Booking a Rental Car (for your enroute stopover in any cities outside Bhutan) When choosing a car-rental agency, try to find out the company's service policy with regard to late plane arrivals, vehicle maintenance and fuel costs. Driving is on the left; speed limits are between 40 to 60 kph in cities and 60 to 90 kph outside. Check out the following full service travel website first: Expedia (Click here) A full service travel website with features to check out the best airfares for a particular route, as well as the availability of these flights. Using their fare compare tool, you can compare fares across different flights. Orbitz (Click here) Owned by the World's Leading Airlines, Orbitz brings you the latest in fare-finding technology, plus great values on rental cars, hotel rooms, and more. Travelocity (Click here) A full service travel website with slick interface, savvy tools and computerized reservation system. You can even reserve flights from a phone. Check out the websites of the following major international and local car rental agencies Avis (Kathmandu, Bangkok, Delhi, Calcutta, and more) Hertz (Delhi) Budget Rent a Car (Bangkok) Baltourist (Delhi) Car rental agency in India offering budget car rental, luxury car hire, coach travel packages, budget car rent, luxury car rental, cheap car rentals, coach holidays, tour bus rental, bus transportation services, etc. Car Rental in Bangkok The major car-rental companies represented in Bangkok are Avis (tel. 800/331-1084; in Canada, 800/879-2847), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3001; in Canada, 800/263-0600; in the U.K., 0345/555888), and National InterRent (sometimes known as Europcar InterRent outside North America; tel. 800/227-3876; in the U.K., 0345/222525). Rates begin at $39 a day and $336 a week for an economy car with unlimited mileage. This includes neither tax, which is 7% on car rentals, nor the Collision Damage Waiver, which is about $10 a day. It is better to make your car rental reservations in Thailand, as you can usually secure a discount. Transportation options between Tribhuvan International Airport and Town in Bangkok The road is often congested with traffic. Be prepared for a 90-minute journey by taxi, though there are times when it can take less than 40 minutes. The quickest way downtown is the helicopter that lands at the Shangri-La Hotel. Anyone who will pay the $200 fare is welcome aboard. Other mode of transport includes airport bus service that costs B70, Thai Airways has a minibus service that costs B100 and taxi that costs B300 to B350. Transportation options in Kathmandu, Nepal Airport Bus An Airport Tourist Bus shuttles passengers between Tribhuvan International Airport and downtown Kathmandu. Metered taxis are also easily available. One may also avail of the prepaid taxis upon arrival. City buses There are many buses and minibuses available at Ratnapark (old Bus Park) which depart to different destinations in the valley. There is also a Trolley Bus Service which starts at Tripureswor (near the Dashrath Stadium) and runs along the Arniko Highway and ends at Surya Vinayak (Bhaktapur). Bus services operate from early morning (5 or 6 am) till 8 or 9 p.m. Metered Taxi Consult Kathmandu Valley map to find out the direction of your destination. Hail a taxi, which is easily recognisable by its taxi sign on top and black license plate. As a rough guide, a trip inside the city will cost anywhere between Rs. 20/- to 200/- (depending on the distance). No tip is expected. A metered taxi from the airport to downtown will cost about Rs. 150 to Rs. 200. Private taxis may charge slightly higher than the ordinary taxis. There is also an arrangement of Night Taxi service operated by the major hotels. The fare is slightly higher than the metered taxi. One can rent a private car through a travel agent or a car rental company. Hired Mountain Bike / Ordinary Bicycle Mountain bikes and ordinary bicycles are cheap and the best form of transportation for economy tourists. One can hire them at Thamel, Rani Pokhari and Jhochhen. Domestic air service Royal Nepal Airlines (RA) has an extensive network of air services in the interior of Nepal. It has scheduled connection flights from Kathmandu to Taplejung, Bhadrapur, Rajbiraj, Bhojpur, Phaplu, Lukla, Lamidanda, Tunmlingtar, Rumjatar, Biratnagar Simara, Janakpur, Ramechhap, Bharatpur, Meghauli ,Pokhara, Jomsom, Manang, Baglung. Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj Chaurjhahari, Surkhet, Dang, Dolpa, Jumla, Bajura, Baitadi, Dipayal, Darchula, Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Tikapur and Sanfebagar. Besides RA, other domestic airlines such as Buddha Air, Cosmic Air, Lumbini Airways, Gorkha Airlines, Manakamana Airways, Karnali Air Services, Necon Air, Skyline Airlines and Yeti Airways provide regular and charter services to popular domestic destinations. Insiders' Bhutan Home