Nepal›Terai: Chitwan & Lumbini›Chitwan (Sauraha)›September
Chitwan (Sauraha) in September
Mixed month: September is outside the recommended season (October – March). Against it: Flood Season: Jungle Activities Cut Back. Dashain (Bada Dashain) can fall this month.
The season opens in October, next month.
2 days in Chitwan (Sauraha) in September · from ₹19,053 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book September
Closures, crowds and rules at Chitwan (Sauraha) this month.
Worth knowing
Flood Season: Jungle Activities Cut Back
In the monsoon the Rapti (Chitwan) and the Karnali and Geruwa (Bardia) rise and flood the grasslands. Jeep safaris and canoe trips run only when the tracks and river allow, jungle walks are wet and full of leeches, many lodges close in July and August, and the tall grass hides the animals. October to March is the season (March–May for tigers at Bardia).
Worth knowing
Dashain: Transport Full, Offices and Shops Closed
During Dashain (late September or October, 15 days, the main 4-5 days like India's Navratri and Dussehra) most of Kathmandu goes home to the villages: long-distance buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, offices, banks and many shops and restaurants close for the main days, and taxis are scarce. Book transport early and carry cash.
What’s on in September
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Dashain (Bada Dashain)dates shift yearly
Nepal's biggest festival, 15 days ending on the full moon, with the main days (Phulpati to Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika from elders) like India's Navratri and Dussehra. Kathmandu empties as people go home: buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, government offices, many shops and some restaurants close for 4-5 days, and prices rise. It falls in the autumn trekking season, so book transport early.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹19,053 for two
- Room a night₹1,250
- Food a day, each₹897
- Main sight entry, each₹710
Mid-range
₹29,207 for two
- Room a night₹4,060
- Food a day, each₹2,070
- Main sight entry, each₹710
Luxury
₹53,486 for two
- Room a night₹12,500
- Food a day, each₹4,830
- Main sight entry, each₹710
What September does to prices
- Kathmandu empties as people go home: buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, government offices, many shops and some restaurants close for 4-5 days, and prices rise.
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Nepal yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Kathmandu (KTM), 83 km away
Then: Flight · 3h 30m (Kathmandu–Bharatpur flight (Buddha Air / Yeti Airlines) + taxi to or from Sauraha)
Flights from India: from 10 cities, one way from ₹6,500
Routes compared
Entry rules
No visa needed
- Carry your Indian passport or your original Election Commission voter ID card. Aadhaar is not accepted as a travel document for Nepal, and airlines refuse boarding on it.
- Flying in: show the same ID at check-in in India and at immigration in Kathmandu. No visa, no fee and no form for Indian citizens.
- Crossing by road (Sunauli, Raxaul–Birgunj, Kakarbhitta and the other border points): walk or drive across with the same ID. Bringing an Indian vehicle needs a customs permit (bhansar), paid per day at the border.
- Trekking or visiting a national park: you still need the park or conservation-area permits (Indians pay the lower SAARC rate), shown by region in this plan.
Carry: Valid Indian passport, or original Election Commission voter ID card (not Aadhaar); Children: a passport, or a birth certificate or school identity card when travelling with a parent who has valid ID; Over 65: a passport or voter ID is safest. A Home Ministry communique lets over-65s (and under-15s) use other government photo ID, Aadhaar included, but the Embassy of India in Kathmandu says Aadhaar and PAN cards are not valid for India–Nepal travel, so check with your airline; Two passport photos and photocopies of your ID, for trekking and park permits.
Indians need no visa for Nepal and sources give no fixed limit on the stay. Accepted IDs: passport or voter ID only; Aadhaar is not accepted. Rules for minors and other photo IDs vary by airline, so check with yours, or with the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, before you go.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Nepal in September
Instead in season this month.
- Rara Lake · good month
Nearby in Terai: Chitwan & Lumbini:
Want this as a real plan?
Chitwan (Sauraha) in September, day by day, priced for your group.