If you are planning your trip to Nepal and want inspiration for a possible itinerary, you are in the right place!
We visited Nepal between November and December 2023 and spent 1 month doing many activities, from trekking to Jungle safari. We could have easily stayed more weeks there, but we had the visa for only a month (50$) and decided to move on to the next country instead of extending it. We fell in love with Nepal, making it one of the most beautiful countries we’ve ever visited.
If you are an outdoor lover, Nepal has it all: hiking, mountaineering, biking, rafting, canyoning safaris, and many more activities. On top of that Nepal is famous for its rich human and cultural diversity (125 ethnic groups!) and its spiritual charm, with a mix of Hindu and Buddhist temples. Overall there are plenty of different attractions to make it a memorable trip.
If you landed on this page however, you already know what makes it world famous: hiking in the mountains, and we believe that a visit to Nepal is not complete without trekking in the Himalayas.
Below are our suggestions for a 2, 3, or 4 weeks itinerary. These itineraries are suggested and best for first-time visitors to Nepal, covering the country's highlights without going to more remote locations, which require more time and money.
At last, we will also share in detail our 1 month itinerary, giving more particulars as a source of inspiration.
2 Weeks Itinerary
Spend 2 days in Kathmandu and cover the main highlights of the city before heading to the trekking. Dedicate to trekking around a week: even if short, there are plenty of options for 7 days like Poon Hill, Everest View Trek, and Mardi Himal. After the trekking head to Pokhara for a couple of days to relax and delight yourselves with a nice massage and good food. If you’re still energetic, consider here another one-day hike or another activity like rafting. For more inspiration, check out our article about the 6 best activities to do in Pokhara. Leave Pokhara behind and return to Kathmandu by bus (you could also fly but the bus is cheaper and more sustainable, mind the planet) before returning home or moving on to the next adventure.
- Day 1-2: Kathmandu
- Day 3-10: Trekking
- Day 11-13: Pokhara
- Day 14: Kathmandu
3 Weeks Itinerary
This itinerary is similar to the 2 weeks itinerary with the addition of Chitwan, the famous national park.
Spend 2 days in Kathmandu and cover the main highlights of the city before heading to the trekking. Dedicate to trekking roundabout 10 days: there are plenty of options for 10 days like Poon Hill, Everest View Trek, and Mardi Himal. After the trekking head to Pokhara for a couple of days to relax and delight yourselves with a nice massage and good food. If you’re still energetic, consider here another one-day hike or another activity like rafting. For more inspiration, check out our article about the 6 best activities to do in Pokhara. Take the bus from Pokhara and head to Chitwan (direct connection through tourist bus). In Chitwan enjoy a whole day of thrilling safari, either with a jeep or walking + canoe. You will see plenty of animals, and you will have a good chance of spotting Rhinos, tigers, elephants, and even bears! We wrote about our Safari in Chitwan in this article.
After a couple of days, leave Chitwan behind, get back to Kathmandu by bus, and buy some souvenirs before returning home or moving on to the next adventure.
- Day 1-2: Kathmandu
- Day 3-13: Trekking
- Day 14-16: Pokhara
- Day 17-19: Chitwan
- Day 20-21: Kathmandu
4 Weeks Itinerary (Our Itinerary)
Spend 3 or 4 days in the capital city of Kathmandu and cover the main highlights of the city. Here you will also have enough time to organize a trekking directly on the spot as we did. Take a look at our article about how to organize a trekking tour in Nepal. If you have enough time and budget, visit Bhaktapur for its well-preserved old square.
After this, leave the chaotic Kathmandu behind and prepare yourself to spend two memorable weeks in the mountains. You will be able to trek in more remote places like Annapurna full trek, Everest, or Manaslu and you will be fully immersed in the true wilderness of Nepal. We ended up choosing the Manaslu trekking, and we loved it! We wrote about our experience during the Manaslu trekking on this article.
After the trekking head to Pokhara for a few days to relax and delight yourselves with what the city offers: great outdoors, good food, and chilly vibes. Here you can do rafting, hiking, or simply chilling with a good book on the shore of the lake. For more inspiration, check out our article about the 6 best activities to do in Pokhara. When you feel fully recharged, take the bus from Pokhara to Bandipur (same direction as Kathmandu) to enjoy two days in a remote but authentic rural village. After Bandipur, continue towards Chitwan, the beautiful national park.
In Chitwan enjoy a whole day of thrilling safari, either with a jeep or walking + canoe. You will see plenty of animals, and you will have a good chance of spotting Rhinos, tigers, elephants, and maybe even bears! Take the second day to simply chill on the river with a good book and try to spot the rhinos from your lodge (we saw many of them) at sunrise or sunset. We wrote about our Safari in Chitwan in this article.
After a couple of days leave Chitwan behind, direction Lumbini: the birthplace of Buddha. Given that it’s pretty far from everything else I would recommend this option only if you are considering entering India via land, otherwise skip Lumbini to get back to Kathmandu.
- Day 1-4: Kathmandu
- Day 5-20: Trekking
- Day 20-24: Pokhara
- Day 25-26: Bandipur
- Day 27-30: Chitwan
- Day 31: Lumbini (or back to Kathmandu)
Our Experience In Detail
We landed in Nepal with nothing planned except the hotel for the first 3 days, but with the idea of spending one month trekking the Manaslu circuit. We landed in Kathmandu, and after paying the Visa, our adventure began.
We spent the first 4 days with a mix of visiting and trekking preparation. In the first 2 days, we chose an agency and organized the trek in the Manaslu region with them (Outfitter Nepal, totally recommended) and visited the main highlights of the city. After that, we spent 2 weeks hiking the Manaslu circuit (check our full article about it), spending 2 of the most memorable weeks of our life completely immersed in the wilderness of the Himalayas. We then relaxed for a few days in Pokhara (Outfitter Nepal shipped our luggage from Kathmandu to Pokhara, so we could directly get there rather than returning to Kathmandu), hiking twice, rafting, and chilling.
After Pokhara, we visited Bandipur, since it was recommended by other fellow backpackers. In Bandipur, we did a one-day hike to the round huts of Rankot, a remote small village. We then went to Chitwan, sleeping in an awesome eco-lodge on the river, Happy Lemon Tree Lodge. We organized with them a whole day walking safari + canoe. It was memorable and thrilling walking in the jungle to try to spot various animals. We weren’t lucky enough to see tigers, never the less we saw many different wild creatures such as Rhinos, crocodiles, dears, etc. We also spent one day chilling on the river, enjoying the beautiful view of the national park edge and planning for our next adventure. We then visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha after entering back to India for the next adventure.
Overall it was a gorgeous trip, and we will definitely get back to Nepal as we already have the nostalgia of Himalaya and its wonderful people.
