Self-Launched Essence of India & Nepal: Delhi to Kathmandu Overland

Base yourself in Paharganj or the Majnu ka Tilla area — cheap, central and full of other travellers. Start early (around 9am to beat the heat) with a self-guided loop of Old Delhi: Jama Masjid (small camera fee), then wander Chandni Chowk's spice market and take a cycle rickshaw (agree ~£2-3 before you get in). Walk to Red Fort (closed Mondays — check), then Gurudwara Sis Ganj. Cross to New Delhi in the afternoon by metro (£0.40/trip) for India Gate and the Parliament House exterior. Grab a thali dinner in Paharganj for £3-4.

🚌Airport metro/express to New Delhi station (~£1.50); metro and walking in the city

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Paharganj or Majnu ka Tilla (£8-14)

• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk spice market cycle rickshaw
• →Red Fort
• →Gurudwara Sis Ganj
• →India Gate & Parliament House exterior

Take an early morning Shatabdi or double-decker train from New Delhi to Jaipur (2nd class AC around £6-9, ~5 hours — book on IRCTC well in advance, or use a local agent for a small fee). Check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal. Afternoon: walk the pink bazaars, snap Hawa Mahal from the Hawa Mahal café rooftop, and head out to Galta Ji (Monkey Temple) by auto-rickshaw (~£3) for sunset. Optional evening Rajasthani cooking class in a guesthouse kitchen, £12-15.

🚌Delhi–Jaipur train ~£6-9; auto-rickshaws ~£4 total

🛏Old-city guesthouse, private room with fan/AC (£10-16)

• →Delhi–Jaipur train ride
• →Hawa Mahal & pink city bazaars
• →Galta Ji Monkey Temple
• →Optional cooking class

Set off early for Amber Fort — local bus #5 from Ajmeri Gate or a shared auto (£1) beats a taxi. Combined ticket option covers Amber Fort plus other monuments; budget ~£8 for entry. Climb or jeep up, spend 2-3 hours in the mirror palace and courtyards. Afternoon: City Palace (£8), Hawa Mahal facade views, Jantar Mantar observatory (£4) and the royal Gaitor tombs (auto ~£2). Sunset stop at Jal Mahal's lakeside. Dinner in the old city for £4-5.

🚌Local bus and auto-rickshaws ~£5

🛏Old-city guesthouse, private room (£10-16)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Gaitor tombs
• →Jal Mahal
• →Hawa Mahal

Take a state-run or private bus from Jaipur to Agra (AC seater ~£6-8, 5 hours), getting off at Fatehpur Sikri en route or doing it as a day trip by shared taxi from Agra. Fatehpur Sikri entry is around £5 including the mosque complex — ignore unofficial 'guides'. Continue to Agra, check into a guesthouse in Taj Ganj. Late afternoon: Agra Fort (£5) and, if you like, Mehtab Bagh across the river for a cheaper Taj sunset view (£3).

🚌Jaipur–Agra AC bus ~£6-8; shared auto to Fatehpur Sikri ~£4

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse, private room (£10-15)

• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Agra Fort
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view

Get in the sunrise queue at the east gate (opens ~30 min before sunrise; entry ~£11, buy online via the ASI portal). Two hours inside is plenty before the crowds and heat arrive. Shower, check out, and head to Agra airport or the railway station. Budget carriers fly Agra–Varanasi on some days; otherwise take the overnight train (sleeper ~£5, 3AC ~£14, 12-14 hours) — the faster option is a cheap flight (~£40-60 booked ahead). Settle into a Varanasi guesthouse near Assi Ghat.

🚌Sunrise entry at Taj Mahal; Agra–Varanasi flight ~£45 or train sleeper ~£5-14

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat, private room (£8-14)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Transfer/flight to Varanasi

Sunrise rowboat on the Ganges from Assi or Dashashwamedh Ghat — negotiate directly with a boatman, ~£4-6 per person, or book a shared boat tour via a hostel. Then walk the ghats and visit Bharat Mata Temple. Midday, take a shared auto to Sarnath (~£2) for Dhamek Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa and the archaeology museum (closed Fridays). Back in town, visit Alamgir Mosque and Dashashwamedh Ghat, then catch the evening Ganga aarti from the steps or from a shared boat (£3). Street food: kachori sabzi and lassi for under £3.

🚌Shared autos and a boat ~£10

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat (£8-14)

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride
• →Sarnath & Dhamek Stupa
• →Sarnath Museum
• →Bharat Mata Temple
• →Dashashwamedh Ghat aarti

Cross the border at Sunauli. Take a train or bus from Varanasi to Gorakhpur (train ~£2-3, 3-4 hours), then a local bus or shared jeep to Sunauli/Belahiya (~£2, 3 hours). Walk or take a rickshaw through immigration (Indian e-visa and Nepal visa on arrival — Nepal visa is $30 for 15 days / $50 for 30 days, roughly £24-40), then a shared auto or local bus to Lumbini (~£1.50, 30 min). Stay in a guesthouse inside or just outside the Lumbini Development Zone and rent a bicycle for the afternoon.

🚌Varanasi–Gorakhpur train ~£3; bus to Sunauli ~£2; shared auto to Lumbini ~£1.50

🛏Lumbini guesthouse, private room (£10-16)

• →Border crossing at Sunauli
• →Cycle the Lumbini Development Zone

Early morning at the Maya Devi Temple, the birthplace of the Buddha (£2-3 entry plus a small camera fee), then work through the monastic zone's international temples — Myanmar, German, Chinese and Thai monasteries are all free to wander. Late morning, take a local bus from Bhairahawa/Lumbini to Narayanghat or directly to Sauraha (5-6 hours, ~£4-6), the gateway village for Chitwan National Park. Book a jungle safari for tomorrow through your guesthouse (see Day 9) and take a sunset walk on the Rapti riverbank.

🚌Local bus Lumbini–Sauraha ~£4-6

🛏Sauraha guesthouse or jungle lodge, private room (£10-18)

• →Maya Devi Temple
• →Lumbini monastic zone temples
• →Sauraha riverside sunset

Book the cheaper, more ethical option: a half-day jeep safari or guided jungle walk (around £20-35 per person, bookable in Sauraha or via GetYourGuide/your guesthouse) rather than an elephant ride — elephant riding is increasingly discouraged and often unavailable. Look for rhino, deer, gharial and plenty of birdlife. After lunch, take the afternoon tourist bus from Sauraha to Pokhara (5-6 hours, ~£6-8). Arrive in Pokhara and settle into Lakeside, where dorms are plentiful.

🚌Sauraha–Pokhara tourist bus ~£6-8

🛏Lakeside hostel dorm or guesthouse (£7-14)

• →Chitwan jeep safari or jungle walk
• →Rapti river wildlife spotting

Hike or share a taxi up to Sarangkot for sunrise over the Annapurnas (viewpoint entry ~£1, taxi share ~£4; the hike up takes 1.5-2 hours from Lakeside). Descend and hire a kayak or wooden boat on Phewa Lake (£4-6) with a stop at the Varahi Temple island. Afternoon: Devi's Falls (£1), Gupteshwor Cave, and Bindhyabasini Temple. Optional extras if you want them: paragliding from Sarangkot (£55-75 booked via GetYourGuide), a short ultralight Himalayan flight, or a massage by the lake. Dal bhat dinner for £3-4.

🚌Shared taxi, boat hire, local buses ~£10

🛏Lakeside hostel dorm or guesthouse (£7-14)

• →Sarangkot sunrise viewpoint
• →Phewa Lake boat/kayak
• →Varahi Temple
• →Devi's Falls & Gupteshwor Cave
• →Bindhyabasini Temple

Take a day tourist bus from Pokhara to Kathmandu (7-8 hours, ~£8-10, book the day before) or the cheap local bus (~£4). For a splurge, a 25-minute flight is £60-90. Arrive in Thamel, the backpacker heart of Kathmandu, and check into a hostel or guesthouse. Late afternoon: wander Kathmandu Durbar Square (£7 entry) and the surrounding lanes, then catch the sunset from Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple, ~£1.50, plus 365 steps). Momos and Newari snacks in Thamel for £3-5.

🚌Pokhara–Kathmandu tourist bus ~£8-10; taxis in town ~£3

🛏Thamel hostel dorm or guesthouse (£7-15)

• →Pokhara–Kathmandu bus ride
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square
• →Swayambhunath Stupa sunset

Start at Boudhanath Stupa, the biggest stupa in Nepal (£2.50 entry), and kora clockwise with the pilgrims, coffee stop included. Then take a taxi or local bus to Pashupatinath Temple (cremation ghats on the Bagmati — entry ~£6, be respectful with photography). Afternoon: Patan Durbar Square and the Patan Museum (£1.50-3). If time allows, a shared taxi to Bhaktapur (£4-5 with entry ~£10) for the evening aarti. Optional Everest scenic flight (£150-200 via a Kathmandu agent) can be booked for tomorrow's dawn instead — ask your hostel, as seats fill a day or two ahead.

🚌Taxis and local bus ~£12

🛏Thamel hostel dorm or guesthouse (£7-15)

• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Patan Durbar Square
• →Optional Bhaktapur

If you skipped Bhaktapur, do a last early morning there or simply slow down with a Thamel breakfast and last-minute shopping (pashmina, prayer flags, trekking gear). Tribhuvan International Airport is a £2-4 taxi or ~£0.40 local bus ride from Thamel. Note: the original tour's included Kathmandu–Delhi flight is not part of this DIY version — book a separate one-way onward flight (~£90-140 booked ahead) or continue overland to the Indian border at Sunauli/Raxaul if you have time.

🚌Taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport ~£3; onward flight to Delhi ~£90-140 or overland bus

🛏—

• →Thamel market shopping
• →Airport transfer