Crossing the Far Flung Banbasa/Bhimdatta Border, Oct’19

Since I was in Haridwar, Banbasa happens to be the nearest Indian town to the Nepal border post of Gauddachaki. So it makes sense to get in Nepal via this border. Another reason I prefer this border is I'd like to get in Nepal at its westernmost border and get out at its easternmost border at Kakarbhitta.

I’m a fan of crossing the border between two countries on foot. Aside from border gates, arches are also the symbol that one needs to cross 

I was told that there are a few buses departing for Banbasa from 4.30pm onwards. So I arrived at Haridwar bus station pretty early i.e. 3pm and I supposed to take the first bus which departed at 5pm but i failed. It was fully seated, if not occupied, by the time I found the bus. Take note that you not only need to arrive at the bus station earlier, you also need to find the correct bus by asking around. While Haridwar is no stranger to foreign tourists, there were no English sign at the bus station and English was somehow little spoken here. Bear in mind that there were lots of Nepali taking these buses bounding to their home country and you need to fight with them to grab a seat. I eventually managed to board the second bus (luckily there were) which departed at 6pm thanks to a Nepali who guided me through. I was also told that there would be another bus departing to Banbasa at 7pm. Apparently, demand was there.

An exodus of migrants

Arrival at Banbasa at 3am. Note that many shops and dhaba stayed open in the wee hours. Apparently they were meant for those making the crossing. Crossing the border in the wee hours looked like a normal practice

Initially, I was told by the ticket counter that the journey would take approx. 12 hours. I would reach at 6am which I thought would be perfect for the immigration process. The whole experience was like an exodus of migrants. I was the only foreigner on the bus. Take note that it is a local bus. While it is cheap i.e. Rs 370, it is non-A/C, cramped and filled with stinky smell (not sure that was mine, others' or both). Even walkway on the bus was fully seated. Alas, I managed to arrive in the wee hours of 3am, in the middle of nowhere. The final destination of the bus is actually Tanakpur but there would be many people getting down at Banbasa. However, don’t sleep like a baby on the bus, if u can, or risk of missing the stop. 

Together with other Nepalis, I walked to the India check post which is approximately 6 km away, in the dark. Rumor has it that the Banbasa/Bhimdatta border is open 24 hours. But the lower gate to Banbasa Barrage at India side only opens at 5am. We had to wait in front of the gate. Some Nepalis did climb over the gate. By the time the gate opened, everyone queued up for a quick and brief baggage check. I then walked all the way to the India immigration check post via the striking Banbasa Barrage spanning across the Mahakali river. It must have been a spectacular view had I not crossing in the dark. Take note that you need to get your passport stamped out so don’t miss the no-frill immigration office. Again, I had to wait till 6am for an immigration officer to stamp me out before walking to the Nepal immigration check post across the 'no-man's land', approximately 1 km away. Take note that most likely you will end up crossing the border by yourselves as Indian & Nepal nationals are free to travel between both countries without having to go through immigration process.

Feeding the mosquitoes at the lower gate to Banbasa Barrage

Banbasa Barrage 

Don’t miss the no-frill Indian immigration office ‘guarded’ by packs of aggressive macaques 

The Banbasa/Bhimdatta border is quite a loosely guarded border

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Walking across the ‘no-man’s land’ between India and Nepal at dawn. A little reward after a very long day

The 'no-man's land' actually has man and is more like a village 

As of Oct’19, multiple-entry Nepali visa-on-arrival valid for 15/30/90 days cost $30/$50/$125 and are available at the Nepali side of border. Fill in a simple form and an arrival card and pay in USD. Nepalese Rupee (USD 1 = Rs 110) was also accepted. From the Nepali immigration check post, shared tuk-tuk costs Rs 30/pax to get to Bhimdatta (a.k.a. Mahendranagar) bus station, approximately 6 km away. From there, frequent buses go to Kathmandu and Pokhara. There were two A/C buses departing for Pokhara (11.15am & 2.25pm; 17 hrs; Rs 1650). There was no ATM at Gauddachaki which is just a village. Nabil bank has an ATM at Bhimdatta town which dispensed maximum Rs 35,000/withdrawal. It is around 800 m from the Bhimdatta bus park.

Nepal immigration building is set back from the road (Again, don’t miss it)

Bhimdatta Bus Park

For those who have no specific reason to use this border, it is suggested that you don’t cross this border as it was a pain in the ass. As you see, first, you need to wait at Banbasa because the bus would arrive in the wee hours; secondly, you need to wait for the lower gate at the Indian side to open; thirdly, you need to wait for an Indian immigration officer to wake up and stamp you out. The entire crossing was all about waiting and requires no less patience. If your destination is Pokhara, you need to spend at least two nights in a row on a local bus to make this crossing. However, if you are fancy with traveling and mingling with the locals, this could be your good experience. Having said that, do cross at your own mercy.

A bus departing to Ripadiya

P/s: In addition to local buses to Banbasa, there was also a local bus departing from Haridwar to another border town of Ripadiya at approximately 3pm. This could be useful for those who do not favor the far flung westernmost border of Banbasa/Bhimdatta.