How to get to Chitwan National Park and choose your arrival point
How to get to Chitwan National Park is first a choice of destination: Sauraha is a visitor base served by tourist buses, while Meghauli is a western access point. Bharatpur Airport provides an air connection followed by a road journey. Match the arrival point to your accommodation and park activities rather than treating every Chitwan address as the same stop.
Sauraha has visitor facilities near the Rapti, including hotels, resorts and community homestays. Meghauli is a different base in the buffer-zone region. An overnight stay outside the national park and an activity inside it are separate parts of the visit. Use the accommodation guide to choose your base before selecting transport, and the Sauraha guide for the visitor setting.
Kathmandu to Chitwan
Kathmandu to Chitwan by tourist bus reaches Sauraha, with an operator description giving a usual journey of 5 to 6 hours. Sorhakhutte is the departure area in that description. Treat the duration as an indication for road travel, and use the departure address and time attached to your dated ticket when arranging the journey across Kathmandu.
Choose a ticket for the bus class and travel date you need rather than planning around a single general fare. Leave room between the road journey and your first activity. A multi-day package can combine transport with accommodation and park visits; the Chitwan tours page compares those packages. Travel to Sauraha alone is a transport service.
Pokhara to Chitwan
Pokhara to Chitwan buses serve Sauraha, with the operator description also suggesting 5 to 6 hours. The selected bus service starts at Tourist Bus Park, Rashtra Bank Road, Pokhara, for travel towards Chitwan. The reverse direction starts at Tourist Bus Station in Sauraha. Arrive at the named meeting point at least 15 minutes before departure.
The selected ticket covers the direction booked, delivery of the ticket by email and a bottle of mineral water. Its recorded duration is 300 to 360 minutes. Choose Pokhara to Chitwan for arrival or Chitwan to Pokhara for departure. The ticket provides intercity bus transport; arrange the connection to your accommodation and your park activities separately.
Our pick: travel by bus
Our take: This ticket connects Pokhara and Chitwan in the direction you book.
Hand-picked tours, booked through Viator. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Bus travel between Pokhara and Chitwan
Choose the booked direction between Pokhara Tourist Bus Park and Sauraha Tourist Bus Station, with an emailed ticket and mineral water.
Taxi and transfers from Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is an international arrival point followed by a separate journey to Chitwan. For a taxi or arranged transfer, request a quote to the full accommodation address and agree on the pickup point, luggage arrangements and final destination. A ride to Sauraha and a ride to Meghauli should be planned as different journeys.
Keep your airport arrival, onward bus departure or domestic flight, and final accommodation connection distinct in the itinerary. Allow time to reach the relevant departure point in Kathmandu. The rental-car option described here concerns collection at Kathmandu airport and the overland journey; arrange a taxi or driver transfer separately when that is the service you want.
Bharatpur Airport (BHR) and onward travel
Bharatpur Airport is the domestic air gateway for onward road travel towards Chitwan National Park. The airline route information lists 25 minutes from Kathmandu and 20 minutes from Pokhara. The airline also asks passengers to arrive at the departure airport 1 hour before the flight. Flight time therefore covers only one part of the journey.
Select flights for your actual travel date and leave time for the onward drive. Nepal Tourism Board describes Meghauli as about 30 minutes by road from Bharatpur, while Kasara is about 21 km from Bharatpur. Those figures refer to different places. Use the address of your lodge or meeting point to arrange the final connection rather than applying either figure to every park entrance.
Car rental and parking
Car rental at Kathmandu-Tribhuvan airport can form the start of an overland journey to your Chitwan accommodation. Plan collection in Kathmandu and the road journey to the chosen visitor base as one stage, then organise the guided park activity separately. Rental-car travel to the region and a jeep safari inside the national park require different arrangements.
For parking, ask your accommodation about the vehicle arrival point, available parking and any charge for your stay. Keep the rental-car plan focused on the approach journey. The jeep safari guide explains the park activity, while the season guide helps you consider rain and conditions when planning your dates.
Compare car rental at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) on QEEQ.
Chitwan arrival questions
How long is the bus journey to Sauraha?
5 to 6 hours is the usual bus journey given in the operator descriptions for Kathmandu to Sauraha and Pokhara to Sauraha. Use that as a planning indication rather than a promised arrival time. Your dated ticket supplies the departure point and time for the service you actually book.
Does the Pokhara bus ticket include airport pickup?
No, the Pokhara to Chitwan bus service starts at Tourist Bus Park on Rashtra Bank Road in Pokhara. The reverse direction starts at Sauraha Tourist Bus Station. The booked direction, an emailed ticket and mineral water are included. Arrive at the appropriate meeting point at least 15 minutes early.
How long is the flight from Kathmandu to Bharatpur?
25 minutes is the listed Kathmandu to Bharatpur flight time. The airline asks passengers to reach the departure airport 1 hour before flying, and a road journey follows arrival in Bharatpur. Choose the onward destination by your accommodation address, keeping Sauraha, Meghauli and Kasara distinct in the plan.