Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet: Self-Launched Himalayan Circuit

Fly into Paro (one of the world's great landing approaches — sit on the left for Himalayan views). Your Bhutanese guide meets you at the airport; foreign visitors must travel with a licensed guide, which you book directly with a local Bhutanese agency along with your SDF and visa. Settle into a family-run guesthouse in Paro town, then walk the short loop of Paro's three highlights: Rinpung Dzong above the river, the 7th-century Kichu Lhakhang, and the ruined Drugyal Dzong at the valley's north end with Jomolhari views on a clear day. Easy acclimatisation day — Paro is at 2,200m.

🚌Arrival transfer from Paro Airport with your guide (~20 min). Walking around Paro town. Approx £10.

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Paro town (e.g. a standard Paro town guesthouse, twin/double ~£25-35/night)

• →Rinpung Dzong
• →Kichu Lhakhang
• →Drugyal Dzong
• →Paro town walk

The big one: the climb to Taktsang (Tiger's Nest), 900m of ascent on a well-made pilgrim trail, roughly 4-5 hours return at a steady pace. Start by 8am to beat the heat and the tour groups. Stop at the halfway cafeteria for tea and the classic photo of the monastery clinging to the cliff — this is exactly where the group tour eats lunch, and anyone can buy food there. Continue to the viewpoint and, if open, up to the monastery itself. Rest the afternoon in Paro town, drying out boots over momos and butter tea.

🚌Shared taxi or hotel drop to the Taktsang trailhead (~£6 each way); otherwise walking. Approx £12.

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Paro town (~£25-35/night)

• →Hike to Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery
• →Cafeteria viewpoint tea stop
• →Paro town evening

Drive east over the Dochu La pass (3,100m) — on a clear day the whole Bhutan Himalaya lines up behind the 108 chortens, and there's a simple teahouse for the obligatory tea stop. Descend into the subtropics to Punakha, Bhutan's warm former capital. Visit Punakha Dzong at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers — arguably the most beautiful dzong in the country. Overnight in a guesthouse in Punakha or nearby Khuruthang.

🚌Private car with guide Paro–Punakha via Dochu La, ~3 hrs (~£55 for the vehicle)

🛏Guesthouse in Punakha/Khuruthang (~£28-38/night)

• →Dochu La Pass and 108 chortens
• →Punakha Dzong
• →Wangdue valley stop

Morning walk through mustard and rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, the 'fertility temple' of the Divine Madman Drukpa Kunley — a flat 30-minute stroll from the road at Sopsokha, no guide required beyond your driver. Loop back over Dochu La (different light, different photos) and return to Paro. Afternoon free for the Paro weekend market or the National Museum above Rinpung Dzong.

🚌Private car with guide Punakha–Paro via Dochu La, ~3 hrs (~£55 for the vehicle)

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Paro town (~£25-35/night)

• →Chimi Lhakhang
• →Dochu La second crossing
• →Paro market or National Museum

Fly Paro to Kathmandu with Drukair or Bhutan Airlines (~1 hr, book well ahead — this is one of the world's most scenic short flights, Everest and Kanchenjunga visible on a clear day). Land, get a Nepali visa on arrival, and check into a Thamel guesthouse. Spend the afternoon doing Kathmandu's classic trio: Kathmandu Durbar Square, the cremation ghats at Pashupatinath, and the great white dome of Boudhanath at golden hour — you can book a half-day guided tour on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£30, or simply take a taxi between them and read up as you go.

🚌Paro–Kathmandu flight ~£230-280 booked direct with Drukair/Bhutan Airlines; airport taxi ~£4; local taxis between sights ~£10

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu (~£20-30/night, en-suite)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Thamel evening

Take a tourist bus from Kathmandu's Gongabu bus park to Sauraha (Chitwan) — about 5-6 hours, ~£7-10. Alternatively fly Kathmandu–Bharatpur (~£70) and take a 20-minute taxi. Check into a budget jungle lodge in Sauraha and do an afternoon nature walk along the Rapti River with a local naturalist guide (lodges arrange this for ~£12-15). Evening briefing on Chitwan's flora and fauna — usually included in the lodge package.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu–Sauraha ~5-6 hrs (~£9); local jeep/taxi to lodge ~£3

🛏Budget jungle lodge in Sauraha (~£18-28/night, often full board packages)

• →Nature walk along the Rapti River
• →Chitwan flora and fauna briefing
• →Sunset over the Rapti

Full day inside Chitwan National Park. Important note: elephant-back safaris are now widely discouraged on welfare grounds and several operators have dropped them — take a jeep safari instead (best wildlife odds, ~£25-30 for a shared jeep day) with a licensed park guide, plus a canoe trip down the Rapti in a dugout for gharial and birdlife (~£8). Many lodges still run an elephant bathing/feeding visit at the government breeding centre; if you want to see elephants, choose a centre that doesn't offer rides. Afternoon option: birding walk — Chitwan has 500+ species.

🚌Park jeep and canoe included in the safari package; walking around Sauraha

🛏Budget jungle lodge in Sauraha (~£18-28/night)

• →Shared jeep safari in Chitwan National Park
• →Dugout canoe on the Rapti River
• →Birding walk
• →Elephant breeding centre visit (non-riding)

Morning bus from Sauraha to Pokhara, roughly 4-5 hours along the Trishuli and Marsyangdi valleys (~£8-12). Arrive, find a lakeside guesthouse in Lakeside, then walk to Davis Falls (Patale Chhango) and the Gupteshwor Mahadev cave next door — combined entry is only a couple of pounds and they're 10 minutes apart. Sunset beers over Phewa Lake.

🚌Tourist bus Sauraha–Pokhara ~4-5 hrs (~£10); local taxi/walk around Lakeside ~£4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Pokhara (~£18-28/night)

• →Davis Falls
• →Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
• →Phewa Lake sunset

Very early shared jeep or taxi up to Sarangkot (1,600m) for sunrise over the Annapurna range — Machhapuchhre and Annapurna South go pink at dawn. Walk or ride back down, hire a colourful wooden doonga on Phewa Lake yourself for an hour (~£5, row it yourself or pay a boatman), and visit Bindhyabasini Temple in the old bazaar. Afternoon: World Peace Pagoda hike or the International Mountain Museum. Fly or bus back to Kathmandu in the evening, or overnight in Pokhara and take a morning flight.

🚌Shared jeep to Sarangkot (~£8 return); domestic flight Pokhara–Kathmandu ~£75-95 one way, or overnight bus ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Thamel, Kathmandu (~£20-30/night) if flying out that evening; otherwise Pokhara lakeside

• →Sarangkot sunrise viewpoint
• →Phewa Lake boating
• →Bindhyabasini Temple
• →World Peace Pagoda (optional)

Fly Kathmandu to Lhasa Gonggar (~1.5 hrs, ~£350-420 one way booked direct with Air China/Tibet Airlines or via a Tibetan agency). Foreigners cannot travel in Tibet independently: you must book through a Tibet-registered agency who arranges your Tibet permit, guide and vehicle — this is non-negotiable and applies to everyone on the group tour too. Your guide meets you at Gonggar and transfers you to Lhasa (1 hr). Take it very easy on arrival: Lhasa is 3,650m. Check into a guesthouse in the old town near Barkhor, hydrate, and don't climb stairs quickly.

🚌Kathmandu–Lhasa flight ~£350-420; airport transfer with guide ~£25 (often bundled in your Tibet agency package)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Lhasa old town near Barkhor (~£30-40/night)

• →Flight over the Himalaya (Everest and Kanchenjunga views on clear days)
• →Gentle acclimatisation walk around Barkhor

Potala Palace first thing — timed entry tickets sell out, so your guide books them in advance (¥200, ~£22). Climb slowly; the palace is 13 storeys and there are no shortcuts. Afternoon at Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's summer palace and gardens, and the Tibet Museum for context on Tibetan history and culture. Your guide accompanies you throughout — the group tour's included activities are essentially the same set of sites, just without a coach full of people.

🚌Vehicle and driver with guide for the day, typically bundled into your Tibet agency package (~£25-35/day equivalent)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Lhasa old town (~£30-40/night)

• →Potala Palace
• →Norbulingka Palace
• →Tibet Museum

Morning at Drepung Monastery on the western hillside — once the largest monastery in the world, and the walk between the colleges is a highlight. Continue to Sera Monastery for the afternoon monk debates (around 3pm, the noisiest and most photogenic hour in Lhasa). Finish at Jokhang Temple, Tibet's holiest, at the peak of evening prostration hour, then wander Barkhor Bazaar for turquoise, prayer flags and yak-butter tea.

🚌Vehicle and driver with guide for the day (~£25-35 bundled)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Lhasa old town (~£30-40/night)

• →Drepung Monastery
• →Sera Monastery monk debates
• →Jokhang Temple
• →Barkhor Bazaar

Day trip east along the Kyichu valley to Ganden Monastery, perched at 4,500m on Wangbur Mountain — one of the great Gelug monasteries, with a superb kora (circuit walk) around the ridge. Walk down to Drayerpa Cave, a meditation retreat site used by hermits for centuries. Expect a long day (roughly 3 hrs each way) and cold wind even in summer. Back in Lhasa for a last dinner in the old town.

🚌Vehicle and driver with guide, Ganden day trip (~£45-60 for shared vehicle share)

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Lhasa old town (~£30-40/night)

• →Ganden Monastery
• →Kora walk on Wangbur Mountain
• →Drayerpa Cave

Transfer to Lhasa Gonggar Airport for your onward flight (often via Chengdu, Kunming or Kathmandu). If you have time, one last circumambulation of Barkhor before the van leaves. Note that the group tour ends here too — onward international flights are not included in either version, so factor those separately.

🚌Airport transfer Lhasa–Gonggar ~1 hr (~£25)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Barkhor morning kora (optional)
• →Departure