Delhi to Kathmandu Adventure — Self-Launched Edition

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express (Orange Line) metro to New Delhi station, ~₹60 (£0.60) — far cheaper than a taxi (~₹600/£6). Book a guesthouse in Paharganj or a hostel in Karol Bagh via Hostelworld/Booking (£10-14 dorm or basic twin). Spend the afternoon walking Connaught Place's colonnades and India Gate, then eat a plate of chole bhature for under £2. Pick up an Indian SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~₹300/£3) with your passport at the airport or a city store. Optional evening: a Paharganj street-food walk with a local guide booked on GetYourGuide (~£18).

🚌Airport Express metro ~£0.60; metro/walking in the city

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Paharganj/Karol Bagh (£10-14 pp)

• →Connaught Place and India Gate walk (free)
• →Optional street-food walk (~£18)

Take the 6am Vande Bharat or Double Decker train from New Delhi to Jaipur Junction, ~2h45, ~₹500-900 (£5-9) — book on IRCTC or at the station. Check into a heritage-style guesthouse in the old city (£12-18 pp twin). In the afternoon walk the Pink City's bazaars, then book a block-printing workshop directly with a Jaipur artisan co-op or via GetYourGuide (~£12) — G Adventures uses the Anoothi workshop but plenty of independent studios offer two-hour sessions. Sunset from Nahargarh Fort steps if time allows (~£2 entry).

🚌Delhi to Jaipur train ~£5-9; auto-rickshaw £1-2

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (£12-18 pp)

• →Pink City orientation walk (free)
• →Block-printing workshop (~£12)

Get to Amber Fort early (opens 8am) by local bus from Hawa Mahal (~₹30) or an auto (~₹250 return). Combined Amber Fort ticket is ₹200 (£2) for the fort alone; the ₹1,000 (£10) composite ticket covers Amber plus Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, City Palace, Nahargarh and Albert Hall if you plan to do several. Climb the ramparts, see the Sheesh Mahal, then return to the city for Hawa Mahal, the Jantar Mantar astronomical instruments and the City Palace at your own pace. Evenings: Raj Mandir cinema (₹110-190) or a cheap thali dinner.

🚌Local bus to Amber £0.30; autos £1-2

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (£12-18 pp)

• →Amber Fort entry (£2, or £10 composite ticket)
• →Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, City Palace (composite ticket)
• →Optional Raj Mandir film (£1-2)

Morning train or bus to Agra (the 6am Jaipur–Agra Cantt trains take about 4h, ~₹450-900/£4-9). Drop bags at a guesthouse in Taj Ganj, five minutes from the East Gate, and walk to the Taj Mahal. Entry is ₹1,100 (£11) for foreign visitors (₹1,300 with the main mausoleum, closed Fridays). Late afternoon is quieter than midday — stay for the light change on the marble. Eat at a rooftop guesthouse with a view of the dome (£3-4) and skip the crowds at sunrise tomorrow if you're already done.

🚌Jaipur to Agra train ~£4-9; walking/auto in Agra

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse (£10-14 pp)

• →Taj Mahal entry (£11)

Take a day train or the overnight option toward Jhansi (Agra–Jhansi ~4-5h; unreserved/sleeper from £3, chair car ~£5), then a shared auto from Jhansi station to Orchha (~₹50/£0.50, 20 min). Check into a budget guesthouse near the Betwa river (~£9-13 pp). Afternoon: the Orchha Palace complex (₹250/£2.50) with its Raj Mahal and Jahangir Mahal, then walk downstream to the chhatris (cenotaphs) and Ram Raja Temple. Dinner is cheap thali country — expect £2-3.

🚌Train to Jhansi £3-5; shared auto £0.50

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Orchha (£9-13 pp)

• →Orchha Palace complex (£2.50)
• →Chhatris and Ram Raja Temple walk (free)

A slow day in Orchha: rent a bicycle (£2) and ride the Betwa riverbank, or join a half-day village cooking session arranged directly with a local guesthouse (~£8-12) — a standalone version of the G Adventures cooking-school option. In the late afternoon head back to Jhansi for the overnight sleeper to Varanasi (e.g. Jhansi–Varanasi, roughly 10-11h, sleeper class ~₹400-600/£4-6), which arrives around dawn. Book ahead on IRCTC for a 3AC or sleeper berth.

🚌Jhansi to Varanasi overnight sleeper ~£5-8

🛏Overnight sleeper train (berth included in transport)

• →Bicycle rental (£2)
• →Optional village cooking session (£8-12)

Arrive at Varanasi Junction and take a shared auto to a guesthouse near Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat (£10-15 pp). Sleep off the train, then walk the ghats at golden hour: Dashashwamedh to Manikarnika, the burning ghats, and the lanes behind. Self-guide with a free walking audio or a ₹300 (£3) local guide. Stay for the Ganga Aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh after dusk (free, arrive 45 min early). Eat kachori sabzi and malai lassi for under £2.

🚌Shared auto from station £1-2

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse, Varanasi (£10-15 pp)

• →Ghat and old city walk (free)
• →Ganga Aarti ceremony (free)

Book a rowboat at Assi Ghat at 5:30am directly with a boatman (~₹500-800/£5-8 for 1.5h) — this replaces the tour's included morning boat. After breakfast, take a shared auto to Sarnath (~₹40) to see the Dhamek Stupa, the Ashokan pillar and the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, then return for a heritage walk through the old lanes (~£8 if guide-led via GetYourGuide). Take an evening boat too if the light's good (~£5).

🚌Shared autos £1-3 total

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse, Varanasi (£10-15 pp)

• →Sunrise rowboat (£5-8)
• →Sarnath entry and monuments (£2-2.50)
• →Evening boat (£5)

Take a morning train or bus from Varanasi to Gorakhpur (train ~4-5h, £1-3; bus similar), then a shared jeep or local bus to Sunauli on the border (~₹150/£1.50, 2h). Complete Indian exit and Nepali immigration on foot — get the Nepal visa on arrival (15 days, $30/≈£24; UK passports eligible). From Bhairahawa, take a local bus or shared auto 22km to Lumbini (₹100/£1). Overnight in a guesthouse in Lumbini or Bhairahawa (£10-14 pp). Afternoon: the Maya Devi Temple and the Ashoka pillar marking Buddha's birthplace (₹500/£5 for SAARC-adjacent foreigners — carry NPR).

🚌Train/bus to Gorakhpur £1-3; shared jeep to border £1.50; local bus to Lumbini £1; Nepal visa on arrival £24

🛏Lumbini or Bhairahawa guesthouse (£10-14 pp)

• →Maya Devi Temple and Ashoka pillar (£5)
• →Monastery zone cycle/walk (free)

Local bus from Bhairahawa to Narayanghat/Chitwan (~5-6h, ~£4-6), then a shared jeep to Barauli village (~£3). Book a room directly with the Barauli Community Homestay (a real, bookable community tourism project — email or via their site/Booking) at around £12-16 pp including meals. Spend the afternoon cycling the village lanes (cycle rental ~950 NPR/£5.50, same as the tour's optional). Evening: a Tharu stick-dance and song performance put on by the community (small donation £2-3).

🚌Local bus £4-6; shared jeep £3

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (£12-16 pp incl. meals)

• →Village cycle loop (£5.50)
• →Tharu dance and song evening (£2-3)

A community-run 4x4 or jeep safari into the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park — book directly through the homestay (~£20-28 pp for a half-day shared jeep, plus park permit ~2,000 NPR/£12). Look for one-horned rhino, gharial, deer and, with luck, a sloth bear; tigers are a rare bonus. Lunch back at the homestay, then an afternoon birdwatching walk along the Rapti with a local naturalist (£3-5). Dinner is Tharu home cooking with your hosts — the homestay rate covers it.

🚌Jeep included in safari booking

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (£12-16 pp incl. meals)

• →Shared jeep safari (£20-28)
• →Chitwan park permit (£12)
• →Birdwatching walk (£3-5)

Local or tourist bus from Sauraha/Bharatpur to Pokhara (~5-6h, ~£6-9) — tourist buses are more comfortable and depart around 7-8am. Check into a lakeside guesthouse in Pokhara (£10-15 pp), then walk Phewa Lake's north shore at sunset. Optional paragliding from Sarangkot can be booked direct with an operator or on GetYourGuide for ~₹8,000-9,000 (£60-68) if you want the tour's optional add-on — book a day ahead.

🚌Tourist bus to Pokhara £6-9; local taxi £2-3

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£10-15 pp)

• →Phewa Lake sunset walk (free)
• →Optional paragliding (£60-68, book ahead)

Hike up to Sarangkot for sunrise over the Annapurna range — start around 4:30am from Lakeside (2h up, or a ₹700/£4 shared jeep to the top and walk down). Entry to the viewpoint is ~₹100 (£0.60). Descend through farmland to Sharing Seeds, an organic farm and social enterprise in Pokhara, for a farm-to-table breakfast with their arabica coffee (~£5-7) — the same experience the tour includes, bookable direct or by walking in. Afternoon: cycle to the World Peace Pagoda (~£3 bike hire, £3-5 entry) or wander the old bazaar. Evening momos and a beer for £4.

🚌Shared jeep to Sarangkot £4 or hike; bike hire £3

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£10-15 pp)

• →Sarangkot sunrise (£0.60)
• →Sharing Seeds breakfast (£5-7)
• →World Peace Pagoda and cycling (£6-8)

Take the tourist bus Pokhara–Kathmandu (~7-8h, £8-11) or a 25-minute flight if you'd rather save the day (~£60-90 one-way on Buddha Air/Yeti). Check into a guesthouse in Thamel (£12-18 pp). Late afternoon: climb the 365 steps to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), entry ₹200 (£1.20), for sunset over the valley. Evening wander Thamel's lanes and book a Durbar Square and Pashupatinath combo for tomorrow via GetYourGuide (~£20-25).

🚌Tourist bus £8-11 (or flight £60-90); taxi in town £2

🛏Thamel guesthouse, Kathmandu (£12-18 pp)

• →Swayambhunath entry (£1.20)
• →Thamel orientation walk (free)

Morning guided or self-led walk through Kathmandu Durbar Square (₹1,000/£6 for foreigners), the Kumari Ghar and the old royal palace courtyards. If time allows, take a taxi to Boudhanath Stupa (₹400/£2.50 entry) and Pashupatinath (₹1,000/£6) — both worth the trip. A mountain flight over Everest (Buddha Air, ~£150-180) is the tour's optional splurge if you're flying out later. Airport taxi ₹700-1,000 (£4-6) or a local bus for ₹30.

🚌Local taxis £4-8 total; airport transfer £4-6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, Kathmandu (£12-18 pp)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square (£6)
• →Boudhanath and Pashupatinath (£8.50)
• →Optional Everest mountain flight (£150-180)