Walking the Annapurna Foothills — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport, pick up a local SIM/eSIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3 for data), and grab a prepaid taxi to Thamel (~£4). Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel in Thamel — plenty of clean doubles with hot water for £10-18. Spend the late afternoon wandering Thamel's lanes, changing money, and eating your first dal bhat. Do your own trek briefing: buy or rent gear at the Shona's/gear shops on Tridevi Marg (down jackets and sleeping bags rent for ~£2-3/day), sort your TIMS card and ACAP permit info, and lay out your bag for the trail.

🚌Airport prepaid taxi ~£4

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel (double, private bathroom)

• →Thamel wander
• →Gear rental & permit prep
• →Dal bhat dinner

Self-launched walking tour of the old city: start at Durbar Square, then wind through Asan Bazaar's spice and textile stalls to the Kumari Ghar and onwards to Thahiti and Kathmandu's hidden courtyards. A local guide for a half-day costs ~£15-20 and is worth it for the history — book through a Kathmandu guide collective or getyourguide. In the afternoon, walk 25 minutes up to Swayambhunath (monkey temple) for sunset over the valley (~£2 entry). Drop into the Nepal Tourism Board office to confirm your TIMS card is sorted.

🚌Walkable; taxi back ~£2

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel

• →Durbar Square
• →Asan Bazaar & Kumari Ghar
• →Half-day local guide
• →Swayambhunath sunset

Book a day of Grade III whitewater rafting on the Trisuli River with one of the many Kathmandu-based rafting outfits (~£35-45 including transport, lunch and gear) — this replaces the group's private drive and optional raft. Most operators drop you at Kurintar at the end of the day; otherwise take a local bus from Kathmandu's Machha Pokhari bus park towards Mugling and get off at Kurintar (~£2). Sleep at a riverside guesthouse in Kurintar (~£18-25) with views towards the Ganesh and Manaslu ranges.

🚌Rafting transfer / local bus ~£2-3

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Kurintar

• →Trisuli River rafting (Grade III)
• →Riverside sunset

Catch a morning tourist bus from Kurintar/Mugling to Pokhara (~£4-5, 3-4 hours) or flag a local bus. From Pokhara, take a local bus or shared jeep up to Kande (~£1.50, 45 mins) — the trailhead for the Panchase route. Walk 5km up through forest and terraced fields to Badauri (about 2 hours), where you'll sleep in a family-run tea house (~£8-10 with dinner and breakfast). The Annapurna range and Machhapuchhre open up as you climb.

🚌Bus to Pokhara ~£5; local bus to Kande ~£1.50

🛏Badauri tea house (basic twin, shared bathroom)

• →Kande to Badauri trek (5km)
• →Mountain sunset views

A big but rewarding day: about 9km and 6 hours of walking, climbing to the Panchase Danda summit (2,510m) for one of the best quiet viewpoints in the Annapurnas — Annapurna South, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and the whole spine of peaks on a clear day. Keep an eye out for the small Shiva shrine near the top. Descend to Panchase Bhanjyang for a second night in a tea house (~£8-10 with meals). Start early for the best visibility and carry 2L of water.

🚌On foot

🛏Panchase Bhanjyang tea house

• →Trek to Panchase Danda summit (9km)
• →Shiva shrine

The longest trekking day: roughly 14km and 6 hours of gentle traversing through rhododendron forest and open meadow, with villages and farmland along the way. This is the quietest stretch of the whole route and you'll likely see more goats than trekkers. Tea houses in Bumdi are simple but friendly — expect dal bhat, noodles and a wood stove. Cash only; budget ~£8-10 for room, dinner and breakfast.

🚌On foot

🛏Bumdi tea house

• →Bumdi trail traverse (14km)
• →Village life en route

Walk down 10km (about 4 hours) via Pumdi village, the Japanese Peace Pagoda on the ridge, and the Rani Ban forest to the shore of Lake Phewa. From the lakeside, a short taxi (~£2) or walk gets you to Lakeside for a guesthouse or budget hotel (£15-22/night). A cold beer by the lake after six days of climbing is well earned.

🚌On foot; local taxi ~£2

🛏Lakeside budget hotel, Pokhara

• →Pumdi village
• →Japanese Peace Pagoda
• →Rani Ban forest walk

Slow day. Hire a boat on Phewa Tal and row out to the Tal Barahi temple on its island (~£2-3 for an hour), wander the Tibetan settlement of Tashiling with its monastery and carpet workshops, and browse Lakeside's shops. If you want a sunrise view, a shared jeep or taxi up to Sarangkot (~£8 return) gives you the full Annapurna panorama. Cook your own plans: paragliding (~£65) and zip-lining are bookable same-day through Lakeside agencies.

🚌Boat hire ~£3; taxis ~£5

🛏Lakeside budget hotel, Pokhara

• →Phewa Tal boat hire
• →Tashiling Tibetan settlement
• →Lakeside shopping

Take a tourist bus from Pokhara to Sauraha, the gateway town for Chitwan National Park (~£5-6, 4-5 hours). Book a small jungle lodge or guesthouse directly in Sauraha (£12-20/night) — many arrange their own guides and safaris. Afternoon village walk around the Tharu settlements on the park's edge, and an evening briefing with your lodge about the next day's activities. Chitwan park entry is ~£15 plus ~£8 for a guide per activity.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara–Sauraha ~£6

🛏Sauraha jungle lodge / guesthouse

• →Tharu village walk
• →Safari briefing

Your big wildlife day: book a jeep safari (roughly £35-45 for 4-5 hours including entry and naturalist guide, or cheaper shared) to track one-horned rhino, deer, wild boar, sloth bear and — if you're lucky — a tiger. Add a dugout canoe trip on the Rapti River (~£8) for gharial crocodiles and river birds, plus a guided jungle walk or bird-watching session. Book through your lodge or the community guide office in Sauraha to keep money local.

🚌Jeep safari included in activity price

🛏Sauraha jungle lodge / guesthouse

• →Jeep safari
• →Dugout canoe on Rapti River
• →Jungle walk / bird watching

Morning tourist bus from Sauraha to Kathmandu (~£7-8, 6-7 hours) — or fly Bharatpur–Kathmandu (~£60) if you'd rather save the day. Arrive into Thamel, check back into a guesthouse, and spend the evening eating momos and comparing trek notes with other travellers at a rooftop restaurant.

🚌Tourist bus Sauraha–Kathmandu ~£8

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel

• →Travel day
• →Thamel evening

Take a local bus or taxi to Bhaktapur (~£1 or ~£5), the most atmospheric of the Valley's old cities — Durbar Square, the Nyatapola temple, pottery square and Newari lunch of bara and choila. Continue to Patan for its own Durbar Square and the Patan Museum (combined valley monuments ticket ~£15 for foreign visitors), then bus back to Kathmandu. This replaces the group's optional excursion and is genuinely easier self-launched.

🚌Local buses / taxi ~£8 total

🛏Thamel guesthouse / budget hotel

• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• →Pottery Square
• →Patan Durbar Square & Museum

Breakfast, last-minute souvenir shopping in Thamel (pashmina, prayer flags, trekking gear), and a prepaid taxi to the airport (~£4). If you have a late flight, the Garden of Dreams near Thamel is a calm spot for a final coffee.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4

🛏—

• →Souvenir shopping