India & Nepal Self-Launched: Varanasi to Kathmandu

Arrive into Varanasi (VNS) or by train at Varanasi Junction. Check into your hostel in the Assi Ghat area — the backpacker heart of the city. Spend the evening wandering the ghats and catch the nightly Ganga Aarti fire ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat, one of India's most mesmerising spectacles — free to attend. Grab dinner at a rooftop chai spot overlooking the river.

🚌Arrive independently by flight or train. Auto-rickshaw or cycle rickshaw from station to ghat area (~£1–2)

🛏Stops Hostel Varanasi or similar (dorm ~£7/night, private ~£16/night)

• →Watch the Ganga Aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat (free)
• →Evening orientation stroll along the ghats
• →Dinner at a rooftop restaurant in the Assi Ghat neighbourhood

Rise before dawn for a sunrise rowing boat cruise on the Ganges — one of the most iconic experiences in all of India. Watch the city wake up from the water, witness morning rituals, and float candle flowers (diyas) on the river. Spend the afternoon exploring at your own pace: visit the Kashi Vishwanath Golden Temple (entry free, camera fee ~£1.50), wander the labyrinthine lanes of the old city, or simply watch the world go by from the ghats.

🚌Walking and cycle rickshaw within Varanasi (~£1–2)

🛏Stops Hostel Varanasi or similar

• →Sunrise rowing boat cruise on the Ganges (~£3–5, book directly with local boatmen at the ghats)
• →Candle flower (diya) floating ceremony on the river (~£1)
• →Visit Kashi Vishwanath Golden Temple (free entry)
• →Optional: bathe in the sacred Ganges at Assi Ghat
• →Explore the narrow old-city lanes and silk markets

Take an early morning train or bus from Varanasi to Sunauli, the India-Nepal border crossing (~5–6 hours, ~£5–8 by sleeper train or AC bus). Cross the border on foot — straightforward for most nationalities, Nepal visa on arrival available (~£25). On the Nepal side, take a shared jeep or local bus onward to Lumbini (~1 hour, ~£2–3). Explore the sacred Maya Devi Temple, the exact birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, and wander the serene monastic zone. Entry to Lumbini Garden is around £3.

🚌Train/bus Varanasi to Sunauli (~£5–8); shared jeep/bus Sunauli to Lumbini (~£2–3)

🛏Lumbini Buddha Garden Hotel or similar guesthouse (~£10–14/night)

• →Cross the Sunauli India-Nepal border (Nepal visa on arrival ~£25)
• →Visit Maya Devi Temple — the birthplace of the Buddha (Lumbini Garden entry ~£3)
• →Walk the peaceful World Peace Flame and international monastery zone
• →Sunset stroll around the sacred Bodhi tree and Ashoka Pillar

Take a local bus or shared jeep from Lumbini toward Chitwan (~3–4 hours, ~£4–6), alighting near Barauli Village on the edge of Royal Chitwan National Park. The Barauli Community Homestay is a community-run ecotourism project — book directly through the Barauli Homestay network (around £18–22/night including dinner and breakfast). On arrival, join an orientation walk through the village, visit local homes, and learn about traditional Tharu culture and daily life.

🚌Local bus/shared jeep Lumbini to Chitwan/Bharatpur (~£4–6); local transport to Barauli (~£2)

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (~£18–22/night including meals, book directly at baraulicommunityhomestay.com.np)

• →Orientation walk through Barauli Tharu village
• →Meet your homestay hosts and learn about Tharu customs and traditions
• →Optional: cycle tour to the Narayani River (~£3–5, hire bikes locally)
• →Traditional Tharu dinner with your host family

Spend a full day exploring one of Asia's best wildlife parks. Book a jeep safari directly through the national park or a local operator at the gate (half-day ~£25–35 per person). Chitwan is home to one-horned rhinos, mugger crocodiles, sloth bears, and Bengal tigers. In the morning, take a guided jungle walk (£8–12) along the park buffer zone with a certified guide. In the afternoon, relax in the rice paddies or take a dugout canoe ride on the Rapti River (~£3–5).

🚌Local transport within Chitwan area (~£2–4)

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (second night)

• →Jeep safari through Chitwan National Park (~£25–35, book at park gate or via local operators)
• →Guided jungle walk in the park buffer zone (~£8–12)
• →Dugout canoe ride on the Rapti River (~£3–5)
• →Tharu cultural dance performance in the evening (often free or ~£2 at the homestay)

Board a tourist bus from Bharatpur/Sauraha to Pokhara (~5–6 hours, ~£6–9 via Greenline or Prithvi Highway buses). Arrive in Pokhara and check into a hostel on the lakeside strip — one of Nepal's most photogenic spots, with Phewa Lake in the foreground and the Annapurna range behind. Take an evening stroll along Lakeside Road for orientation, and try to catch the mountains glowing pink at sunset from the lakeside promenade.

🚌Tourist bus Chitwan to Pokhara (~£6–9, book at local bus counters or via Greenline)

🛏Purple Himalaya Hostel or Zostel Pokhara (dorm ~£8–12/night, private ~£18–25/night)

• →Scenic bus journey through the Himalayan foothills to Pokhara
• →Orientation walk along Phewa Lake's Lakeside Road
• →Sunset views of the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre ranges from the lakefront
• →Explore the Lakeside bazaar, cafés, and trekking gear shops

Start the morning with breakfast at Sharing Seeds Café (a social enterprise supporting local women's cooperatives), where you can learn how organic arabica coffee and beekeeping uplift the community. Spend the afternoon as you wish: rent a kayak or rowboat on Phewa Lake (~£4–6/hr), hike up to the World Peace Pagoda for panoramic Annapurna views (free, or taxi up for ~£3), or browse the trekking trail maps if you're tempted to add a few days hiking. In the evening, join the lakeside bar scene — a classic backpacker ritual in Pokhara.

🚌Walking, local taxi (~£2–4 for short hops)

🛏Purple Himalaya Hostel or Zostel Pokhara

• →Breakfast at Sharing Seeds Café — organic coffee and community enterprise story
• →Rowboat or kayak hire on Phewa Lake (~£4–6/hour)
• →Hike or taxi to the World Peace Pagoda for Himalayan panoramas (free entry)
• →Optional: paragliding over Pokhara Valley via GetYourGuide (~£60–80)
• →Evening drinks at a lakeside bar with fellow travellers

Travel to Kathmandu by tourist bus (~7–8 hours, ~£7–10) along the scenic Prithvi Highway — a dramatic route through river gorges and terraced hillsides. Alternatively, fly (~35 mins, ~£80–110 via Buddha Air or Yeti Airlines — book in advance for best fares). Arrive in Kathmandu and check into your hostel in Thamel, the backpacker district. Take an evening orientation walk through Thamel's busy streets and dip into Kathmandu's vibrant nightlife, rooftop bars, and ancient alleyways.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara to Kathmandu (~£7–10, book at Pokhara tourist bus park) OR domestic flight (~£80–110)

🛏Kathmandu Peace Guest House or Zostel Kathmandu, Thamel (dorm ~£7–10/night, private ~£16–22/night)

• →Scenic bus journey along the Prithvi Highway to Kathmandu (~£7–10) OR domestic flight Pokhara–Kathmandu (~£80–110)
• →Check into Thamel neighbourhood hostel
• →Evening orientation walk through Thamel's markets and temple squares
• →Optional: visit Pashupatinath Temple at dusk (one of the holiest Hindu sites in the world)

Spend your final day exploring Kathmandu's UNESCO-listed heritage sites. Visit Boudhanath Stupa (entry ~£3), one of the largest stupas in the world and a living centre of Tibetan Buddhism. Head to Pashupatinath Temple complex on the sacred Bagmati River (~£8 entry for non-Hindus). Wander through Durbar Square (entry ~£8) with its ancient palace courtyards and carved temples. Grab a final meal in Thamel before your onward departure. Optional: book a scenic Everest mountain flight (~£145–200 via Buddha Air — spectacular but pricey).

🚌Walking and local taxi/rickshaw within Kathmandu (~£3–5)

🛏Check-out (or final night at Kathmandu Peace Guest House)

• →Boudhanath Stupa — circumambulate with monks and pilgrims (~£3 entry)
• →Pashupatinath Temple complex on the Bagmati River (~£8 entry)
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square — ancient palace courtyards and Kumari Devi temple (~£8 entry)
• →Swayambhunath Monkey Temple — panoramic city views (free or ~£1.50 entry)
• →Optional: Everest mountain scenic flight (~£145–200, book via Buddha Air or Yeti Airlines)
• →Farewell dinner in Thamel