Poor roads and lack of bridges make travel exorbitantly expensive for Humla residents

The 334 km journey from Birendranagar to Simkot costs up to Rs6,500 as passengers must switch vehicles at multiple points along the way.

The distance between Birendranagar in Surkhet and the federal capital, Kathmandu is around 600 km by road. Public transport fare of the Birendranagar-Kathmandu route is up to Rs2,652 per person. Simkot, the district headquarters of Humla, is around 334 km from Birendranagar, the provincial headquarters of Karnali. A passenger has to spend approximately Rs6,500 to travel the Birendranagar-Simkot road section.