View the route Gorakhpur to Pokhara
View the route Secunderabad to Gorakhpur
Date of the journey:- January 2020
Distance travelled:- 903 miles
The epic move from Secunderabad to Pokhara in Nepal meant either a multiple sleeper train journey or a short flight and some bus journeys. After much deliberation, we decided against another batch of night trains, as train reservations were proving difficult to get. Doing the sums, the short flight and bus journeys worked out as the best option as well.
From our accommodation at the Hotel Incredible One in Secunderabad we made our way to Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International airport for the 0940 hrs flight to Gorakhpur. Booked with Indian budget airline IndiGo for 5327 Rupees each. With a flight time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, it was by far the better way of travelling the huge distance north.
Tania got a little upset because Guy wouldn’t pay 150 Rupees roughly £1.80 to sit next to her. Indigo airlines go one better than European airlines, by charging for both the aisle and window seats. Seating a couple, one behind the other in the middle seats of a row of 3.
Public transport to the airport was limited. With our flight being a morning flight, we got an Ola taxi for the 50 minute journey out to the airport. The airport was quite modern and had the customary overpriced snack stalls.
The flight was the only form of Indian public transport that we have taken, where the passengers haven’t thrown their rubbish out of the window….. The flight itself was a typical budget airline flight, basic and no frills but it did the job.
Arrival at Gorakhpur International airport is the strangest thing ever. The international airport is actually operated as a civil enclave at the Gorakhpur Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. When you disembark the aircraft and walk across the tarmac where there is a heavily armed military presence. Photography is not permitted and the military presence enforces this.
The terminal building is more of a room and the baggage carousel emanates from the wall and disappears back through the wall 5m later. It gets very crowded when the bags start coming out.
Exiting the airport doesn’t get any better. You basically step through a door cut out of a set of steel security gates of the Air Force base. Stepping straight out onto the main road.
Plenty of taxis and tuk tuks are waiting on the main road to get into the city. There was even a working elephant carrying a load of vegetation walking past, what an amazing sight that was.
Gorakhpur was just an overnight stopover for us, so we didn’t do any sightseeing. We had booked the Nirvana Sarovar Portico Gorakhpur, through Booking.com for a ridiculously low price. So low in fact, we were concerned as to what we were going to get. No concerns necessary, it was an amazing hotel. We really enjoyed our afternoon and night there. Even eating in the restaurant that evening was a delight. The buffet was excellent.
We don’t think many foreigners stay at the hotel or eat in the restaurant. The maître d’ was very proud of his restaurant. Ensuring that we knew everything about the local food that was on offer, wanting us to try it all. Breakfast was again a culinary delight.
The following morning we made our way to Gorakhpur bus station in Gorakhpur University Road, adjacent to Gorakhpur Junction railway station. Which at the time of our visit had the longest station platform in the world, at 1366m in length.
The bus for Sonauli and the Nepal border departed from the road outside of the bus station, which was just like a quagmire. The road was in complete chaos, busses everywhere, traffic jams and people shouting. The state bus from here to Sonauli, the India Nepal border crossing, was a 3 hour journey costing 127 Rupees each.
Sonauli is a very busy town. The bus stops on the main road outside of the Sonauli bus station. Before exiting India, a visit to the Indian Immigration Office is required to get the exit stamp in your passport. The office is located on the same side of the road that you get off the bus, but is about 100m back down the road you have just arrived on. Anyone will help direct you to where it is.
Exit stamp obtained, it is an 800m walk to the border crossing into Nepal.
Once in Nepal, we needed to obtain our visas which we did at the Nepalese Immigration Office, on the right-hand side as you enter Nepal. On arrival tourist visa costs 30 USD per person and a passport photo is required to accompany the application.
The total time from exiting the bus in Sonauli to leaving the Nepal Immigration Office was about an hour and was straightforward and easy. Just over the border in Nepal, there are a number of ATMs for cash withdrawal.
After obtaining the visa, we made our way to our accommodation for the night, Galaxy Guest House. Booked with Booking.com. A 10 minute journey from the border crossing.
The final leg of the journey was from Sonauli to Pokhara. The guest house arranged the minibus transfer, at a cost of 650 Rupees each, with an early morning pick up. The journey took 6 and a half hours in a crowded minibus.
Luggage goes up on the roof as there is no room in the van. The state of the roads in some areas is shocking, which meant slow progress. This being the main reason for the journey taking so long. The minibus drop off point in Pokhara is at a petrol station along Phewa Marga. Taxi drivers are waiting to take you to your hotel. We had a 10 minute journey to our accommodation Hotel Trekkers Inn.