Nepal Classic Tour - 12 Days (Self-Launched)

Fly into Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Pre-book an airport pickup through your guesthouse (typically NPR 800–1,200 / £5–8) or grab a metered taxi from the prepaid counter in the arrivals hall. Base yourself in Thamel — the backpacker hub — where hostels and budget guesthouses are plentiful. Spend the afternoon recovering, get a local SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3 for data), change some cash (£1 ≈ NPR 170), and wander Thamel's lanes for your first momos and a cold Everest beer.

🚌Airport pickup ~£5–8; walking around Thamel

🛏Thamel hostel/budget guesthouse (dorm £5–8, private £12–20)

• →Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport
• →Pick up local SIM card and change cash
• →Evening stroll through Thamel

Do the classic Kathmandu Valley highlights self-launched. Grab a taxi or ride-hailing (Pathao/InDrive) between sites, or walk the valley's east side on foot. Start at Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) — climb the 350+ steps from Bhagwan Pau for valley views (entry ~£2). Move to Pashupatinath on the Bagmati (entry ~£8 for foreigners) for the ghats and sadhus, then Boudhanath Stupa (entry ~£3) for a kora circuit and rooftop lunch. Finish at Kathmandu Durbar Square (entry ~£8), including the Kumari Chowk courtyard. A GetYourGuide half-day guide can be added (~£20) if you want the history explained.

🚌Local taxis/ride-hailing between sites ~£8 total

🛏Thamel hostel/budget guesthouse

• →Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) — climb the 350+ steps
• →Pashupatinath Temple ghats
• →Boudhanath Stupa kora walk
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square & Kumari Chowk

Take a local bus or short taxi to Patan (Lalitpur) — entry to Patan Durbar Square ~£7. Wander the Newar courtyards, then hit the surrounding sites: Mahaboudha Temple, Kumbeshwor Temple, the Krishna Temple, the Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar), and the Patan handicraft centre. In the afternoon hop a local bus or shared taxi to Bhaktapur (~£1). Bhaktapur Durbar Square entry is ~£12 — see the Lion Gate, Golden Gate (Sun Dhoka), the Art Gallery, Nyatapola Temple and the Malla Palace. Return to Kathmandu by local bus or late taxi.

🚌Local bus Kathmandu–Patan ~£0.50, Patan–Bhaktapur ~£1, return ~£1

🛏Thamel hostel/budget guesthouse

• →Patan Durbar Square & Golden Temple
• →Patan handicraft centre
• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Lion Gate & Golden Gate
• →Nyatapola Temple & Bhaktapur Art Gallery

Book a tourist coach from Kathmandu to Sauraha (Chitwan) — the standard Greenline/tourist bus costs ~£8–12 and takes 5–6 hours along the Trishuli River road. Arrive and check into a Sauraha guesthouse. Most guesthouses include a package of local activities; on arrival do the included-style village tour: Tharu village walk, the Tharu cultural museum, the government elephant stable, and a sunset viewpoint over the Rapti River, finishing with a Tharu cultural dance performance (often free with guesthouse stay, or ~£3).

🚌Tourist coach Kathmandu–Sauraha ~£8–12

🛏Sauraha guesthouse (private room £8–15)

• →Tharu village tour
• →Tharu cultural museum
• →Elephant stable visit
• →Sunset viewpoint over the Rapti
• →Tharu cultural dance programme

Book a full-day Chitwan activity package directly through your guesthouse or the park office. A standard combo (canoe ride + jungle walk + elephant breeding centre + jeep safari) runs about £35–50 and replaces the operator's day of canoeing, walking, elephant bathing and 4-hour jeep safari. Note: elephant-back safaris are increasingly discouraged on welfare grounds — the jeep safari and walking safari give better wildlife odds anyway. Keep an eye out for one-horned rhino, gharial, deer and (if lucky) a tiger.

🚌Local jeep/canoe as part of the activity package

🛏Sauraha guesthouse

• →Canoe ride on the Rapti River
• →Guided jungle walk
• →Elephant breeding centre visit
• →4-hour jeep safari in Chitwan National Park

Take a local bus or shared jeep from Sauraha/Bharatpur to Lumbini (via Narayanghat) — roughly 4–5 hours, ~£4–6. Check in near the Sacred Garden. In the afternoon explore the Lumbini heritage zone on foot or by rented bicycle (~£2): the Ashoka Pillar, the ancient monastery ruins, and the Maya Devi Temple, the birthplace of the Buddha. Entry to the Lumbini zone is ~£2–3.

🚌Local bus Sauraha–Lumbini ~£4–6

🛏Lumbini guesthouse/budget hotel (£8–15)

• →Lumbini heritage zone walk or cycle
• →Ashoka Pillar
• →Ancient monastery ruins
• →Maya Devi Temple

Travel by bus from Lumbini/Butwal up to Tansen (Palpa) — a winding hill climb of around 3 hours (~£3). Tansen is a lovely, little-visited Newar hill town. Check into a guesthouse (the town's heritage hotel is famous but there are cheaper options). Spend the late afternoon wandering the cobbled bazaar and climbing to Shreengar Danda for panoramic views — on a clear day you'll see Dhaulagiri, Gauri Shanker and the distant Himalaya. This is the quiet, scenic stop reviewers loved.

🚌Local bus Lumbini/Butwal–Tansen ~£3

🛏Tansen guesthouse (£10–18)

• →Tansen heritage bazaar walk
• →Shreengar Danda viewpoint for Himalayan panoramas

Morning bus from Tansen to Pokhara (via Butwal/Narayanghat) — around 5–6 hours, ~£5–7. Arrive in Pokhara and settle into a Lakeside guesthouse. In the afternoon visit Rani Mahal, the 'Taj Mahal of Nepal' on the Kali Gandaki (~30 min by taxi, entry ~£2), then return to Lakeside for a relaxed boat ride on Phewa Lake (~£3/hr) with an optional stop at the Tal Barahi island temple.

🚌Local bus Tansen–Pokhara ~£5–7; taxi to Rani Mahal ~£8 return

🛏Pokhara Lakeside guesthouse (£8–18)

• →Rani Mahal palace visit
• →Boating on Phewa Lake
• →Tal Barahi island temple

Get up early and take a shared taxi or local bus to Sarangkot viewpoint for sunrise over the Annapurna range (transport ~£6–8 return; paragliding can be added ~£65 if you're keen). Back in town, visit the Seti River Gorge, Devi's Fall and the Gupteshwor Mahadev cave temple (small entries ~£1–2 each). End the day at the Peace Pagoda (Shanti Stupa) for sunset — reach it by taxi or the short ferry-and-climb from Phewa Lake.

🚌Shared taxi to Sarangkot ~£6–8; local taxi around town ~£5

🛏Pokhara Lakeside guesthouse

• →Sarangkot sunrise viewpoint
• →Seti River Gorge
• →Devi's Fall & Gupteshwor Mahadev temple
• →Peace Pagoda sunset

Take the bus from Pokhara to Bandipur, the beautifully preserved hilltop Newar village perched above the Marsyangdi River (~2.5 hours, ~£2). On a clear day the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges frame the view. Check into a heritage guesthouse and spend the afternoon on a short village hike — Siddha Gufa cave and the Thani Mai temple viewpoint are both worth the walk (Siddha Gufa entry ~£2). Bandipur is traffic-free and wonderfully quiet.

🚌Local bus Pokhara–Bandipur ~£2

🛏Bandipur heritage guesthouse (£10–20)

• →Bandipur village hiking
• →Siddha Gufa cave (optional)
• →Thani Mai viewpoint over the Marsyangdi valley

Bus back to Kathmandu from Bandipur/Dumre (~5 hours, ~£4–6) along the Trishuli River. Return to a Thamel guesthouse, then celebrate the trip's end with a farewell dinner at an authentic Nepalese restaurant — Thamel's Bhojan Griha or a Nepali Chulo-style venue serves a full thali set with a cultural dance performance (~£10–15). A great self-launched substitute for the operator's included final dinner.

🚌Local bus Bandipur–Kathmandu ~£4–6

🛏Thamel hostel/budget guesthouse

• →Scenic bus ride along the Trishuli River
• →Farewell Nepalese dinner with cultural dance performance

Depending on your flight time, do any last-minute souvenir shopping in Thamel (pashmina, singing bowls, trekking gear) and grab a final dal bhat. Arrange a taxi or guesthouse transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport (~£5–8) — allow 3 hours before international departure for check-in and immigration. Fly home.

🚌Taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport ~£5–8

🛏—

• →Last-minute shopping in Thamel
• →Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport