Are you planning your tour of Nepal and orienting yourself on a possible itinerary through Nepal? Then you are in the right place. In this blog, we give three different itineraries for Nepal. In this way, we hope to inspire you to eventually put together your ultimate Nepal itinerary!
The ultimate itinerary for Nepal!
We absolutely love Nepal! The beautiful country has been high on our bucket list for years. And for a reason: some of the most beautiful hikes in the world lead through the Nepalese Himalayas. Nepal is a paradise for hikers, with short and longer treks. You can climb the famous Mount Everest from Nepal. We hiked a large part of the Annapurna circuit. An experience we will never forget!
But the Himalayas are by no means the only reason to go to Nepal. The spiritual character, with Buddhism at its centre, also is a great attraction for travellers. White stupas, richly decorated temples and of course the birthplace of Buddha are reasons for a trip Nepal. Including relaxing yoga retreats and meditation courses.
As you see, a trip through Nepal can be super varied! Because it is quite difficult to choose which destinations to include in your Nepal itinerary, we have written this blog. Here we help you on your way with three unique Nepal itineraries + a handy overview with the different destinations and highlights of Nepal. We describe a 2 week Nepal itinerary, a tour of 3 weeks and a Nepal round trip of 4 weeks. Enjoy your travel planning!
How many days do you need for Nepal?
For many people, a multi-day hike through the Himalayas is the literal and figurative highlight of Nepal! If that also applies to you, take into account extra rest days in your Nepal itinerary. Especially if you will be making altitude meters, you need acclimatization time to get used to the altitude. If you also want to see the rest of the country, then you need at least 3 to 4 weeks for a round trip to Nepal. If you are not going to do a multi-day hiking tour through Nepal, then 2 weeks of travelling might be enough. So only you can create your personal ultimate itinerary for Nepal!
Our tour of Nepal!
We started our itinerary through Nepal in Kathmandu in mid-October. Then we quickly travelled to Pokhara. From Pokhara, we started the multi-day trek of the Annapurna Circuit. We took 12 days to complete this multi-day trek. At the end of October and beginning of November, it is not yet very cold and the chances of snow are relatively small. If we only started this trek at the end of November, it would have been much colder.
After this beautiful trek, we spend a week in Pokhara. Here we relaxed with delicious food (Pokhara is the city for food lovers!) And great massages! Then we drove back to Kathmandu via the mountain village of Bandipur. We took the time to explore Kathmandu and the surrounding area. If you think our hunger for travel to Nepal has been satisfied, you are wrong. We can’t wait to go back and do a multi-day trek to Mount Everest Base Camp and the Gokyo Valley.
Nepal itinerary 2 weeks:
This itinerary takes you to the highlights of Nepal. You will visit Bhaktapur, by far the best kept historical place in Kathmandu Valley, full of temples and pagodas. Then you go on a safari in search of tigers, elephants and rhinos. You admire Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. You also have the chance to see the beautiful Himalaya mountains. Several mountain peaks are clearly visible from Pokhara. Especially from viewpoint Sarangkot, near Pokhara, the view is breathtaking. After Pokhara, you will travel to the traditional village of Bandipur. A great way to get an idea of how people have lived in the foothills of the Himalayas for centuries and the place for a nice day hike. Your itinerary ends in the capital city Kathmandu.
This 2-week Nepal itinerary is as follows:
Kathmandu – Bhaktapur – Chitwan National Park – Lumbini – Pokhara – Bandipur – Kathmandu
Day planning itinerary Nepal 2 weeks
Day 1: Kathmandu (arrival)
Day 2: Kathmandu
Day 3: Kathmandu – Bhaktapur (1 hours driving)
Day 4: Bhaktapur – Chitwan National Park (6 hours driving)
Day 5: Chitwan National Park
Day 6: Chitwan National Park – Lumbini (4 hours driving)
Day 7: Lumbini
Day 8: Lumbini – Pokhara (7 hours driving)
Day 9: Pokhara
Day 10: Pokhara (Sarangkot)
Day 11: Pokhara – Bandipur (4 hours driving)
Day 12: Bandipur
Day 13: Bandipur – Kathmandu (6 hours driving)
Day 14: Kathmandu (departure)
Itinerary Nepal 3 weeks
The journey starts in the capital Kathmandu. A chaotic city with a lot of culture and beautiful temples. From Kathmandu, you travel on to Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is a small town with a maze of narrow alleys and several historically well-preserved spiritual squares. Then you visit Patan, the old royal city where the Tibetan influences are clearly visible. Time for nature: you will make a safari in Chitwan National Park followed by a visit to the beautiful 18th-century mountain village of Bandipur. An ideal place to prepare for your trekking in the Annapurna Mountains. The Nepal itinerary continues to the relaxed city of Pokhara from where you make a multi-day trek. A special multi-day trek could be to Poon Hill, for example. You end up via Pokhara in Kathmandu where you say goodbye to this beautiful country.
This Nepal travel itinerary is as follows:
Kathmandu – Bhaktapur – Patan – Chitwan National Park – Bandipur – Pokhara – Annapurna multi-day hike – Pokhara – Kathmandu
Day planning itinerary Nepal 3 weeks
Day 1: Kathmandu (arrival)
Day 2: Kathmandu
Day 3: Kathmandu – Bhaktapur (1 hours driving)
Day 4: Bhaktapur
Day 5: Bhaktapur – Patan (20 min driving)
Day 6: Patan – Chitwan National Park (6 hours driving)
Day 7: Chitwan National Park
Day 8: Chitwan National Park
Day 9: Chitwan National Park – Bandipur (3 hours driving)
Day 10: Bandipur
Day 11: Bandipur – Pokhara (3 hours driving)
Day 12: Pokhara – trekking dag
Day 13: Trekking dag
Day 14: Trekking dag
Day 15: Trekking dag
Day 16: Trekking dag – Pokhara
Day 17: Pokhara
Day 18: Pokhara
Day 19: Pokhara – Kathmandu (7 hours driving)
Day 20: Kathmandu
Day 21: Kathmandu (departure)
Is Nepal an expensive country to travel? Read all about travel costs & budget in Nepal here!
Itinerary Nepal 4 weeks
This itinerary combines a multi-day trek to Mount Everest with the fantastically remote Bardia National Park. You start your trip with the multi-day trek, for example, the Mt Everest Base Camp trekking, for which you fly to Lukla (including a spectacular landing between the mountain tops). After this breathtaking hike, relax for a few days in Kathmandu and get ready for your next flight (or long travel day). This time with the destination Bardia National Park. This park is so remote that there are hardly any tourists! Here you can spot the Bengal tiger and rhinos.
On the way back you will travel by bus to Pokhara from where you will see a different part of the Himalaya Mountains, but also take the time to relax. Via Bandipur, a beautiful 18th-century mountain village you eventually travel to Kathmandu and your time in Nepal is over.
Tip: it often happens that flights to and from Lukla are cancelled or postponed. We, therefore, recommend that you plan extra days in case your flight does not depart several times. If you are really short in time, skip Bandipur or replace Bardia with Chitwan.
This Nepal backpacking route is as follows:
Kathmandu – Lukla – Multi-day trekking around Mt. Everest – Lukla – Kathmandu – Bardia National Park – Pokhara – Bandipur – Kathmandu
Day planning itinerary Nepal 4 weeks
Day 1: Kathmandu (arrival)
Day 2: Kathmandu
Day 3: Kathmandu – Lukla (30 minutes flying)
Day 4: Lukla – Mount Everest BC
Day 5: Mount Everest BC
Day 6: Mount Everest BC
Day 7: Mount Everest BC
Day 8: Mount Everest BC
Day 9: Mount Everest BC
Day 10: Mount Everest BC
Day 11: Mount Everest BC
Day 12: Mount Everest BC
Day 13: Mount Everest BC
Day 14: Mount Everest BC
Day 15: Mount Everest BC
Dag 16: Mount Everest BC
Dag 17: Mount Everest BC – Lukla
Dag 18: Lukla – Katmandu (30 minutes flying)
Dag 19: Kathmandu – Bardia National Park (12 hours driving of 30 min flying + 3 hours driving)
Dag 20: Bardia National Park
Dag 21: Bardia National Park
Dag 22: Bardia National Park – Pokhara (12 hours driving)
Dag 23: Pokhara
Dag 24: Pokhara
Dag 25: Pokhara – Bandipur (3 hours driving)
Dag 26: Bandipur
Dag 27: Bandipur – Kathmandu (5 hours driving)
Dag 28: Kathmandu (departure)
Need inspiration for the most special places to sleep in Nepal? Our Nepal hotel guide will help you find fine and budget proof hotels!
Highlights Nepal: all destinations in a row!
Nepal has many beautiful sights! For your convenience, we have made a map showing all of Nepal’s top attractions.
Map showing the highlights of Nepal
Kathmandu: Capital of Nepal
It may not be love at first sight with the busy city of Kathmandu. The smog, traffic and general chaos mask the beauty of the city: medieval temples, pagodas and narrow streets with delicious food. A must here is to do a food tour! Stroll through the old town called Thamel. Thamel is a maze of narrow streets and here you will find all kinds of shops, temples, mini-restaurants, street vendors and Nepali. You can find all our tips in our travel guide: what to do in three days Kathmandu?
Bhaktapur: historical city
Bhaktapur is located in the Kathmandu Valley. Not far from Kathmandu. The village is known for its busy street life and many red temples and pagodas, including the Nyatapola Temple. The narrowest temple in Nepal. If you look closely, you can still see damage from the earthquake here. Bhaktapur is a small city with a maze of narrow alleys and several ancient temple squares.
Patan: the city of the Newari merchants
Patan is an old royal city, close to Kathmandu and only 12 kilometres away from Bhaktapur. The fact that the city was once very important (even more important than Kathmandu) is reflected in the large number of temples and monasteries. The best-kept secret of this city is the Durbar square with beautiful temples and palaces. You visit this village for the culture, the Golden Temple and the various museums (including the Patan museum).
Bandipur: traditional mountain village from the 18th century
Bandipur was an important trading post between British India and Tibet in the 18th century. It is a small, attractive mountain village with traditional Newari houses. It lies on the back of a mountain and is surrounded by jungle. We really love this small village with fun activities such as hiking, visiting the caves and enjoying the village life. From Bandipur, you have a great view of the Himalayas (including the Annapurnas, the Machhapuchhare and the Manaslu mountains) on a clear day. Read our tips for Bandipur here. 
Pokhara: relaxing & hiking
Pokhara is the 2nd largest city in Nepal and is located on the beautiful Pokhara Lake. From the city, you can see the snowy peaks of the Himalayas on clear days. Pokhara is known for its relaxed laidback vibe. Enjoy good food (here you will find the best restaurants in Pokhara!), have a massage or participate in a yoga retreat. And finally, Pokhara is the base for various hikes such as the Annapurna Circuit. Curious about what you can do in Pokhara? Here you will find our blog about Pokhara.
Multi-day trek through the Himalayas
For many travellers, the top attraction of Nepal is the Himalayas. And what better way to enjoy this than by making a multi-day trek? Choose the famous Mount Everest Basecamp trek or the beautiful Annapurna Circuit. If you prefer a shorter trek, consider doing the Poonhill tour. Or one of the many day trips. We hiked the Annapurna Circuit ourselves, an experience to remember. Do you want to know more about this trek? Read this blog with the itinerary for the Annapurna Circuit. 
Curious about what we all packed for a multi-day hike? Read our packing list for a multi-day trekking in Nepal here!
Lumbini: Birthplace of Buddha
Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. This spiritual place is visited by many pilgrims every year. Interesting if you are involved in Buddhism or want to learn to meditate.
Chitwan National Park: on safari in Nepal
Chitwan National Park is a UNESCO heritage site. This nature park protects many mammals, bird species and reptiles. Special animals that live here are the Bengal tiger, leopards, elephants, bison and even bears! More than a third of Nepal’s total wildlife population can be found in this national park. It is, therefore, a good place for a safari.
Bardia National Park: A safari park all to yourself
Bardia National Park is far away from all other top attractions in Nepal. The big advantage of this is that you are probably one of the few visitors. In Bardia National Park you can go on safari on foot, by boat or by jeep. Here too you can spot the Bengal tiger, leopards and rhinos.
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Hi
Thank you so much for sharing an Informative post about Nepal. I look forward to seeing the next post.
Did you drive yourself around on your 4 week tour? Is it safe for a female traveling solo to do such? Just started looking into going in November and yours is the 1st suggested itinerary I am looking at ...noted it would be colder in November
Hi Holly,
No we took public transport. Yes we met multiple women traveling by themselves. Yes, in November it will be colder indeed.
Kind regards,
Charlotte