Pokhara Tourist Bus Park: Buses, Times and Location

By Uncover Nepal Guide · Checked by our Kathmandu travel team · Last checked 12 November 2026

Early morning at Mustang Chowk: the ticket counters are open, conductors are calling out Kathmandu stops over idling engines, and travellers with big packs are matching seat numbers to buses. It looks chaotic at first. Give it a minute and it makes sense.

The Pokhara tourist bus park is at Mustang Chowk, a short taxi ride from Lakeside. Most tourist buses to Kathmandu leave from here in the morning, with a few at night, and the trip is most of a day by road, often six to nine hours with traffic and roadworks. It is not the city bus park at Prithvi Chowk.

It is the first and last stop of most visits, so it belongs beside the lake and the viewpoints in our guide to things to do in Pokhara. Below we cover where it is, which bus park you actually need, departure times, fares, the road as we found it on 12 November 2026, and how to arrive and leave without fuss.

In this guide

• Key facts
• Pokhara tourist bus park: where exactly is it?
• Which Pokhara bus park do you need?
• What time do tourist buses leave for Kathmandu?
• Which bus should you book, and what does it cost?
• How long does the trip take, and what is the road like now?
• How do you get between the bus park and Lakeside?
• Arriving and leaving: what to do, step by step
• Bus, flight or private car: which suits you?
• Frequently asked questions
• Plan your Pokhara days with us

Pokhara tourist bus park: where exactly is it?

Pokhara's tourist bus park is at Mustang Chowk, a short taxi ride from Lakeside, the hotel area on Phewa Lake. Most tourist buses between Kathmandu and Pokhara start or finish here. It is normally busy from early morning until late at night, with ticket counters for the bus companies and buses lined up inside the gate.

You will see the name written two ways. Nepalis often run "bus park" together into one word, so tourist buspark Pokhara, or simply buspark Pokhara, means the same place. If a taxi driver looks unsure, say "tourist bus park, Mustang Chowk" and you will be understood. We could not confirm the ward number, so we do not give one.

The yard is also the best barometer of the highway. When the Prithvi Highway collapsed at Krishnabhir in late August 2026, the buses had nowhere to go, and The Kathmandu Post described the scene:

"The tourist bus park at Mustang Chowk in Pokhara, normally busy from early morning until late at night, is now largely deserted."

The Kathmandu Post, 6 September 2026

That closure is over: the road fully reopened at Krishnabhir on 17 September 2026. It is still a good reminder that the bus park only works when the road does.

Which Pokhara bus park do you need?

For a tourist bus, you need Mustang Chowk. The city's main bus park is a different place, at Prithvi Chowk in ward 9 of Pokhara Metropolitan City. Some Kathmandu buses leave from or stop at Prithvi Chowk too, so check the boarding point printed on your ticket rather than assuming.

The two are easy to mix up, because Prithvi Chowk has been "the bus park" in name for a long time. Land for a bus park there was acquired about five decades ago (205 ropani, in 2031/32 BS, around 1973 to 1975), but a proper bus park has never been built. Vehicles still pick up and drop passengers along the road at Prithvi Chowk.

The city is working on it. In June 2026 it removed commercial structures inside the proposed bus park site, but more than 560 landless and squatter families still live there, and the mayor has said they will be moved only after other housing is arranged. The plan is a technology-friendly, environmentally sustainable bus park with support from KOICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency. No construction date has been announced, and we found no plan to move the tourist bus park.

Kathmandu buses do not all leave from one place. Here is what an employee of the Prithvi Highway Bus Operators' Company at Mustang Chowk told The Kathmandu Post about a normal day, before the late-August closure:

Source: The Kathmandu Post, 6 September 2026, quoting an employee of one operators' company. These are reported figures for normal times, not a timetable.

What time do tourist buses leave for Kathmandu?

Most tourist buses to Kathmandu leave in the morning. One operator, Swift Holidays, published departures from the tourist bus park at 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 9:10, 9:30 and 11:00 am, plus a 7 pm night bus to Boudha, for 13 November 2026 (checked 12 November). That is an operator's published schedule and it changes, so check when you book.

Operator's published schedule and stops: Swift Holidays booking page, listing for travel on 13 November 2026, checked 12 November 2026. Other companies run their own times.

If you use a pick-up point, make sure the seller writes it on your ticket and be there early: a bus that is already full of passengers will not wait long.

What about night buses? We found no standing ban on night travel on the Prithvi Highway on 12 November 2026. But the authorities can stop night traffic in heavy rain, as they did from 8 pm on 24 September 2026, and roadworks brought night closures in spring 2026. Our advice is simple: travel by day. You see the road, and if something goes wrong you are not stuck on a dark hillside.

Which bus should you book, and what does it cost?

Book a tourist bus with a reserved seat; for most visitors that is the right balance of cost and comfort. About 150 tourist buses serve the Pokhara to Kathmandu route, The Kathmandu Post reported, and a 2026 travel guide counts more than 30 companies. Fares we found ran from about NPR 1,200 to 1,800 (market fare, not ours).

All market fares, not ours. We do not sell bus tickets. Company names change from year to year, fares vary by bus and company, and other guides quote lower figures, so treat this as a guide to what you will see, not a price list.

A few names you may come across:

• Mountain Overland is a long-running tourist bus company that charges a little more than regular tourist buses, according to The Longest Way Home.
• Jagadamba runs a premium service. A 2026 travel guide says its Kathmandu buses leave from Durbar Marg, by the Annapurna Hotel, at 7:30 am. We could not confirm where or when its Pokhara buses leave, so ask when you book.
• Local buses are a different trip. In Kathmandu, out-of-valley local buses use the New Bus Park at Gongabu, on the Ring Road. For a first trip, we would take the tourist bus.

Whoever sells you the ticket, ask three questions: where exactly does it leave, what time should I be there, and where does it stop in Kathmandu.

How long does the trip take, and what is the road like now?

It is most of a day by road, often six to nine hours with traffic and roadworks, and longer when roadworks or landslides hold traffic. The distance is about 200 km. On 12 November 2026 the Prithvi Highway was running one way at Ghoptebhir, in Chitwan, after repeated dry landslides, so check before you travel, ideally the evening before.

One operator quotes 6 to 8 hours, and a 2026 travel guide warns of 8 to 12 hours during roadworks. Plan for a long day, with tea and lunch stops and the occasional wait.

Here is the recent record on this road:

• Late August to 17 September 2026. A landslide at Krishnabhir blocked the Prithvi Highway; the road fully reopened there on 17 September.
• 9 and 10 November 2026. Landslides at Ghoptebhir blocked the Malekhu to Muglin section twice on 9 November; it reopened at 7:45 am on 10 November.
• 12 November 2026. One-way traffic at Ghoptebhir, in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-4 of Chitwan, as OnlineKhabar English reported that day.

How do you get between the bus park and Lakeside?

Take a taxi. Lakeside is a short taxi ride from the tourist bus park, and a 2026 travel guide quotes about NPR 300 for it (market fare, not ours). Agree the fare before you get in. Published walking times disagree widely, so we do not give one; with a big pack, the taxi is the sensible choice anyway.

When a bus comes in, expect taxi drivers and hotel touts at the gate. If you have booked a hotel, tell the driver its name and the nearest landmark, and have the address on your phone. If you have not booked, a quick look at our guide to Lakeside Pokhara will help you choose an area before the touts choose one for you.

Arriving and leaving: what to do, step by step

Arriving is easy once you know where your bus ends, and leaving is easy once you know where it starts. Most tourist buses from Kathmandu end at the tourist bus park, though some stop nearer Lakeside, depending on the operator. These steps are how we would brief a friend on the phone.

Arriving in Pokhara by tourist bus

1. In Kathmandu, be early. Tourist buses leave Sorhakhutte, just north-west of Thamel, at about 7 am; arrive by 6:30 am.
2. Ask where your bus ends in Pokhara. Most finish at the tourist bus park at Mustang Chowk, but some stop nearer Lakeside.
3. Keep your hotel name and area handy, on your phone and on paper.
4. Collect your own bag from the hold and check it is yours before you walk away.
5. Walk past the touts, pick a taxi and agree the fare to Lakeside before you load your bag.
6. If you arrive after dark, have your hotel send a car.

Leaving Pokhara by tourist bus

1. Book the day before through your hotel, an agency or the operator, and choose a morning bus.
2. Get the boarding point in writing: the tourist bus park, or a pick-up at Prithvi Chowk, Buddha Chowk or Amarsingh Chowk.
3. The evening before, check the Prithvi Highway news and the weather. If the road looks bad, move a day.
4. Order your taxi for early morning, so you are not hunting for one at dawn.
5. Pack a day bag with water, snacks, a warm layer, cash in small notes, a charged phone and whatever usually helps you on winding roads.
6. Know your Kathmandu stop and how you will get from there to your hotel.

Bus, flight or private car: which suits you?

Take the tourist bus if a long day and a modest fare suit you. Fly if your time is short: it is about 30 minutes in the air. Choose a private car with driver if you want your own timing and stops; the road and the time are the same as the bus, plus whatever stops you make.

Pokhara International Airport began operations on 1 January 2023, and flights to Kathmandu use it, while the old airport in town handles Jomsom flights (scheduled ones are suspended this season, since October 2026), helicopters and ultralights. For the full comparison, including where to stop on the way, see our Kathmandu to Pokhara guide. Heading south instead? Our Pokhara to Lumbini guide covers that road.

Frequently asked questions

What time is sunrise at Sarangkot, and how do I get there?

Sunrise at Sarangkot is roughly 5:15 am in midsummer and about 7 am in midwinter, so check the exact time the evening before. Most people drive: the Nepal Tourism Board puts it 11.3 km from Lakeside, a drive of 30 minutes at most. Book a car the evening before and leave in the dark. Our Sarangkot guide covers the view and the walk.

Plan your Pokhara days with us

The bus park is the easy part once you know it. For what to do when you get there, go back to our guide to things to do in Pokhara. If you would rather skip the bus timetable altogether, our relaxed Kathmandu, Bandipur and Pokhara tour, the Bandipur and Pokhara Lakeside tour and our classic multi-city tour handle the road for you.

Message us on WhatsApp or send an enquiry and we will reply with honest options.