The difference on this tour is in the details you do not have to think about. A senior guide meets you inside the arrivals hall, every transfer is in a private chauffeured vehicle, and every sight is timed to miss the crowds: Boudhanath before the tour buses, Bhaktapur at opening time, Sarangkot with the sunrise. You spend three nights at Dwarika's Hotel, a short walk from Pashupatinath, where the buildings incorporate carved Newar windows and doors rescued over decades from demolished houses across the valley.
Two flights cut out the long Prithvi Highway: Kathmandu to Pokhara in 25 minutes and Bharatpur to Kathmandu in 20. The one road leg, Pokhara to Chitwan, is in a private SUV with stops of your choosing. In Pokhara and Chitwan we choose from a short list of 5-star resorts and luxury lodges according to availability and your style, and confirm the names when we quote. Each comes with private naturalists in the park and a full-board stay. An Everest mountain flight or a helicopter landing near Everest can be added.
Highlights
- Three nights at Dwarika's Hotel, with a Krishnarpan Nepali dinner
- Private dawn visit to Boudhanath and a monastery in prayer
- Bhaktapur at opening time with a senior heritage guide
- Private boat on Phewa Lake and sunrise at Sarangkot
- Private jeep safari and naturalist at a luxury Chitwan lodge
- Two short flights in place of 12 hours of highway
Elevation profile
1,600 mWhere you sleepHigh point of the dayCheck acclimatisation
Day by day
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DAY1
Arrive Kathmandu, Dwarika's Hotel
Your guide meets you inside the arrivals hall at Tribhuvan International Airport and drives you 15 minutes to Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali. The hotel's courtyards of terracotta brick are framed by carved wooden windows, struts and doorways salvaged from old Newar houses, some several centuries old. After resting, walk with your guide to Pashupatinath, about a kilometre away, to watch the evening aarti on the Bagmati from the east-bank terraces. Tonight we book dinner at Krishnarpan, the hotel's Nepali restaurant, which serves a long ceremonial meal of many small courses.
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DAY2
Boudhanath at dawn, Patan and Swayambhu
We leave at 6:30 am for Boudhanath, 10 minutes from the hotel, and walk the kora with Tibetan pilgrims before the shops open. Your guide takes you into a monastery off the square to sit quietly at the back during morning prayers. Breakfast back at Dwarika's. Late morning, drive to Patan for its Durbar Square and the Patan Museum, whose collection of bronze and stone sculpture is among the finest in South Asia, housed in a restored palace wing. Finish at Swayambhunath in the golden hour, with the valley spread below the stupa's painted eyes.
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DAY3
Bhaktapur and Changunarayan
If you add the Everest mountain flight, it leaves at dawn and returns by 8 am, in time for this day. Otherwise we reach Bhaktapur at opening time, before the day visitors arrive. Your senior guide reads the carvings of the 55-Window Palace and the Golden Gate with you, then walks to Nyatapola and the Dattatreya quarter, where the Peacock Window is carved into a priest's house. Lunch is arranged in a quiet courtyard restaurant. In the afternoon drive up to Changunarayan at 1,541 m, where the Licchavi stone inscription of 464 CE stands beside a two-tiered pagoda rebuilt in 1702.
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DAY4
Fly to Pokhara, private boat on Phewa
A late-morning flight takes 25 minutes; sit on the right for the Ganesh, Manaslu and Annapurna ranges. Your Pokhara guide and driver meet you on arrival and take you to your 5-star resort, chosen for its mountain or lake view. After lunch, a private boat with its own boatman takes you across Phewa Lake. Stop at the island temple of Tal Barahi, then continue to the quieter western shore, away from the rental boats, as the afternoon light softens on Machhapuchhre. Dinner is at the resort or at a lakeside restaurant we reserve for you.
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DAY5
Sarangkot sunrise and the Mountain Museum
A private car takes you up to Sarangkot (1,600 m) in the dark, and your guide brings a flask of tea to the viewpoint. At sunrise the light reaches Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, Machhapuchhre and Annapurna II in sequence. Return for breakfast. Late morning, visit the International Mountain Museum, which tells the story of the 8,000 m peaks and the first expeditions to them. After lunch, drive up to the World Peace Pagoda for the view back across the lake. The rest of the day is free at your resort, or for tandem paragliding if you have added it.
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DAY6
Private drive to a Chitwan jungle lodge
Leave after breakfast in a private SUV and drive east to Mugling, then south through the Trishuli gorge to the Terai plain, about 5–6 hours with a lunch stop by the river. Your lodge sits on the edge of Chitwan National Park, the oldest national park in Nepal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. A naturalist briefs you on the park over tea. In the late afternoon he leads a short walk to a nearby Tharu village and the riverbank, where you watch the sun go down over the grassland with a drink in hand.
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DAY7
Canoe, breeding centre and private safari
Begin with a dawn canoe on the Rapti, when mist hangs over the water and mugger crocodiles bask on the sandbanks. A guided walk follows to the elephant breeding centre, where calves are raised with their mothers. After lunch, set off on a private jeep safari of four to five hours with your naturalist, free to stop as long as you like at a rhino wallow or a waterhole. One-horned rhino, gaur, sambar, spotted deer and many of the park's more than 500 bird species are regular sightings; tigers are seen only occasionally. Dinner at the lodge.
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DAY8
Bird walk, fly Bharatpur to Kathmandu
An early bird walk with your naturalist looks for hornbills, bee-eaters, kingfishers and peafowl along the forest edge. After breakfast, a private transfer takes you to Bharatpur airport for the 20-minute flight to Kathmandu. Your Kathmandu guide meets you at the domestic terminal. If your international flight is in the evening, we hold a day room at Dwarika's Hotel so you can shower and rest, or arrange a last visit to the Garden of Dreams and Thamel's best pashmina shops. We drop you at the international terminal three hours before departure.
Route map
- 1Kathmandu 1,400 m
- 2Boudhanath 1,350 m
- 3Bhaktapur 1,401 m
- 4Pokhara 822 m
- 5Sarangkot 1,600 m
- 6Chitwan National Park 150 m
Included
- 3 nights at Dwarika's Hotel, Kathmandu, with breakfast, and one dinner at Krishnarpan
- 2 nights at a 5-star resort in Pokhara with breakfast
- 2 nights at a luxury jungle lodge in Chitwan on full board with all lodge activities
- Kathmandu–Pokhara and Bharatpur–Kathmandu flights
- Private chauffeured vehicles for every transfer and sightseeing day
- Senior private guides in Kathmandu and Pokhara, private naturalists in Chitwan
- Private boat on Phewa Lake and a private jeep safari in Chitwan
- All monument, museum and national park entry fees
- Day room at Dwarika's on day 8, subject to availability
- Taxes and our service charge
Not included
- International flights
- Nepal visa fee for non-Indian passport holders
- Lunches and dinners outside Chitwan, except the Krishnarpan dinner
- Everest mountain flight, helicopter tours and paragliding
- Spa treatments and drinks
- Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover
- Tips for guides, drivers, naturalists and hotel staff
- Personal shopping and laundry
Popular add-ons
- Everest mountain flight at dawn, about 1 hour≈ US$ 230 per person · ≈ ₹15,000 for Indian nationals (check current fares)
- Everest helicopter tour with landing near Kala Patthar, shared seat≈ US$ 1,100–1,400 per seat
- Private Everest helicopter charter, up to 5 seats≈ US$ 5,000–6,500 per helicopter
Good to know
- The price is per person for two sharing a deluxe double room, including entry fees at foreign rates for the US$ price and at SAARC rates for the ₹ price, outside Christmas–New Year and Dashain–Tihar; suites and peak dates cost more.
- We name your Pokhara resort and Chitwan lodge when we confirm availability, choosing among currently operating 5-star and luxury properties; check current status before you travel.
- Domestic flights are weather dependent and morning departures are most reliable; if a flight is cancelled we replace it with a chauffeured drive at no extra cost.
- Domestic airlines usually allow about 20 kg checked and 5–7 kg cabin baggage per person; large suitcases can stay at Dwarika's while you travel.
- Luxury lodges in the western part of the park, near Meghauli, are roughly 1–1.5 hours by road from Bharatpur airport, longer than Sauraha, so transfer times vary by lodge.
Trip details
- Starts
- Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International Airport)
- Ends
- Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International Airport)
- Stay
- Dwarika's Hotel in Kathmandu, a 5-star resort in Pokhara, a luxury jungle lodge at Chitwan on full board
- Transport
- Private chauffeured vehicles, Kathmandu–Pokhara and Bharatpur–Kathmandu flights
- Walking days
- 8
- Styles
- Luxury Nepal, Wildlife safari, Culture tours
- January good
- February best
- March best
- April best
- May good
- June avoid
- July avoid
- August avoid
- September good
- October best
- November best
- December good
Hotels on this trip
Questions about this trip
What makes Dwarika's Hotel special?
Dwarika's is Kathmandu's best-known heritage hotel. Its buildings incorporate carved Newar windows, doors and struts that the founding family rescued from demolished houses over several decades, set around brick courtyards that feel like a small old town. It sits in Battisputali, about a kilometre from Pashupatinath and 15 minutes from the airport. Krishnarpan, its Nepali restaurant, serves a long ceremonial meal of many small courses.
How much does a luxury Nepal tour cost?
Our 8-day luxury tour starts at ₹1,35,000 per person for Indian nationals, or US$ 1,890 for other nationals, sharing a double room. That covers Dwarika's Hotel, a 5-star Pokhara resort, a luxury Chitwan lodge on full board, two domestic flights, private guides, vehicles and entry fees. Suites, the Christmas–New Year period and helicopter add-ons increase the price.
Can we add a helicopter tour to Everest?
Yes. A shared Everest helicopter tour with a breakfast landing near Kala Patthar or Hotel Everest View costs about US$ 1,100–1,400 per seat, and a private charter about US$ 5,000–6,500 per helicopter for up to five passengers. Flights leave at dawn because cloud builds by midday, and landings above 5,000 m are kept to 10–15 minutes. It is not suitable for anyone with heart or lung conditions or for pregnant women.
Which luxury hotels do you use in Pokhara and Chitwan?
In Pokhara we use 5-star resorts with lake or mountain views, either on the lakeshore or in the hills above town. In Chitwan we book established luxury lodges on the park boundary, which provide private naturalists, their own jeeps and full-board meals. We confirm the exact properties when we quote, because availability, renovations and closures change; check current status before you travel.
Is a private guide included throughout?
Yes. A senior English-speaking guide accompanies you on every sightseeing day in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and a private naturalist leads all activities in Chitwan. Hindi-, French-, German-, Spanish- and Japanese-speaking guides can be arranged on request with notice. Your guide adapts the day to your pace, and the driver stays with you, so you can return to the hotel whenever you like.
Can we do this luxury tour without domestic flights?
Yes. We can replace both flights with a private chauffeured drive: Kathmandu to Pokhara takes 6–8 hours and Chitwan to Kathmandu 5–7 hours on the Prithvi Highway. Some travellers prefer this for the river scenery and to avoid weather delays, though it costs you most of two days. We can also arrange a private helicopter between Kathmandu and Pokhara for those who want speed and views.
Do foreign nationals need a visa for Nepal?
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport: US$ 30 for 15 days, US$ 50 for 30 days and US$ 125 for 90 days. Complete the online form within 15 days before arrival and pay in cash, preferably US dollars. Chinese nationals have had free visas and Indians need none. Rules change, so check current status before you travel.
When is the best season for a luxury Nepal trip?
October and November give the clearest Himalayan views and comfortable 20–25 °C days, followed by crisp, clear December. February to April is the second-best period, with rhododendrons in flower and the best rhino sightings in Chitwan after the grass is cut. Some luxury lodges in Chitwan close for the monsoon, roughly June to September, and we do not sell the tour then.
What travel insurance do we need for a luxury Nepal tour?
Take a policy that covers medical treatment, cancellation and emergency evacuation, including helicopter evacuation if you add an Everest flight or heli tour. Check that it covers activities such as paragliding if you plan to fly. Medical care in Kathmandu is reasonable for minor problems, but serious cases are often flown to Delhi or Bangkok, which is costly without insurance.
