nepal Tourism Board director quoted by The Rising Nepal said it “will take more than 10 hours to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu (200 KM) via road”. Since then, the widening works have continued, and landslides and road collapses in August to October 2026 caused full closures and one-lane sections (see the news section below).

• Leave early and plan to travel in daylight. In October 2026, night traffic was stopped at Galaundi (Dhading) while the road there was being repaired (Ratopati, 13 October 2026).
• Expect queues at the Kalanki–Nagdhunga exit from Kathmandu. This section was particularly congested during the 2026 Dashain rush, and traffic police said the number of vehicles leaving through Kalanki and Nagdhunga was especially high (Kathmandu Post, 14 October 2026).
• During the monsoon and after heavy rain, landslides can block the road at short notice. Check with your bus company before you leave.

Kathmandu to Pokhara bus fare

For public buses between provinces, the government sets the maximum fares. The DoTM’s online fare list shows these figures for the Kathmandu–Pokhara route (202 km):

• Deluxe and super deluxe: a bus approved as deluxe may charge 20% more than the ordinary fare, and super deluxe 20% more than deluxe (DoTM, as reported by Capital Nepal, 9 October 2026). The figures above follow that rule.
• Tickets: the operator must issue a ticket showing the fare and destination, and the approved fare must be displayed in the bus and at the counter (Capital Nepal, 9 October 2026). Concessions for students, people with disabilities and senior citizens still apply.
• Tourist buses are private services and set their own prices. We could not confirm a current fare on any operator’s own website on 20 October 2026, so none is listed here. Ask the operator before you book.
• Where buses leave from: the Kathmandu Post (10 October 2026) named the New Bus Park at Gongabu, Kalanki and Balkhu among the main departure points for long-distance buses in Kathmandu. In Pokhara, the tourist bus park is at Mustang Chowk, and buses for Kathmandu also leave from Prithvi Chowk and other points (Kathmandu Post, 6 September 2026).

Kathmandu to Pokhara flight: time, airlines and fares

Buddha Air gives the flight time as 25 minutes (25 to 30 minutes in its FAQ) and says it runs “more than 17 flights daily” on the route. In September 2026, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and Shree Airlines all flew between Kathmandu and Pokhara (Kathmandu Post, 6 September 2026).

• Which Pokhara airport: scheduled flights from Kathmandu use Pokhara International Airport, which opened on 1 January 2023. Airlines moved their flights there from the old airport that day (Republica, January 2025).
• Distance by flight: about 143 km in a straight line between Tribhuvan International Airport and Pokhara International Airport, compared with 198.55 km by road.
• Fares are not published as a fixed list. Buddha Air says prices vary with the booking date and season and change with fuel prices; see the airline’s website or app for current fares. Airline booking forms also ask for your nationality, and the fare can depend on it. For example, Yeti Airlines has a separate “Residential” fare for foreigners who live in Nepal on a non-tourist visa.
• Approved fare range (reported): the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) sets lower, base and upper fare limits for domestic routes. For Kathmandu–Pokhara, Shilapatra reported a lower limit of NPR 5,480, a base of NPR 6,510 and an upper limit of NPR 8,571 (9 October 2026, citing CAAN). In Indian rupees that is about ₹3,425 / ₹4,070 / ₹5,360. On 8 October 2026, after complaints about high festival fares, CAAN met the domestic airlines. The airlines agreed to sell tickets below the approved maximum and to publish their fares on their sales platforms (Shilapatra, Thaha Khabar, 8 October 2026).
• Weather: Pokhara International Airport currently uses VOR/DME and ILS approach procedures. CAAN says poor weather and low visibility there can cause diversions and cancellations. In October 2026 it began work on a satellite-based (RNP-AR) approach, with no date announced (The Tourism Times, 16 October 2026).

Is there a train from Kathmandu to Pokhara?

No. There is no railway between Kathmandu and Pokhara, so the only options are road and air. The only stations shown on the Department of Railways website are Jaynagar, Janakpur and Kurtha, on the cross-border line in the south-east, far from this route. A Kathmandu–Pokhara railway was proposed long ago: in 2019 Nepal and China agreed to prepare a detailed project report for it (The Himalayan Times, 21 June 2019). No line has been built.

Road status and news (last 12 months)

• Krishnabhir collapse (30 August 2026): after the Bhotekoshi floods of 26 August, river erosion caused the Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway to collapse. About 150 tourist buses on the Pokhara–Kathmandu route were left idle, and air passengers between Pokhara and Kathmandu rose to more than 3,500 in a single day (Kathmandu Post, 6 September and 10 October 2026). A new track was later opened at Krishnabhir (Khabarhub, 25 September 2026).
• Landslides (25–27 September 2026): heavy rain blocked the Prithvi Highway and the Narayangadh–Mugling road at several points. The Narayangadh–Mugling road reopened on 27 September (Khabarhub; Makalu Khabar).
• Galaundi collapse (9–13 October 2026): a 20-metre section of road sank at Galaundi, Gajuri Rural Municipality, Dhading, and traffic stopped. The road was widened into the hillside and fully reopened on the morning of Tuesday 13 October (Kathmandu Post, 10 and 14 October 2026).
• Status on 13–16 October 2026: the DoR’s Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office in Kathmandu said all main exits from the valley, including Nagdhunga–Naubise and Mugling–Narayangadh, had two-way traffic (Ratopati, 13 October). The Rising Nepal reported on 16 October that some parts of the Nagdhunga–Mugling corridor still run one-way.
• Bus fares: the DoTM cut inter-province fares by 2% on 2 July 2026 after diesel prices fell (Artha Sarokar, 2 July 2026), and again in October (fare table above).
• Strikes: we found no report of a strike or bandh affecting this route as of 20 October 2026.

More distance and trekking guides

• Nainital to Neem Karoli Baba Ashram (Kainchi Dham): distance and route
• Top places for trekking in India
• Gaumukh Tapovan trek: best time

FAQ

How many km is Kathmandu to Pokhara by road?

198.55 km, according to the Department of Roads. That is from Tripureshwor in Kathmandu to Prithvi Chowk in Pokhara, via Naubise and Mugling on the Prithvi Highway. The bus fare list uses 202 km.

What is the bus fare from Kathmandu to Pokhara?

The government fare is NPR 783 for an ordinary bus, NPR 940 for a deluxe bus and NPR 1,128 for a super deluxe bus (DoTM fare list, read 20 October 2026). Private tourist buses set their own prices.

How long is the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara?

About 25 minutes (Buddha Air). The straight-line distance is about 143 km.

Is there a train from Kathmandu to Pokhara?

No. There is no railway on this route; travel is by road or air.

Is the Kathmandu–Pokhara road open now?

On 13 October 2026, the DoR’s Kathmandu road office said the main exits had two-way traffic, after repairs at Galaundi. Parts of the road can still be one-way, and new landslides can close it after heavy rain. Check with your bus company on the day you travel.

Sources (checked 20 October 2026)

• Department of Roads – Statistics of National Highway 2022/23 (Table 5 road distances; NH17 and NH41 link chainages)
• Department of Roads – List of national highways (H04 Prithvi Rajmarg 173.43 km, Naubise to Prithvi Chowk)
• Department of Transport Management – Inter-province fare list
• Department of Transport Management – Fare notices
• Buddha Air – Kathmandu to Pokhara flights
• Yeti Airlines
• Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal – News (8 and 15 October 2026 press releases)
• Department of Railways
• The Himalayan Times – Nepal–China railway DPR (21 June 2019)
• Nepal Rastra Bank – Foreign exchange rates (20 October 2026)
• Kathmandu Post – Nagdhunga road tunnel opens to private vehicles (24 August 2026)
• Kathmandu Post – Prithvi Highway collapse leaves Pokhara’s tourist buses idle (6 September 2026)
• Kathmandu Post – Damaged highways disrupt Dashain travel (10 October 2026)
• Kathmandu Post – Dashain travel rush builds (14 October 2026)
• Ratopati – Road conditions for Dashain travel (13 October 2026)
• The Rising Nepal – Damaged roads threaten Dashain travel (16 October 2026)
• The Rising Nepal – Poor infrastructure limits tourism (9 February 2025)
• Republica – Nagdhunga–Mugling road expansion progress (30 June 2026)
• Khabarhub – Landslides halt traffic on Narayangadh–Mugling road and Prithvi Highway (25 September 2026)
• Makalu Khabar – Narayangadh–Mugling road reopens (27 September 2026)
• Golkhabar – DoTM cuts public transport fares (9 October 2026, Nepali)
• Edusawal – New fares from 18 Asoj 2083 (9 October 2026, Nepali)
• Capital Nepal – New public transport fares (9 October 2026, Nepali)
• Artha Sarokar – Fares reduced after fuel price cut (2 July 2026)
• Shilapatra – Airlines agree to cut domestic fares after CAAN talks (8 October 2026, Nepali)
• Shilapatra – Domestic airfare limits set by CAAN (9 October 2026, Nepali)
• Thaha Khabar – Airlines agree to lower domestic fares (8 October 2026, Nepali)
• The Tourism Times – CAAN moves ahead with RNP-AR approach at Pokhara airport (16 October 2026)
• Republica – Pokhara International Airport opening, 1 January 2023 (January 2025)
• OpenStreetMap contributors / OSRM – route calculation (20 October 2026)