How to Get from Kathmandu to Salleri by Bus or Jeep
Traveling from Kathmandu to Salleri is an alternative option if you want to go to Everest Base Camp without flying to Lukla. I traveled on this route twice, once when I did Everest Base Camp and once when I did the Pikey Peak trek.
There are both buses and jeeps on this route, and they leave early morning around 5-6 am every day. The road is long and tiring, but it is still bearable. If you are continuing onto EBC, then you’ll have to take another jeep from Salleri to Surke.
The road conditions get really bad once you are past Salleri, on the way to Surke. I found the road to Salleri was alright (not great, but not too bad either). The road to Surke is proper off-road and it’s rough even for someone who is used to the roads in Nepal. If you are just going up until Salleri, then the road is still pretty good in comparison.
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Kathmandu to Salleri Distance
Salleri is 260 km east of Kathmandu, and takes it 10-12 hours to get there by road (same time for both the bus and jeep). The ride is long and exhausting no matter whether you take the bus or jeep.
I found the trip really long, but if you are planning the Everest Base Camp Trek, and don’t want to fly to Lukla, then it is a good alternative.
It takes almost the whole day to get to Salleri, and if you are planning to continue to Surke, you won’t be able to take another jeep to Surke the same day. You have to spend the night in Salleri, and then take a jeep to Surke next day early morning.
Kathmandu to Salleri by Bus
The buses leave every day at 5-6 am from Chabahil in Kathmandu, and it’s best to mentally prepare that it’ll take the whole day to get to Salleri. Usually, there are two buses per day, both leaving early morning. It is best if you take the earlier bus as the journey is long.
The buses from Kathmandu to Salleri are deluxe type of buses, there is no tourist bus going to Salleri. Even though it’s not a tourist bus, it’s not too bad. It’s not as comfy as the tourist buses but it’s also not as bad as the local buses.
The road is not that great, but it’s a concrete road almost all the way. The road conditions get much worse if you continue onto Surke after Salleri. So, you might find the road to Salleri is not as great as in other countries, but once you go on the proper off-road between Salleri and Surke, that’s when the road section between Kathmandu and Salleri suddenly doesn’t look so bad.
Bus Ticket Price
The price of the bus ticket from Kathmandu to Salleri is Rs. 1,500 (USD 11). If you buy the bus ticket through a travel agency or through your hotel, they add a commission on top of it, so then the price is a bit more expensive. If you buy the ticket directly at the ticket counter in Chabahil, then you get the actual price (without commission fees).
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Kathmandu to Salleri by Jeep
Apart from the bus, it is also possible to travel to Salleri by jeep. The jeep leaves at 5 am from Chabahil and also takes around 10-12 hours to get to Salleri. It doesn’t go faster than the bus, with both taking a lot of breaks.
The jeeps can get very crowded, and I found the jeeps to be more uncomfortable than the buses. I only recommend taking the jeep if you can reserve the front seat next to the driver, or if you get a private jeep. The shared jeeps are just too crowded and uncomfortable.
Jeep Ticket Price
The price of jeep ticket from Kathmandu to Salleri costs Rs. 1,900-2,200 (USD 13-16). If you buy it at a travel agency or through your hotel, they add some commission on top of it so then it costs a bit more.
Where to Buy the Bus/Jeep Ticket for Salleri
There are ticket counters in Chabahil (Kathmandu) where you can buy the bus and jeep tickets to Salleri. It’s not too far from Thamel, but you’d have to take a taxi to go there (maybe 10 minutes by taxi from Thamel). This way, you can directly check the bus and jeep schedule and book your preferred seat.
Apart from the ticket counters, you can also get the tickets through travel agents in Thamel or ask the staff at your hotel to arrange it for you. Hotel staff can also get the bus or jeep tickets. This way, you don’t have to deal with the hassle of getting the tickets yourself. Both travel agents and hotel staff may add a bit extra on top of the actual price of the ticket as their commission. It’s usually not much, maybe 200-300 Nepali Rupees extra.
If it’s your first time in Nepal, the easiest way to get the ticket to Salleri is through your hotel. I usually get the tickets myself in Chabahil, but if I was new to Nepal, I might prefer the support of hotel staff in organizing the tickets.
Where to Get on the Bus/Jeep in Kathmandu
Both the buses and jeeps leave from Chabahil, the same place where the ticket counters are located. So if you get the tickets yourself, that’s also the place where the bus and jeeps leave in the mornings.
One thing is that if you take the jeep, you can ask the jeep driver to pick you up from your hotel, so you only really have to go to the pick up point if you are taking the bus. The jeeps go around in the morning to pick up passengers, but the bus’s departure point is fixed.
When I took the jeep, I also asked the driver to pick me up from my place, and I was surprised to find out that the driver goes all around Kathmandu to pick up all the passengers. The jeep took like two hours going around Kathmandu between 4-6 am just picking up passengers. It took a lot of time, but at the same time, it’s also convenient if you just want a pick up from your hotel. They usually ask you to be ready around 4-4:30 am, and they call you 30 minutes before they arrive at your place. For the bus, you just go to Chabahil for the departure time.
Bus vs Jeep: Which One is Better?
I took both the bus and jeep on this route, and I was surprised to find out that the bus is more comfortable than the jeep. The seats on the jeep are very uncomfortable, so it becomes very painful for your back when you have to sit there for the whole day. (I am saying this as someone who doesn’t have any back problems or back pain in general).
The jeeps also get very crowded with passengers, and the only time I found the jeep to be alright is when I sat in the front seat next to the driver. So try to book the seat next to the driver. Sometimes, even when you book the front seat, other passengers will try to take that seat. If that happens, just stand your ground and show your ticket that you did book the front seat and that it is supposed to be assigned to you. Locals know that the front seat is the most comfortable and some people will try to sit there even though their reserved seat is another seat in the jeep.
Overall, I found the bus more comfortable because in a way, you have your “own seat” and you don’t get crammed with lots of passengers like in the jeep. If you take the bus, make sure to get a seat in one of the front rows as it gets very bumpy towards the back of the bus.
Is it Faster to Go by Bus or Jeep?
When going from Kathmandu to Salleri, the buses and jeeps take more or less the same. I initially thought the jeep would be faster but that’s not the case.
The jeep spends more than an hour picking up passengers in the morning in Kathmandu, and arrives in Salleri around the same time as the bus. It’s like the drivers take so many breaks that they plan to take the whole day on purpose to get to Salleri.
One time when we took the jeep, the jeep even stopped in Okhaldhunga (a town near Salleri), and they made us get on the bus to continue the rest of the trip by bus to Salleri. They didn’t tell us beforehand so it came as a surprise.
Getting Back from Salleri to Kathmandu
Getting back from Salleri to Kathmandu is pretty much the same. Once you get to Salleri, you can book a bus or jeep ticket to Kathmandu for the next day.
On my way back from EBC, I booked my ticket to Kathmandu when I was in the jeep coming from Surke to Salleri. Everyone in my jeep was also coming back to Kathmandu, and our jeep driver reserved the jeep for us for the next morning. It’s the easiest to band together with other travelers and get a shared jeep back to Kathmandu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to reach Salleri from Kathmandu?
You can go from Kathmandu to Salleri by bus or jeep. Both the bus and jeep leave from Chabahil (Kathmandu) and take around 10-12 hours to get there. If you are not sure whether to take the bus or jeep, the bus is usually more comfortable.
My Final Tips for Traveling from Kathmandu to Salleri
Overall, taking the bus/jeep to Salleri is a good option if you are on the way to trek to Everest Base Camp but you don’t want to fly to Lukla. The bus/jeep ride is long and tiring, but it’s an affordable way to trek to EBC.
If you are deciding between the jeep or the bus, generally the bus tends to be more comfortable. I know, I didn’t expect it either, but it is. The only seat in the jeep that is comfortable is the front seat next to the driver, so if you decide to take the jeep, go for the front seat.
When I traveled from Kathmandu to Salleri, I found the road was okay-ish, but still, long and tiring. It arrived in Salleri late afternoon, and by that time, there were no more jeeps leaving for Surke. I stayed in Salleri for the night, and got a jeep early morning to Surke (which also took the whole day), so in total, it is two days of road travel to start the EBC trek.
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