Hi all

entering Nepal in September 2010 by 4x4 truck , any tips or recomendations welcomled. Does any body know if you can cross from nepal to bangledesh and what paper work is involved

all the best Mark
Jo and Mark Overland

Hi

There is one popular border which 90% off overlander and backpackers use to Cross from India to Nepal , Called Belaniya (firts town is Bhairawa in Nepal).

its basically no mans land and you can easily just cross in to nepal without noticing the Indian Custom and Immigration "Stand". But they will kindly wave at you to turn back haha.

The visas in septmber cost 100usd for three months or 40 dollar for one moth.
the carnet takes about 10 minutes but , make sure you have copies of the carnet and the passports , they will also ask you to take a copy of the visa you just got .
if you have time check out Lumbini its about 10-15km from the border Buddhas Birth place.

From here you have to choices, either take the Siddharta Highway to Pokhara about 180km, very nice mountain road. or head for katmandu.

Pokhara is very relaxed and good place to chill and every one is doing the Annapurna circuit or you can drive halfway up and back again ,there is a new track that goes almost to Mukhtinat .

Kathmandu is crazy , visit Thamel but dont stay there to long its a "sh....t hole" , find a place outside of thamel to stay, there are tons of markets and other sights in Kathamandu. If you fancy trekking make sure you find a realible source !!! 90% of the companies are scammers and just want your money. The other 10% are hard to find without recommendation. If you can afford it visit Tibet by land (permit cost about 4000usd for a motorcycle)

By the way you cannot cross into bangladesh from nepal as it does not border the country. I believe youll need permits to enter the north east provinces of India .





good luck and have fun

__________________
www.uk2sydney.blogspot.com

Pokhara ..........

Katmandu ... ....

When leaving, try Pokhara-Banbassa route ... ....

If you need a reliable trekking guide and a nice, cheapish, safe and acceptable place to stay in Thamel, Kathmandu let me know, been there a few times and have some contacts you can use. Pokhara is a nice place to stay and a canoe trip on Phewa lake is a must for the ultimate chill unless the king decides to hover over you in his helicopter that is!!!

__________________
'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars' Oscar Wilde

We were in Nepal two months ago, and immensely enjoyed Kathmandu (but not so much Pokhara). A cosy, friendly place to stay is a guesthouse Yellow House in Paknajol (bordering Thamel, opposite Tibet Peace Guesthouse mentioned in Lonely Planet) on a quiet sidestreet. They have a garden where you might be able to park your truck, but you might want to confirm that (their phone is +977 1 438 1186). Kathmandu is great, we would return there anytime!

Just try to avoid housing and activities in Thamel - it really is touristy place and that atmosphere exhausts you quickly. I think that's why many people don't like KTM because mostly they stay and walk around Thamel and not much more.