Sunauli
(Belahiya) and Bhairawa (Siddharthangar)
Area Code: 071
Sunauli is a small really no where town that you have to past through
to get from Varanasi or Delhi to Nepal by bus. It is right on the
Nepal/India border. Bhairawa, four km north of the border, is much
bigger, but is about as exciting. Most people will want to stay here
for the least amount a time possible. In fact, most people would wish
that they never came here.
You may stay in Bhairawa if you are visiting nearby
Lumbini (22 km southwest), where the Buddha was born. There is a good
chance you will have to stop here for the night on the way between
Nepal and India, as the border closes at 7 pm and many of the buses
arrive after this.
Information
The Nepal immigration and customs offices are open 24 hours. Between
10 pm and 4 am you may have to wake them up, which they are used to.
It is possible to walk across the border without being questioned.
While leaving India or Nepal you should make sure you have your passport
stamped indicating that you left the country.
Nepal time is fifteen minutes ahead of India time.
When you cross the border to Nepal there is a Tourist
Office, which hands out “A Visitor’s Guide” and
“Travelers Information booklets.” You can also ask them
for information on the best and cheapest way to where you are going.
India rupees are accepted in Sunauli and Bhairawa, but not usually
beyond these towns except in Kathmandu or Pokhara. You can change
money at the Nepal Rastra Bank in Sunauli between 7 am and 6 pm. They
change money at the official government rate, which is slightly lower
than the legal commercial rate given by private banks. This bank does
not re-exchange Nepalese rupees. The exchange rate is India Rs 1 =
Nepali Rs 1.60. The bank on the Indian border opens at 10 am, after
the buses have left.
There are legal money changers on the Nepal side of
the border and black market operators, who do not give good rates.
Nepali rupees can not usually be used in India, so you should exchange
them here.
Where to Stay and Eat – Bhairawa
Shree Pashupati Lodge, Narayana Path, about a 10-minute walk from
the bus stand, is a recommended budget place, with rooms for $2.
Hotel Himalaya Inn (20347; fax 21540), on New Road, a little out of
town, is a decent place with rooms with A/C and bath for $20/24. It
has a fairly good restaurant that has Indian, Chinese and Continental
food. They often give a discount.
Hotel Everest (20317), on Bank Rd, has good, clean, modern rooms for
Rs 600/800. They often give a discount.
Sayapati Guest House (21236), by the Sajha Yatayat bus stop on Bank
Rd, is basic with rooms with common bath for Rs 200 and with bath
for Rs 300.
Hotel Shambala (21837 ? ? ?20167), Bank Rd, has rooms with common
bath for Rs 350, with bath for Rs 450/550, and with air-coolers and
hot water for Rs 1200/1400.
Hotel Lumbini Pagoda (21837), half a km south of Bank Street,
Hotel Shantanu (21545), half a km south of Bank Street,
Hotel Yeti (20551; fax 20893), Bank Rd and Siddhartha Highway, is
a well-managed place that has clean rooms for $25/30 and $35/40 with
A/C. They often give a discount. It is by a bus stop, so it can be
noisy. It has a decent restaurant that serves Indian and Chinese.
Hotel Nirvana (20837; fax 21262; email: nirva@ccsl.com.np), about
2km southwest of the bazaar on Paklihawa Rd, is a modern, five-star
place. It has clean, A/C rooms for $110/120. You can often get a 25%
or more discount. It has a pool and a decent restaurant.
Kasuti Restaurant, by the Shree Pashupati Lodge off Bank Rd, is a
very good vegetarian place and is the recommended place in town. A
dish is around Rs 40.
Where to Stay – Sunauli
There are several places to stay here. All of them are basic and there
is not much good to say about any of them.
Nepal Guest House has rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 125/175
and dorm beds for Rs 40. It is the most likely the best place in town,
but is not so good, to say the least. You should ask to see the rooms,
as there are many different varieties. It has a decent vegetarian
restaurant. The travel agent here is a fast talker.
Hotel Buddha has rooms for Rs 150 with common bath and Rs 350 with
bath. A dorm bed is Rs 40.
Paradise Guest House (20637, 22777) is a decent place with rooms with
bath for Rs 350/450 and Rs 125 for a dorm bed. Air-cooling Rs 50 extra.
As it is close to the bus stand, you should get a room away from it.
Hotel Mamta (20312), across the street, is all right, with room with
common bath for Rs 100/175, with bath for Rs 150/225, and a dorm bed
for Rs 50. There is a good chance you will stay here, if you got a
pre-arranged ticket from a travel agent.
Hotel Plaza has rooms for Rs 250/350. It is a good value.
Zorba the Buddha, run by Rajneesh people, is a good vegetarian restaurant.
The government-run Hotel Niranjana (05522 4901), on the Indian side
of the border, is the best place to stay. It has air-cooled rooms/
Local Travel
Bhairawa and Sunauli are four km apart or a twenty-minute bus (Rs
3), shared jeep (Rs 4) or rickshaws ride between each other. A rickshaw
costs around Rs 60.
Travel
Everyone changes buses at the border, even if you booked a ‘through’
ticket from a travel agent. There are no luxury ‘tourist’
buses to Kathmandu from Sunauli.
Rickshaws and jeeps wait at the Yeti Hotel for passengers
to Sunauli.
To get to Lumbini, please see the Lumbini section.
To/From Nepal There is an airport in
Bhairawa, a little west of town. Necon Air (20498), Buddha Air (21893),
and RNAC (20175), at the Hotel Yeti, all have flights between Bhairawa
and Kathmandu ($80).
Most buses heading north start their journey in Sunauli
and then stop in Bhairawa. So it is best to get on the bus in Sunauli
to get a good seat. Buses can be reserved in advance. The booking
office in Sunauli is at the bus stand (opens 4 am). Buses can only
be booked for the date of departure.
To get on the bus in Bhairawa you should reserve a bus seat a day
in advance. The bus companies’ offices are near the intersection
of Bank Rd and Siddhartha Highway. The Sajha Yatayat booking office
is opposite the Yeti Hotel. Sajha Yatayat buses only go to Kathmandu
(7 am & 7 pm).
There are several private buses to Kathmandu (10 hr) and Pokhara (9
hr), departing both during the day and night. The day buses are slightly
quicker. Buses leave in the morning from 4 to 11 am and from 4.30
to 8.30 pm. There are no buses between 11 am and 4.30 pm. Day buses
are around Rs 130 and night buses Rs 160 to both Kathmandu and Pokhara.
If you are going to Pokhara, the view are excellent,
especially Machhapuchhare. If you are going to Pokhara, you will get
the best view on the left side of the bus.
There are night buses to Janakpur (Rs 220), Kakarbhitta
(Rs 350), and Biratnagar (Rs 310).
To get to Royal Chitwan National Park, you take the bus to Birganj
and get down at Tadi Bazaar (4½ hr, Rs 90).
To/From India You get the buses to
Indian cities on the India side of the border. There are direct buses
to Varanasi (9 hr, Rs 100 to Rs 140 depending on the quality), Delhi
(23 hr, 5 daily) and Lucknow (9 hr). The public government bus to
Gorakhpur (3 hr) cost Rs 25 and the tourist buses cost Rs 30, plus
they will ask you for Rs 5 for each bag you have on the tourist buses.
I found the local bus to be more comfortable than the tourist bus,
but that is just my opinion. The public buses depart about 1km from
the border.
From Sunauli, buses depart to Gorakhpur (three hours) every half-hour
between 5 am to 7 pm. From Gorakhpur you need to catch the 5 am bus
to Sunauli to get there in time, to get a day bus to Kathmandu. From
Gorakhpur, there are trains that connect to many places in India.
It would be really painful to get a bus to Delhi, rather than taking
the train.
