How to reach Chitwan and get around once you’re there

Distances and travel times to Chitwan at a glance

Chitwan sits in the Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal, roughly halfway between Kathmandu and the Indian border. Nearly all visitors stay in or around Sauraha, so the times below are to Sauraha. All figures are approximate; road conditions vary a lot by season.

From Kathmandu: bus, car or flight

This is the most common way to travel to Chitwan. Tourist buses leave around 7:00 a.m. and reach Sauraha in the early afternoon; a private car is quicker and more flexible; and flights to Bharatpur take about 20–25 minutes. Our Kathmandu to Chitwan guide compares all three and describes the road via Mugling step by step.

From Pokhara: road only

From Pokhara the drive is about 150 km and usually 4.5–6 hours, with tourist buses leaving around 7:00–7:30 a.m. There’s no direct flight that makes sense. Details of the route, the Bandipur detour and the return trip are on the Pokhara to Chitwan page.

From Lumbini and India

Lumbini, Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa and the Sunauli/Belahiya border crossing are all close together, and from any of them it’s around 4–5 hours by car to Sauraha via Butwal and the East-West Highway. Travelers coming from Varanasi or Gorakhpur often cross here and spend a night in Lumbini on the way.

Other border crossings further east, such as Raxaul/Birgunj, are also used, but transport options there are less set up for travelers. The Lumbini to Chitwan guide covers the western route and border tips in detail.

Flying into Bharatpur Airport

Bharatpur Airport (BHR) is a small domestic airport about 15 km from Sauraha, served mainly by flights from Kathmandu. From the airport it is about 30 minutes by road to Sauraha. Most lodges arrange a pickup if you share your flight details; taxis also wait for arrivals.

Flights are short, but schedules can shift with weather. Winter fog in the Terai and monsoon cloud are the usual causes of delay, so morning flights and a little slack in your plans help.

Reaching lodges outside Sauraha

Some lodges are in other buffer-zone villages, including Meghauli, Amaltari, Barauli, Bagmara and the Kasara/Patihani side. These are reached by road from Narayangarh or Bharatpur rather than via Tandi, and the lodges usually arrange transfers. Our guide to where to stay in Chitwan compares the areas.

How to reach Chitwan National Park from Sauraha

Sauraha sits on the north bank of the Rapti River, and the park begins on the other side. On most safaris from Sauraha you walk to the riverbank, cross the Rapti by boat or canoe with your guide, and start the jeep drive, walk or canoe trip from there.

You can’t simply wander into the park. Activities inside need a licensed nature guide, and foreign visitors pay a park entry fee of approx. NPR 2,000 per person per day plus VAT (check current rates). Your guide or lodge normally buys the permit. Read more about the park itself on our Chitwan National Park page, and see the jeep safari guide for how a typical drive works.

Choosing the right option for your trip

The right way to travel to Chitwan depends mostly on how much time you have. On a trip of two nights or more, the road is fine: you lose half a day each way, but you still get a full day of safaris in between. On a one-night visit, flying at least one way to Bharatpur frees up time for an extra activity.

Group size matters too. For one or two people, the tourist bus is hard to beat on cost. For a family or a group of four, a private car often costs not much more per person and is far more comfortable. If you’re still deciding on the length of your stay, our guide to how many days to spend in Chitwan helps you balance travel time against time in the park.

Getting around Sauraha

Sauraha is compact, and most of what you need is within walking distance. For anything further, there are a few simple ways to get around.

For more on the village itself, see our Sauraha guide. If you’d like transport, lodge and safari arranged together, ask us for a quote, and see the Chitwan safari cost guide for what to budget.