A Nepal motorcycle trip, planned and ridden as a group
Riding into Nepal from India means a border crossing, a second currency, papers for every bike, and mountain roads where coverage comes and goes. Qafilaa keeps all of it in one plan the whole group can see, and keeps the group on one map.
Crossing the border
An Indian-registered motorcycle needs a customs permit, known as the bhansar, issued at the border for the number of days you plan to stay. Each rider also carries their own identity papers, licence and the bike's registration and insurance. Groups from India commonly cross at Sunauli-Belahiya towards Lumbini and Pokhara, at Raxaul-Birgunj towards Kathmandu, at Banbasa in the far west, or at Kakarbhitta in the east.
Rules and fees at the border change. Check them close to your dates, and log each bike's permit in the trip as an errand, so the plan shows who still needs one before you reach the crossing.
Where groups ride
- Kathmandu and Pokhara, and the road between them.
- The Kali Gandaki valley, from Pokhara through Beni to Jomsom and Muktinath: rough, high and slow.
- Upper Mustang, a restricted area with its own permit and guide rules. Check them with Nepal's Department of Immigration before you plan it.
Money in two currencies
Fuel at the border is paid in one currency and dinner in Pokhara in another. Qafilaa supports Nepalese Rupee alongside Indian Rupee, Bhutanese Ngultrum and US Dollar, and converts a spend in another currency to your home currency at the day's rate. Balances stay exact, and settle-up at the end of the trip clears every debt in the fewest transfers. See the trip planner.
Signal on Nepal's mountain roads
Coverage in the towns is usually fine, and in the valleys and on the high roads it is not. Plan as if you will have none: download the route corridor before you leave, pin rally points at the towns before the empty stretches, and let Qafilaa keep the group on the map with last known positions until each phone reconnects. See offline maps.
On the road
The whole group rides on one live map with a lead and a sweep, and crash detection alerts the riders nearest a fall first, with their position and blood group. An alert raised where there is no signal fires the moment any rider in the convoy reconnects.
Border rules, permits and road conditions in Nepal are set by others and change. Check them close to your dates. Qafilaa alerts your crew and your emergency contacts; it does not contact emergency services in Nepal or anywhere else.
Questions riders ask
Do Indian motorcycles need a permit to enter Nepal?
Yes. An Indian-registered motorcycle needs a customs permit, known as the bhansar, issued at the border for the number of days you plan to stay. Check the current rules and fees before you ride, and log the permit for each bike in Qafilaa so nobody reaches the border without the papers it needs.
Can we split trip expenses in Nepalese rupees?
Yes. Qafilaa supports Nepalese Rupee alongside Indian Rupee, Bhutanese Ngultrum and US Dollar, and converts a spend in another currency to your home currency at the day’s rate.
Does Qafilaa work in Nepal?
Yes. It is built for rides across India, Nepal and Bhutan, and it works offline, which matters on mountain roads where coverage comes and goes.
Can the group stay on one map in Mustang with no signal?
Each phone keeps its last copy of everyone’s position and sends its own as soon as it reconnects, so the group always sees where each rider was last seen and how long ago. Rally points and downloaded maps need no signal at all.
Qafilaa is free on the App Store and Google Play, for iPhone (iOS 15.5 or later) and Android. No advertising, no cross-app tracking.