Top Things to Do in Nepal

The classic route flies from Kathmandu to Lukla, then walks up through Namche Bazaar and Tengboche to the South Base Camp at 5,364 metres, with a side climb of Kala Patthar for the clearest view of Everest. Budget 12 to 14 days including two acclimatisation days, which are not optional at this altitude. October and November give the steadiest weather, with a second window in March to May. Permits are required and the rules change, so check before booking.

Best Time: October to November

This is the trek to do if Everest is too much. From Pokhara, the Ghorepani Poon Hill loop takes four to five days and tops out at 3,210 metres, with a dawn view across to Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South. Carry on into the sanctuary for Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 metres and it becomes a seven to eleven day walk. Teahouses throughout and no technical ground. October to November, or March to April for the rhododendrons.

Tandem flights launch from Sarangkot above Pokhara and land near Phewa Lake, usually 25 to 30 minutes in the air with the Annapurnas ahead of you and no experience needed. Morning flights have the steadier thermals. The season runs roughly September to May, and the monsoon months are unreliable. Book a day ahead in October and November, when Pokhara is busy.

Chitwan sits in the Terai lowlands about five hours from Kathmandu and is the easiest wildlife stop in Nepal. Jeep safaris, guided walks and canoe rides on the Rapti give good odds on one-horned rhino, gaur and plenty of birds. Tigers are present but rarely seen. Two nights is the sensible stay, and February to April is the best window, when the grass has been cut and animals come to water.

Best Time: October - March

Nepal's most important Shiva temple sits on both banks of the Bagmati in eastern Kathmandu, and for many Indian visitors it is the reason for the trip. Only Hindus may enter the main sanctum, but the terraces, ghats and surrounding ashrams are open to everyone. Come early morning or stay for the evening aarti. Half a day is enough, and it pairs naturally with Boudhanath nearby.

A mountain flight is an hour in a small aircraft from Kathmandu, running east along the Himalaya to Everest and back, with a window seat for everyone and a turn at the cockpit. It is the cheapest way to see the high peaks and asks nothing of your fitness. Flights leave early, before cloud builds. October to March is clearest, and poor weather cancels them.

Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas anywhere and the centre of Tibetan life in Kathmandu, about six kilometres from Thamel. Walk the circuit clockwise with everyone else at dusk, when the lamps are lit and the monasteries around the rim are chanting. Rooftop cafes look straight onto the dome. An hour or two, and it pairs with Pashupatinath in one afternoon.

Phewa is the second largest lake in Nepal and the centre of life in Pokhara. Hire a painted wooden boat, row out to the Tal Barahi temple on its island, and on a still morning you get the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre reflection people come for. An hour or two, cheap, and best just after sunrise. You can also paddle across and climb to the World Peace Pagoda.

Sarangkot is a ridge at 1,600 metres above Pokhara, half an hour by road, and the early start is the standard Pokhara morning: leave in the dark, watch the Annapurnas and Machhapuchhre turn gold, then come down for breakfast. The same ridge is where the paragliders launch, so you can do both before lunch. October to March is clearest. Take something warm.

Bhaktapur is the best preserved of the three old towns, 13 kilometres east of Kathmandu, and it deserves more than a stop. The square holds the palace and the 55 Windows balcony, and Taumadhi and Dattatreya squares are a short walk on, with the five tiered Nyatapola temple between them. Pottery Square still has wheels turning. Half a day, or stay the night once the day trippers leave.

The old royal square in the middle of Kathmandu holds the Hanuman Dhoka palace, dozens of pagoda temples and the Kumari Ghar, home of the living goddess who appears at a window. Parts are still being rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake, which is worth knowing before you go. Two hours, and the Asan and Indra Chowk markets around it are the better half of the walk.

Known For : Phewa Lake Devi's Falls Sarangkot

Pokhara is Nepal's second city and the base for almost everything in the Annapurna region. Lakeside is where you will stay, a strip of cafes and gear shops along Phewa Lake with the mountains behind it. Devi's Falls, the Gupteshwor cave and the World Peace Pagoda fill a spare day. Give it two or three days at the start or end of a trek, and note the drive from Kathmandu takes six to eight hours.

Best Time: September to November

45 Pokhara Attractions

Patan sits just across the Bagmati from central Kathmandu and its Durbar Square is the best preserved of the three. The Krishna Mandir in stone, the Sundari Chowk courtyard and the Patan Museum inside the old palace are the things to see, and the surrounding lanes are still full of metalworkers. Two to three hours, best in late afternoon light.

The Trishuli runs alongside the Kathmandu to Pokhara highway, which makes it the easy option: a half day or full day on grade three water, no experience needed, and it breaks up the drive. For something harder, the Bhote Koshi north of Kathmandu is short and steep. Water is highest just after the monsoon, and October to early December is the usual season.

Known For : World Peace Pagoda Lumbini Maya Devi Temple Bodhi Tree, Lumbini

Lumbini is in the flat Terai plains rather than the hills, and it is where the Buddha was born. The Maya Devi Temple and the Ashoka Pillar mark the spot, and around them countries from Thailand to Germany have each built a monastery, so a slow walk through the monastic zone is the real experience. One full day covers it. Reached by road or a short flight from Kathmandu, and hot from April to June.

Best Time: April to May

26 Lumbini Attractions

The full circuit runs anticlockwise from near Besisahar around the Annapurna massif and over the Thorong La pass at 5,416 metres, finishing at Muktinath and Jomsom. Roads have shortened it, so most people now take 12 to 16 days rather than three weeks. The pass is high enough that acclimatisation days matter. October and November are the season, and snow can close it in winter.

The Last Resort hangs a bridge across a gorge on the Bhote Koshi, about three hours northeast of Kathmandu near the Tibet border, and runs both a bungee jump and a canyon swing from it. Most people go as a day trip from Kathmandu, or stay a night and add rafting. It operates most of the year, weather and road conditions permitting. Book from Kathmandu.

Known For : Paragliding in Nagarkot Nagarkot Nature Trail Nagarkot Panoramic Hiking Trail

Nagarkot is about 30 kilometres east of Kathmandu, a 90 minute drive, and is the easiest place near the capital to see the Himalaya at dawn. On a clear winter morning the view runs from Langtang across towards Everest in the distance. Stay the night so you are there at first light. October to February is the reliable season, and the monsoon usually gives you cloud.

Best Time: October to March

7 Nagarkot Attractions

Swayambhunath sits on a hill west of the city, reached by a long stone stairway or a road that goes most of the way up. The white dome and painted eyes are the image most people have of Kathmandu, and the view over the whole valley is the reason to climb. Pilgrims walk clockwise around the stupa. About an hour, and sunset is the time to go. Watch your bags around the monkeys.

Muktinath sits at 3,800 metres in Mustang, just below the Thorong La, and is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. The 108 water spouts pilgrims bathe under and the natural flame burning above water are what people come for. Most Indian pilgrims fly Kathmandu to Pokhara to Jomsom and drive the last stretch, two to three days in all. April to October is the window, and winter can close the road.

Two things decide a trek before you book it. Season: October and November are the clearest, March to May adds rhododendrons but more haze, June to September is monsoon with cloud and leeches, and December to February is cold, clear and closes the high passes. Permits: TIMS and a national park or conservation area permit are required, and guide rules have changed in recent years, so confirm what applies to your route before you pay.

Langtang is the closest trekking valley to Kathmandu, reached by a seven to eight hour drive to Syabrubesi with no flight involved, which makes it the cheapest of the big treks. Seven to ten days up to Kyanjin Gompa at around 3,870 metres and back down. The valley was hit hard by the 2015 earthquake and rebuilt by the people who live there. October to November, or March to May.

Thamel is the tourist quarter of Kathmandu and where most people sleep, eat and organise everything else. Trekking permits, guides, bus tickets and rented gear all come out of these few lanes, so it is worth a walk on your first evening even if you are staying elsewhere. It is a market, so bargain. Live music bars and rooftop restaurants make the evenings.

The zipline above Pokhara drops from Sarangkot towards Hyangja, a run of roughly 1.8 kilometres and one of the longest and steepest anywhere, ridden sitting in a harness. It takes a couple of minutes and needs no skill at all. Pair it with a sunrise at Sarangkot the same morning. It runs in fair weather year round, with the best views October to March.

Chandragiri is the easy mountain view from Kathmandu, a 40 minute drive southwest to Thankot and then a ten minute cable car up 2.5 kilometres to the ridge. From the top you get the valley on one side and the Himalaya on the other on a clear day, plus the Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple. Half a day. Go in the morning before cloud builds, and best from October to March.

Kopan Monastery on a hill above Boudhanath runs structured courses in Tibetan Buddhism, from a few days to the long November course, and they fill early. Namo Buddha, about 40 kilometres east of Kathmandu, is quieter and easy to reach for a night or two. Both expect you to keep the schedule rather than drop in, so book ahead.

Bardia is in the far west, a long way from Kathmandu and much emptier than Chitwan, which is exactly the point. It is the best park in Nepal for tigers, with wild elephant and gharial on the Karnali river. Fly to Nepalgunj and drive in, then give it three nights, because the odds improve with time. March to May is the best sighting season, when water is scarce.

Known For : Muktinath Temple

Upper Mustang was the Kingdom of Lo and stayed closed to outsiders until 1992, which is why its Tibetan Buddhist culture is so intact. The walled town of Lo Manthang, the cave dwellings and the ochre cliffs are the draw. Around ten to twelve days from Jomsom, or shorter with a flight and a jeep. It is a restricted area needing a special permit and a guide, arranged in advance.

Best Time: June to September

1 Mustang Attractions

A helicopter from Kathmandu flies up the Khumbu valley, usually stopping for breakfast at the Everest View Hotel near Namche and, weather permitting, touching down briefly near Kala Patthar. Four to five hours door to door, and the only way to see Base Camp without walking to it. Altitude is still real, so the stops are short. Mornings only, October to May.

Manaslu is the quieter alternative to Annapurna, a circuit around the world's eighth highest mountain and over the Larke Pass, finishing near Besisahar. Around 14 to 16 days from Kathmandu, teahouses the whole way and far fewer people. It is a restricted area, so a licensed guide and permits arranged in advance are needed; check the current rules before you book. October and November are the season.

Dal bhat is the everyday meal, lentils and rice with vegetables and pickle, and refills usually come free. Momos are everywhere, steamed or fried. In Kathmandu and Patan look for Newari food: bara, chatamari and choila, better at an old town restaurant than a tourist cafe. Thakali sets are the thing to order in the Annapurna region.

Thamel in Kathmandu is the obvious place, with pashmina, thangka paintings, prayer flags and trekking gear on every lane. Prices are negotiable and quality varies a lot, so handle a pashmina before you buy. Patan is better for metalwork and Bhaktapur for wood and pottery, both bought where they are made. Jawalakhel is where the Tibetan carpets are.

The valley rim has good singletrack and old walking trails linking villages, and half day rides out of Kathmandu towards Shivapuri, Nagarkot or Kirtipur are easy to arrange. Longer routes drop to the Trishuli or run east to Dhulikhel. October to April is the dry riding season. Bikes and guides are rented in Thamel, so nothing needs to be brought from home.

Dhulikhel is 30 kilometres east of Kathmandu on the old road to Tibet, a Newar town with a real square and a long Himalayan view that takes in Langtang and Ganesh Himal. It works as an overnight stop or as the start of the walk to Namo Buddha, about three hours on foot. Quieter and warmer than Nagarkot. Best from October to March.

Known For : Janaki Mandir Ram Mandir, Janakpur Rolwaling Valley

Janakpur in the Terai is where Sita is believed to have been born and married to Ram, and the marble Janaki Mandir is the reason to come. The Ram Sita Vivah Mandap beside it marks the wedding site, and the town's many ponds give it its other name. A straightforward stop for anyone doing the Ramayana circuit from India. One day, and busiest at Vivah Panchami.

Best Time: September to March

9 Janakpur Attractions

Gorkha is the hill town the Shah kings came from before they took the Kathmandu valley in the eighteenth century, and the Gorkha Durbar above it is both palace and temple, reached by a stiff climb of steps. The view runs from Manaslu to Ganesh Himal. It sits roughly halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara, which makes it an easy break in the drive. Half a day.

Homestays in the valley villages, at Panauti, Nuwakot and Kirtipur among others, put you with a family for a night or two rather than in a hotel. Expect a simple room, dal bhat cooked in the house and a walk through the fields with someone who lives there. Book through a community homestay programme rather than turning up. One or two nights is the usual stay.

Tihar is Nepal's festival of lights, five days in October or November depending on the lunar calendar. Houses are lit, doorways get rangoli, and each day honours something different, including crows, dogs and cows. Kathmandu is the easiest place to see it. Plan around it either way: it is a lovely time to visit but transport and hotels fill up.

Dashain is Nepal's biggest festival, fifteen days for Durga in September or October, ending at Vijaya Dashami when elders put tika on the younger members of the family. Bamboo swings go up in the villages and kites go up everywhere. It is the best time to see family Nepal and the worst time to move around, as shops shut and buses and flights book out well ahead.

Away from the towns the night sky is genuinely dark, and a teahouse at altitude on a clear autumn or winter night gives you the Milky Way with silhouetted peaks under it. Nagarkot, Sarangkot and the higher trekking lodges are the easy places to try. A new moon and a clear season help; the monsoon does not.