Overview
Nepal works well with children, on two conditions: keep the driving days short, and pick the things that are actually interesting to look at rather than the things that are historically important.
This itinerary does both. Rhino from a jeep. A pot on a wheel in Bhaktapur. A rowing boat on Phewa Lake. A sunrise from a hill you drive up. One night in a mountain village lodge, at an altitude that is no altitude at all.
The three bases
Kathmandu for two days at each end, weighted to Bhaktapur, which is traffic-free and the easiest of the three cities to walk with children.
Chitwan for the wildlife. This is the section children remember: a canoe with crocodiles on the bank, and a jeep drive where a rhino appears out of the grass twenty metres away.
Pokhara for the lake, the mountains and the free afternoons — with paragliding and a zip-line available for teenagers.
The trek night
One night at Dhampus, 1,650 m, reached by two hours of gentle walking through terraced fields. Porters carry the bags. You wake up with Machhapuchhre filling the window.
It is a real trekking lodge and a real Himalayan view, with none of the altitude risk that makes people nervous about taking children to the mountains.
What we left out
Everest. Any pass. Anything above 2,000 metres. Long jeep days. Those are all excellent and none of them belong in a first family trip.
Best season
October to December and February to April. Chitwan is best in the dry months, and the mountain views from Sarangkot and Dhampus are clearest in autumn and winter. Avoid the monsoon — the Chitwan roads and the mountain views both suffer.
Highlights
- Rhino from a jeep in Chitwan
- Throwing a pot in Bhaktapur's Pottery Square
- Rowing on Phewa Lake
- Sunrise over the Annapurnas from Sarangkot
- A gentle first trek — one night, no altitude
Day by day
The full 10 days
Where you are, what you do, how you travel and where you sleep — each day a structured record rather than a paragraph.
- Day 1
Arrive Kathmandu
Kathmandu
- Airport pickup and a slow afternoon
- Boudhanath at dusk, walking the kora
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Dinner
- Time
- Afternoon
Nothing scheduled. Jet lag with children is the first obstacle.
- Day 2
Bhaktapur and the pottery wheel
Bhaktapur
- Bhaktapur Durbar Square, traffic-free and easy to walk
- Pottery Square — everyone throws a pot
- Juju dhau, the clay-pot yoghurt
- Transport
- Vehicle, 40 minutes
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Time
- 6 hours
- Day 3
Kathmandu to Chitwan
Sauraha
- Drive south to the Terai
- Riverbank at sunset, elephants bathing
- Transport
- Vehicle, 5 hours with stops
- Sleep
- Lodge, Sauraha
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Time
- 6 hours
- Day 4
Chitwan — jeep and canoe
Chitwan National Park
- Dugout canoe on the Rapti, crocodiles from the water
- Jeep safari — rhino, deer, monkeys, and possibly nothing at all
- Tharu stick dance in the evening
- Sleep
- Lodge, Sauraha
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Time
- 8 hours
- Day 5
Chitwan to Pokhara
Pokhara
- Morning birdwatching walk
- Drive west to the lake
- Transport
- Vehicle, 5 hours
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Time
- 7 hours
- Day 6
Pokhara — lake day
Pokhara
- Rowing boats on Phewa Lake to the Barahi temple
- The International Mountain Museum
- Free afternoon
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Time
- 6 hours
- Day 7
Sarangkot sunrise and a first trek
Dhampus
- Pre-dawn drive to Sarangkot for the Annapurna sunrise
- Two-hour walk to Dhampus through terraced fields
- Night in a village lodge
- Transport
- Vehicle then on foot
- Sleep
- Lodge, Dhampus (1,650 m)
- Meals
- Breakfast, dinner
- Time
- 7 hours
A real trekking night with a real view and no altitude worth the name. Two hours of gentle walking; porters carry the bags.
- Day 8
Dhampus to Pokhara
Pokhara
- Machhapuchhre at breakfast
- Walk down to the road and return to Pokhara
- Free afternoon — zip-line or paragliding for older children
- Transport
- On foot, then vehicle
- Sleep
- Hotel, Pokhara
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Time
- 5 hours
- Day 9
Fly to Kathmandu, Patan
Patan
- 25-minute flight
- Patan Durbar Square and the museum
- Last shopping in Thamel
- Transport
- Flight, 25 minutes
- Sleep
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Time
- 5 hours
- Day 10
Departure
Kathmandu
- Airport transfer
- Meals
- Breakfast
Map
Where this tour goes
Price
What $1,400–$2,800 covers
Per adult, nine nights; children under twelve at roughly 60 per cent
Included
- Nine nights in family rooms
- Private vehicle with child seats and a driver throughout
- Pokhara–Kathmandu flight
- Chitwan jeep safari, canoe and jungle walk
- Pottery workshop in Bhaktapur
- All park and monument entry fees
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches and dinners
- Paragliding or zip-lining in Pokhara
Frequently asked questions
What ages does this suit?
Is altitude a concern?
How long are the drives?
What about food and stomachs?
About the author
Maya Thapa
Senior trekking writer
Maya has walked more than 4,000 kilometres of Nepal's trail network, from the teahouse highways of the Khumbu to the restricted valleys along the Tibetan border. She writes the route guides and day-by-day itineraries, and returns to most trails every second season to re-check lodge availability, water points and trail reroutes after monsoon damage.
Writes about: Nepal trekking · High-altitude routes · Teahouse logistics
