Two weeks is the sweet spot for Nepal: enough time for the three experiences the country does better than anywhere else — living medieval culture, Himalayan trekking, and jungle wildlife — without the trip turning into a logistics race. This route is the proven shape most travelers settle on, refined with realistic transport times.
Overview
| Days | Base | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Kathmandu | Valley UNESCO sites, Bhaktapur |
| 4 | Pokhara | Travel + Lakeside |
| 5–8 | Annapurna foothills | Poon Hill trek (4 days) |
| 9–10 | Pokhara | Recover, Sarangkot, adventure day |
| 11–12 | Chitwan | Jungle safari, Tharu culture |
| 13–14 | Kathmandu | Return, Patan, departure buffer |
Days 1–3 — The Kathmandu Valley
Follow the city days from our 7-day itinerary: Boudhanath and Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Durbar Square and Thamel, and a full day in medieval Bhaktapur. Use day 1 lightly — you will want energy banked for the trek.
While in Kathmandu, collect your trekking permits (ACAP + TIMS, one office visit — see the permits guide) or have your agency handle them.
Day 4 — To Pokhara
Fly (25 min) or take the tourist bus (6–8 hours along the Trishuli river valley). Afternoon on Phewa Lake, early dinner, pack a small trekking bag and leave the rest at your hotel — every Lakeside hotel stores luggage free.
Days 5–8 — The Poon Hill trek
The classic short trek, and the best effort-to-reward ratio in the Himalaya:
Day 5: Drive to Nayapul/Birethanti, trek to Tikhedhunga or Ulleri (the infamous 3,200 stone steps start here). 4–5 hours.
Day 6: Climb through oak and rhododendron forest to Ghorepani (2,860 m). In spring the entire hillside blooms red. 5–6 hours.
Day 7: Pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill (3,210 m) for sunrise over Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Machhapuchhre — one of the great mountain panoramas, earned with 45 minutes of walking. Descend and continue along the ridge to Tadapani. 6–7 hours.
Day 8: Descend through forest and terraced villages to Ghandruk, the large Gurung village with its stone lanes and museum, then drive back to Pokhara. 4–5 hours walking.
Maximum altitude stays barely above 3,200 m, so altitude sickness risk is minimal — this is the trek to choose if it is your first.
Days 9–10 — Pokhara
Day 9 is deliberately empty: sleep, eat, get a massage, sit by the lake. Trekking legs appreciate it more than another activity. Day 10: Sarangkot sunrise, then paragliding, the World Peace Pagoda hike, or the International Mountain Museum. Full list: top things to do in Pokhara.
Days 11–12 — Chitwan National Park
The tourist bus to Sauraha takes 4–5 hours. Chitwan is a different Nepal — subtropical, flat, slow-moving rivers and sal forest sheltering one-horned rhinos, gharial crocodiles, 500+ bird species, and a healthy Bengal tiger population (seen rarely, tracked often).
A standard 2-night package includes a jeep safari deep into the park, a dawn canoe drift past basking crocodiles, a guided jungle walk, and a Tharu cultural performance. Rhino sightings are near-certain; everything else is a lottery that keeps the jeep quiet and alert. Details: Chitwan guide.
Days 13–14 — Back to Kathmandu
The drive back takes 5–6 hours (or fly from Bharatpur in 25 minutes). Spend your final afternoon in Patan — the third royal city, with the valley's finest museum and metalwork workshops — then dedicate the last morning to souvenir shopping in Thamel before your flight.
Day 14 doubles as your weather buffer: never stack a long Nepal road journey directly against an international departure.
Budget snapshot
- Backpacker: ~$700–900 total (buses everywhere, basic tea houses and guesthouses)
- Mid-range: ~$1,200–1,800 (one or two flights, 3-star hotels, guided trek, good safari lodge)
- Comfort: $2,500+ (all flights, boutique hotels, private guide and driver)
Full daily breakdown in the Nepal travel budget guide, and gear in the packing list.
