By Uncover Nepal Team · Checked by our Kathmandu travel team · Last checked 30 October 2026
West of Narayangadh, the East-West Highway leaves the plains of Chitwan and climbs into the low hills at Daunne before dropping towards Butwal. For years this was the slow, muddy part of the drive to Lumbini. Since 2019 the road has been widened from two lanes to four, and in August 2026 Ratopati described the drive as smooth.
Chitwan to Lumbini is about 170 km by road, by the Lumbini Development Trust's distance table. The road runs west from Narayangadh to Butwal on the East-West Highway, then south through Bhairahawa. In Your Pocket puts the trip at roughly four hours by road; allow longer by bus or in heavy rain. There is no direct flight at the moment.
For Lumbini's fees, sights and best season, start with our complete Lumbini guide. This one covers the road, the bus and car options, the 2026 road works and two Buddhist stops on the way.
Key facts
- Road distance
- About 170 km (Lumbini Development Trust, 30 Oct 2026)
- Narayangadh to Butwal
- About 113 km; about two hours by car, about three by bus (Ratopati (Aug 2026); MeroAuto, 30 Oct 2026)
- Whole trip by road
- Roughly four hours; longer by bus and in rain (In Your Pocket (Apr 2026), 30 Oct 2026)
- Direct flight
- None listed: Buddha Air marks Bharatpur to Bhairahawa as temporarily suspended (Buddha Air, 30 Oct 2026)
- Road works
- About 92 percent complete in early August 2026 (Ratopati, 30 Oct 2026)
- Most comfortable season
- October to March (DHM normals, Bharatpur and Bhairahawa, 30 Oct 2026)
In this guide
- How far is Chitwan from Lumbini?
- How long does Chitwan to Lumbini take?
- Should you take the bus or a private car?
- Is there a flight from Chitwan to Lumbini?
- What state is the Narayangadh to Butwal road in?
- Where can you stop on the way?
- How do you get from Lumbini to Chitwan?
- When is the best time to make the trip?
- Frequently asked questions
- Planning your trip between Chitwan and Lumbini
How far is Chitwan from Lumbini?
Chitwan is about 170 km from Lumbini by road, the Lumbini Development Trust says. It does not say where in Chitwan it measures from, so treat it as a guide. Most of the distance is the Narayangadh to Butwal road, about 113 km, built in two sections.
| Stage | Distance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sauraha to Bharatpur | About 15 to 18 km | UncoverNepal Sauraha guide |
| Narayangadh to Daunne | About 65 km | Ratopati; MeroAuto (project office) |
| Daunne to Butwal | About 49 km | Ratopati; MeroAuto (project office) |
| Butwal to the Belahiya border, through Bhairahawa | 24 km, six lanes | Kantipur, 2025 |
| Bhairahawa airport to Lumbini | About 18 km | Lumbini Development Trust |
| Whole route | About 170 km | Lumbini Development Trust |
Narayangadh is also written Narayanghat, and Bhairahawa is also called Siddharthanagar. The stages come from different sources, so they do not add up exactly to the Trust's total.
How long does Chitwan to Lumbini take?
In Your Pocket puts the two roughly four hours apart by road. Treat that as a guide: a bus with stops, a change at Bhairahawa, traffic or rain at Daunne all add time. No official source gives one time for the whole trip.
| Section | Time reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Whole route by road | Roughly four hours | In Your Pocket, April 2026 |
| Direct bus, Bhairahawa to Sauraha | Around three to four hours | In Your Pocket, April 2026 |
| Narayangadh to Butwal by car | About two hours | Ratopati, August 2026 |
| Narayangadh to Butwal by bus | About three hours, with stops | Bus company chairman, to Ratopati, August 2026 |
| Bhairahawa bus stand to Lumbini, local bus | About 1 to 1.5 hours | Lumbini Development Trust |
In Your Pocket wrote its figure before the August reports of a faster road. Before the widening, travellers told Ratopati of trips of more than 12 hours, and of nights spent on the road at Daunne. We found no published times for the other stages, so we give none.
Should you take the bus or a private car?
A private car is simpler: one vehicle from your lodge to your Lumbini hotel. The bus is the budget option, but we found no published tourist bus timetable from Sauraha to Lumbini, so plan on a change at Bhairahawa.
"Buses also run from other major cities in Nepal, such as Pokhara and Chitwan, to Lumbini."
Lumbini Development Trust, checked 30 October 2026
By bus. Ask your lodge the evening before, or ask us. In Your Pocket says direct buses run between Bhairahawa and Sauraha; from Bhairahawa take a local bus or taxi. The Trust's page, which gives no date, lists the local bus from the Bhairahawa bus stand to Lumbini at NPR 80 to 100.
By private car. You leave when you like, stop where you like and are dropped at your hotel. Ask us for a quote for your dates.
Is there a flight from Chitwan to Lumbini?
No direct one at the moment. Buddha Air marks its Bharatpur to Bhairahawa route page as temporarily suspended and leaves it off its route list, and we found no other airline flying it. By air you would go via Kathmandu, Bharatpur to Kathmandu and then Kathmandu to Bhairahawa: two flights and a change.
Kathmandu to Bharatpur takes 20 to 25 minutes and Kathmandu to Bhairahawa about 30 to 35 minutes. When the road was bad, many travellers flew that way instead, Ratopati reported. We do not sell flights.
What state is the Narayangadh to Butwal road in?
Mostly rebuilt and much faster, but not finished. The project was about 92 percent complete in early August 2026, with road safety work and some drain connections remaining, its engineer told Ratopati. The hill section at Daunne has been blocked by rain before, so check the road news first.
Work began in March 2019; the deadline was extended four times, to July 2026, and that date passed with work still remaining. Daunne, in Nawalparasi, is the weak point: it was obstructed 63 times between mid-July 2024 and mid-July 2025, Khabarhub and Nepal News reported, and rain and mud blocked it again in March 2026. We found no later progress report, and no report of damage after the 2026 monsoon.
Where can you stop on the way?
Two Buddhist sites lie east of Lumbini, off the main road: Devadaha, the maternal home of Queen Maya Devi, and Ramagrama, one of the eight original relic stupas of the Buddha. Both mean a detour. No drive times are published for either, so ask us how they fit your day.
Devadaha
The Trust calls Devadaha, 57 km east of Lumbini, the ancient capital of the Koliya kingdom, though it says the exact site still needs investigation. Its main site, Bhawanipur, is about 17 km by road from Butwal; the Kanyamai and Bairimai temples are each 1 km south of the Sitalnagar junction.
Ramagrama
Ramagrama Stupa, about 50 km east of Lumbini, is a brick mound about 7 m high and, the Trust says, the only one of the eight original relic stupas to keep its original form. It is about 28.5 km by road from Bhairahawa.
For what to see on arrival, read our guide to places to visit in Lumbini.
How do you get from Lumbini to Chitwan?
Lumbini to Chitwan is the same road in reverse: north through Bhairahawa to Butwal, east through Daunne to Narayangadh, then on to Sauraha, about 170 km in all. Direct buses run from Bhairahawa to Sauraha, In Your Pocket says.
Our Sauraha guide covers the village; our Kathmandu to Chitwan guide covers the road on to the capital.
When is the best time to make the trip?
October to March is the most comfortable time at both ends. Bharatpur, near Sauraha, averages about 15 to 26 °C over those months, and November is the driest month at Bhairahawa, near Lumbini. April to June is very hot, and July is the wettest month.
| Month | Mean daily max (°C) | Mean daily min (°C) | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | 29.1 | 14.6 | Driest month, 4.9 mm of rain |
| January | 20.1 | 8.7 | Coolest; fog can delay flights |
| May | 36.6 | 23.9 | Highest average maximum |
| July | 33.5 | 26.3 | Wettest month, 497.4 mm |
Source: DHM 1991 to 2020 normals, Bhairahawa airport station, via Wikipedia, checked 30 October 2026.
The monsoon normally runs from about 13 June to 2 October; heavy rain, then and in winter, has blocked Daunne.
Read next: Pokhara to Lumbini route guide and Lumbini to Kathmandu by flight or road.
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine Lumbini with Kapilvastu, Namobuddha and other Buddhist sites?
Yes, but not all from this road. Devadaha and Ramagrama lie east of Lumbini, so they fit the drive from Chitwan. Tilaurakot, in Kapilvastu, is 29 km west of Lumbini, so give it a separate day. Namobuddha, Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are near Kathmandu and belong to your Kathmandu days.
How do I get to Lumbini from Kathmandu or Pokhara?
Fly to Bhairahawa, about 30 to 35 minutes from Kathmandu or about 20 minutes from Pokhara with Buddha Air, then drive about 18 km to Lumbini. By road, Kathmandu is about 280 km away, around 10 to 11 hours by bus, the Trust says, and Pokhara about 227 km. Flights are booked with the airline; we do not sell them.
When is the best time to visit Lumbini, and how hot is summer?
October to March suits most visitors, and November is the driest month at Bhairahawa, averaging 4.9 mm of rain. From April to June average highs run from 35.5 to 36.6 °C, and the station's record is 45.2 °C. July is the wettest month.
Is Lumbini really the birthplace of the Buddha?
Buddhist tradition, UNESCO and the Lumbini Development Trust all place the Buddha's birth here. The Ashoka pillar of 249 BC states that "Sakyamuni Buddha was born here", in the Trust's translation, and in 2013 archaeologists reported a sixth-century BC timber structure beneath the Maya Devi Temple. Historians still debate his dates. Our Maya Devi Temple guide covers the evidence.
How do I reach Lumbini from the Sunauli border at Bhairahawa?
Belahiya, the Nepali side of the Sunauli crossing, is about 20 km from Lumbini, The Rising Nepal reported. Unlike the nearer Kalidaha crossing, it has an immigration office, so foreigners who need a visa cross here. From the border, take a taxi, or a local bus on from the Bhairahawa bus stand. NTB says Indian nationals need no visa. Visas are your own arrangement, not a service we offer: check the NTB tourist visa page.
Planning your trip between Chitwan and Lumbini
Ask us what we can arrange for the transfer and whether Devadaha or Ramagrama fits your dates. For the Chitwan side, see our jungle safari and wildlife tours, the Chitwan jungle safari tour from Kathmandu and the Chitwan and Pokhara tour by road. For Lumbini itself, go back to our complete Lumbini guide and our Lumbini Museum guide. Ask us on WhatsApp or through the enquiry form.
