12-Day Royal Trek, Chitwan and Pokhara Nepal Tour

12 Days Across Nepal's Most Varied Landscape

Days 1 to 2  |  Kathmandu

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport and spend two days in the Kathmandu Valley. The medieval Durbar Squares of Kathmandu and Patan, Swayambhunath on its hilltop above the city, Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River, and the historic town of Kirtipur, one of the oldest settlements in the valley. The cultural foundation for a country that the rest of the trip moves through.

Days 3 to 4  |  Chitwan

Drive south through the Terai hills to Chitwan National Park. Two nights in the jungle with elephant-back safaris through the tall grass, a dugout canoe on the Rapti River past gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles, and Tharu tribal dance in the evening. One of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in Asia, home to the one-horned rhinoceros, the Royal Bengal tiger, and over 500 species of birds.

Day 5  |  Pokhara

Drive west to Pokhara, Nepal's lakeside city at the foot of the Annapurna range. First views of Machhapuchhre, the sacred Fish Tail peak that has never been climbed, from the shores of Lake Phewa.

Days 6 to 9  |  The Skyline Trek

The Royal Trek begins north of Pokhara, climbing from flat paddy fields to the ridge village of Kalikasthan and continuing through dense forest to Shaklung, a traditional Gurung settlement. The Chisopani viewpoint at 1,990 meters delivers the panorama: Annapurna II, Lamjung Himal, Manaslu, and Himalchuli across the northern horizon. Descend stone staircases through rice terraces to Begnas Tal, the quieter lake east of Pokhara.

Days 10 to 12  |  Pokhara and Kathmandu

A full day in Pokhara: sunrise at Sarangkot, a boat on Phewa Lake, the lakeside restaurants. Then the drive or flight back to Kathmandu for the final evening in Thamel before international departure.

Day by Day

Days 1 to 2  Kathmandu  Ancient Traditions and Sacred Sites

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport at 1,350 meters and transfer to your hotel with a traditional Sherpa welcome. The city orientation covers the days ahead and the cultural context that makes the rest of the journey meaningful. The evening is for Thamel: the traveler's quarter of Kathmandu, dense with gear shops, bookstores, thangka galleries, and restaurants that have been feeding expeditions since the 1970s.

Day Two is a full circuit of the valley's most significant sites. Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, where the painted eyes of the Buddha have watched over Kathmandu from their hilltop stupa since at least the 5th century. Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River, the most sacred Hindu site in Nepal, where the cremation ghats have operated continuously on the same riverbank for centuries. Patan Durbar Square, the finest collection of medieval Newari architecture in the valley, with its bronze statues, stone temples, and royal palace courtyards. The historic town of Kirtipur, on a ridge southwest of Kathmandu, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the valley and home to a community that resisted the unification of Nepal under Prithvi Narayan Shah longer than any other.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Days 3 to 4  Chitwan National Park  Lowland Adventures

Drive south from Kathmandu through the Terai hills, descending from 1,350 meters to the flat subtropical lowlands in roughly five hours. The temperature rises noticeably on the descent and the vegetation shifts from hill terraces to dense riverine forest as the road approaches Chitwan National Park. The park covers 932 square kilometers of grassland, riverine forest, and wetland habitat along the Rapti and Narayani rivers, and holds one of the last healthy populations of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in Asia, along with Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and over 500 recorded bird species.

The elephant-back safari moves through the tall grass in the early morning when rhinos are most active. Adult male rhinos can weigh over 2,000 kilograms and at close range from elephant back the scale is genuinely surprising. The dugout canoe on the Rapti River moves quietly past the sandbanks where gharial crocodiles bask in the morning sun. The gharial is critically endangered across South Asia; the Rapti is one of the few rivers where it still maintains a population. The Royal Bengal tiger is present in the park. Sightings depend on the forest, the season, and the particular morning. The evening Tharu cultural program presents the stick dance, a martial art form that has been part of Tharu community life in the Terai for generations.

Stay: Jungle Safari Lodge, Sauraha

Day 5  Pokhara  Gateway to the Annapurnas

Drive west from Chitwan to Pokhara along the highway that follows the Narayani River before climbing back into the foothills. Pokhara sits at 827 meters beside Phewa Lake, with the Annapurna massif and Machhapuchhre rising directly above the water. Machhapuchhre, the Fish Tail peak, is sacred and has never been permitted for summit attempts by the Nepalese government. Its double-pointed silhouette is one of the most immediately recognizable in Nepal and its reflection in Phewa Lake on a still evening is the image most associated with Pokhara. Settle into the lakeside hotel and take the afternoon at your own pace. The trekking gear is checked and the start point confirmed for tomorrow morning.

Stay: Pokhara Lakeside Hotel

Days 6 to 9  The Skyline Trek  Pokhara to Begnas Tal

The Royal Trek begins north of Pokhara on a trail that rises from flat paddy fields into the middle hills of the Pokhara Valley. The first section crosses irrigated rice and wheat terraces, moving through small farming settlements where the landscape looks much as it has for generations. The climb to Kalikasthan, a ridge village above the valley floor, takes roughly three to four hours and brings the first open views south to the Pokhara basin and north to the lower ridges of the Annapurna foothills.

The trail continues through dense forest along the ridge to Shaklung, a traditional Gurung village at moderate elevation. The Gurung people have lived in the hills north and east of Pokhara for centuries, and their communities on this trail are genuine rather than touristic: farming families, community temples, terraced fields worked by hand. The Gurung reputation for hospitality is not marketing. It is cultural fact, rooted in a tradition of welcoming travelers that predates modern tourism by several hundred years.

The Chisopani viewpoint at 1,990 meters is the highest point of the trek and the place Prince Charles's party camped during the 1980 visit that gave the trail its name. The panorama from here is the payoff for four days of walking: Annapurna II at 7,937 meters, Lamjung Himal at 6,986 meters, Manaslu at 8,163 meters, and Himalchuli at 7,893 meters across the northern horizon, with the full Dhaulagiri massif visible to the west on clear mornings. The Annapurna range from this angle shows its full east-west extent in a way that is not possible from Pokhara itself. Descend on the final day via stone staircases through rice paddies to the shores of Begnas Tal, the larger and quieter of the two lakes east of Pokhara, where the trail ends at the water's edge.

Stay: Traditional Teahouses

Days 10 to 11  Pokhara  Lakeside and Sarangkot

Return to Pokhara and a full day to move at the city's natural pace. The early morning walk to Sarangkot hill takes roughly an hour from the lakeside and arrives at the viewpoint in time for sunrise over the Annapurna range and Dhaulagiri. The light hits the upper faces of the peaks before the valley is lit, moving through orange and gold to white in roughly twenty minutes. A rowing boat on Phewa Lake, the small Barahi Temple on its island, Davis Falls in the afternoon. The lakeside restaurants in the evening are the right place to end a trekking trip: warm, unhurried, with the mountains still visible above the rooftops.

Stay: Pokhara Lakeside Hotel

Day 12  Return to Kathmandu and Departure

Drive or fly back to Kathmandu, a four-hour road journey following the river highway through the Himalayan foothills, or a 40-minute mountain flight with views of the ranges below. The final evening in Thamel: the last walk through the market, the bookstore, the restaurant that was good on the first night and is good again now. Private transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for international departure. Twelve days. Kathmandu's medieval valley, Chitwan's jungle, Pokhara's lake, the ridge walk that a future king once took quietly above the city, and two different lakes at the end of it.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel then International Departure

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays journey is fully supported. Here is what that covers for this trip.

Accommodation and Meals

• Kathmandu and Pokhara: Hotel accommodations on a twin-sharing bed and breakfast basis.
• Trekking Section: 3 nights in hand-selected teahouses and mountain lodges on the Skyline route.
• Chitwan: 2 nights in a well-appointed safari lodge within the Chitwan region.
• Full Board on Trek and Safari: All meals during the trekking and Chitwan sections: breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout.

Leadership and Logistics

• Licensed Guide: Dedicated English-speaking guide for the full 12 days, covering cultural sites, jungle safaris, and the trek.
• Sherpa Support: Professional porters for all luggage management during the trekking section.
• Pre-Trek Briefings: Comprehensive safety and route briefings before each section.

Transport and Logistics

• Private Transfers: All airport pickups, drops, and overland travel in private comfortable vehicles.
• Pokhara Return: Scenic drive or optional 40-minute mountain flight between Pokhara and Kathmandu.
• Permits and Fees: All sightseeing entry fees, national park permits, and conservation area fees covered.

What Is Not Included

• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Nepal entry visa fees
• Lunch and dinner while in Kathmandu
• Specialized trekking clothing and personal medications
• Travel and emergency evacuation insurance. We can recommend providers.
• Tips for guides and porters
• Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Moments That Define This Trip

The Chisopani Panorama

The viewpoint at 1,990 meters on the Skyline Ridge delivers an unobstructed panorama of Annapurna II, Lamjung Himal, Manaslu, and Himalchuli across the northern horizon, with Dhaulagiri visible to the west on clear mornings. This is the viewpoint that Prince Charles camped beside in 1980, and from which the trail takes its name. At under 2,000 meters it is accessible to most travelers and the view is not a reduced version of what higher trails offer. It is the full Annapurna range, seen from a ridge that most Pokhara visitors never reach.

Gurung Village Life on the Ridge

The trail from Kalikasthan to Shaklung passes through Gurung communities that have been farming these ridges for centuries, long before the trek became known as royal. The Gurung people are one of Nepal's most significant hill communities, known historically for Gurkha military service and culturally for a hospitality that is neither performed nor commercial. Walking through their villages is not a cultural tour. It is a walk through a functioning community where travelers have been welcome since long before anyone named the trail after a visiting dignitary.

Chitwan at Ground Level

An elephant-back safari through the tall grass of Chitwan in the early morning, when one-horned rhinos graze within close range and the forest is quiet enough to hear them move. A dugout canoe on the Rapti River past gharial crocodiles on the sandbanks. The evening Tharu stick dance in the lodge compound. Chitwan is one of Asia's finest wildlife sanctuaries and the combination of elephant safari and river canoe covers both the grassland and the riverine habitats where the park's most significant species concentrate.

Begnas Tal

The trail descends to Begnas Tal, the larger and less visited of the two lakes east of Pokhara, where the stone staircases end at the water's edge and the Annapurna foothills are reflected in the lake. Begnas Tal sees a fraction of the visitors that Phewa Lake attracts and has the particular calm of a place that has not been organized for tourism. Arriving there at the end of four days of ridge walking is one of those endings that feels exactly right.

The Royal History of the Trail

In 1980, Prince Charles trekked this ridgeline above Pokhara with a small group, staying in the villages and camping at the Chisopani viewpoint. The trail acquired the name Royal Trek afterward, though the route itself was walked by Gurung farmers and their animals for generations before any royal visitor arrived. The history adds a layer to a trail that did not need it. The views were there long before the name.