Trip Facts
Country:
Nepal
Duration:
10 Days
Max Altitude:
3,210 m
Activities:
Sightseeing, trekking, and driving
Region:
Kathmandu Valley and Annapurna
Starting Point:
Kathmandu
Ending Point:
Kathmandu
Grade:
Easy
Group Size:
1 to 12 pax
Accomodation:
3-star hotels, teahouses on the trek
Best Season:
Oct-Nov & Mar-Apr
Notice
Ten days is the shortest trip that gives you both the old cities of the Kathmandu Valley and real time in the mountains.
The trek is four days and never climbs above 3,210 m, so altitude sickness is rare and no experience is needed.
You drive to Pokhara and fly back, so the long road day happens once rather than twice.
Overview of Nepal Itinerary 10 Days: Kathmandu, Pokhara and Poon Hill Trek
Quick answer: This Nepal itinerary 10 days plan covers four of the seven UNESCO monument zones in the Kathmandu Valley, two nights in Pokhara, and the four-day Ghorepani Poon Hill trek topping out at 3,210 m. It is graded easy, needs no previous trekking experience, and returns to Kathmandu by air so no day is lost to the road twice. It is designed for first-time visitors to Nepal with around ten days of leave who want the old cities and the mountains in one trip, and it is run privately by Spade Himalaya, a trekking and tour company based in Kathmandu.
Ten days is the length most first-time visitors actually have. Also, it is enough, provided you do not try to cross the whole country with it. So this Nepal 10 day itinerary keeps to two places, the valley and the Annapurna foothills, and gives each of them proper time. In short, you get three days of temples and old streets. Then four days of walking, with a lake town at either end of the trek.
The trek is the part people hesitate over. It should not be. Poon Hill is the gentlest of Nepal’s well-known routes. Also, it stays below 3,210 m, and every night is in a teahouse with a bed and a cooked dinner. If you can walk five hours on consecutive days, you can do this. Our standalone Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek covers the same route on its own.
Do you have a fortnight rather than ten days? Then our Nepal itinerary 14 days adds a Chitwan jungle safari and a free day in Pokhara to this same route. For a wider comparison of trip lengths and costs, see our guide on how to plan a trip to Nepal.
Trips Highlights
- Visit four of the seven Kathmandu Valley monument zones inscribed by UNESCO in 1979.
- Watch sunrise over Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) and Annapurna I (8,091 m) from Poon Hill (3,210 m).
- Walk a four-day teahouse trek that never climbs above 3,210 m.
- Explore Bhaktapur, a medieval Newar city where cars are banned from the old core.
- Stand in front of the stone-carved Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square.
- Stay two nights beside Phewa Lake in Pokhara, under Machhapuchhre.
- Walk into Ghandruk (1,940 m), one of the largest Gurung villages in Nepal.
- Fly back to Kathmandu along the Annapurna range instead of repeating the drive.
- Travel with a licensed guide, private transport, and every permit arranged for you.
- Keep the whole trip under 3,210 m, so altitude is never the problem.
Kathmandu (1,400 m) → Bhaktapur and Patan → Pokhara (822 m) → drive to Nayapul (1,050 m) → Ulleri (2,050 m) → Ghorepani (2,874 m) → Poon Hill (3,210 m) → Tadapani (2,610 m) → Ghandruk (1,940 m) → Pokhara (822 m) → fly to Kathmandu (1,400 m).
This is the classic Kathmandu Pokhara Poon Hill tour, run west by road and back by air. So you begin among the temples. Then you climb into the Annapurna foothills on foot, and return over the mountains you walked below.
Trips Itinerary
Your flight lands at Tribhuvan International Airport. There a Spade Himalaya representative waits past customs with a name board, then drives you into Thamel. So allow about half an hour. And nothing else is planned today, because most long-haul arrivals reach Kathmandu with very little left in the tank.
In the evening your guide calls at the hotel. First you go through the plan, then hand over passport copies for the permits. Ten days moves quickly, so this is also when you say if anything in the schedule needs shifting. Also, bring photos, because the ACAP and TIMS cards are issued before you leave the city.
- Duration: 30 min drive
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
The Kathmandu Valley holds seven monument zones under a single UNESCO listing made in 1979. Today takes in four of them. Then your guide and a private car stay with you from morning to late afternoon, and every ticket is already paid for.
First, Swayambhunath, on a hill west of the river, up a steep flight of stone steps worn smooth by several centuries of pilgrims. Here the stupa’s painted eyes face out in four directions. Also, troops of macaques run the place, which is how it earned its other name.
Next comes Kathmandu Durbar Square, the palace complex at Hanuman Dhoka. Still, scaffolding stands over parts of it after the 2015 earthquake, and watching that work is worth your time rather than a disappointment. The Kumari, a girl worshipped as a living goddess, lives on this square and sometimes appears at an upper window.
After lunch you cross to Boudhanath, a vast white dome laid out as a mandala and the centre of Tibetan Buddhist Kathmandu, where the walk around it is always done clockwise. Then Pashupatinath, the Shiva temple on the Bagmati, closes the day. Cremations take place on its ghats, so your guide will explain what is respectful.
- Duration: Full day sightseeing
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
Two more monument zones today, and both are Newar cities in their own right rather than districts of Kathmandu. First, Bhaktapur is roughly 45 minutes east by road. Then Patan sits just across the Bagmati, so you reach it in the afternoon with time to spare.
Bhaktapur kept its old street plan almost intact, and cars are banned from the core, so you walk. Here the 55-Window Palace and the tiered Nyatapola tower hold the two main squares. Also, potters still work in the open at Pottery Square, drying rows of clay in the sun.
Patan is the metalworking city, and it shows. For example, the Krishna Mandir is cut entirely from stone rather than brick and timber, and the bronze work in the lanes behind it is the finest in the country. So an hour in the palace museum makes sense of everything you saw yesterday.
- Duration: Full day sightseeing
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
The coach leaves early and runs west along the Trishuli, a river you will see rafts on if the season is right, before climbing into the Pokhara valley. So count on 6 to 7 hours including stops. You fly this leg in the other direction on day 9, so you see the country both ways.
Pokhara is 822 m, nearly 600 m lower than Kathmandu, and the drop shows in the warmer air. Here the town runs along the edge of Phewa Lake, with Machhapuchhre standing behind it on a clear afternoon. Your evening is free on Lakeside.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs drive
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
A jeep runs you out to Nayapul at 1,050 m, about an hour and a half on a road that roughens as it climbs. Then from Birethanti the path goes upstream beside the Bhurungdi Khola, through rice terraces and past water-driven mills that are still in use.
Then comes the Ulleri staircase, which is the day’s reputation. Something close to 3,000 stone steps climb in one long pull, and there is no way round them. So go slowly, drink more than you think you need, and let the porter take the weight.
Ulleri is a Magar village at 2,050 m, terraced into the hillside with Annapurna South filling the skyline behind it. Here teahouse rooms are plain, with twin beds and a shared bathroom along the corridor. Also, order dal bhat and the refills keep coming until you stop asking.
- Duration: 1.5 hrs drive, 5 hrs walk
- Max Altitude: 2,050 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Teahouse
The terraces end quickly and the trail enters rhododendron forest, which in March and April turns red and pink overhead. Today is around 5 to 6 hours, climbing steadily but never steeply. So it is the easiest walking day of the three.
Then Banthanti and Nangethanti break the climb, each a handful of lodges beside a stream crossing. Also, oak and moss take over higher up, and the light turns green under the canopy. Here Danphe, Nepal’s national bird, lives in this forest, though seeing one takes luck and an early start.
Ghorepani sits on the ridge at 2,874 m, and it gets cold once the sun drops behind it. So the dining room stove is lit after dark and everybody gathers round it. You will be woken at about 4.30 am, so eat early and sleep early.
- Duration: 5 to 6 hrs walk
- Max Altitude: 2,874 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Teahouse
You climb in the dark by headlamp, 45 minutes up the ridge to the viewpoint at 3,210 m. In fact, it is the highest you stand on this trip. In October the tower fills up, so the cold start is what buys you a place at the rail.
Light reaches Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) and Annapurna I (8,091 m) first, standing on either side of the Kali Gandaki valley. Also, both are among the world’s fourteen peaks above 8,000 m. Then Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Nilgiri and the fishtail summit of Machhapuchhre fill in everything between them.
Then you drop back to Ghorepani for a proper breakfast and turn east for Tadapani. The path climbs again to Deurali before falling away through old rhododendron, and this is the longest walking day at 5 to 6 hours. So wet weather makes that descent slippery.
Tadapani means far water, and the lodges look straight across at Machhapuchhre. Yet nobody has ever stood on that summit. Climbing it is not permitted on religious grounds, which is rare enough among Himalayan peaks to be worth knowing as you sit looking at it.
- Duration: 6 to 7 hrs walk
- Max Altitude: 3,210 m
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Accommodation: Teahouse
A steady descent through forest drops you into Ghandruk in about three hours. It is one of the largest Gurung settlements in Nepal, built in tight stone terraces under slate roofs, with the Annapurnas directly behind the top of the village.
And Gurung men from these hills have served in Gurkha regiments for well over a century, and the village museum lays out the dress, tools and house interiors behind that history. Also, entry costs almost nothing. This is where the walking finishes.
From Kimche, just below the village, a jeep takes you back to Pokhara in about two hours. So you are at the hotel by mid-afternoon with a hot shower and the rest of the day to yourself. Your guide hands back the permits over dinner.
- Duration: 3 hrs walk, 2 hrs drive
- Max Altitude: 2,610 m
- Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
The morning flight takes 25 minutes and, in clear weather, runs alongside the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges the whole way. So ask for a seat on the right-hand side going east. It replaces the seven-hour drive you did on the way out, which is the whole reason this trip fits into ten days.
After that, you have an afternoon in Thamel. Now is the time to buy anything you have been eyeing, because prices there beat the airport and bargaining is expected rather than rude. And your guide can come along if you would rather not haggle alone.
- Duration: 25 min flight
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast
- Accommodation: 3-Star Hotel
A Spade Himalaya vehicle collects you from the hotel and runs you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before departure. Still, if your flight is late in the day, the hotel will hold your bags so the morning is still yours. Extra nights are simple to arrange.
- Duration: 30 min drive
- Max Altitude: 1,400 m
- Meals: Breakfast
Trips Include
What is included: Your package covers every hotel and teahouse night, all transport including the flight back from Pokhara, guided sightseeing with entry fees, and the full trek with permits and staff. So the only things left are your international flights, your visa, your insurance, and the meals named below.
- All airport transfers in a private vehicle.
- 4 nights in a 3-star hotel in Kathmandu, with breakfast.
- 2 nights in a 3-star hotel in Pokhara, with breakfast.
- 3 nights in teahouses on the Poon Hill trek.
- All meals on the trek (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- Guided sightseeing in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan, with all entry fees.
- Kathmandu to Pokhara by tourist coach.
- Pokhara to Kathmandu by air, including domestic airport tax.
- Private vehicle from Pokhara to the trek start and back from Kimche.
- A licensed, English-speaking, first-aid trained Spade Himalaya guide.
- A porter on the trek (1 porter for every 2 trekkers), plus pay, food, lodging, gear, and insurance for all staff.
- Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and TIMS card.
- Safe drinking water using a filter or purification tablets.
- A first-aid kit with an oximeter to check oxygen levels.
- Spade Himalaya T-shirt, cap, and a trip-completion certificate.
- All local taxes and office costs.
Trips Exclude
What is not included: A few things sit outside the package. So please budget for these too.
- International flights and airport taxes.
- Nepal entry visa (US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days, US$125 for 90 days).
- Travel and medical insurance with helicopter rescue cover (this is a must).
- Lunches and dinners in Kathmandu and Pokhara (budget US$10 to US$20 per meal).
- Optional extras such as paragliding, the Everest mountain flight, and Nagarkot day trips.
- Extra nights from early arrival, late departure, or itinerary changes.
- All drinks, hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging, and snacks.
- Tips for your guide, porter, and driver.
- Personal gear and any personal expenses.
- Anything not listed under Cost Includes.
Trips Altitude
Packing List
General
- Daypack (25 to 35 litres) with a rain cover
- Duffel or suitcase for the hotel nights, left in Pokhara during the trek
- Sleeping bag rated for around freezing, for the three teahouse nights
- Reusable water bottle, at least 1 litre
- Headlamp with spare batteries
- Power bank, because charging costs a fee on the trail
- Passport and several passport photos for the permits
- Sunglasses with UV protection
Upper Body
- Quick-dry T-shirts (3 to 4), rather than cotton
- A warm fleece or light down jacket for the Ghorepani night
- A waterproof, windproof rain jacket
- Sun hat, plus a warm hat for the early Poon Hill start
- Buff or neck scarf, useful against road dust
- A shawl or scarf to cover your shoulders at temple sites
Lower Body
- Trekking trousers (2 pairs)
- Lightweight long trousers for the temple visits
- Waterproof over-trousers
Undergarments
- Quick-dry underwear (4 to 5)
- Trekking socks (4 pairs), wool or synthetic
- Sports bra or similar support for the walking days
Hands
- Light gloves for the cold start at Poon Hill
- Hand warmers if you feel the cold
Feet
- Broken-in trekking boots with ankle support
- Trainers or sandals for the cities and the lodges
- Flip-flops for teahouse bathrooms
First Aid Kits
- Personal medication, with a copy of the prescription
- Blister plasters and tape
- Rehydration salts
- High-factor sun cream and lip balm
- Hand sanitiser and water purification tablets
Optional
- Trekking poles, genuinely useful on the Ulleri steps
- Camera with spare batteries
- A book or cards for teahouse evenings
- Earplugs, because teahouse walls are thin
Others
- Quick-dry towel
- Toiletries and toilet paper
- Snacks such as nuts or energy bars
- Cash in Nepali rupees, since the trail has no ATMs
- Dry bags or zip-lock bags to keep electronics dry
Good to Know
Before you go
You only need a few things ready. First, bring your passport, four passport photos, and a copy of your insurance, so Spade Himalaya can arrange your ACAP and your TIMS card. Then carry enough cash in Nepalese rupees, because there are no ATMs on the trail. Also, your insurance should cover helicopter evacuation, even though this trip stays below 3,210 m. Last, October to November books out early, so confirm your dates as far ahead as you can.
This itinerary is built for first-time visitors to Nepal who have about ten days of leave and want the culture and the mountains in one trip, without needing any trekking experience. So it suits:
- Complete beginners. You need no trekking background. The walking is 3 to 6 hours a day on stone paths, never above 3,210 m, with a teahouse bed every night.
- Couples and small groups of friends. Every trip is private, so there is no fixed departure to fit around and no strangers in your group.
- Families and older travellers. Anyone in reasonable health who can walk five hours on consecutive days will manage it. The Ulleri staircase is the only hard hour.
- Culture-led travellers and photographers. Three full days go to the Newar cities before you reach the mountains, which most trekking packages skip entirely.
- Anyone whose annual leave caps out near two weeks. Flying back from Pokhara saves a full day, which is what makes ten days workable rather than rushed.
This is the wrong trip if you want a jungle safari, because Chitwan is not in it. Also, if you are an experienced trekker chasing altitude, Everest Base Camp or Annapurna Base Camp will serve you better. And under seven days you would have to drop either the valley or the trek, so there is no useful shorter version of this shape.
Spade Himalaya runs three versions of this route from our own office in Kathmandu. Use this table to pick the right one rather than guessing.
| Time you have | What you want | Choose | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 days | The trek only, starting in Pokhara | Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek 4 Days | USD 390 |
| 10 days | Kathmandu Valley culture plus the trek | This itinerary | USD 1,100 |
| 14 days | Culture, the trek, and a Chitwan jungle safari | Nepal Itinerary 14 Days | USD 1,390 |
In short, the difference between the 10-day and the 14-day is Chitwan, a free day in Pokhara, and one extra day in Kathmandu. Everything else is the same route.
Ten days is what most people can actually take off, and it is enough for two places done properly rather than five done badly. Also, the shape of this trip is deliberate: the culture first while you are still adjusting, then the walking once you have found your feet, then a short flight home rather than a second long drive.
October and November are the clearest and the busiest months. March and April are almost as good, with rhododendron in flower along the trail. Winter is cold at Ghorepani but the skies are often sharp and the trails are quiet. The monsoon, June to August, brings leeches on the trail and unreliable mountain views, so most visitors avoid it.
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and a TIMS card. Also, both are checked along the trail. Also, foreigners must trek with a licensed guide in the Annapurna region. Spade Himalaya arranges the guide and both permits, so you need only your passport and photos.
The 25-minute flight is what makes ten days work. Still, domestic flights in Nepal are weather-dependent, and morning departures are the most reliable. And if yours is cancelled, the road is always there, and your guide will move you onto it the same day.
Nepal runs largely on cash outside the bigger hotels. Still, there are ATMs in Kathmandu and Pokhara but none on the trail, so draw what you need before you start walking. Tipping is customary rather than compulsory, and guides and porters are usually tipped at the end of the trek.
You walk 3 to 6 hours a day on stone paths and staircases, not wilderness trail. Also, villages come every hour or two, so tea and food are never far away. Overall, teahouses are simple: a twin room, a shared bathroom, a dining room with a stove. So bring a torch and expect the power to come and go.
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Trips FAQs
These are the questions travellers ask us most about this itinerary. They cover trip length, fitness, the best months to come, visas, and how this plan differs from the two-week version. If yours is not answered here, write to us and someone in our Kathmandu office will reply.
Planning and Trip Length
Yes, provided you do not try to see everything. When you build a 10 days in Nepal itinerary, the real question is which one thing to leave out. Overall, ten days covers the Kathmandu Valley and a proper four-day trek without rushing. What it does not fit is the lowland parks, so if a Chitwan safari matters to you, look at the 14-day version instead. Under a week you would have to drop either the culture or the mountains.
The 14-day covers this same route and then adds two nights in Chitwan National Park for a jungle safari, a free day in Pokhara, and an extra day in Kathmandu. So the 10-day is culture plus mountains, and the 14-day is culture plus mountains plus wildlife.
Fitness, Altitude and Suitability
No. Here the trek is four days, tops out at 3,210 m, and you sleep in teahouses rather than tents. If you can walk 5 to 6 hours on consecutive days, you will be fine. Still, a few weeks of walking or stair climbing beforehand makes the Ulleri staircase much more pleasant.
It is unlikely. Poon Hill at 3,210 m sits below the altitude where symptoms usually start, and you spend only one night above 2,800 m. Still, drink plenty of water and tell your guide if you feel unwell. Our altitude sickness guide covers the warning signs.
Usually yes. The grade is easy, the trek is short, and there is no camping. Still, the two things to weigh are the Ulleri staircase and the six-hour coach day. Tell us the ages and any mobility limits and we will say honestly whether it fits.
Season and Timing
October to November gives the clearest skies of the year, and March to April brings rhododendron in flower along the trek. Then December and January are cold at Ghorepani but perfectly walkable. Our guide to the best time to visit Nepal breaks it down month by month.
Transport and Logistics
Because the road day is worth doing once and not twice. For example, driving out shows you the Trishuli valley and the hill country, and flying back saves most of a day and gives you the range from the air. That saved day is what makes a ten-day trip work.
Visa, Cost and Packing
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport. It costs US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days, and US$125 for 90 days. So bring cash in US dollars and a passport photo. Our Nepal visa on arrival guide has the current process.
There are no fixed departure dates, so nobody joins a scheduled group. But if another traveller is looking at similar dates and you are both happy to share, we can combine you, which brings the per-person price down. Nobody is ever placed with strangers without agreeing first.
Boots, warm layers and a rain jacket for the trek, plus something that covers shoulders and knees for the temple sites. Also, nights at Ghorepani drop below freezing in winter. Our Nepal trekking packing list covers the trekking half in detail.
