14-Day Nepal & Bhutan Premium Tour

14 Days Across Two Countries

Days 1 to 2 | Kathmandu Orientation

Arrive in the medieval capital and settle in. Two days for the UNESCO heritage of Patan Durbar Square, the painted eyes of Swayambhunath looking over the valley from their hilltop stupa, and the maze of Thamel's markets, where trekking gear sits next to thangka paintings and fresh momos.

Days 3 to 4 | The Kingdom of Bhutan

Fly to Paro, whose runway is one of the most technically demanding in the world, with mountain views all the way in. Visit Kichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, then make the climb to Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest Monastery, on a 900-meter cliff face above the valley.

Days 5 to 6 | Thimphu and Punakha

In Thimphu, visit the National Library, the Memorial Chorten, and Tashichho Dzong, the seat of the Bhutanese government. Then drive over the flower-covered Dochula Pass, with its 108 chortens and views of the eastern Himalaya, and down to Punakha, where the dzong stands at the meeting of two rivers. Bhutanese kings have used it as their winter capital for centuries.

Days 7 to 9 | Phobjikha and Back to Kathmandu

Explore the glacial Phobjikha Valley, winter home of the near-threatened Black-Necked Crane, and visit Gangtey Gompa, a monastery founded in 1613 that still trains monks in the tradition it was built for. Then return to Paro and fly back to Kathmandu.

Days 10 to 11 | Chitwan National Park

Drive 148 kilometers south from Kathmandu to a very different Nepal: the flat, humid Terai lowlands, full of wildlife. Chitwan National Park was once a royal hunting ground and is now one of Asia's great wildlife sanctuaries, home to one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharial crocodiles, and over 500 species of birds. Canoe the Rapti River and take a jeep safari into the forest.

Days 12 to 13 | Pokhara and the Trisuli River

Drive west to Pokhara, where the Annapurna massif is reflected in Phewa Lake on clear mornings. Watch the sunrise from Sarangkot and spend the afternoons by the water. On the drive back to Kathmandu, the optional Trisuli River rafting session runs through calm stretches and real rapids on water the color of green glass.

Day 14 | Departure

Breakfast at the hotel, then a private transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your onward flight.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 2 Kathmandu Orientation

Kathmandu has been a crossroads for traders, pilgrims, and mountaineers for a thousand years, and you still see all three in its streets. Transfer to your hotel and spend the afternoon as you like. Thamel, the travelers' quarter, is five minutes away and good for an evening walk. Day Two is guided. Patan Durbar Square, one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, has bronze statues and stone temples dating mostly to the 17th century. Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, stands on its hilltop above the city, where the painted eyes of the Buddha look over the valley in all four directions. Boudhanath, the great white stupa, is the center of the Tibetan Buddhist community in Nepal. That is three UNESCO-listed monument zones in one day, with time at each.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 3 Fly to Paro Into the Dragon Kingdom

The flight from Kathmandu to Paro is one of the most dramatic in commercial aviation. Pilots fly through the Himalayan ranges by visual flight rules, and the approach to Paro's single runway threads between mountainsides close on either side. On a clear day you can see Everest from your window. After you land in Bhutan, the air feels cooler, quieter, and cleaner. Transfer to Paro and start exploring. Drukgyal Dzong, built in 1649 to mark Bhutan's victory over Tibetan invaders and rebuilt between 2016 and 2022, stands at the north end of the valley. Kichu Lhakhang, among the oldest and most sacred temples in the country, is said to be one of the 108 temples that the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built across the Himalayan region in a single day in 659 AD. Both are in the Paro Valley.

Stay: Paro Hotel

Day 4 Taktsang Excursion The Tiger's Nest

Taktsang Palphug Monastery sits on a granite cliff 900 meters above the floor of the Paro Valley. It marks the cave where Guru Padmasambhava, the saint credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan, is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours in the 8th century, after arriving on the back of a tiger. The monastery built around the cave has been a pilgrimage site ever since. The hike to the viewpoint takes about two hours with a good deal of climbing, and horses are available for the lower section. The view from the lookout, with the monastery on the sheer rock face above you, is one of the most photographed in Asia. In the afternoon, visit the National Museum and Paro Rimpung Dzong, the fortress monastery that guards the entrance to the valley, before the drive to Thimphu.

Stay: Thimphu Hotel

Day 5 Thimphu Sightseeing Capital Wonders

Thimphu is the only capital city in the world with no traffic lights. The government tried them once in the 1980s and took them out after public complaints, and a white-gloved police officer still directs traffic at the main intersection. The city is small, orderly, and entirely Bhutanese. The Memorial Chorten was built in 1974 in honor of the third king and is the most visited monument in the country. The National Library holds over 10,000 volumes of Buddhist manuscripts, some of them centuries old, alongside modern texts. At the Royal Painting School, students train in thangka painting and the other classical Bhutanese arts. Tashichho Dzong, the seat of the national government and the summer residence of the Chief Abbot, is a working fortress monastery and one of the best examples of traditional Bhutanese architecture in the country.

Stay: Thimphu Hotel

Day 6 Thimphu to Punakha The Fertile Valley

The drive from Thimphu to Punakha crosses the Dochula Pass at 3,100 meters, where 108 memorial chortens honor Bhutanese soldiers. On a clear morning the pass looks out over the eastern Himalaya, including some of Bhutan's highest and most sacred peaks. Then descend into the Punakha Valley, which is lower than Thimphu and noticeably warmer. Chime Lhakhang, the Temple of the Divine Madman, stands in a field fifteen minutes' walk from the road, and couples come here for fertility blessings. Its patron saint, the 15th-century monk Drukpa Kunley, is one of the most loved and unconventional figures in Bhutanese Buddhism. Punakha Dzong stands where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, the Male and Female rivers, meet, and has served as the winter capital of Bhutan for centuries. It is often called the most beautiful dzong in the country.

Stay: Punakha Hotel

Days 7 to 8 Gangtey and Phobjikha The Crane Valley

The Phobjikha Valley is a broad glacial bowl in central Bhutan, one of the few flat valley floors in the country, and the winter home of the near-threatened Black-Necked Crane. The cranes fly in from Tibet each October and leave in February or March, and local festivals mark their arrival and departure. Gangtey Gompa, the monastery above the valley, was founded in 1613 by Gyalse Pema Thinley, grandson of the great Terton Pema Lingpa. It is still an active monastery and one of the most important in western Bhutan. The valley below is good walking country, with wide meadow paths, traditional Bhutanese farmhouses, and, in the right season, cranes in the grass. Return to Paro in the evening.

Stay: Wangdi or Paro Hotel

Day 9 Fly to Kathmandu

Morning flight from Paro back to Kathmandu, with the same approach in reverse. Transfer to your hotel for one night in the city before the drive south tomorrow.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Days 10 to 11 Chitwan National Park The Wild Terai

148 kilometers south of Kathmandu, the hills flatten out, the air gets heavier, and terraced rice paddies give way to dense subtropical jungle. This is the Terai, the lowland strip along Nepal's southern border, and Chitwan is its best-known park. The park covers 952 square kilometers and holds one of the last populations of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in Asia, along with Bengal tigers, sloth bears, gharial crocodiles, four species of deer, and over 500 recorded bird species. Day Ten begins with a Tharu welcome at the jungle resort: a stick dance that has been part of Tharu village life for generations. Day Eleven is spent in the field, in a dugout canoe on the Rapti River, gliding past gharials basking on the banks and flocks of birds in the riverside forest, and on a jeep safari into the tall grass where rhinos feed in the morning. In the evenings you can hear the jungle from the resort.

Stay: Jungle Resort, Sauraha

Day 12 Pokhara The Dream Land

Drive west from Chitwan to Pokhara, Nepal's second city. Pokhara sits beside Phewa Lake at 800 meters, low enough to be warm and green and high enough for a clear view of the Annapurna massif. On clear mornings, Machapuchare and Annapurna South are reflected in the lake. Phewa Lake is 4 kilometers long, and the small Barahi Temple stands on an island you reach by rowboat. Davis Falls drops into a limestone cavern beside the road south of the city. The Tibetan refugee settlement nearby, founded after 1959, is still a working community that makes traditional Tibetan rugs and crafts. The walk up to Sarangkot for sunrise means an early start, but it is one of the best-known viewpoints in Nepal.

Stay: Lakeside Hotel, Pokhara

Day 13 The Emerald Return Trisuli Rafting

The drive from Pokhara back to Kathmandu follows the Trisuli River for a long stretch, and it is a beautiful river: fast, green, and cutting through forested gorges. The optional two-hour rafting session mixes calm stretches with Class III rapids. You need no rafting experience; experienced captains and safety crews handle the water. A riverside lunch follows before the last stretch into Kathmandu.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 14 Final Departure

Breakfast at the hotel, then a private transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international departure.

Stay: International Departure

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays trip is fully supported. Here is what that means on this one.

Accommodation and Meals

• Kathmandu and Pokhara: Premium hotels in both cities.
• Bhutan: Boutique hotels in Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha, and in Wangdi or Paro for the valley nights.
• Chitwan: A jungle resort stay at Sauraha, including Tharu cultural performances.

Leadership and Logistics

• Nepal Guides: Professional English-speaking guides for all cultural, heritage, and wildlife touring in Nepal.
• Bhutanese Representative: A dedicated Bhutanese guide and host from your arrival at Paro Airport until you leave.
• Rafting Crew: Experienced captains and safety crew for the optional Trisuli River rafting.

Transport and Experiences

• Regional Flights: Return flights between Kathmandu and Paro on Druk Air.
• Private Vehicles: All ground transfers in Nepal and Bhutan in private vehicles.
• Tiger's Nest Horse Ride: A horse for the lower section of the hike toward the Taktsang viewpoint, arranged for you.
• Wildlife Fees: All entry permits for Chitwan National Park and for Bhutanese dzongs and monasteries.

What Is Not Included

• Bhutanese and Nepalese entry visa fees
• Bhutan Sustainable Development Fee, charged per night as required by the government
• Personal trekking and rafting gear
• Comprehensive travel insurance, which is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation. We can recommend providers.
• Tips for guides, drivers, and safari mahouts
• Personal expenses and optional activities not listed above
• Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Highlights

Taktsang Monastery, the Tiger's Nest

A monastery built onto a granite cliff 900 meters above the valley floor, at the cave where Guru Padmasambhava meditated in the 8th century. The hike to the viewpoint takes two hours, and the monastery has been a pilgrimage site for over a thousand years.

Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong was built in 1637 where the Male and Female rivers meet. It has served as Bhutan's winter capital for centuries and is often called the most beautiful fortress monastery in the country. The building you see today was rebuilt after a series of fires, but the setting is the original: a white-walled palace of monks and government ministers, with water on three sides and mountains behind.

Chitwan National Park

One of Asia's best-known wildlife sanctuaries, home to the one-horned rhinoceros, the Bengal tiger, and over 500 species of birds. A canoe on the Rapti River in the early morning, gliding quietly past crocodiles and kingfishers, is as close to untouched nature as most travelers get. The jeep safari takes you into the tall grass where the rhinos feed.

Sarangkot Sunrise

From the hilltop above Pokhara, the Annapurna massif and Dhaulagiri fill the horizon at dawn, turning from deep blue to orange to white as the sun comes up over the ranges to the east. It is one of the best-known viewpoints in Nepal, and on a clear morning it lives up to that.

The Trisuli River

The drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu follows one of Nepal's prettiest rivers, fast and green through forested gorges. The optional two-hour rafting session needs no experience and mixes calm stretches with real rapids.