Nepal Prithvi Highway (330 km)
Kathmandu to Pokhara · one way, about 330 km back to the start
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Why this ride
330 km from Kathmandu to Pokhara, about 4 h 26 of riding. The stops in between: Mugling and Bandipur junction. The highest point is about 2,700 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Roadbook
- Kathmandu
start
It is a place that overwhelms at first, with narrow lanes, shrines on every corner, motorbikes and tuk-tuks, and the smell of incense, diesel and frying dough. On a clear morning, snow peaks appear to the north, a surprise after the haze.
The Prithvi Highway starts here and runs west to Pokhara, about two hundred kilometres, through some of the loveliest and most chaotic riding in Asia. It climbs out of the valley over the rim, drops into the gorge of the Trishuli river and follows it, with tight bends, steep slopes and trucks and buses that overtake on blind corners. The surface can be rough, with potholes, landslides in the monsoon and long delays at bad sections. A day's ride can take seven or eight hours or more, so start early, ride defensively and be ready for sudden stops. Nepali traffic drives on the left.
The valley has an extraordinary heritage. Durbar Square, with its carved wooden temples, was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake, and restoration continues. Swayambhunath, a hilltop stupa with watching eyes, is known as the Monkey Temple, and Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world, is the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple complex on the Bagmati river, is a place of cremations and pilgrimage. The city's Newar people have a rich cuisine, with momo dumplings and spiced meat dishes.
Fuel is available in Kathmandu, but shortages occur from time to time, so fill up whenever you can. There are stations along the highway, though the supply is not always reliable. Cafes and small restaurants serve dal bhat, the rice and lentil meal that is the national dish.
Carry a mask for the dust and keep your visor clean. A good start in the early morning, before the traffic, makes the day easier.
- Mugling
scenic
Mugling is a roadside town in the middle of Nepal, where the Prithvi Highway runs along the Trishuli river and the road to the plains meets the road to Pokhara. It is a place of passage rather than a destination, a gathering of tea shops, truck stops and small restaurants at a junction where drivers stop to eat, check their loads and talk. The Trishuli river is green and fast here, and the hills rise steeply on both sides. Mugling sits at the point where the river meets the Marsyangdi, and the junction has always been a crossing place for travellers between Kathmandu, the lowlands and the mountains.
The highway was built with Chinese help in the early 1970s, and it is the main road linking Kathmandu and Pokhara, two of Nepal's most important places. Trucks, buses and cars grind along it day and night, and a rider needs to be alert. The road is paved but often narrow and patched, and in the monsoon landslides can cut it for hours or days. Lorries overtake in places where you would not, and buses sound their horns constantly. Ride defensively, watch for loose gravel on bends, and avoid the road at night.
The restaurants at Mugling are known for their food. Truck drivers and bus passengers stop for dal bhat, a plate of rice, lentils and vegetables that is refilled until you say stop, and for fried fish from the rivers, grilled and spiced. It is cheap, filling and good, and an ideal break on a long day. Tea is sweet and milky, made with spices, and you can drink it standing at a stall with the engines idling around you.
Fuel is easy here, as this is a busy highway town, with several stations. Bharatpur, about twenty-three kilometres south, is the nearest big city, with more than a hundred thousand people, and has everything from hospitals to workshops. Be careful of water quality, and stick to bottled water and cooked food. The best time to travel is the dry season, from October to April, when the air is clear and the road in better shape. The monsoon brings heavy rain, mud and delays, and a motorbike on this road in July is a test of nerve.
- Bandipur junction
scenic
Bandipur junction is a roadside turn on the Prithvi Highway, in the settlement usually called Dumre, where a side road leaves the busy highway and climbs to Bandipur, a hill town that feels like it belongs to another century. The highway here is a noisy, dusty ribbon of trucks, buses and shops, with roadside stalls selling oranges and fried snacks. The side road is a short, steep climb of about eight kilometres, with hairpins through terraced fields and forest, and at the top, at around a thousand metres, the air is cooler and quieter.
Bandipur was a trading town of the Newar people, who built a long bazaar of tall, stone-faced houses with carved wooden windows and slate roofs, and who grew rich on the trade between India and Tibet. When the highway was built in the 1970s, traffic bypassed the town, and the trade collapsed, which was a blow to Bandipur but a gift to its architecture, which was left intact. Today the main street is car-free, paved with stone, and lined with guesthouses, cafés and small shops. From the edge of the ridge, a viewpoint looks out over the valley to the Himalaya, and on a clear morning the snow peaks of the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges stand in a line along the horizon.
For a rider, the climb is easy and pleasant. The road is narrow and has a patchy surface, with the occasional pothole, and the hairpins are short and tight, so take care on the wet or dusty bends. Traffic is light, apart from local buses and the odd jeep. At the top, you park outside the town and walk in. If you have time, stay the night, because the evening light on the bazaar, the smell of woodsmoke and cooking, and the stillness after dark are worth it.
Fuel is available on the highway at Dumre, before you climb, and Bharatpur, the large city about twenty-nine kilometres away, has everything else. Bandipur has simple restaurants serving dal bhat, momos and Newari dishes, and a cup of tea at the viewpoint is a real pleasure. A cave, Siddha Gupha, lies below the town, and is a short walk for the curious. Bring a warm layer for the evening, and a torch.
- Pokhara
finish
Pokhara is the point where Nepal's mountain drama starts to feel close. The city lies at about eight hundred metres, beside the long blue Phewa Lake, and from the lakeside you can see the Annapurna range lined up along the northern horizon, including the sharp summit of Machapuchare, the Fishtail, which has never been climbed because it is held sacred. On a clear morning the effect is almost unfair; on a hazy afternoon the peaks vanish altogether.
Around two hundred thousand people live here, and the town has grown from a trading stop on the old route between India and Tibet into the country's trekking capital. Shops sell boots, down jackets and maps, cafes serve momos and strong coffee, and boats paddle out on the lake to the small island temple. The World Peace Pagoda stands on a ridge above the water, reached by a steep walk or a short drive, and the view of the lake and the mountains is among the best here. Many Gurkha soldiers come from the hill villages of this region.
For riders, Pokhara is a hub. The Prithvi Highway from Kathmandu, about two hundred kilometres, winds along river gorges and through hill villages, busy with trucks and buses, and the journey can take six to eight hours. From here a road runs north along the Kali Gandaki, the deepest valley in the world by some measures, towards Jomsom and Upper Mustang, though the surface deteriorates quickly and the route demands care and experience. The monsoon, from about June to September, brings landslides and slick roads, so the best seasons are autumn and spring.
There is no shortage of fuel in Pokhara, with stations all around the city, and it is the place to fill up and check the bike before heading north. Spare parts and mechanics can be found, though not always for modern machines, so bring what you need. Water should be treated or bought sealed.
Aim to be on the lake for sunrise, when the mist lifts and the mountains turn pink. Then breakfast, a long ride, and as little rush as possible.