Getting there
We started in Pokhara. If you start in Kathmandu I'd suggest going to Pokhara anyway. From there we took a Lumbini tourist bus (it leaves early in the morning) and got off in Butwal. It passes through Tansen on the way. Quite a dramatic route, or if you prefer a route with some quite big drops off the side of the road.
From Butwal we walked no more than 300m up a side road that joined the main road at that point. There we hopped onto a bus to Bhaluwang. which left at virtually the same instant. I just had time to snaffle a bottle of water and a few samosas at a nearby stall.
Despite there being an evening bus onwards, but given the time of day (after 4pm) , we decided to stay overnight in Bhaluwang. There was a reasonable choice of places to sleep and places to eat. And some shops for a few extras.
The next morning a bus left (pretty much at the advertised time) at 8am for Sulichaur. This was our starting trailhead. There is a rough road already past this point, but we were keen to start walking. We started walking after some snacks, tea and a water refill at about 2pm.
Getting away
We walked out to Musikot (also known as Khalanga). The bus to Kathmandu (costing nearly 2000 NRs) left at 11am the next morning so we found a reasonable hotel room and made the most of the town. There were lots of shops and a good place for chai and samosas. It seemed like a major world city after the simplicity of the trail.
The bus to Kathmandu took 24 hours and was, putting it mildly, slightly gruelling. The trip included several unscheduled stops, 3 or 4 punctures and a broken down logging truck blocking the road for a couple of hours. However we arrived alive with our luggage, and for that can be grateful.
The bus deposited us on the ring road (I used my GPS to determine the closest point to our destination), and despite our fatigue we decided to walk into town. This took about 45 mins with each of us hoping to be the first to "spot a foreigner". Which we eventually did as we entered Freak Street.
An alternative
In Musikot the airstrip is at an alarming angle. Don't say you haven't been warned.
"Plan B" exits
There are a number of places where you could get some form of transport out early if necessary. See the Map. It will be slow and uncomfortable and not running to much of a schedule. But you will eventually get there. With luck!
When to go?
I have only done this once and that was in April. It was a good time; generally dry with pleasant temperatures.
In Winter (say November-February) it might be clearer over the mountains but much cooler at night, which might require a warmer sleeping bag. Even in April, there was some snow on the trail, and you would very likely encounter more in the cooler months. At the very least it would be deeper on a couple of the passes, and I'd recommend heavier (or at least warmer) footwear as well.
During the monsoon (rather variable but let's say June to September) it would be greener, but obviously more likely to be wet - perhaps very wet at times. Transport can be both less certain and more hazardous. On the other hand there is a good chance of more festivals, though establishing the timing of these would be tricky at a distance.
There are no rivers where you have to wade, but higher river levels would rather spoil the hot bath I took near the village called Pokhara.
Information
Getting information on any trekking in Nepal is fraught with the problem of self-serving agencies, who pretend to offer “Tourist Information” but only want to sell stuff. The actual tourist office is not much use except perhaps for transport options.
Reliable information comes mostly from meeting foreigners who have recently done a route. Or it comes from locals on the spot as long as they do not have an agenda. Mostly people are friendly and helpful, within the limits of your mutual language skills.
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