Behind the wheel & Contributor

Vinod Kumar...know more about me

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Indo Nepal Road trip

Prelude
5 familes who are the "Guhmi group" plan an out of India drive just spontaneously over dinner one evening. Quick info, experiences, feedback and more collected and everything gets finalised with the help of a friend in Kathmandu. So our team of 15 members the oldest being 52 and youngest 1 year get ready for the 9 day journey to the beautiful country of Nepal. The entry was through Banbassa and return by Sanauli.

Route & Stay plan
Day 1 Delhi - Banbassa (enter Nepal) - Kohalpur (Stay at Central Plaza hotel)
Day 2 Kohalpur - Pokhara (Stay in temple tree)
Day 3 Pokhra (Sightseeing)
Day 4 Nagarkot (Stay at Bangeri Durbar)
Day 5 Nagarkot - Bhaktapur - Kathmandu (Stay in Hotel Manaslu)
Day 6 Kathmandu - Flight to Everest & Pasupatinath
Day 7 Kathmandu - Darechok (Stay in Riverside Springs Resort)
Day 8 Darechok - Sanauli - Lucknow(Stay at Hotel Vista Residency)
Day 9 Lucknow - Delhi

Total Distance - 2500+kms

Total Duration - 9 days

Vehicle - Total 5 vehicles, 2 safaris, 1 Thar, 1 Ertiga and ours Santafe

Trip done in May 2018

Route map


The Ghumi Group

Day 1 (26th may 2018)

Total distance - 750kms
Time taken - 16hrs
Delhi - Kohalpur. Stay at Hotel Central Plaza.

Start at 4am. First break at Shiv dhaba abd then at McD at 7am.

Toll at Niyamatpur Ekrotia at 8:45 of Rs 115/-

Nawabganjat 10:15

Toll of Rs 120

Enter Uttarakhand around 11:45

Lunch break 2 kms before Banbassa. Entry is only after 2pm, lunch break

Entry charges are levied of Rs 40/-

Before the Sharda barrage the car RC is checked with the entry charge slip. RC, owner, car name, address, no of passengers, male/female, carmake etc are all noted down.

The Sharada cannal is very narrow, one car can cross at a time. After the cannal the handbags and luggage are checked. Further at Gaddachauki Kanchanpur police checkpost the ids are checked.

At the Kanchanpur customs office all the details are checked and at the traffic checkpost point the DLs are checked and a temporary number is allotted for the car.

Municipal fee of Rs 50 per car.

Pass Shuklaphanta national park at 4:45. There are numerous checkpost in between where the papers are checked. The speed limit of the national park is 40km.

Bani 5:10

Ghisapani cross karnali bridge at 7:10

Ghats roads start

Cross Bardia National park at 7:15. Drive at 40 kms speed, there are 4 checkposts here and one can spot wildlife crossing the road if lucky.

Central plaza hotel at 10pm

Morning tea at Shiv dhaba


Lunch break


The checkpost entry




Sharda barrage




The vehicles, luggage and people frisked


Police checkpost ahead


Border cross


Mahendra Rajamarg




Documents check at Bhimdatta




Neulapur took teabreak and had kothe momos


Reach Central plaza hotel

Day 2 (27th may 2018)

Kohalpur - Pokhara. Stay at Temple tree Resort & Spa
Distance - 400kms
Time - 10hrs

Morning had breakfast and started around 9. Took an Ncell connection from a nearby shop. Documents reqd are passport and photo. 2 sims 15GB for 30 days for Rs 799 NPR. The roads winds through ghats, patched roads, passed Kapilvastu enroute. At Bhutwal we stop at Galaxy cafe for lunch. It was a good place and food too was good.

At Bhutwal


Lunch break at Galaxy Cafe




From here we climb to Palpa, roads are bad, winding roads, scenic beautiful drive, and it started raining inbetween.







By 9:30 we reach Temple tree, our stay for the next 2 days.

Day 3 (28th may 2018)

In Pokhra
PHEWA lake boating, temple and explore the markets.
Morning have breakfast at Temple tree and walk around to the market. There are a whole lot of adventure activities and treks here. Bustling with activity, it takes a while for the markets to open up. Some phoographs of Pokhra

Breakfast

Breakfast at Pokhra Temple tree resort
Boating to the temple






The temple






Markets






Lunch break








Gurkha beer

Day 4 (29th may 2018)

Distance around 12kms
Visit Sarangot viewpoint. Lunch at Crazy Gheko. Evening markets roam

Sarangot - outskirts of Pokhara city, fabulous views of the Fewa Lake, Seti river and surrounding valley, and of course, the snow-clad peaks. Also the spot for paragliding. Greatest views of the Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhare, Annapurna to Lamjung. There is a cafe where you can get tea and snacks. Rs 50 per person entry. Best time to visit early morning. There are quite a good lot of steps to the top. At the top there are watch towers for viewing. Parking is there. There is a shop near the parking where we get hand woven shawls and stoles made by the local people.

Way to Sarangot


Climb to the Viewpoint








Lunch at Crazy Gecko...an awesome place










Irresistable food




Evening shopping in the markets of Pokhra






Trekking tours

Day 5 (30th may 2018)

Distance - 230kms
Time around 10 hrs

Drive from Temple tree to Bangeri durbar in Nagarkot. Big rooms and excellent view. The food was also good. There have a good parking also. Enroute visit Buddha statue. The roads are bad. Nagarkot is a place from where you can see the Mt. Everest. But since it was cloudy so we could not have any views from our place either.

Somewhere near Byas


Benighat


Bhaktapur


Changunarayan




Mahamanjushree








Our stay Bangeri Durbar


Parking

Day 6 (31st may 2018)

Distance - 32kms via Bhaktapur Durbar square
Morning walk have tea from the local stall. The grass had leeches. Check out of Bangeri darbar after breakfast and reach Hotel Manslu in Kathmandu. Here we visit Durbar square enroute and then check in hotel. Evening visit Pasupatinath temple.

Bangeri durbar


Early morning walk


View from hotel




Durbar square - Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the UNESCO World Heritage. Paid 1000 nepali rupees to get into Durbar Square. Conservation work at Durbur Square began in 2000. Kathmandu's Durbar Square was built between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries by the Malla kings and, to this day, remains the focal point of the city. symbiosis of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Tantrism. Durbar Square was a part of Nepal's Royal Palace until 1896. With several buildings over one thousand years old and many others dating from the 15th and 16th centuries that were in turn built over other buildings from the 7th century. It's a treasure trove of history and culture. Historians say Kathmandu Durbar Square was the place where two towns met during the Licchavi period and traded. Durbar Square remained "royal" until the monarchy moved to the Royal Palace in Naryansthan. Then when the monarchy ceased the area became a public square. Some pics

































Reach Hotel Mansalu




Visit Pasupatinath temple

Day 7 (1st june 2018)

Took the Mt Everest flight early morning. Shopping in Kathmandu
Afternoon drive to Darechok. Stay in Riverside Springs Resort
Distance - 105kms. Time 4hrs

Since we were not going to climb or trek to Mt. Everest our only alternative while in Nepal was a fly by. We flew on Yeti Airlines booking the earliest possible time since weather is usually a problem as the day goes on. Our flight was delayed for several hours but then a window opened and we were off. Every passenger (32) had a window seat and was allowed into the cockpit for a pilots eye view. They served champagne midway through the flight and got great views of Everest and the Himalayas.

Then we check out of Mansalu and do a bit of shopping in the markets of Kathmandu. From here we drive to Kathmandu – Darechok. Stay at River Springs resort. The best thing in this place is its swimming pool. They have a fresh spring water in the pool. The service is awful. The food - OK. The resort and its premises are very scenic. Located right by the river Trishuli. The pool also has a bar which makes it all the more fun. Sipping cocktails in the pool while enjoying the beautiful views around you makes for the perfect getaway!

The Yeti flight journey


Tribhuvan Airport


The flight was a bit delayed due to bad weather


The bus


And the flight!!!










Mt Everest










Markets


River Springs resort

Day 8 (2nd June)

Darechok - Sonauli - Lucknow. Stay at Oyo Hotel Vista Residency
Distance - 500kms
Time - 10+ hrs
Somewhere near Bharatpur




Sonauli border






The permit papers were checked and taken








Reached Oyo Vista residency Lucknow by evening and head to Dastarkhawn for dinner

Day 9 (3rd June)

Lucknow - Delhi Distance 55kms. Time 8 hrs
Morning shopping and visit Royal cafe and drive back to Delhi

Checked out


At Royal cafe










And finally the end of a Memorable trip...........