How to Get from Kathmandu to Salleri (By Bus, Jeep)

How to Travel from Kathmandu to Salleri

Kathmandu to Salleri Distance

Salleri is 260 km from Kathmandu and takes 10-11 hours to get there by bus or jeep. The ride is long and exhausting no matter whether you take the bus or jeep.

I found it 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 Bus

The buses leave every day at 5-6 am from Chabahil in Kathmandu, and take around 10-11 hours 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.

You can buy the bus tickets at the Chabahil bus ticket counter in Kathmandu and this is also the place where the buses leave from in the morning.

The buses from Kathmandu to Salleri are deluxe type of buses, there is no tourist bus going to Salleri.

It takes almost the whole day to get to Salleri as the road is not that great. However, the road is still mostly concrete road. If you happen to continue onto Surke, then the road gets even worse between Salleri and Surke.

Kathmandu to Salleri 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).

I usually go to the ticket counter in Chabahil to get my tickets, but if it was my first time in Kathmandu, I’d make it easy for myself and just ask the hotel staff to arrange the ticket for me (even if it meant paying a bit extra).

Kathmandu to Salleri Jeep

Apart from the bus, it is also possible to travel from Kathmandu to Salleri by jeep. The jeep is actually not faster than the bus, and it takes around the same time.

It can also get more crowded in the jeep, so it feels more uncomfortable than the bus. If you want to have some more space while you travel, the bus is a better option than the jeep.

If you take the jeep, book the seat in the front (next to the driver). It is the only place in the jeep where it doesn’t feel crowded. All the seats in the back are usually at full capacity and it is not comfortable. I have tried and tested it.

Kathmandu to Salleri Jeep Time

The jeep leaves at 5 am from Chabahil and takes 10-11 hours to get to Salleri. It doesn’t go faster than the bus, both take a lot of breaks, and the drivers don’t seem to be in a rush (probably a good thing, as the roads are dangerous!)

When you buy your ticket, you can also ask the jeep driver to pick you up from your hotel. It’s a thing in Nepal that even the shared jeeps come to pick you up from your hotel.

Initially, I thought only the private jeep would pick passengers up from their hotels, but even shared jeeps do so. In fact, they go around the whole of Kathmandu picking up passengers, and you should also ask to be picked up. Otherwise, you may be waiting in Chabahil for a long time before the jeep rolls in.

Kathmandu to Salleri 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 the price is a bit more expensive. If you buy your ticket at the ticket counter in Chabahil, then you pay for the actual price only.

How to Buy the Bus/Jeep Ticket to Salleri

If it’s your first time in Nepal, the easiest way to buy the ticket to Salleri is through travel agents in Thamel. You can also ask at your hotel as usually they are also able to arrange bus tickets.

• At a travel agency in Thamel
• Through your hotel
• Directly at the ticket counters in Chabahil, Kathmandu

If you are staying in Thamel, you can order a taxi on Pathao (Pathao on the Apple Store, Pathao on Google Play) to the Chabahil ticket counter. The cost is around Rs. 400 (USD 3) for a taxi from Thamel to Chabahil.

Where to Get on the Bus/Jeep in Kathmandu

Both the bus and jeep leave from Chabahil. It is the same place where the Chabahil ticket counters are located.

So the place where you buy your ticket is the same place where you have to come in the morning to get on the bus/jeep.

If you decide to take the jeep, ask the jeep driver to pick you up from your hotel. It is a practice in Nepal that jeep drivers pick up passengers near their home and they pick up passengers for free of charge.

I now always get the jeep drivers to pick me up at my place. It saves me time, as I don’t have to wait a long time at Chabahil for the jeep to arrive. They usually give a tentative time of when they’d pick me up, and then in the morning, they call me 30 minutes before they arrive at my place. It has worked out the easiest for me.

Bus vs Jeep: Which One is Better for You?

The bus is generally more comfortable than the jeep. This is due to that the jeeps can get crowded with passengers.

The bus is a bit more comfortable because you have your own seat at least. If you take the bus, make sure to get a seat in the front as it gets very bumpy towards the back of the bus.

If you are taking the jeep, be sure to book the front seat next to the driver. It’s the best seat, and usually only one person sits there, so it’s the most comfortable seat in the jeep.

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 it is not. The jeep spends over an hour picking up passengers in Kathmandu and arrives in Salleri around the same time as the bus.

The few times I took the jeep to Salleri, none of the passengers had come to get on the jeep in Chabahil (the official pick-up location). The jeep always picks up all passengers from their home. So the time the jeep spends picking up passengers around Kathmandu, the bus is already on the way.

FAQs: How to Get from Kathmandu to Salleri

How to reach Salleri from Kathmandu?

You can get from Kathmandu to Salleri by bus or jeep.

Both the bus and jeep leave from Chabahil (Kathmandu) and take around 10-11 hours to get there. If you are not sure whether to take the bus or jeep, the bus is usually considered more comfortable.

There are ticket counters in Chabahil where you can buy your ticket 1-2 days ahead of travel. The price of the bus ticket is Rs. 1,500 (USD 11), while the jeep ticket costs Rs. 1,900-2,200 (USD 13-16).

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. I admit, the ride is long and tiring, but it’s an affordable way to trek to EBC.

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.

Read Next:

• Everest Base Camp Trek without Flying to Lukla
• Can You Trek Everest Base Camp without a Guide?
• Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary