Most visitors fly into Kathmandu, but you can also fly into Pokhara or Bhairahawa, or come overland from India. Here is how each way in works, so you can choose what suits you.
Current notice: Floods on 26 August 2026 hit Rasuwa district on the Nepal–China border, along with Gorkha, Nuwakot and Dhading (UK Foreign Office). As of 15 October 2026, Canada advises against non-essential travel to Rasuwa and Nuwakot. If you planned to come overland from Tibet, please check the latest news first.
The essentials
Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport is the main way in, with flights from Delhi, the Gulf, Bangkok and beyond.
Pokhara has a daily flydubai flight from Dubai, running since 23 September 2026.
Visa on arrival is available at Kathmandu airport and at several land borders with India.
Foreigners can't take the Raxaul–Sirsiya train across the border; it is for Indian citizens only.
Indian citizens don't need a visa, but do need the right ID.
Nepal and Bhutan don't share a border, so the overland route goes through India.
By air
Kathmandu has flights from Delhi, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul (Incheon), Dhaka, Colombo, Muscat, Kuwait and several Chinese cities.
Most international flights come from Delhi, the UAE, Qatar and Bangkok. Buddha Air also flies in from Kolkata and Varanasi.
Bhairahawa's Gautam Buddha airport has had international flights on and off. Thai AirAsia resumed twice-weekly flights on 26 October 2025, so please check they are still running.
Overland from India
The main crossings are Sunauli–Bhairahawa (from Varanasi or Gorakhpur), Raxaul–Birgunj (from Patna or Kolkata), Panitanki–Kakarbhitta (from Siliguri or Darjeeling), Rupaidiha–Nepalgunj (from Lucknow) and Banbasa–Mahendranagar (from Delhi).
Singapore's foreign ministry (6 November 2025) lists visa on arrival at Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Bhairahawa (Belahiya), Nepalgunj and Gaddachauki. We couldn't confirm it for Biratnagar, so please check before using that crossing.
Sunauli is about 70 km from Gorakhpur, around 2–3 hours by jeep for about ₹100. From there, buses take 9–14 hours to Kathmandu and 5–6 hours to Pokhara.
Wikivoyage suggests crossing at Sunauli in daylight and not buying travel services in the border town.
Kakarbhitta is about an hour from Siliguri by jeep or minibus; the bus on to Kathmandu takes about 16 hours. From Birgunj, buses to Kathmandu leave 6–10 AM and 7–10 PM.
Delhi to Kathmandu takes 25–28 hours by bus.
From Bhutan
You can fly from Paro to Kathmandu with Drukair or Bhutan Airlines.
Overland, you cross from Phuentsholing into Jaigaon in India, take a bus to Siliguri (about 4 hours), then continue to Kakarbhitta.
If you are not Indian, please remember to get your Indian immigration stamp at Jaigaon, as you are passing through India.
Indian citizens
Indian citizens don't need a visa for Nepal, under the 1950 treaty between the two countries.
For flights, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu (November 2026) accepts a valid Indian passport or an original Election Commission voter ID with a photo. It does not accept Aadhaar, PAN, a driving licence or printouts.
Sources disagree: the Nepal Tourism Board also lists PAN, a driving licence, a ration card (65 and over) and school ID (under 18), perhaps for land borders. To be safe, carry your passport or voter ID.
General guidance from the sources listed, not a guarantee. Rules, fees and trail conditions change; confirm with the official source or a registered trekking agency before you go.