“Lumbini” a birthplace of Buddha, Located in southern Nepal near the city called Bhairahawa. Lumbini is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in the world with about 1.55 million tourist visits every year. While international tourist number is only about 300 thousand which covers the highest number of tourist coming from India.
“COVID-19 Update: The tourist bus and flight between Pokhara and Lumbini is currently unavailable. However, with safety protocol, private tourist vehicles and local buses are in operation”.
Due to the market syndicated by the local bus operator, Lumbini was not connected with any deluxe tourist bus for a long time. Any tourist is planning to travel Lumbini from a major city like Kathmandu or Pokhara they had to travel either via local bus or an expensive flight.
The thing has changed by 2019! The new government has changed the rule of what local bus trade union’s monopoly markets used to be. Based on the new rule, the private company now can operate a deluxe tourist bus in this sector between Lumbini and Pokhara. In this article, I will break down all available transport options between Pokhara-Lumbini-Pokhara with the Deluxe tourist bus option.
Contents
Pokhara to Lumbini Flight
Every day in the morning there is one flight from Pokhara to Bhairahawa Lumbini. It is only a 20-minute flight departure at 11:25 AM. Only Buddha air conducted 1 flight a day. Lumbini is one of the most popular touristic city in Nepal. This is by far the fastest and easiest way to reach Lumbini from Pokhara city. The majority of foreign travelers visit Pokhara but not as much of the tourists make it to Lumbini. Anyone planning to take a day tour, there is a daily flight between Pokhara -Lumbini and Kathmandu.
For some travelers with limited time in Nepal and looking to go to Pokhara, the good news is, you can actually fly there. And it will probably be the shortest flight you may have experienced as it is not even 30 minutes!! It’s about 20 minutes to be exact.
Pokhara to Lumbini Tourist Bus
Jagadamba Travel has recently announced 20 seaters deluxe tourist bus between Pokhara-Lumbini-Pokhara. Officially the journey started on 27th August 2018. The bus has bigger legroom and reclining sofa-like seats. They also offer tea, coffee, unlimited drinks, breakfast and lunch on the way.
| Pokhara Departure point | Tourist Bus Park |
|---|---|
| Lumbini Departure Point | Gate no. 1 |
| Pokhara Departure time | 8:00 AM |
| Lumbini Departure time | 6:45 am |
| Total Travel Time | 6-7 hour |
| Cost for local tourist | NPR 2260 with TAX |
| Cost for tourist | USD 30 with TAX |
Pokhara to Lumbini Local Bus
Before the deluxe tourist bus came in operation, this was the only option available between Pokhara and Lumbini. A local bus is a relatively cheaper comper to the tourist bus but you may not get the same service and legroom for this long journey. Every morning from Pokhara bus park the local bus leaves for Lumbini which is only USD 10 (NPR 1000 per person). This journey might take you 7-8 hours while the Tourist bus only takes about 5-6 hours. The hotel in Pokhara will arrange the ticket.
Pokhara to Lumbini Private car
This might be an ideal option if you are traveling in a group of at least 2 or more. Renting a private car from Pokhara to Lumbini might cost you in between USD 80-100 per trip. It will only take about 5 hours if you take a private car. It could be picked up from door to door and indeed the journey will be much more comfortable than any other overland option available as mention above. You can simply organize this upon your arrival at your hotel or look for some travel agents who may provide a better price with a brand new vehicle.
Summary
We have been waiting for over a decade, to see the deluxe tourist bus in this section. Finally, the time has come true. Jagadamba Travel is one of the leading bus service operating companies with multiple deluxe bus services all over Nepal. They were the first company that started a super deluxe tourist bus between Kathmandu and Pokhara. Largely they have been able to extend their service to several other tourist destinations like Kathmandu to Chitwan. Kathmandu to Lumbini or Kathmandu to Nagarkot. This is indeed a milestone for the comfort service provider as a bus company adding more service also helping promote Nepal tourism. If you enjoyed reading this article share it with your friends and family! This might be the missing exclusive information they were looking for! We would also appreciate it if you could give us a rating below. You can also comment us below.
