Self-Launched Kathmandu Valley UNESCO Heritage Tour

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and pick up your visa on arrival (15-day tourist visa ≈ US$30 / ~£25, pay in USD or via the airport card kiosk). Ignore the taxi touts inside arrivals and walk to the official prepaid taxi counter — a metered/prepaid ride to Thamel is around NPR 700–900 (≈£4–5). Check into a Thamel or Paknami guesthouse (Pumpernickel, Hotel Dreams Nepal, or a Hostelworld booking at £10–14/night). Spend the afternoon acclimatising: walk the lanes of Thamel, sort a local SIM/eSIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£2–3 for a data pack), and eat dal bhat at a local bhojanalaya for under £3. Book tomorrow's guided day tour online tonight via GetYourGuide or Klook (Kathmandu Valley 4-site day tour with hotel pickup, roughly £25–35 including entry fees — or do it yourself with a guide on arrival for ~£20).

🚌Prepaid airport taxi to Thamel ~£4.50

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel, private or twin room (~£12)

• →Airport pickup and Thamel orientation walk
• →Visa on arrival and SIM/eSIM setup
• →Book Day 2 guided tour via GetYourGuide/Klook

The classic valley loop, done independently or with a shared small-group day tour. Start early (7:30am) at Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, climbing the 365 steps before the crowds — entry NPR 200. Walk or take a short taxi (NPR 200) down to Kathmandu Durbar Square (entry NPR 1,000) for the Kumari Ghar, Hanuman Dhoka and Taleju Temple; a local licensed guide at the gate costs about NPR 1,500–2,000 (~£10) and is worth it for the history. Lunch in Asan Bazaar. Afternoon: Boudhanath Stupa (entry NPR 400) — circle clockwise with the pilgrims, then continue to Pashupatinath (entry NPR 1,000) for the evening aarti on the Bagmati ghats around 6pm. Return by taxi or ride-hailing app (Pathao/InDrive, ~£3).

🚌Shared taxi / Pathao rides between sites ~£6 total

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel (~£12)

• →Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) entry NPR 200
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square entry NPR 1,000
• →Boudhanath Stupa entry NPR 400
• →Pashupatinath Temple + evening aarti NPR 1,000
• →Local licensed guide for Durbar Square ~£10

Take a Pathao/InDrive or shared microbus from Ratna Park to Patan (Lagankhel) for ~NPR 50–100. Explore Patan Durbar Square and the Patan Museum (combined entry NPR 1,000; the museum's bronze collection is the best in Nepal), plus the Golden Temple and Mahabouddha. Have lunch in Patan's Jhamsikhel or Mangal Bazaar. Then take a local bus or shared taxi from Lagankhel to Bhaktapur (Suryabinayak bus stand, ~NPR 50–80, 45 mins). Bhaktapur entry is NPR 1,800 for foreigners — worth it for the Nyatapola Temple, Pottery Square and 55-Window Palace. Consider staying overnight in Bhaktapur in a Newari guesthouse (e.g. around Taumadhi Square, £12–18) to catch the square at dawn without crowds, or return to Kathmandu by bus before dark.

🚌Local bus Kathmandu–Patan–Bhaktapur ~£2; short taxi hops ~£3

🛏Newari guesthouse in Bhaktapur or Thamel guesthouse (~£14)

• →Patan Durbar Square + Patan Museum entry NPR 1,000
• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square entry NPR 1,800
• →Pottery Square and Nyatapola Temple
• →Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar)

A slow southern-valley day through Newari village life. Take a local bus or Pathao from Kathmandu to Kirtipur (~NPR 80–150), the hilltop town of the Malla kings — climb to Chilancho Stupa and the Bagh Bhairab Temple, and look into the old Newari weaving co-ops. Continue by shared taxi or local bus to Bungamati, home of the Rato Machhindranath chariot carvers, then walk 20–30 minutes down the road to Khokana, a mustard-oil-pressing village with a striking three-storey Shikali Mai temple. Lunch on Newari food — bara (lentil pancakes), chatamari and local aila — at a family-run spot for ~£3–4. No formal entry fees here; tip any temple caretakers NPR 100–200. Return to Kathmandu by late afternoon bus.

🚌Local buses + shared taxis to Kirtipur, Bungamati and Khokana ~£4

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel (~£12)

• →Chilancho Stupa and Bagh Bhairab Temple, Kirtipur
• →Bungamati wood-carving village walk
• →Khokana mustard-oil village and Shikali Mai Temple
• →Newari lunch (bara, chatamari, aila)

Head east out of the valley. Take a local bus from Ratna Park to Dhulikhel or Banepa (~NPR 80–120, 1.5 hrs), then a shared jeep/taxi up to Namobuddha (Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery) for ~NPR 300–500 each way. The stupa and monastery sit on a ridge with Himalayan views on clear days — entry by donation (NPR 200–300 appreciated). Walk the 1.5-hour ridge trail down to Panauti if you have the energy and legs (bring water), otherwise take a shared jeep back down. Panauti's Indreswar Mahadev Temple and the triveni confluence of the Roshi and Punyamata rivers are quietly beautiful and free/donation-based. Overnight in a Panauti community homestay (bookable via Community Homestay Nepal, ~£15–20 with dinner and breakfast) or bus back to Kathmandu.

🚌Local bus Kathmandu–Banepa/Dhulikhel ~£1.50; shared jeep to Namobuddha ~£3 each way

🛏Panauti community homestay (incl. dinner & breakfast) or Thamel guesthouse (~£17)

• →Namobuddha Stupa and Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery
• →Ridge walk Namobuddha–Panauti (optional, 1.5 hrs)
• →Panauti Indreswar Mahadev Temple and river confluence
• →Community homestay evening meal

Breakfast at the homestay, then local bus or shared jeep back to Kathmandu via Banepa (~£2, 1.5–2 hrs) with time for last-minute souvenir shopping in Thamel or a coffee in Patan if your flight is late. Prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport ~£4.50 — allow 3 hours before an international departure given Kathmandu traffic. If you have a spare morning, the Garden of Dreams (NPR 400) or a short Everest scenic mountain flight (bookable direct with Buddha Air/Yeti Airlines, ~£150–180 — an optional add-on the original operator also sells separately) are good fillers.

🚌Local bus Panauti–Kathmandu ~£2; prepaid airport taxi ~£4.50

🛏None (departure day)

• →Return transfer to Kathmandu
• →Optional Garden of Dreams or Everest scenic flight add-on
• →Last-minute souvenir shopping in Thamel