Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu

   • You will be picked up by your guide from Kathmandu International airport. Drive towards the hotel for check-in.

   • In the late afternoon, visit the Kathmandu Durbar Square and stroll towards Thamel via Indrachowk and Ashan where you will see the ancient houses and streets.

   • In the evening, enjoy the welcome dinner along with a traditional cultural show.

   Stay the night at the hotel in Kathmandu.

2. Day 2: Kathmandu - Bhaktapur – Dulikhel & Namobuddha

   • After breakfast, drive to Bhaktapur and visit the Datraya temple Durbar Square followed by a visit to the Golden gate, Nayatapole and the 55 Windows Palace.

   • Drive for an hour towards the Namobuddha Monastery. Along the way, you can stop around the scenic Dhulikhel.

   • Explore the Monastery for about 30 minutes. 

   Stay the night at Namabuddha Resort.

3. Day 3: Hike Namobuddha to Balthali

   • In the morning, enjoy breakfast while watching the sunrise. Then hike to Balthali village (1650m). In the beginning, slightly descend towards Namobuddha to reach Eklekhet, which offers a bird's eye view of the green terraced fields and a glimpse of the mighty Himalayas. Gentle hiking via Eklekhet will take 3 hours/5km.

   • Continue further until you reach the Roshi Khola Bridge and hike through the same trail for an hour to reach Balthali Village. Walk through the village, interact with the locals and observe their traditions. 

   • In the afternoon, take a rest or go out to explore the villages nearby. 

   Stay the night at Balthali Village Resort.

4. Day 4: Balthali to Bandipur Drive

   • After breakfast, drive from Balthali to Bandipur (185km/6hrs). 

   • Along the way, you can stop at different scenic spots. Bandipur is a living museum with a beautifully preserved village; its winding narrow lanes are lined with tall 18th-century mansions and the grand neoclassical facades and shuttered windows, speak of its past glories. Cafes, lodges, shops are reborn from these derelict buildings. Here you will notice the absence of motorized vehicles, children playing blissfully, unhurried locals shopping, chatting and drinking, giving you peace of mind. 

   • Stroll in the village, relax and watch the daily life going around from your hotel room or veranda. If the weather is clear, walk a short distance to the hilltop or you can do that the next day. 

   Stay the night at Gaunghar, Bandipur.

5. Day 5: Bandipur to Sarangkot Drive

   • In the morning, explore the Bandipur village including the Bandipur hill-top viewpoint which takes about 30 minutes to reach. Then, explore a typical village in Bandipur for about 2 hours.

   • Drive from Bandipur to Sarankot (1650m) via Prithvi Highway and Pokhara city. On the way, you will explore the different landscapes and scenic spots of Nepali villages.

   • Enjoy the sunset view from Sarankot. You can observe splendid picture-perfect sceneries of beautiful green hills, rice terraces, and the breath-taking Pokhara valley, surrounded by lakes. 

   • In the evening, you can rest and enjoy the views or and if you are looking for adventure, Sarangkot is a launching pad for paragliding, exhilarating zipline launches, bungee jumping, and you can also take reasonably priced micro ultralight flights around the Pokhara Valley.

   Stay the night at Himalayan Front Hotel, Sarankot.

6. Day 6: Exploring Sarankot & Hike to Pokhara

   • Enjoy morning breakfast with a mountain view. Later, walk down for about 2 hours towards the Phewa Lakeside in Pokhara, via Methlang village and other villages.

   • Enjoy a ride on one of the brightly painted boats and visit the Barahi Island Temple. Phewa Tal is visitors’ focal point in Pokhara and is the second largest lake in Nepal. On a clear day, the Annapurna mountains are perfectly reflected on their mirror surface. There are seven other smaller lakes in Pokhara. Stroll through Pokhara lakeside and browse through the souvenir shops or check out the lakeside cafes.

   • Walk for an hour uphill to Shanti Stupa, a world-famous Pagoda on top of Ananda Hill overlooking Pokhara.

   • Drive back to your hotel in Sarangkot and stay the night at Himalayan Front Hotel

7. Day 7: Pokhara to Kathmandu (flight)

   • After breakfast, transfer to the domestic airport for your flight back to Kathmandu, which will take about 20 minutes.

   • Upon arrival, meet your guide and transfer to the hotel.

   • This afternoon, visit Patan Durbar Square and Swambhunath Stupa. In Patan, you will see the Royal palaces and Durbar Square, Krishna Temple, Taleju Temple, Patan Museum and Golden Temple. Learn about their beautiful wooden carvings and metal art, architecture, iconography and their historical development in the medieval period. 

   • Then drive to Swambhunath Stupa located at the hilltop from where you will see the bird's eye view of the entire Kathmandu Valley. Swayambhu meaning "the self-existent" is popular among foreigners as Monkey Temple, owing to a large monkey population residing in this area. It is said that Swayambunath Stupa is more than 2,000 years old and is an important Buddhist pilgrimage place where pilgrims visit from all over the world. The painted eyes on all four sides symbolize the all-seeing power of Buddha.

   Stay the night at Hotel Shambala or a similar Category in Kathmandu.

8. Day 8: Departure from Kathmandu

   • Leave for Kathmandu airport for departure.