EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

It's hard to travel very far in Nepal without at least passing through NARAYANGHAT : the construction of the Mugling-Narayanghat highway has made it the gateway to the Tarai and the busiest crossroads in the country. What was once a far-flung intersection is now a 500-metre strip of diesel and daal bhaat, and it's said that real estate changes hands here for almost as high stakes as in Kathmandu. BHARATPUR , its sister city to the east and the headquarters of Chitwan District, boasts a large regional college, a couple of breweries and an airstrip. Unflattering as all that may sound, you may have occasion to stay, or at least eat, in the area. The side trip to Devghat may provide an incentive.

Buses to Pokhara, Gorkha and Devghat have their own bus park at the north end of Narayanghat on the road to Mugling. All other express buses stop at the fast-food parade just east of Pulchowk (the intersection of the Mugling and Mahendra highways). There are two additional bus parks for local services: buses and minibuses to Tadi Bazaar and eastern Chitwan District start from Sahid Chowk, about 500m east of Pulchowk; minibuses to Meghauli and Jagatpur start from just north of Sahid Chowk - walk north for 50m, take the first right down a small lane and it's on the left after 200m. Bharatpur's airstrip is just south of the Mahendra Highway. Cosmic Air (tel 24218), Gorkha Airlines (tel 21093), Lumbini Airways (Kathmandu: tel 221523) and RNAC (tel 20326) all fly daily to Bharatpur from Kathmandu ($50), and their offices are all along the highway near the airstrip.

Rikshas should take you anywhere within the two towns for Rs10 or less.