Why this itinerary works
Most two-week Nepal plans fail for the same reason: they treat a trek as if it were a city break with hills. This one is built backwards from the constraints — slow roads, weather-dependent flights and the fact that a short trek at modest altitude gives most first-time visitors more pleasure than a long one at 5,000 metres.
It splits into four blocks: the Kathmandu Valley, a four-day Annapurna trek from Pokhara, wildlife in Chitwan, and a deliberate buffer day at the end.
Adapting it
If you have ten days, cut Chitwan and one Kathmandu day. If you have eighteen, swap the Poon Hill trek for Annapurna Base Camp. If you want Everest, this itinerary does not stretch — that trip needs its own eighteen days and is covered separately.
Day by day
The full 14 days plan
Location, activities, transport, accommodation, timings and costs for each day — all structured fields, so the summary above generates itself.
- Day 1
Arrive in Kathmandu
Kathmandu
- Airport transfer
- Settle into Thamel
- Evening walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Transport
- Taxi from Tribhuvan International
- Sleep
- Boutique hotel, Thamel
- Meals
- Dinner
- Time
- Half day
- Cost
- $60
- Day 2
Kathmandu Valley — Patan and Boudhanath
Kathmandu
- Patan Durbar Square and museum
- Lunch in a Newari courtyard
- Boudhanath at dusk
- Transport
- Taxi
- Sleep
- Boutique hotel, Thamel
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $50
- Day 3
Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur
- Bhaktapur old town on foot
- Pottery Square
- Nyatapola temple
- Transport
- Car, 45 minutes each way
- Sleep
- Guesthouse, Bhaktapur
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $55
Staying overnight in Bhaktapur is worth it — the old town empties completely after the day trippers leave.
- Day 4
Fly or drive to Pokhara
Pokhara
- Transfer to Pokhara
- Lakeside walk
- Permit office for ACAP and TIMS
- Transport
- 25-minute flight or 7-hour tourist bus
- Sleep
- Lakeside hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $110
- Day 5
Trek day 1 — Nayapul to Ulleri
Ulleri
- Drive to Nayapul
- 3,300 stone steps to Ulleri
- Transport
- Private car to trailhead
- Sleep
- Teahouse, Ulleri
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Time
- 5 hours walking
- Cost
- $35
- Day 6
Trek day 2 — Ulleri to Ghorepani
Ghorepani
- Rhododendron forest
- First Dhaulagiri views
- Sleep
- Teahouse, Ghorepani
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Time
- 5 hours walking
- Cost
- $30
- Day 7
Trek day 3 — Poon Hill sunrise, on to Tadapani
Tadapani
- Pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill
- Descend through forest to Tadapani
- Sleep
- Teahouse, Tadapani
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Time
- 6 hours walking
- Cost
- $30
- Day 8
Trek day 4 — Tadapani to Ghandruk to Pokhara
Pokhara
- Ghandruk Gurung village
- Drive back to Pokhara
- Long shower
- Transport
- Jeep from Ghandruk
- Sleep
- Lakeside hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- Time
- 5 hours walking
- Cost
- $70
- Day 9
Pokhara — rest and Sarangkot
Pokhara
- Sunrise at Sarangkot
- Phewa Tal boat
- World Peace Pagoda
- Sleep
- Lakeside hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $55
- Day 10
Pokhara to Chitwan
Chitwan
- Drive to Sauraha
- Riverside sunset
- Tharu cultural evening
- Transport
- 5-hour drive
- Sleep
- Jungle lodge, Sauraha
- Meals
- All meals
- Cost
- $95
- Day 11
Chitwan National Park
Chitwan
- Dawn canoe on the Rapti
- Guided jungle walk
- Jeep safari
- Sleep
- Jungle lodge, Sauraha
- Meals
- All meals
- Cost
- $85
- Day 12
Chitwan to Kathmandu
Kathmandu
- Drive back to the capital
- Free afternoon
- Transport
- 6-hour tourist bus
- Sleep
- Boutique hotel, Thamel
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $60
- Day 13
Kathmandu — buffer and shopping
Kathmandu
- Swayambhunath
- Asan market
- Last-minute buying
- Sleep
- Boutique hotel, Thamel
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $50
Kept deliberately free. Nepali transport slips, and this is the day that absorbs it.
- Day 14
Departure
Kathmandu
- Airport transfer
- Transport
- Taxi
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Cost
- $15
Frequently asked questions
Is two weeks enough for Nepal?
Can I do this itinerary independently?
About the author
The Atlas Editorial Team
Research & fact-checking
The Atlas editorial team maintains the structured route, permit and cost data behind every page on this site. Figures are checked against government permit offices, national park authorities and operators on the ground, and each page carries the date it was last reviewed.
Writes about: Route data · Permits and regulations · Trip costs
