Everything you need to know about Jeep to Phaplu or Salleri
Phaplu is a village in Solu Dudhkunda, it has airport and is a great starting or finishing place for your Three passes trek if you want to save money on your Lukla flight which costs 180$. Phaplu is served by daily jeeps from Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu.
Jeep from Kathmandu to Phaplu
Most of the buses or jeeps from Kathmandu to Phaplu start their rides from Chobahil Chowk bus station in Kathmandu. This bus station in Kathmandu could be easily reached by taxi from Thamel for 400NRP. Jeeps start their long and bumpy journey between 5AM and 6AM. They arrive to Phaplu at around 5PM.
Price for this 11-12 hours jeep ride from Kathmandu to Phaplu is 1600NRP. Jeep driver stops every 2-3 hours for snacks/lunch/breakfast/dinner/tea. The places where it stops are local and prices are friendly. I recommend to try milk tea, boiled egg and Dal Bhat.
In the evening, when you will reach your destination you will be tired. Phaplu town altitude is 2400 meters above sea level and it is already good to begin your acclimatization.
Jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri
Kathmandu to Salleri jeep is the same one as Kathmandu to Phaplu. Salleri is a little bit below Phaplu and all of the jeeps going to Phaplu will pass Salleri. You might want to stay in Salleri as it is a bigger place and have more shops and accommodation options.
Best hotel in Salleri is The Hill view Guest house. They offer rooms for different prices. I was alone and paid 300NRP for clean bed without shower.
Phaplu to Namche Bazaar
From Phaplu to Namche Bazaar you will need to cover a distance of around 60 kilometers. For this reasonably fit hikers will need 3 days. If you are long distance runner with light backpack you can do it in 2 long days. Phaplu or Salleri to Lukla will take 2 days for normal people.
Mobile internet in Phaplu
Phaplu has a good mobile internet for Ncell. You might want to send your photos, chat with your friends. Around 5 kilometers away from Phaplu mobile data stops working and you will get reception back only near Lukla. Check out the article about mobile data on EBC trek.
Hi Joseph, thank you for posting this great information. I was wondering is the trail well marked? If we planned on taking 3 days to get to Namche Bazaar where would you recommend staying on the trail? Are there tea houses or places to stay or do you need a tent? Thank you!!
Hi Ryan!
The trail is well marked. If I remember correctly it was orange spray paint circles on stones and trees. Anyways, have maps.me, GPS or paper map with you. I took a bus from Kathmandu and arrived in the evening. The same evening I reached Ringmo where I stayed at Center Sherpa Lodge. Next day I went from Ringmo to Bupsa where I stayed at Sundup lodge. Third day was from Bupsa to Phakding and the fourth was very short to Namche. But if you stay in Phaplu the first night instead of walking directly to Bupsa you could do it in days.
So yeah, there are a lot of tea houses and you don’t need to have any tent with you 🙂
Perfect! Thank you for the great detail and information. Cheers!
Enjoy your trek!
hi, Did You buy or book tickets for bus or jeep before or just came in the mornig to Chobahil Chowk bus station?
Hi Maciej! I just came to Chobahil Chowk in the morning and there was a car. Actually it wasn’t even full, so I had more space for me in the back. Booking bus/jeep tickets for Phaplu or Salleri is more expensive also than just coming to the station in my opinion! Let me know how you did it 🙂
Thanks for your helpful article! What time did you arrive at the bus station in the morning to get with a Jeep? Do you only speak English, and if so did you have any trouble organizing a Jeep (I read it’s “impossible” to connect with a driver unless I speak Nepalese)
Hi Laura! I arrived early. If I remember correctly around 6-7am, I do speak only english and there is no problem if you don’t speak Nepali. Simple words like Phaplu/Salleri, price etc. will help you.
Thanks for providing details of Jeep tour to Phaplu from Kathmandu. Your article is really helpful for backpacker travelers to organize jeep to Phaplu/Salleri.
Thank you for your kind words, Dil!
Hello, do you have any experience with jeep/bus from Salleri/Phaplu to KTM? How many possibilities are there, is it necessary to book the tickets in advance and so on?
Thank you so much.
Hi Marketa!
Yes, I took this route last year in December. It is long and tiring journey. Especially if the bus is full (usually it is). But if you are on tight budget it is great option to save 170-180$ on flight from Lukla. There are jeeps waiting every morning at Phaplu/Salleri. Usually they start at Phaplu and pick up more people at Salleri. You can book at your hotel in Phaplu/Salleri. Price should be the same as without booking.
Have a nice journey!
Thanks Joseph for the information. I am going with 3 more people in a jeep to Phaplu but they say it will cost me 4000 NPR. Are you sure it is 1600 NPR, as you’ve mentioned, to reach from Kathmandu to Phaplu?
Hi Aurora, I am sure I paid 1600NRP. Maybe you are taking tourist jeep from Thamel or it is private transfer only for 4 of you. Then the price of course is different. Local buses should be around 1600NRP. Enjoy the trip!
Thanks for sharing this info! Do you know if the jeeps pick up people in Bhaktapur on they way to Phaplu? Thank you!
One comment I would like to make is when I got to Chobahil the bus station is not evident. It’s just a wide crossroads. The booking offices are up a few steps next to a chicken slaughter shop. Chickens sit in cages waiting for the chop. You can’t miss it!