Nepal Adventure: Kathmandu, Annapurna Foothills & Chitwan — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi to Thamel (roughly NPR 800–1,000 / £5–6; ignore the touts inside the terminal). Check into a Thamel hostel or guesthouse, sort a Nepali SIM/eSIM with Ncell or NTC (about £3–5 for data), and draw cash from an ATM — Nepal is still largely cash-based outside hotels. In the afternoon walk or take a short cab south to Patan (Lalitpur) and buy the Patan Durbar Square combined ticket (NPR 1,000 / ~£6) which covers the palace museum and nearby courtyards. Dinner in Thamel: dal bhat or momos for £3–5. Get an early night — you'll want a full day tomorrow.

🚌Airport taxi (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm or private guesthouse room, Thamel (£8–15)

• →Patan Durbar Square (self-guided, NPR 1,000)
• →Sort SIM card and cash
• →Thamel orientation walk

Take a local bus or micro from Ratna Park / Bhaktapur bus stand to Bhaktapur (NPR 60–100, ~45 min) or a taxi for ~£7. Entry to Bhaktapur Durbar Square is NPR 1,800 (~£11) for foreigners — arrive early and spend 3–4 hours wandering the pottery square, Nyatapola Temple and backstreets with a small breakfast of juju dhau (king curd). Return to Kathmandu and visit Boudhanath Stupa (NPR 400 / ~£2.50) in the late afternoon when the butter lamps and kora circuit are at their best. Book a 3-hour momo/dal bhat cooking class via Klook or GetYourGuide (roughly £18–25 including dinner) — this replaces the operator's included demonstration lunch. Optional add-on: Pashupatinath (NPR 1,000) if you have energy.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Bhaktapur and back (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm or private guesthouse room, Thamel (£8–15)

• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square (NPR 1,800)
• →Boudhanath Stupa (NPR 400)
• →Momo cooking class (booked via Klook/GetYourGuide, ~£20)

Book a tourist bus from Kantipath/Thamel the day before (NPR 1,200–2,000 / £7–12, departing 07:00, ~7 hours) — cheaper local buses exist but are slower and cramped. Alternatively, fly (Yeti/Buddha, ~£70–90) if you're short on time. The drive follows the Trishuli River with a lunch stop. Arrive Pokhara Lakeside mid-afternoon, check in, and walk the lakefront for your first views of Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna range. Use the afternoon to arrange your trek: either go fully independent (buy ACAP entry permit NPR 3,000 / ~£18 and TIMS card if needed at the Nepal Tourism Board office, Lakeside) or hire a licensed guide in Pokhara (roughly £25–35/day) and/or porter. Tomorrow's teahouses are easy to find, but pre-booking day 1 in Ghandruk is wise in peak season.

🚌Tourist coach Kathmandu–Pokhara (~£9)

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£8–16)

• →Lakeside walk and mountain views
• →Buy ACAP permit (NPR 3,000)
• →Arrange trek guide/porter and first teahouse

Take a local bus or shared jeep from Pokhara Baglung bus park to Nayapul (NPR 200 / ~£1.30, 1.5 hrs) — or a taxi for ~£15. From Nayapul walk to Birethanti where your ACAP permit is checked, then climb steadily along the Modi Khola through Kimrong Khola/small villages on the Ghandruk route. Expect 5–7 hours of walking, roughly 10–12 km, and 900 m of ascent — this is a genuinely demanding day, so start by 07:30. Ghandruk is a large Gurung village with stone-paved lanes, a Gurung museum and knockout views of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre. Teahouse dal bhat dinner included in the room rate; sleeping bags/liners are worth bringing. Optional: soak at the hot springs near Jhinu only if you have a spare day (most trekkers skip it on this itinerary).

🚌Local bus/jeep Pokhara–Nayapul (~£1.50)

🛏Family teahouse, Ghandruk (room ~£5–8, meals extra)

• →Annapurna foothills trek day 1 (Nayapul–Ghandruk)
• →Gurung museum and village walk

Descend from Ghandruk to the Modi Khola suspension bridge and climb to Jhinu Danda — this is where the operator's optional hot springs stop happens, and it's a genuinely lovely hour soaking in riverside rock pools (NPR 200–300 entry). Refuel with noodle soup, then continue through Himal Qu and Tolka to Landruk, a hillside Gurung/Magar village with terraced fields and sunset views into the Annapurna Sanctuary. About 6–7 hours walking, 9–11 km, with plenty of up-and-down. Landruk has several good teahouses with hot showers (often NPR 100–200 surcharge) and decent wifi.

🚌On foot

🛏Family teahouse, Landruk (room ~£5–8)

• →Trek day 2 (Ghandruk–Jhinu Danda–Landruk)
• →Jhinu Danda hot springs (NPR ~250)

Final trekking morning: climb from Landruk through Tolka/Deurali and along the ridge to Kande (roughly 4–5 hours, 8–10 km). This is the stretch with the best Machhapuchhre views, so take your time. From Kande catch a local bus or shared jeep down to Pokhara (NPR 150–250, ~40 min). Back at Lakeside by mid-afternoon: shower, laundry (£2–3), and reward yourself with a lakeside dinner. Optional splurge: paragliding from Sarangkot booked via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£65–85 incl. transport) — best in the morning, so you may prefer to add a rest day or book a sunrise flight tomorrow before your Chitwan bus.

🚌On foot, then local bus/jeep Kande–Pokhara (~£1.50)

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pokhara (£8–16)

• →Trek day 3 (Landruk–Kande)
• →Lakeside dinner and rest

Travel Pokhara to Chitwan (Tandi Bazaar/Narayanghat) on a tourist bus (NPR 800–1,200 / £5–7, ~4–5 hours). From Tandi, take a local bus or shared jeep south toward Barauli (NPR 200–300). For the community-stay experience the operator uses, book direct with Barauli Community Homestay (a Community Homestay Network property near Amaltari, western Chitwan buffer zone) — rates run roughly £15–25 per person including meals, and they arrange village walks, Tharu cultural shows and park trips. This is the authentic equivalent of the included guesthouse night. Evening: Tharu cultural dance and a traditional dinner cooked by your host family.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara–Tandi (~£6), local bus to Barauli (~£1.50)

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (£15–25 pp incl. meals)

• →Village walk
• →Tharu cultural evening and home-cooked dinner

Arrange your park activities directly through the homestay or the Chitwan National Park ticket office at Kasara/Sauraha. A full-day 4x4 jeep safari into the park runs roughly NPR 5,000–7,000 per vehicle shared between 4–6 people (~£8–12 each) plus the park entry fee (NPR 2,000 / ~£12 for foreigners) and guide. Alternatives: a guided half-day jungle walk with two licensed guides (~£10–15 each) and a dugout canoe trip on the Rapti (~£5). Birdwatching is excellent in the buffer zone — bring binoculars. Late lunch back at the homestay (included). Note rhino and crocodile safety briefings seriously; walking is only permitted with guides and never at dawn/dusk alone.

🚌Park jeep / on foot

🛏Barauli Community Homestay (£15–25 pp incl. meals)

• →Full-day jeep safari (shared, ~£10)
• →Chitwan National Park entry (NPR 2,000)
• →Dugout canoe or guided jungle walk (~£8)
• →Birdwatching

Bus back to Kathmandu — either a tourist coach from Sauraha (NPR 1,000–1,500, ~6 hours, book a day ahead) or a shared jeep to Tandi then the coach onward. Arrive Kathmandu late afternoon. If you skipped them earlier, this is the moment for Pashupatinath (NPR 1,000) at dusk for the evening aarti at the Bagmati ghats, and/or Swayambhunath's Monkey Temple (NPR 200) for sunset over the valley. Both are easy to DIY by taxi (~£3–4 each way) or Pathao ride-hailing. Farewell dinner in Thamel or Patan.

🚌Tourist coach Chitwan–Kathmandu (~£8)

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse (£8–15)

• →Pashupatinath evening aarti (NPR 1,000)
• →Swayambhunath sunset (NPR 200)

If you want the operator's optional Everest mountain flight, book direct with Buddha Air or Yeti Airlines (roughly £150–190 for the one-hour round trip from Kathmandu, weather dependent — book the earliest slot and keep a buffer day before your international flight). Otherwise, spend the morning on last-minute shopping in Asan Bazaar and Thamel for pashmina, prayer flags and tea, then take a taxi to the airport (~£5). If your flight is later, day rooms in Thamel are cheap and easy to arrange.

🚌Taxi to airport (~£5)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Everest scenic flight (~£170)
• →Asan Bazaar and Thamel shopping