Discover India, Nepal & Bhutan: Self-Launched Edition

Land at Indira Gandhi International (T3) and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (~£2, 20 min) or a prepaid taxi from the official counter (~£5-7). Base yourself in Paharganj for cheap guesthouses and easy access to both Old and New Delhi. Evening: wander Main Bazaar, eat at a thali joint, and sort a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£5 for a month). Book tomorrow's Old Delhi walk online tonight.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2

🛏Paharganj guesthouse, private room (~£18)

• →Airport Express Metro transfer
• →Paharganj orientation walk

Morning: join a Reality Tours & Travel 'Delhi Street Life' or Salaam Baalak Trust city walk (from ~£15) — the independent equivalents of the operator's City Walk project, run by NGOs supporting street youth. Afternoon: Jama Masjid (free-£2), the Sikh Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib (free, volunteer in the langar kitchen), and Chandni Chowk by cycle-rickshaw (~£2). Evening: Shatabdi Express to Agra Cantt (~£8-12, 2 hrs) or an AC Volvo bus (~£6).

🚌Shatabdi Express Delhi-Agra ~£10

🛏Agra guesthouse near Taj Ganj (~£16)

• →NGO city walk with former street youth
• →Jama Masjid
• →Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib langar
• →Chandni Chowk cycle-rickshaw

Be at the East Gate for the 6am opening — tickets ~£11 online in advance (much quieter at dawn). Then Itimad-ud-Daulah ('Baby Taj', ~£3) and Agra Fort (~£6). Skip the guide; the ASI audio guide (~£2) is excellent. Cross the river to Mehtab Bagh for sunset views of the Taj (~£3). Book tomorrow's car or bus to Jaipur tonight.

🚌Auto-rickshaws around town ~£5

🛏Agra guesthouse (~£16)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Itimad-ud-Daulah
• →Agra Fort
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset

Hire a shared taxi or join a group day-car (~£35-45 per car, splittable 3-4 ways) to break the Agra-Jaipur run at Fatehpur Sikri (~£6 entry) and the Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri (free-£2). Alternative: ordinary bus Agra-Fatehpur Sikri (~£1) then onward buses — slower but very cheap. Arrive Jaipur and stay in the old walled city near Hawa Mahal.

🚌Shared car Agra-Jaipur ~£15 pp

🛏Jaipur heritage haveli guesthouse (~£20)

• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Chand Baori stepwell
• →Block printing workshop with a Jaipur women's collective (~£12)

Local bus No. 5 or an auto (~£3) to Amber Fort; entry ~£6 (combined ticket with Nahargarh/Albert Hall ~£11). Walk back down via the Panna Meena stepwell and Jal Mahal. Afternoon: Hawa Mahal (~£2), City Palace (~£8) and Jantar Mantar (~£3). Optional evening: a Bollywood movie at Raj Mandir (~£2-4) — a proper local experience.

🚌Local bus and auto-rickshaws ~£5

🛏Jaipur guesthouse (~£20)

• →Amber Fort
• →Panna Meena ka Kund
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Raj Mandir cinema

Morning: a Jaipur cooking class with a local family via Airbnb Experiences or GetYourGuide (~£20, the operator sells the same for ~£24). Midday: bus or shared jeep Jaipur to Jhunjhunu (~£4-6, 4 hrs) then a short auto to Alsisar (~£2). Stay in one of the painted havelis — the budget guesthouses here are extraordinary value for the frescoes alone. Sunset walk through the village's frescoed merchant mansions.

🚌Bus/shared jeep Jaipur-Jhunjhunu ~£5

🛏Alsisar heritage haveli guesthouse (~£18)

• →Jaipur family cooking class
• →Shekhawati haveli fresco walk

Bus or shared jeep back to Jaipur, then an AC train or Volvo bus to Delhi (~£8-12). Afternoon free: Humayun's Tomb (~£6) or Lodhi Garden. Do laundry and repack — you'll want a smaller bag for Nepal and Bhutan. Buy or top up an Indian eSIM before you leave, as Indian data doesn't roam into Nepal cheaply.

🚌Bus/train to Delhi ~£10

🛏Paharganj guesthouse (~£18)

• →Humayun's Tomb or Lodhi Garden
• →Trip admin and repacking

IndiGo/SpiceJet Delhi-Kathmandu is typically £60-100 one-way booked a few weeks out. Complete the Nepal e-Visa online before flying (£25 for 15 days / £50 for 30 days) to skip the airport queue. Base in Thamel. Evening: a sound-bath or singing-bowl session (~£10) and a set Nepali thali dinner (~£4) — the DIY version of the operator's wellness-and-six-course welcome.

🚌Flight Delhi-Kathmandu ~£80

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£14)

• →Sound bath / singing bowl session
• →Thamel orientation
• →Nepali thali dinner

Morning: Boudhanath Stupa (~£3 entry), circling with the pilgrims and having breakfast on a rooftop. Local bus or Pathao ride to Bhaktapur (~£1-2); entry ~£12. Wander Durbar Square, Nyatapola Temple and Pottery Square, and eat juju dhau (king curd). Return to Kathmandu by late afternoon.

🚌Local bus to Bhaktapur ~£2

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£14)

• →Boudhanath Stupa kora walk
• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• →Pottery Square

Climb the 365 steps to Swayambhunath (~£2) early to beat the monkeys and the crowds. Then take a local bus or taxi (~£4) to Pharping, 20km south, and check into one of the monastery guesthouses (Pharping is full of them — book by email a few weeks ahead, ~£12-18 including meals). Afternoon: momo cooking class at a community restaurant (~£10). Evening: evening chanting with the monks and the option of a 4am morning puja.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Pharping ~£4

🛏Monastery guesthouse, Pharping (~£15 incl. meals)

• →Swayambhunath Temple
• →Monastery stay and chanting
• →Momo cooking class

Wake for the monks' dawn chanting, then bus or shared jeep back through Kathmandu and west along the Prithvi Highway to Kurintar (~£5-8, 3-4 hrs). Riverside guesthouses here are cheap (~£12). Afternoon walk to the Manakamana cable car (optional, ~£6 return) or simply follow the Trishuli riverside trails and village paths — no guide needed.

🚌Bus Kathmandu-Kurintar ~£6

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Kurintar (~£12)

• →Dawn chanting
• →Trishuli riverside village walk

Local bus Kurintar to Sauraha (~£3, 2-3 hrs). Book a park-permitted lodge in Sauraha rather than inside the park — same wildlife access, much cheaper. Park permit ~£15 (plus ~£8/day guide fee for the required naturalist). Afternoon: a traditional dugout canoe trip on the Rapti (~£8) followed by the sunset walk to the river for gharial and rhino sightings.

🚌Local bus Kurintar-Sauraha ~£3

🛏Sauraha lodge (~£14)

• →Dugout canoe river safari
• →Rapti riverbank wildlife walk

Full-day shared jeep safari into the park (~£30-35 pp shared, includes permit if arranged by the lodge) — the best odds of one-horned rhino and, if you're lucky, tiger. Bring binoculars and water. Evening: Tharu cultural dance show in Sauraha (~£3) or a village walk with a local guide.

🚌Shared safari jeep ~£30

🛏Sauraha lodge (~£14)

• →Full-day Chitwan jeep safari
• →Tharu cultural show

Tourist bus Sauraha-Pokhara (~£6-8, 5-6 hrs) or a shared jeep for speed. Base at Lakeside. Afternoon: hire a kayak or rowboat on Phewa Tal (~£4) and watch the reflections of Machhapuchhre. Walk up to the World Peace Pagoda for sunset (free, ~45 min climb).

🚌Tourist bus to Pokhara ~£7

🛏Pokhara Lakeside guesthouse (~£13)

• →Phewa Tal boat
• →World Peace Pagoda sunset hike

Hike up to Sarangkot in the dark (~1.5-2 hrs from Lakeside, or a shared taxi for ~£3 at 4.30am) for the Annapurna range sunrise. Walk back down via the villages. Afternoon: local bus to Tashiling Tibetan Refugee Camp at Chhorepatan (~£1) — the carpet weaving workshops are open to visitors and the camp runs a small shop. Optional paragliding off Sarangkot (~£60-70) is the big-ticket add-on if you want it.

🚌Shared taxi and local bus ~£4

🛏Pokhara guesthouse (~£13)

• →Sarangkot sunrise hike
• →Tashiling Tibetan Refugee Camp
• →Optional paragliding

Tourist bus Pokhara-Kathmandu (~£7, 7-8 hrs) or a £30-40 flight if time is tight. Back in Thamel for the evening. Optional: an Everest scenic flight from Kathmandu if the weather is clear (~£170-200, versus the ~£230 the operator charges) — book at a Thamel agency or via Buddha Air directly.

🚌Tourist bus to Kathmandu ~£7

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£14)

• →Scenic bus through the foothills
• →Optional Everest scenic flight

Catch up on anything missed: Pashupatinath ghats (~£3), Durbar Square, or the Patan Museum (~£3). Sort your Bhutan logistics today if you haven't — confirm your licensed operator, visa approval letter and the SDF payment receipt are all in hand before you check in for the Paro flight.

🚌Local taxis ~£5

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£14)

• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Patan Durbar Square

Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines Kathmandu-Paro (~£180-250 one-way) — sit on the left for Everest views. Bhutan requires all independent visitors to be booked through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator who arranges the visa (~£32) and collects the Sustainable Development Fee (~£80-100/day). Tourist-class operators must provide guide and transport, so Days 18-26 are effectively a budget small-group tour rather than true DIY — but you can choose a low-cost licensed operator and pick the same sights. Drive to Thimphu (~1 hr). Evening: Memorial Chorten with the locals doing their evening kora.

🚌Flight Kathmandu-Paro ~£210

🛏Thimphu budget hotel (~£22)

• →Druk Air landing into Paro
• →Memorial Chorten kora

The Institute for Zorig Chusum (13 traditional arts, free), the National Library, the Textile Museum (~£2) and Buddha Dordenma at Kuenselphodrang (free). Request a talk with a scholar at a Thimphu monastery or the GNH Centre (arrange through your operator; a small donation ~£10). Evening: Tashichho Dzong exterior and Thimphu's craft brewery or a local bar.

🚌Operator vehicle included

🛏Thimphu budget hotel (~£22)

• →Institute for Zorig Chusum
• →Buddha Dordenma
• →Monastic scholar discussion
• →Tashichho Dzong

Drive over the Dochula Pass (108 chortens; on a clear day the Himalayan wall) to Punakha. Walk across the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan, then a short hike up through rice terraces to Chimi Lhakhang, the 'Divine Madman' fertility temple (~30 min, free). Stay in a farmhouse guesthouse in the Punakha valley for a fraction of hotel prices.

🚌Operator vehicle, ~3 hrs driving

🛏Punakha farmhouse homestay (~£20 incl. meals)

• →Dochula Pass
• →Chimi Lhakhang hike
• →Punakha suspension bridge

Punakha Dzong (~£8) at the river confluence, then hike ~45 min uphill to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten for valley views. Afternoon: cross to Wangdue and take a short walk to the chorten shrine. Evening: cook ema datshi and red rice with your farmhouse hosts — the same family-farm-meal experience, arranged directly.

🚌Operator vehicle

🛏Punakha farmhouse homestay (~£20)

• →Punakha Dzong
• →Khamsum Yulley hike
• →Farmhouse cooking session

Drive to Gangtey over the Pele La pass. Visit the Black-Necked Crane Centre (free, donation appreciated) — if you're here Nov-Feb the cranes are in the valley. Walk the Gangtey Nature Trail (~1.5 hrs) down through the dwarf bamboo to Khewa village. Evening: Gangtey Goempa monastery, one of Bhutan's oldest Nyingma monasteries.

🚌Operator vehicle, ~4 hrs

🛏Gangtey valley guesthouse (~£22)

• →Black-Necked Crane Centre
• →Gangtey Nature Trail
• →Gangtey Goempa

Long day's drive back west via Wangdue and Thimphu to Paro (~6-7 hrs with stops). Break the journey at the Thimphu viewpoint and a local lunch. Evening in Paro town: walk the single main street, browse the handicraft shops and eat at a local restaurant (~£6).

🚌Operator vehicle, ~7 hrs

🛏Paro budget hotel (~£22)

• →Overland drive with valley stops
• →Paro town walk

Morning: Paro Rinpung Dzong (~£5) and the National Museum above it. Then Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's two oldest temples (free). Afternoon: drive over the Chelela Pass into the Haa Valley (~£10-15 for a shared/extra vehicle distance) for its quiet shrines and villages — far less visited than Paro. Optional: hike to Kila Gompa nunnery.

🚌Operator vehicle to Haa ~£10 pp

🛏Paro budget hotel (~£22)

• →Rinpung Dzong
• →Kyichu Lhakhang
• →Haa Valley excursion
• →Optional Kila Gompa hike

The big one. Start by 7.30am from the trailhead (free entry; the operator's day doesn't add anything you can't do yourself). The up-and-down walk is ~5 hrs, 900m of ascent, with a café halfway. Carry water and layers — no shorts, shoulders covered. Afternoon: rest, or visit the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong. Last-night dinner in Paro.

🚌Taxi to trailhead ~£3

🛏Paro budget hotel (~£22)

• →Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) hike
• →Drukgyel Dzong ruins

Transfer to Paro airport (~£5 taxi) for your onward flight — usually via Kathmandu, Delhi or Bangkok. If you're returning to India within two months of your first entry, check the Indian re-entry rules in advance; multiple-entry e-visas or the special re-entry authorisation may be needed.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5

🛏N/A

• →Departure transfer