2 Weeks in Nepal Itinerary

Looking for an itinerary on how to spend 2 weeks in Nepal?

You’ve come to the right place! Nepal has so much to offer from trekking to jungle safaris and exploring the World Heritage Sites.

I have been visiting and periodically living in Nepal since 2015 and during this time I got the chance to travel to many places in Nepal. In this 2 week itinerary, I have put together some of the most popular places people visit in Nepal.

Some of the best places to visit in Nepal include the world heritage sites in Kathmandu, visiting Pokhara, short trekking in the Himalayas and going on a jungle safari.

So, here is how to spend 2 weeks in Nepal!

Places to Visit for First-Time Travellers in Nepal

Some of the most important places every first-time traveller should visit in Nepal are Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan or Bardia, and to possibly go on a short trek to see the Himalayas.

• Kathmandu: World Heritage Sites: Boudha Stupa, Swoyambhu Stupa, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple
• Pokhara: boating on Fewa Lake, hike to the World Peace Pagoda, exploring the caves in Pokhara, sunrise in Sarangkot
• Trekking: Trekking is the main reason most travellers come to Nepal. The mountains are magnificent and you can choose from many short trekking routes that could fit into a 2-week itinerary in Nepal (e.g. Australian Camp Trek, Panchase Trek, Poon Hill Trek, Kapuche Lake Trek, Pikey Peak Trek).
• Jungle Safari in Chitwan or Bardia: Apart from trekking, Nepal is also known for its jungles. You can choose between walking or jeep safari and spot tigers, elephants and rhinos among other.

2 Weeks in Nepal Itinerary

Itinerary: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan/Bardia

This 2 week Nepal itinerary includes visiting the World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu, exploring Pokhara (caves, sunrise in Sarangkot, boating and hiking), and jungle safari in Chitwan or Bardia National Park.

Depending on your preference (whether you prefer trekking, jungle safaris, world heritage sites or just chilling), you can choose among many options during your trip to Nepal.

Day 1: Arriving in Kathmandu

On the first day you arrive in Nepal, it is best to just plan to take it easy. You will be tired and jetlegges after the long flight, so the best plan is to have some good food in Thamel, exchange currency and relax before the start of the two weeks of travelling.

Check how to get a visa on arrival for Nepal here!

• Take it easy on this day to recover from jetleg
• Exchange money: If you are staying in Thamel (the tourist hub in Kathmandu), you will find plenty of money exchange shops around. (Check my guide to currency exchange and ATMs in Nepal here)
• Chill in Thamel: Thamel is full of restaurants, bars and souvenir shops so on this day, it is good to take it easy, have some nice food and get a good nights’ sleep.

Day 2: Kathmandu

Start the morning visiting the Monkey Temple. From there you can either walk back to Thamel (30 minutes) or take a taxi (Rs. 300 through Pathao taxi app).

After getting back to Thamel, it is a great place to have lunch. There are lots of nice restaurants to choose from: Forest and Plate, OR2K, Roadhouse, Fire and Ice, Places, New Orleans Cafe. 

After Lunch, head down to the Kathmandu Durbar Square. The Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the 7 UNESCO Heritage Sites in Kathmandu and the buildings used to be the royal palaces of former kings.

After exploring the durbar square, finish the day at the Boudha Stupa. The Boudha Stupa is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kathmandu. It is a Buddhist stupa and there are lots of great rooftop restaurants built around it. It is a great place to unwind from the day, have some food and drinks, and watch the sun go down over the stupa.

Things to do in Kathmandu:

• Swoyambhu Stupa (Monkey Temple)
• Boudha Stupa
• Kathmandu Durbar Square
• There is also a free Walking Tour of Kathmandu organized every day that you can sign up for. The wlaking tour leaves from Thamel.

Day 3: Kathmandu

As 2 weeks in Nepal is not that long, you may not be able to see everything. For Day 3, I include 2 great options, and it is best if you decide which of these two options is more interesting for you.

All three attractions listed below are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites but you will not be able to cover all three in one day. 

• Day 3 Option 1: Patan and Pashupatinath Temple (+ evening Aarti ceremony)
• Day 3 Option 2: Day trip to Bhaktapur 

Patan: Patan is located about 15 minutes taxi ride away from central Kathmandu and it is a great half day trip. In Patan, you can check out the Patan Durbar Square, Patan Museum, temples, Newari food (best Newari restaurants in Patan: Honacha, Nandini Newari Food Court or The Village Cafe)

Pashupatinath Temple: Although the Pashupatinath Temple opens early morning, it is best to go in the afternoon. If you arrive around 3:30 pm, you will have time to watch the open air cremations, walk around the temple complex and then save a seat before the crowd arrives for the evening aarti ceremony.

The Aarti is a worship ceremony, significant in the Hindu religion. The ceremony starts around 6-6:30 but make sure to take a seat around 5 pm as lots of people come to the ceremony every evening and it gets super crowded. If you arrive too late, you may not have a seat or not get a good view.

Bhaktapur: Bhaktapur is about 1 hour bus ride from Kathmandu. You can get there by taking a local bus (from Bagbazaar, near Thamel) or by a taxi (for best prices, use Nepali taxi apps like Pathao or InDrive).

Bhaktapur is such a unique place. It is easy to spend a whole day in Bhaktapur and as it is further from Kathmandu, if you spend the day here, you will not really have time for any other activity. Bhaktapur is also a great place to try Newari food.

Day 4: Kathmandu to Pokhara

Day 4 is a day of travel. If you take the bus, it is best to dedicate and prepare for a whole day of bus journey.

The road between Kathmandu and Pokhara has been under construction for years and it usually takes around 10-12 hours of journey.

🚗 Check out what to expect when travelling by bus in Nepal + How to get from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

In case you opt for taking a flight, it will be much faster. The flight only takes about 30 minutes from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

Although the roads are dangerous in Nepal, it also has a bad flight safety record, so it can be hard to decide which option to choose. If you choose to fly, book through Buddha Air, which is one of the more trusted airlines in Nepal.

Day 5: Pokhara

After the long bus journey the previous day, on this day, finally you can relax and discover the tourist town of Pokhara.

Pokhara is so much more relaxing than Kathmandu. It is like a resort town and lots of Nepalis also come here for holidays.

Most of the hotels are in the Lakeside area near the Fewa Lake. This is also where most of the restaurants and bars are.

Things to do on this day can include:

• Boating on Fewa Lake
• Hike to World Peace Pagoda (45 mins uphill and then back down)
• Chilling by the lake

Day 6: Pokhara

Day 6, could be another day in Pokhara, where you can do some more sightseeing. All these are just an option and you can make your own plans based on what you prefer.

• Caves in Pokhara: Bat Cave, Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
• Davis Falls
• International Mountain Museum
• Annapurna Cable Car to Sarangkot: If you take the cable car up to Sarangkot in the afternoon, make sure to book a hotel there for the evening. Then, the next day walk to the Sarangkot sunrise viewpoint for a nice Himalayan sunrise.

Day 7: Trek to Australian Camp

2-weeks in Nepal is a short time, considering the long bus journeys you have to take to get from one town to the next.

You can still do some trekking, for example, the trek to the Australian Camp can be easily completed in 2 days.

The first day you reach the Australian Camp, the next morning you see the sunrise over the Himalayas, and then in about 2-3 hours you can get back to Pokhara.

Day 8: Australian Camp to Pokhara

It is a short 45 minutes-1 hour hike from the Australian Camp to Kande. Once you get to Kande, you can take a bus back to Pokhara.

By lunch time, you will likely arrive back to Pokhara. Then, you have the rest of the day to relax by Fewa Lake or do any other sightseeing you may have missed until now.

Day 9: Pokhara to Chitwan Bus

Day 9 is another day of travel. The buses from Pokhara to Chitwan leave from the Pokhara Tourist Bus Park every morning around 7 am.

There are options for sofa seat buses, which is the most comfortable option. Check out Baba Adventure or Swift Travel for sofa seat options.

The bus usually arrives around 2-3 pm in the afternoon in Sauraha (Chitwan), so you will still have time to shop around travel agencies to book your jungle safari after you arrive.

Sauraha, the main tourist town in Chitwan, is full of travel agencies, so you can ask around to see where they give the best prices.

Day 10: Chitwan Jungle Safari

One of the best things to do in Chitwan is to go on a jungle safari! There are various jungle safaris to choose from, including walking and jeep safari. You can choose between half-day or full day safari options, including if you want to add rafting on the Rapti River too.

There are lots of different packages available and can be tailored to what you prefer. Usually, there are lots of other tourists in Chitwan so it is also easy to team up with others to share the costs.

Another option is to go on a jungle safari in the Bardia National Park in Nepal. It is a bit further away than Chitwan, so you have to calculate extra travel time. However, the jungle safari experience is much better as Bardia is not as commercialised yet as Chitwan.

Day 11: Chitwan

The second day in Chitwan can be also spent going on another day of safari or you can stay in Sauraha and chill in the town.

The Terai Region of Nepal (the southern part, where Chitwan is located) is known for its Tharu ethnic group and their own unique food and traditions. Being in Chitwan is a good place to try out some Tharu food.

Some activities you can do in Sauraha include:

• Visit the NGO Stand Up 4 Elephants to learn about the treatment of elephants in Nepal
• See a Tharu Cultural Show
• Try Tharu food
• Visit the Tharu Cultural Museum and Research Centre

Day 12: Chitwan to Kathmandu Bus

After 2 days in Chitwan, it is time to go back to Kathmandu. It is best to get back to Kathmandu 2 days before your flight date so that you have an extra buffer day in case travel plans don’t go as planned. The buffer day is important so that you definitely reach your flight.

The buses leave from the Suaraha Bus Park around 7 am and will get to Kathmandu around 3 pm.

Day 13: Kathmandu

With one day left in Kathmandu, you can still check out some attractions you may not have had time for or just take it easy and shop for some last minute souvenirs in Thamel.

Some traditional souvenirs that you can buy are pashmina scarves, dhaka topi (Nepali hat for men), khukri knife, singing bowls, prayer flags, or some Nepali alcohol (Khukuri rum, Gorkha beer, Barasinghe beer).

Day 14: Fly Out

2 Weeks in Nepal Budget

The minimum budget for a Nepal trip is around USD 25/day. This is the minimum budget that includes food, accommodation, transportation and activities.

Here is guide on some of the essentials on how to plan the budget for 2 weeks in Nepal:

• Visa: USD 30 for 15 days
• SIM card and data pack: SIM card costs Rs. 200, data pack for 2 weeks costs about Rs. 300-400
• Budget Hotels/Hostels: USD 4-10/night
• Restaurants: Local restaurant: Rs. 200-300/meal. Western type restaurant: Rs. 600-1,500/meal
• Transportation Costs: Taxi in Kathmandu (Rs. 400-500/trip), Tourist buses to Pokhara and Chitwan: around Rs. 1,200- 1,600 each way

FAQs: 2 Weeks in Nepal Itinerary

Is 2 weeks enough in Nepal?

Generally it is best to spend at least 3 weeks in Nepal as in-country travel can take up a lot of time. Nevertheless, if you only have 2 weeks to spend in Nepal, you can still fit in a lot of activities including visiting Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and going on a short trek.

How much money do I need for 2 weeks in Nepal?

It is advised to budget at least minimum USD 25/day for a trip to Nepal. This includes accommodation, food, trekking and other activities.

If you don’t want to be on a tight budget, it is good to bring additional funds for a trip to Nepal.

Conclusion

Nepal has so much to offer from trekking to jungle safaris and exploring the World Heritage Sites.

Although visiting Nepal for 2 weeks will leave you on a tight schedule, it will still give you enough time to explore the most important places in Nepal.

Some of the best places to visit in Nepal include the world heritage sites in Kathmandu, visiting Pokhara, short trekking in the Himalayas and going on a jungle safari.

When planning the budget for 2 weeks in Nepal, it is good to budget at least USD 25/day which is the minimum you will need. The USD 25/ day is for budget travellers.

If you want to stay in mid-range/high-end hotels, you should budget more than USD 25.