Nepal Itinerary 10 Days: Kathmandu, Pokhara, a Trek

Ten days is one of the most common lengths people choose for a first trip to Nepal, and it is genuinely workable — as long as you resist the urge to cram. This Nepal itinerary for 10 days is built around one simple idea: pick a single main highlight, usually a short trek or a wildlife park, and let the rest of the trip support it rather than compete with it.

Below is a realistic day-by-day plan, the permits and transport that connect it, and the honest trade-offs of trying to see a Himalayan country in a week and a half.

Key takeaways

• Ten days suits a focused first trip: Kathmandu Valley plus one main highlight (a short trek or Chitwan), finished off in Pokhara.
• A short, lower-altitude trek such as Ghorepani–Poon Hill fits the window far better than a long high-altitude route like Everest Base Camp.
• The tourist visa on arrival is 30 USD for 15 days (as of June 2026), which is the right length for this trip; carry clean US-dollar cash.
• Annapurna-area treks need the ACAP permit, and the Nepal Tourism Board also lists a TIMS card — confirm current rules before you go.
• For the Kathmandu–Pokhara leg, the flight is about 25 minutes versus roughly 7–9 hours by bus over about 200 km.
• Autumn and spring give the clearest skies; the monsoon (June–August) obscures the mountains most days.

The shape of the trip

The realistic 10-day frame looks like this. Day 1 and Day 10 are partly eaten by international flights, so treat them as half-days.

Day 1:      Arrive Kathmandu
Days 2-3:   Kathmandu Valley sightseeing
Day 4:      Travel to Pokhara (fly or bus)
Days 5-8:   Ghorepani-Poon Hill trek (4 days) OR Chitwan + extra Pokhara
Day 9:      Pokhara: lake, viewpoint, rest
Day 10:     Fly Pokhara-Kathmandu, depart

This is deliberately a Kathmandu + Pokhara + short-trek loop. It is the version that most first-time visitors can actually complete without spending the whole trip in transit. For a longer, more spread-out version with wildlife and a 7-day trek, see the two-week Nepal itinerary; for the budget side of any plan, the Nepal trip cost breakdown is the companion piece to this one.

Two ways to spend Days 5-8

| Option | Days 5-8 | Best for | |---|---|---| | Trek | Ghorepani–Poon Hill (4 days from Nayapul) | Mountain views, walking, sunrise panorama | | Wildlife | Chitwan safari + extra Pokhara time | Rhinos and birds, slower pace, lower altitude |

You can do one or the other in 10 days — not both well. Choosing is the single most important decision in this itinerary.

Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu

Most long-haul flights land in the afternoon or evening at Tribhuvan International Airport. Get your visa on arrival sorted (have US-dollar cash and a passport photo handy), take a taxi into Thamel, and do nothing ambitious on the first night. A short walk to find dinner is plenty.

For where to base yourself, the where to stay in Kathmandu guide covers the main neighbourhoods; most first-timers stay in or near Thamel for convenience.

Days 2-3: Kathmandu Valley

The Kathmandu Valley was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as a serial property of seven monument zones — the three Durbar (palace) squares of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, plus the religious sites of Swayambhu, Boudhanath, Pashupati, and Changu Narayan. You will not see all seven in two days, and you should not try.

A workable 2-day plan

Day 2 — Old Kathmandu and a stupa

• Morning: walk the old city from Thamel through Asan and Indra Chowk toward Kathmandu Durbar Square.
• Afternoon: visit Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa with valley views.
• Evening: dinner back in Thamel.

Day 3 — Patan or Bhaktapur, plus Boudhanath

• Morning: pick one well-preserved old city — Patan is closest, Bhaktapur is the most complete.
• Afternoon: Boudhanath, the largest stupa in Nepal, for the late-afternoon circuit.

If wildlife is your chosen highlight, this is where you would head south to Chitwan on Day 4 instead of west to Pokhara.

Day 4: Travel to Pokhara

Pokhara sits about 200 km west of Kathmandu and is the gateway for Annapurna-area trekking and lakeside relaxation. You have two realistic ways to get there.

| Mode | Time | Rough cost | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Flight | ~25 minutes | ~100 USD+ for foreigners (as of June 2026) | Saves most of a day | | Tourist bus | ~7–9 hours | ~NPR 1,200–2,000 (as of June 2026) | Scenic; budget the whole day |

A common 10-day strategy is to bus one direction for the river-valley scenery and fly the other to claw back time. The Kathmandu to Pokhara transport guide compares the options in detail. Arrive, check in around Lakeside, and watch sunset over Phewa Lake.

Days 5-8 (Option A): Ghorepani-Poon Hill trek

Ghorepani–Poon Hill is the classic short Annapurna trek: moderate, lower-altitude, and famous for a dawn panorama of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges from Poon Hill (about 3,210 m). It is well suited to beginners and to a tight itinerary, because it does not climb into the serious-altitude zone the way Everest Base Camp does.

A 4-day version from Pokhara

• Day 5: Drive Pokhara to Nayapul/Hile, trek to Tikhedhunga or Ulleri.
• Day 6: Climb the stone steps through rhododendron forest to Ghorepani (about 2,860 m).
• Day 7: Pre-dawn climb to Poon Hill for sunrise, then trek down toward Tadapani or Ghandruk.
• Day 8: Trek out to the road and drive back to Pokhara.

For deeper detail on the route and seasons, the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek guide is the place to start, and Ghandruk village makes a scenic exit point. If you want a quieter, slightly harder alternative with closer mountain views, consider Mardi Himal.

Permits you will need

Annapurna-region treks require the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP). The Nepal Tourism Board also lists a TIMS card for trekkers. Indicative fees from official and operator sources:

| Permit | Foreign nationals | SAARC nationals | |---|---|---| | ACAP | NPR 3,000 (as of 2025) | NPR 1,000 (as of 2025) | | TIMS card | NPR 2,000 (as of 2025) | NPR 1,000 (as of 2025) |

Rules and local municipal fees have changed repeatedly in recent years, and some operators report TIMS being phased out in places while the Tourism Board still lists it. Treat the table as indicative, budget for both, and confirm the current position with a registered agency in Pokhara. National rules also favour trekking with a licensed guide — see do I need a guide to trek in Nepal.

Days 5-8 (Option B): Chitwan instead of trekking

If you would rather watch wildlife than walk uphill, swap the trek for Chitwan National Park in the southern lowlands. The usual base is Sauraha. A typical visit includes a jeep safari, a dugout-canoe trip on the river, and a guided jungle walk, with a chance of seeing one-horned rhinos, deer, crocodiles, and a huge variety of birds.

A national-park entry fee applies on each day you actually enter the park — for foreign visitors this is NPR 2,000 per person per day (as of 2025), per the Nepal Tourism Board, usually on top of a lodge package. The Chitwan safari guide covers how the days are structured. Going this route, you would slot in extra time in Pokhara on the back end for balance.

Day 9: Pokhara at an easy pace

Whichever option you chose, Day 9 is for slowing down. Pokhara rewards a rest day:

• A sunrise trip up to Sarangkot for mountain views if the sky is clear.
• A boat across Phewa Lake to the lakeside temple and the World Peace Pagoda.
• Cafés and shops along Lakeside for souvenirs and a proper sit-down meal.

The things to do in Pokhara guide has more, including paragliding for those who want one last adrenaline hit before flying home.

Day 10: Return to Kathmandu and depart

Fly Pokhara to Kathmandu in the morning (about 25 minutes) to give yourself buffer before an international departure, or take an early bus if your flight is late and you are confident about traffic. Use any spare hours for last-minute shopping in Thamel. Then head to the airport for the journey home.

A few practical notes

Money and visa

• Carry clean US-dollar bills for the visa on arrival; the 15-day, 30 USD option fits a 10-day trip (as of June 2026).
• The visa is multiple-entry and tourists may stay up to 150 days per calendar year, so a short trip leaves plenty of headroom.
• For cash on the ground, see the Nepal ATM withdrawal guide.

Pace and altitude

• The biggest mistake on a 10-day plan is adding a fourth or fifth destination. Resist it.
• Ghorepani–Poon Hill stays low enough that serious altitude problems are uncommon, but for any Himalayan walk the basics of the altitude sickness guide are worth a read.

A handful of Nepali phrases

Even a few words smooth the way at teahouses and shops. Start with the Nepali phrases every trekker should know and dhanyabaad (thank you).

Who this 10-day plan is not for

Be honest with yourself before booking:

• You want Everest Base Camp. That route, with its Lukla-flight buffer days, really needs about two weeks — see the Everest Base Camp trek itinerary.
• You want both a real trek and Chitwan. Doable in two weeks, not ten focused days.
• You only have a week. Drop the trek to a 2-day sunrise hike, or stay in the Kathmandu–Pokhara corridor and travel slowly.

Ten days in Nepal is enough to come home with a genuine sense of the place — the layered old cities of the valley, a stretch of Himalayan trail or a morning among the rhinos, and a few easy days by a lake under big mountains. The country rewards depth over breadth, and a tight itinerary is simply depth with the edges trimmed.

Sources

• Nepal Department of Immigration — Tourist Visa
• Nepal Tourism Board — TIMS Card
• Nepal Tourism Board — Park Entry Fees
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Kathmandu Valley
• Ultimate Guide to Trekking Permits in Nepal 2025 — Annapurna Encounter
• Kathmandu to Pokhara Bus — The Longest Way Home