12N/13D Nepal Grand Tour Twelve Nights - Valley, Rim, Ridge, Lake, Jungle and Birthplace

Day by day

Distances and drive times are the ones our own drivers record, not map estimates.

1. 1
   Day 1

   Arrival and transfer to Kathmandu

   Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Clear immigration and baggage, meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Kathmandu. The valley capital, where seven UNESCO monument zones stand within an hour of each other and the old city has not stopped being a working one. The rest of the day is free to settle in. Overnight in Kathmandu.

   Overnight Kathmandu Meals Breakfast
2. 2
   Day 2

   Kathmandu: Pashupatinath temple on the Bagmati and its evening aarti

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Kathmandu — the Pashupatinath temple on the Bagmati and its evening aarti; the Boudhanath stupa and its kora at dusk; and the Swayambhunath monkey temple above the valley. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Kathmandu.

   Overnight Kathmandu Meals Breakfast
3. 3
   Day 3

   Kathmandu: Kathmandu Durbar Square and the Kumari house

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Kathmandu — Kathmandu Durbar Square and the Kumari house; Patan Durbar Square and the Golden Temple; and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nyatapola and the pottery square. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Kathmandu.

   Overnight Kathmandu Meals Breakfast
4. 4
   Day 4

   Kathmandu to Nagarkot

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Nagarkot — a 32 km, ninety-minute climb to the valley rim. A ridge on the eastern rim of the valley, at 2,175 m, where the Himalaya from Annapurna to Everest come out at first light. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the sunrise over the Himalayan range from the view tower. Overnight in Nagarkot.

   Overnight Nagarkot Meals Breakfast
5. 5
   Day 5

   Nagarkot to Bandipur

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Bandipur — a 175 km, five-hour drive west. A preserved Newar trading town on a ridge above the Marsyangdi, with no traffic on its main street. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Bandipur bazaar street and the Bindhyabasini temple. Overnight in Bandipur.

   Overnight Bandipur Meals Breakfast
6. 6
   Day 6

   Bandipur to Pokhara

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Pokhara — an 80 km, two-hour drive west. A lake town under the Annapurnas, where Machhapuchhre stands 7,000 m above a boat on Phewa Tal. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, a boat on Phewa lake to the Tal Barahi temple. Overnight in Pokhara.

   Overnight Pokhara Meals Breakfast
7. 7
   Day 7

   Pokhara: Sarangkot sunrise over Annapurna and Machhapuchhre

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Pokhara — the Sarangkot sunrise over Annapurna and Machhapuchhre; the World Peace Pagoda above the lake; and the Davis Falls, Gupteshwor cave and the Bindhyabasini temple. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Pokhara.

   Overnight Pokhara Meals Breakfast
8. 8
   Day 8

   Pokhara: International Mountain Museum and the Tibetan settlement

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Pokhara — the International Mountain Museum and the Tibetan settlement; the Begnas lake and a paragliding flight off Sarangkot; and a boat on Phewa lake to the Tal Barahi temple. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Pokhara.

   Overnight Pokhara Meals Breakfast
9. 9
   Day 9

   Pokhara to Chitwan

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Chitwan — a 150 km, five-hour drive down to the Terai. The first national park in Nepal — sal forest and elephant grass on the Rapti, holding one-horned rhino, gaur and tiger. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, a 4x4 jeep safari into the sal forest for rhino and deer. Overnight in Chitwan.

   Overnight Chitwan Meals Breakfast
10. 10
    Day 10

    Chitwan: Dugout canoe on the Rapti for gharial and marsh mugger

    Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Chitwan — a dugout canoe on the Rapti for gharial and marsh mugger; the elephant breeding centre and the Tharu cultural evening; and a guided jungle walk and the Rapti river sunset. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Chitwan.

    Overnight Chitwan Meals Breakfast
11. 11
    Day 11

    Chitwan to Lumbini

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Lumbini — a 160 km, four-hour drive west along the Terai. The birthplace of the Buddha, a UNESCO garden of monastic zones built by the Buddhist nations of the world. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Maya Devi temple and the Ashoka pillar. Overnight in Lumbini.

    Overnight Lumbini Meals Breakfast
12. 12
    Day 12

    Lumbini: Sacred pond, the Bodhi tree and the eternal flame

    Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Lumbini — the sacred pond, the Bodhi tree and the eternal flame; the monastic zone of Chinese, Thai, Myanmar and German monasteries; and the Kapilvastu ruins at Tilaurakot. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Lumbini.

    Overnight Lumbini Meals Breakfast
13. 13
    Day 13

    Lumbini — departure

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Time for any last shopping before your transfer to Gautam Buddha International Airport, Bhairahawa for the onward flight. The tour ends here, and we hope it is not your last visit to Nepal.

    Meals Breakfast

Where you sleep

We name every property before you pay — not “4-star or similar” afterwards.

The named properties for each grade go out with your quotation, so you can look every one of them up before anything is paid. Ask for the hotel list →

What the price covers

Printed together on purpose. A list of inclusions without its exclusions is a quote you cannot check.