Patan Durbar Square in the Kathmandu valley, the stone Krishna Mandir between carved pagoda temples, people resting on the steps

27.72° N 85.32° E · 1,400 m

Nepal

Kathmandu's temples, the Everest flight, and the far side of the same mountains.

Jwajalapa ज्वजलपा Newar. Hello. The Newar greeting of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur

Plan Nepal with us Read the guide

In short

What is Nepal, and who is it for?

Nepal keeps three old royal cities within an hour of each other and the Himalaya close enough to see before breakfast.

Written in the Darjeeling hills by the Darjeeling Trips designers · Updated September 2026

Altitude
1,400 m
Getting there
Bagdogra (IXB), 43 km by road to Bhadrapur (BDP) via Kakarbhitta, then a 45-minute flight
Best months
October to November, March to April
Give it
3 to 4 nights
Best for
Newar old cities, living Hindu and Buddhist ritual, the Everest flight
Spoken
Nepali, Newar (Nepal Bhasa), Tibetan, Hindi, English
Permits
Indian citizens need no visa, only a valid passport or original Voter ID; the Indian Embassy says Aadhaar, PAN and driving licences are not accepted for air travel. Other nationals take a visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport or at Kakarbhitta: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30, US$125 for 90.

The name

काठमाडौँ

Kasthamandap: the wooden pavilion that gave the city its name

Kathmandu is named for Kasthamandap, a timber pavilion in Durbar Square said to be built from a single tree, with parts dating to the 7th century. The Newars, the valley's indigenous people, still call their city Yen.

Kathmandu, written in Nepali

Kathmandu is a ninety-minute flight from Bagdogra, or a long and beautiful day by road through the Terai. We use it to extend a Darjeeling journey with Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, the old royal squares of Patan and Bhaktapur, a mountain flight along the Everest range, and, for those with more time, Pokhara and the Annapurna foothills.

The road up

126 m to 1,338 m, 340 km in about 3.3 hours

About 1.5 h by road over the Mechi bridge at Kakarbhitta to Bhadrapur, then a 45 min Buddha Air flight. Or fly nonstop to Kathmandu from Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.

  1. Bagdogra airport (IXB)126 m · 0 km
  2. Mechi bridge, Panitanki to Kakarbhitta border142 m · 22 km · 0.8 h
  3. Bhadrapur (BDP)91 m · 43 km · 1.5 h
  4. Kathmandu, Tribhuvan Airport (KTM)1,338 m · 340 km · 3.3 h
  5. Bhaktapur Durbar Square1,401 m · 350 km · 3.8 h
  6. Nagarkot, for the Himalaya at dawn2,195 m · 368 km · 4.5 h
Altitudes and distances rounded. Times are for a private car in dry weather, without stops.

Nepal in six scenes

How a stay here actually unfolds

  1. The Everest massif seen from an aircraft, snow ridges rising above a layer of cloud under a clear blue sky Andreas Gäbler

    06:15 · Along the Himalaya, east of Kathmandu

    Everest at your window before breakfast

    The car collects you at 05:15 for the domestic terminal at Tribhuvan, while the valley is still grey and the city is only just starting. Buddha Air fills its Everest Experience half, so every passenger has a window. The flight runs along the wall of the range rather than over it: Everest stands about 32 km off the glass, a line of summits at eye level rather than one peak seen from above. You are back at your hotel in time for breakfast. The whole morning, hour by hour, is on Everest by Air.

  2. A potter's clay-covered hands shaping a grey pot on a spinning wheel in Pottery Square, Bhaktapur Kerensa Pickett

    09:00 · Pottery Square, Bhaktapur, 1,401 m

    Wet clay, a spinning wheel and five roofs from 1702

    Locals call it Kumha Tole or Talakwo, a square of potters a few minutes' walk from Durbar Square. Wheels turn at ground level, and the centre of the square fills with rows of water jars, lamps and bowls drying in the sun. There is a pottery training centre on the square, and we book you a turn at the wheel. Then walk to Taumadhi, where the Nyatapola rises five roofs above its plinths, completed in July 1702 and guarded up the stairs by wrestlers, elephants, lions, griffins and two goddesses. It stood through the earthquakes of 1934 and 2015.

  3. Boudhanath stupa's white dome and gilded spire under blue sky, pilgrims blurred in motion around its base Meghraj Neupane

    Day 2, 07:00 · Boudhanath, Kathmandu

    The morning kora at Boudha, walked clockwise

    Come at seven, while Boudha still belongs to the people who live around it. Monks in maroon, grandmothers counting beads and men on their way to work all walk the kora clockwise, one hand running along the prayer wheels set into the base, and somebody will be measuring the whole circuit in prostrations while nobody stares. Butter lamps burn in the shrine rooms, the pigeons lift off the dome in one sheet and settle again, and the tea shops on the ring fill with Tibetan bread. Ask your guide which of the monasteries above the shops belongs to which school, and how the families in this lane came to be here. By the middle of the morning it is a monument again. What the stupa is, and what the 2015 earthquake did to its spire, are on Footsteps of the Buddha.

  4. Priests in orange raise flaming brass lamps during the evening aarti at Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Manish Ratna Buddhacharya

    Day 2, 17:30 · Pashupatinath, on the Bagmati

    Three priests, brass lamps and the river at dusk

    Nepal's great Shiva temple stands on the Bagmati, and who goes where depends on faith rather than ticket class: Hindu guests go in for darshan with your guide and Indian nationals pay nothing at the gate, while everyone else follows the river bank. Bells sound from the courtyards, there is sandalwood and marigold in the air, monkeys work the temple roofs, and the Bagmati runs low and grey between the stone steps. Below the temple, pyres may be burning on the ghats: this is a working cremation ground, not a viewing platform, so the camera stays down. Who may enter, and what it costs, is in the questions below; the evening lamps and where to sit for them are on Three Royal Cities.

  5. The gilded roofs and carved struts of the Golden Temple at Kwa Baha in Patan, pigeons resting along the eaves Aman Shrestha / Unsplash

    Day 3, 06:30 · Manga Hiti and Kwa Baha, Patan

    Water that has not stopped since 570

    The car crosses the Bagmati before the traffic wakes. At Manga Hiti, the sunken stone court beside Patan Durbar Square, carved spouts have run since 570, and the neighbourhood still comes down at first light to fill brass vessels and wash. Sit on the step and watch the order of it: who fills first, who waits, who talks to whom. Then Kwa Baha, the Golden Temple, a Buddhist courtyard of gilt metal and tortoises kept as guardians, where the priest who performs the morning puja is a boy under twelve, serving his thirty days. You are back at the hotel for breakfast by 07:45, before the square is a monument again.

  6. Grain drying in piles on sheets in the square at Khokana, two women resting on the step of a whitewashed house Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz / Pexels

    Day 3, 14:30 · Bungamati and Khokana, south of Patan

    The rain god's other house, and the smell of mustard

    Two Newar villages a few minutes' walk apart, a short drive south of Patan and almost never on an itinerary. Bungamati is the home of Rato Machhindranath, the valley's rain god, who spends half of each year in the village and half in Patan; the chariot that crosses Patan each spring is built at Pulchowk, and only in the twelve-yearly jatra is it built here. In Khokana, families press mustard oil in wooden presses, and the smell reaches you before the lane does; the town has been working to keep the trade alive as cheaper oils arrive. Grain still dries in both squares. Go on a working weekday rather than a festival day and you may well have both squares to yourselves.

Beyond the valley

Three places worth the extra nights

Nepal is not only Kathmandu, and half our Nepal journeys leave the valley. Here is what each of the three adds, and what it asks of your week.

Machhapuchhre's fishtail summit and the Annapurna snows mirrored in the still water of Phewa Lake
Nishess Shakya / Pexels
A Newar meal on a leaf plate: beaten rice, black soybeans, greens, spiced meat, pulses and pickle
समय् बजि

The taste of Nepal

Samay baji, the Newar festival platter

Samay baji is what Newar families eat at every puja and festival, from Indra Jatra to Dashain and Tihar. Beaten rice sits at the centre, ringed by fried black soybeans, ginger, a lentil pancake called bara, spiced buffalo meat called chhwela, boiled egg and fried fish, with a small cup of aila, the rice spirit. It began as farmers' food, carried to the fields and eaten cold at midday. We ask the family we work with to lay it out on leaf plates, and for vegetarian guests to leave out the meat, the egg and the fish.

A Newar family kitchen in Patan or Bhaktapur, on leaf plates, best in festival weeks

Words to carry

Three words that open doors

Spoken here: Nepali, Newar (Nepal Bhasa), Tibetan, Hindi, English. These three are Newar.

  • सुभाय् Subhay say soo-BHAI Thank you, in the old language of the valley Newar
  • राम्रो छ Ramro chha say RAHM-roh chhuh It is beautiful. Said of a view, a meal, a courtyard. Nepali
  • हजुर Hajur say huh-JOOR Yes, with respect. Asked with a lift, it means pardon. Nepali

When to go

Nepal, month by month

March, October and November rate best here. July: Wettest month, about 380 mm, small aircraft slip.

  1. Jan Average low 3 °C, high 19 °C. Good 3 °C mornings, valley fog, clear dry afternoons
  2. Feb Average low 5 °C, high 22 °C. Good Dry and bright, the cleanest mountain mornings of winter
  3. Mar Average low 9 °C, high 26 °C. Best Warm walking days; Shivaratri at Pashupati on 6 Mar 2027
  4. Apr Average low 12 °C, high 29 °C. Good Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur about 14 Apr, hazy 29 °C afternoons
  5. May Average low 16 °C, high 29 °C. Quiet Hot, storms building; Buddha Jayanti on 20 May 2027
  6. Jun Average low 19 °C, high 30 °C. Monsoon Monsoon arrives, about 240 mm of rain
  7. Jul Average low 20 °C, high 29 °C. Monsoon Wettest month, about 380 mm, small aircraft slip
  8. Aug Average low 20 °C, high 29 °C. Monsoon Heavy rain, green valley, Gai Jatra and Teej
  9. Sep Average low 19 °C, high 29 °C. Monsoon Rain easing; Indra Jatra, the Kumari's chariot, 25 Sep 2026
  10. Oct Average low 14 °C, high 27 °C. Best Skies clear; Dashain Tika on 21 Oct 2026, peaks return
  11. Nov Average low 8 °C, high 24 °C. Best Driest stretch; Tihar 7 to 11 Nov, Mha Puja 10 Nov 2026
  12. Dec Average low 4 °C, high 20 °C. Good 4 °C nights; Yomari Punhi on 24 Dec 2026, crisp days

BestGoodQuietMonsoon Average daily low and high, °C · source

The valley's own year

Festivals the valley keeps for itself

The valley's year is crowded with them, and most move with the lunar calendar. These are the dates we have checked, and the ones worth shifting nights for.

A white dog wearing a marigold garland and a red tika for Kukur Tihar, sitting in sunlit grass in Nepal
Sushil Basnet / Unsplash
  1. Mar
    • Maha ShivaratriPashupatinath, Kathmandu

      6 March 2027. Sadhus walk in from India, fires burn along the Bagmati and the temple stays open through the night. Hindu guests can join the darshan queue, and it is a long one, so we go before dawn.

  2. Apr
    • Bisket JatraTaumadhi, Bhaktapur

      Around 14 April, the solar new year. The upper and lower towns haul Bhairava's chariot against one another, and a 25 m pole goes up with red banners on it. Bhaktapur's own week, and a rough, joyful one.

    • Rato MachhindranathPulchowk to Jawalakhel, Patan

      The rain god's chariot, about 60 ft of timber and rope, is built at Pulchowk at the west end of Patan and pulled through the old town over about a month, ending at Jawalakhel with Bhoto Jatra, where a jewelled waistcoat is shown to the crowd on all four sides.

  3. May
    • Buddha JayantiLumbini, Boudha and Swayambhu

      20 May 2027, the full moon of the Buddha's birth, his awakening and his death. Lumbini's Sacred Garden fills with pilgrims and the valley's stupas are ringed with butter lamps after dark.

  4. Sep
    • Indra JatraKathmandu Durbar Square

      25 September 2026, and 14 September 2027. The Yosin pole goes up at Hanuman Dhoka, the Kumari is pulled through the old city in her chariot, Lakhe dancers work the lanes in red masks, and the gilded mask of Swet Bhairav is uncovered for the eight days.

  5. Oct
    • DashainAcross the valley

      In 2026 the fortnight opens on 11 October, and the tika is given on 21 October. Offices and many shops shut for a week, the squares empty of locals and fill with families home from abroad, and flights are full.

  6. Nov
    • Tihar and Mha PujaAsan, Indra Chowk and every Newar home

      7 to 11 November 2026. Dogs are garlanded and given tika on 8 November, lamps go out for Laxmi that evening, then Mha Puja and the Newar new year of Nepal Sambat 1147 on 10 November, and Bhai Tika on 11 November.

  7. Dec
    • Yomari PunhiNewar kitchens, valley-wide

      24 December 2026, the full moon of Thinla. New-harvest rice flour is shaped like a fish, filled with cane sugar and sesame and steamed. Ask the kitchen at your house to let you try shaping one; yours will leak.

June to September

What the monsoon actually does here

The rain comes in the afternoon and at night more than through the day, and July carries most of it. What it costs you is the mountain. The range goes for weeks at a time, the Everest flight is often held or cancelled, and the small aircraft to Bhadrapur, Bhairahawa and Pokhara slip by hours; Gautam Buddha airport at Bhairahawa needs 1,800 m of visibility to work at all. On the hill roads, landslides are a real risk rather than a rumour, and the way up from the Terai can close after a heavy night.

What you get instead is the valley as its own. Bhaktapur's brick goes dark red in the rain, the terraces below Dhulikhel and Panauti are flooded and being planted, August has its own processions, and the squares belong to their neighbours again rather than to coaches. Room rates fall, and the houses we like have space.

If you come in these months we keep you in the valley and on its rim rather than on mountain roads, put nothing unmissable on your last day, leave a spare morning for any flight, and tell you plainly that the mountain may not show at all.

Brick and timber temples around the paved court of Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a woman in red walking past
Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz / Pexels

Solved before you arrive

What nobody warns you about in Nepal, and what we do about it

What costs visitors a day in Kathmandu, and how we get it back.

  1. The problem

    The Everest flight is cancelled for cloud, and it was the reason you came

    What we do

    We book Buddha Air's Everest Experience for your first full morning, never your last, so a cloudy dawn leaves spare mornings to try again; the airline reschedules or refunds when the range is hidden. October and November give the clearest skies. In the weeks after Christmas the risk is not the mountain but Kathmandu's own runway, where dawn fog can hold the first departures even when the range is clear; Everest by Air sets out how we work around it. Nagarkot, about 2,200 m, is the ground alternative: Langtang and Gauri Shankar fill it, and Everest is a small point far to the east on the clearest mornings, so we offer it as a bonus and not as a substitute.

  2. The problem

    Kathmandu traffic can eat half a day between Patan, Boudha and Bhaktapur

    What we do

    We plan by geography, not by list. Boudha and Pashupatinath sit close together on the east side of the city, so they share a day, and we base you at Dwarika's in Battisputali, a short drive from both. Bhaktapur gets its own early morning and Patan another. A car and driver are with you through the valley days, and the guide deals with tickets at every gate while you walk in.

  3. The problem

    Darjeeling to Kathmandu looks like a whole day lost to borders and connections

    What we do

    It is shorter than it looks. From Bagdogra our car reaches the Mechi bridge at Kakarbhitta in under an hour. Indian guests cross with a passport or Voter ID; other nationals take the Nepal visa on arrival at the border. A Nepal-registered car and our guide wait on the far side for the 21 km to Bhadrapur, where Buddha Air lists five flights a day to Kathmandu. The route hour by hour is in Getting here.

  4. The problem

    Your parents want to see Everest, but a 3,880 m breakfast worries their doctor

    What we do

    A helicopter breakfast at Hotel Everest View puts you at 3,880 m, inside Sagarmatha National Park, with no time to acclimatise after the valley's 1,400 m. We ask each guest's doctor before we book it, keep the stop short, and fly early. For anyone advised against altitude, the Buddha Air flight shows Everest from a pressurised, seated cabin in an hour, and Nagarkot shows the range from a hotel terrace.

  5. The problem

    Which Indian notes work in Nepal, and will your UPI apps pay?

    What we do

    Under rules the Reserve Bank of India and Nepal Rastra Bank settled in 2025 and 2026, Indian travellers may carry ₹200 and ₹500 notes up to ₹25,000 a person, and notes of ₹100 and below in any amount; ₹2,000 notes are still refused. UPI apps such as PhonePe and BHIM pay at shops showing a Fonepay QR code, though a stall in Asan may not have one. Our guide carries Nepali rupees for tips, offerings and small stalls, and we settle it in your final account.

  6. The problem

    A heritage walk turns into a lecture of dates in the midday sun

    What we do

    We pair you with a guide from the valley's own Newar towns and give each place its hour. Bhaktapur is best early, when potters are at the wheel and the curd shops are opening. Patan is for dawn at the water spouts, Boudha for the morning kora, Pashupatinath for dusk. Two sites a day, then back to the pool and the courtyard. If a festival is on we build the day around it rather than avoid it, and tell you honestly how full the squares get.

Where we would put you

The right house matters more than the town

Room types and rates are confirmed for your dates in your quote.

  1. A carved Newar door with an iron bolt and wooden lock at the Dwarika's hotel in Kathmandu
    A rescued Newar door at the Dwarika's, carved lattice, iron bolt and wooden lock.simonsimages, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    01

    The Dwarika's Hotel

    Heritage hotel · Battisputali, Kathmandu · Michelin Key, 2025

    Built around Newar carving rescued from demolished Kathmandu houses since 1952. A museum you sleep in, a short drive from Pashupatinath and Boudha.

    Ask for A room facing the inner brick courtyards, and dinner at Krishnarpan, the Nepali restaurant, on your first night

  2. Ridges above a sea of cloud at Gosaithan near Dhulikhel in Nepal in black and white
    Cloud filling the valley below the Dhulikhel ridge, the country the Sanctuary keeps its slow days in.Jeevan Katel / Unsplash
    02

    Dwarika's Sanctuary, Dhulikhel

    Wellness retreat · Dhulikhel · all-inclusive, three nights or more

    The former Dwarika's Resort, about an hour from Kathmandu on terraced farmland with Himalayan viewpoints. For slow days of spa, yoga and farm food.

    Ask for Plan three nights at least, the minimum since January 2026, and ask for a suite facing the snow peaks

  3. Kathmandu rooftops in afternoon haze, monastery roofs in front and the city climbing the ridge beyond
    Central Kathmandu from the roofs. The hotel keeps its own walled garden on the Baber Mahal grounds.Roman Saienko / Pexels
    03

    Baber Mahal Vilas

    Heritage boutique hotel · Baber Mahal Revisited, Kathmandu

    A small hotel on the grounds of the Baber Mahal palace, built and run by descendants of the Rana family. Central, walled and quiet.

    Ask for A Royal Suite, and a dinner at Baithak, the house restaurant

    • BathroomRoyal Suites have large bathrooms with tubs
  4. The snow covered Annapurna range rising above wooded ridges and rooftops at Pokhara in Nepal
    The Annapurna wall over the Pokhara valley, the horizon the ridge verandas face.Chhabiraj Adhikari / Pexels
    04

    Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge

    Ridge lodge · cottages with verandas · 300 m above the Pokhara valley

    Half an hour from Pokhara on a ridge facing the Annapurna range. Add two nights after Kathmandu for walks, birds and mountain light; its own introduction gives its season as mid September to mid June.

    Ask for A cottage with an open view to the Annapurnas, and your first tea on the veranda at sunrise

  5. The painted coffered ceiling and chandelier of the Lal Durbar at the Yak and Yeti, Kathmandu
    The Lal Durbar ceiling at the Yak and Yeti, the 1885 Rana palace the hotel is built around.Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
    05

    Hotel Yak & Yeti

    City hotel · Durbar Marg · in the grounds of a Rana palace

    In the middle of the city, built around Lal Durbar, the palace Bir Shumsher Rana raised in 1885, where Boris Lissanevitch ran his restaurant before the hotel itself opened in 1977.

    Ask for A Heritage Deluxe room on the garden side; it is about 20 minutes to the domestic terminal for a dawn flight.

  6. A white stupa with a golden spire and offering scarves against blue sky at Dhulikhel, Nepal
    A stupa on the Dhulikhel ridge, the quiet the resort keeps three kilometres from Namo Buddha.Stan Tuladhar / Unsplash
    06

    Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort Dhulikhel

    Ridge resort · 72 rooms · Patlekhet, Dhulikhel

    An hour east of the airport on the valley rim, 3 km from Namo Buddha, with balconies and an infinity pool facing the snow line.

    Ask for A Deluxe Himalayan View room of 47 sq m with a balcony and a bath, and two nights rather than one, so a hazy first morning is not the only one you get.

  7. The eyes and prayer flags of the Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu with pigeons on its dome
    Boudhanath at close quarters, seven minutes on foot from the house door.Prajjwal Chettri / Pexels
    07

    Shambaling Boutique Hotel

    Tibetan-style house · seven minutes' walk from Boudhanath

    A 1970s guest house for Tibetan pilgrims, restored over two years, with a meditation room and rooms facing the monastery.

    Ask for A Deluxe Room facing the monastery, and the 06:30 walk down to the stupa before the shops open.

  8. The white Maya Devi temple above the ancient brick ruins of the sacred garden at Lumbini
    The Maya Devi temple and its brick ruins, five minutes on foot from the hotel.Arun Baral / Pexels
    08

    Buddha Maya Gardens, Lumbini

    Garden hotel · five minutes' walk from the Sacred Garden

    The nearest good house to the Maya Devi temple, with a pool for the hot hours. The rooms are plain for the price, and we say so before you book.

    Ask for A Super Deluxe Room with a balcony over the garden, and two nights so you see the Sacred Garden at dusk and at opening.

In a temple or a courtyard

Temple manners in the valley

Most of the places you will walk into are working shrines in somebody's neighbourhood, not monuments. Your guide handles the rest; these six are worth knowing before the first gate.

  • Shoes off, leather left behindShoes come off at every shrine door, and at Pashupatinath leather belts, bags and jackets are not allowed inside the main complex at all. Leave them in the car rather than argue at the gate.
  • Clockwise round everythingStupas, temples and prayer wheels are walked clockwise, at Boudha as at Swayambhu, and the prayer wheels are turned with the right hand. Follow the family in front of you and you will not go wrong.
  • No camera inside, and none at a cremationPhotography is not allowed inside sanctums or during rituals. The ghats at Pashupatinath are technically open to a camera, but a cremation is a family's worst day: put it away, and never move closer for a better frame.
  • Offerings are not propsFlowers, vermilion, lamps, coins and prasad on a shrine are somebody's puja, mid-ritual. Do not lift them, do not step over anything laid on the ground, and do not sit on a temple plinth that is in use.
  • Ask before a faceA courtyard is a home as much as a monument. Ask before photographing a priest, a woman filling her vessel at a stone spout or a family at puja, and take a no for an answer.
  • Dress for a temple, not a terraceShoulders and knees covered at Pashupatinath and in any working courtyard, and nothing to smoke or drink inside a temple precinct. Your guide carries a spare scarf for the morning that turns into a temple visit.

Journeys through Nepal

What each journey does in Nepal

All Nepal journeys
Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna range catching first gold light above dark foothills, Nepal Walking journey, Nepal 7 nights

Kathmandu, Pokhara and the Annapurnas

Kathmandu3Pokhara3Kathmandu1

7 nights here at The Dwarika's Hotel, day 2: boudha's morning circuit, then Vishnu asleep at Budhanilkantha

October to early December, February to April from₹2,50,000
A rounded hill of tea bushes crowned by tall conifers in a Mirik tea garden, Darjeeling hills, framed by fir branches Two countries, one language 8 nights

Across the Mechi: Darjeeling to Kathmandu

Darjeeling3Kathmandu3Dhulikhel2

5 nights here at The Dwarika's Hotel, day 4: down to the Mechi, over the bridge, up to Kathmandu

October to mid December, March to April from₹2,95,000
The white Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini above the excavated brick foundations of older shrines, a Nepali flag beside it Pilgrimage journey 5 nights

Footsteps of the Buddha

Kathmandu (Boudha)2Lumbini2Kathmandu1

5 nights here at Shambaling Boutique Hotel, day 2: morning prayers at Shechen, Bodh Gaya's echo in Patan

October to November, February to March from₹1,55,000
The Everest massif and its neighbouring peaks seen from an aircraft above the snow ridges of eastern Nepal Short break, mountain flight 4 nights

Everest by Air

Kathmandu2Dhulikhel2

4 nights here at Hotel Yak & Yeti, day 2: the mountain flight at dawn, Swayambhu in late light

October to early December, March to April from₹1,35,000
Forested ridges and terraced hillsides falling away from Dhulikhel, Nepal, under a bank of white cloud and deep blue sky Wellness short break 4 nights

Stillness at Dhulikhel

Dhulikhel3Kathmandu1

4 nights here at Dwarika's Sanctuary, Dhulikhel, day 2: nine planets, salt air and the sound of brass

October to April from₹1,95,000
Boudhanath stupa at dusk in Kathmandu, its white dome, gilded tower and prayer flags seen from a rooftop under a pink sky Grand journey 14 nights

Three Kingdoms

Kathmandu3Darjeeling3Gangtok2Phuentsholing1Thimphu2Paro3

3 nights here at The Dwarika's Hotel, day 2: everest before breakfast, a friendship pavilion by noon

October to mid December, March to April from₹5,70,000
Patan Durbar Square at dusk: the stone Krishna Mandir, a Garuda on its column and a lamplit pagoda roof Short break, Nepal 3 nights

Three Royal Cities

Kathmandu3

3 nights here at The Dwarika's Hotel, day 2: bhaktapur at seven, then lamps at Boudha and on the Bagmati

October to April from₹1,30,000
Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu beyond a field of ripe golden rice, forested mountainside rising behind the fortress Culture journey, by air 8 nights

Two Himalayan Capitals

Kathmandu3Thimphu2Punakha1Paro2

3 nights here at Baber Mahal Vilas, day 2: swayambhu at dawn, and the palace the kings left

October to December, March to May from₹3,80,000

Questions

Seven questions about Nepal

Ask on WhatsApp
What happens if you reach the airport with only an Aadhaar card?

You do not fly. For air travel to Nepal, Indian citizens need a valid Indian passport or an original Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission, and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is plain that Aadhaar, PAN cards, driving licences and any printed or digital copy of a Voter ID are refused at check-in. We ask for scans weeks ahead for this reason alone. Other passports are a separate matter: their visa on arrival and the land crossings are in Permits and visas.

Where in the valley can we see the Himalaya from the ground?

From the rim, not the city. Nagarkot at about 2,200 m and the Dhulikhel ridge at 1,550 m both look north over the valley to Ganesh Himal, Langtang and Gauri Shankar, best from mid October to February and best in the first hour of light. Everest lies far to the east and shows only as a small point on the clearest mornings. For the mountain itself, the flight is the sure thing: Everest by Air.

Can Hindu guests go inside Pashupatinath?

Yes, and Indian nationals enter free. The sanctum is open to Hindus, with your guide alongside; other passports pay about US$6.50 and see the outer shrines, the ghats and the east bank, where people gather for the evening aarti. The grounds open at 04:00 and close at 21:00, the inner gates shut at 14:00 and open again for the evening, and Mondays, Shiva's day, bring the longest queue of the week.

Is Nepal Bhasa still spoken in the old cities?

In homes, yes. Nepali is the language of the country and the Nepali of the Darjeeling hills works in every shop here, but in Patan, Bhaktapur and the older lanes of Kathmandu many families speak Nepal Bhasa, the Newar language, among themselves. Jwajalapa is hello and subhay is thank you, and either one, used in a courtyard, changes the temperature of a conversation.

Where do we eat juju dhau, and what is it?

In Bhaktapur, out of the clay it set in. Juju dhau, the king curd, is made from buffalo milk and set in unglazed clay kataaro that draw the water out of it, so it stands thick and faintly sweet. The curd shops around Taumadhi and Durbar Square sell it by the pot, and a Newar lunch ends with it. It travels badly, which is why you eat it where it is made.

Are Kathmandu's hotels and monuments open after the 2025 protests?

Almost everything is. The houses we use were open through 2026: The Dwarika's, Baber Mahal Vilas, the Yak & Yeti and Shambaling. The Hilton and the Hyatt Regency were both still under reconstruction in September 2026 after damage in the protests of September 2025, so we do not offer them. Squares, monument zones and flights are running normally, and your quote names each house with the date its rate was checked.

Will we see the Kumari, and may we photograph her?

You may stand in her courtyard and hope. The Kumari Ghar on Kathmandu Durbar Square, built in 1757, is open to visitors as far as the courtyard, and the Royal Kumari sometimes comes to a carved upper window, most often in the late afternoon. There is no timetable. If she appears, lower the camera: photographs of her are not allowed. Her chariot crosses the old city at Indra Jatra, dated in the festival calendar above.

Sources we checked for this guide (60)
  1. Kathmandu elevation 1,400 m, coordinates, Kasthamandap etymology, Newar name Yen, climate normals 1991 to 2020
  2. Kasthamandap: Licchavi-era origins, 7th century dating, collapse in the 25 April 2015 earthquake
  3. Kasthamandap reconstruction completed with traditional methods
  4. Seven UNESCO monument zones inscribed 1979; Swaniga, the three cities, in Nepal Bhasa
  5. Tourist visa fees: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30, US$125 for 90; Indians need no visa
  6. Visa on arrival available at the Kakarbhitta land border
  7. Indians flying between India and Nepal: only passport or original Voter ID; Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence not accepted
  8. Bhadrapur to Kathmandu: 45 minute flight, 5 Buddha Air flights daily
  9. Bhadrapur (Chandragadhi) Airport, BDP, elevation 300 ft
  10. Bhadrapur runway shortened to 1,400 m after the January 2026 overrun; flights resumed
  11. Kakarbhitta at 142 m, 21.5 km from Bagdogra airport and 21 km from Bhadrapur airport
  12. Kathmandu airport elevation 1,338 m; nonstop flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru; mountain flights from the domestic terminal
  13. Everest Experience: about 1 hour from 06:15, aircraft filled half so everyone gets a window seat, Everest 20 miles (about 32 km) from the window; peaks include Langtang Lirung, Shisha Pangma, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Everest
  14. Weather cancellations refunded or rescheduled; left side has the view outbound, right side on the return (2019 post)
  15. Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m in Sagarmatha National Park, 12 rooms, built 1971, Everest views
  16. Nagarkot 2,195 m (2,175 m also published), 28 km from the airport, Everest visible on clear days
  17. Bhaktapur 1,401 m; juju dhau from buffalo milk
  18. Pottery Square: Kumha Tole or Talakwo, pottery training centre, clay wares drying in the square
  19. Nyatapola completed July 1702, five roofs, stair guardians, survived 1934 and 2015 earthquakes
  20. Boudha: 36 m, Khasti name, over 50 gompas, Tibetan settlement after 1959, reopened 22 November 2016 with 30 kg of gold
  21. Bagmati aarati at 6 pm daily, three priests, regular since 2006, Mondays busiest
  22. Pashupatinath sanctum Hindus only; all visitors may watch the aarti from the eastern bank; Indian nationals enter free
  23. Samay baji components, Nepal Bhasa spelling, festival use; origin as farmers' midday food eaten cold in the fields
  24. Newar phrases: jwajalapa (hello), subhay (thank you)
  25. Newar spellings ज्वजलपा and सुभाय्
  26. Nepali phrases mitho chha and pugyo
  27. Dwarika's: carving rescued from 1952, Battisputali, restoration workshop, Dwarika's Sanctuary in Dhulikhel
  28. Dwarika's Hotel: over 80 rooms and 48 suites, UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage award
  29. Dwarika's Hotel the first Nepali property to receive 1 Michelin Key, October 2025
  30. Dwarika's Resort renamed Dwarika's Sanctuary; all-inclusive, 3-night minimum from January 2026; about 40 suites
  31. The Dwarika's awards page lists a Michelin Key among its 2025 awards
  32. Dwarika's Sanctuary: all-inclusive; signature three-night stay included in every stay; suites open onto forest, valley or peaks
  33. Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: ridge half an hour outside Pokhara, opened 1998, rooms in cottage clusters with private verandas and Himalayan views
  34. Baber Mahal Vilas: on the Baber Mahal palace grounds, run by Rana descendants, Baithak restaurant
  35. Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: 1,000 ft above the Pokhara valley, 30 minutes from town
  36. Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: 19 rooms in stone cottages, opened 1998
  37. Hilton and Hyatt Regency Kathmandu still under reconstruction in September 2026; most damaged hotels reopened
  38. Indian travellers pay by UPI at Fonepay QR merchants in Nepal
  39. Indian notes up to Rs 100 in any amount; notes above Rs 100 up to Rs 25,000
  40. Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes allowed up to Rs 25,000 combined; Rs 2,000 notes still prohibited; NRB notice 24 July 2026
  41. Juju dhau: king curd of Bhaktapur, buffalo milk, set in clay kataaro
  42. Kathmandu airport closed by dense fog at dawn in January 2026, holding the first departures
  43. Manga Hiti at Mangal Bazar, Patan: built in 570, the oldest working stone spout on record, its water still used for daily puja at the Krishna Mandir
  44. Kwa Baha (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, the Golden Temple): the main priest is a boy under twelve who serves thirty days; tortoises kept in the compound
  45. Rato Machhindranath Jatra: the 60 ft chariot is built at Pulchowk at the west end of Lalitpur and pulled to Jawalakhel over about a month, ending with Bhoto Jatra; Bungamati is the god's other home, where the image spends six months of the year, and only in the twelve-yearly Barha Barsa Jatra is the chariot built there (re-read 20 September 2026)
  46. Khokana's wooden mustard oil presses and the town's effort to revive the trade
  47. Kumari Ghar on Kathmandu Durbar Square, built by King Jaya Prakash Malla in 1757: visitors may enter the courtyard but not the building; the Kumari may appear at an upper window, most often in the late afternoon; photographs of her are not allowed
  48. The Living Goddess Kumari of Kathmandu (Nepal Tourism Board)
  49. Maha Shivaratri 2027 falls on Saturday 6 March, when sadhus and pilgrims gather at Pashupatinath and the temple stays open through the night
  50. Buddha Jayanti 2027 falls on 20 May
  51. Indra Jatra, eight days for Indra: main day Friday 25 September 2026 and Tuesday 14 September 2027 (checked 20 September 2026)
  52. Dashain 2026: Ghatasthapana 11 October, Vijaya Dashami Tika 21 October
  53. Tihar 2026: Kag Tihar 7 November, Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja 8 November, Bhai Tika 11 November
  54. Mha Puja on Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the Nepal Sambat new year, 10 November 2026 (Nepal Sambat 1147)
  55. Yomari Punhi on 24 December 2026
  56. Hotel Yak & Yeti: built around Lal Durbar, raised in 1885 by Bir Shumsher Rana; Boris Lissanevitch opened a restaurant in the palace, and the hotel itself opened on 27 September 1977; Heritage Deluxe and garden-facing rooms (as booked on Everest by Air)
  57. Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort Dhulikhel at Patlekhet: just over an hour from Tribhuvan, 3 km from Namo Buddha, 72 rooms, Deluxe Himalayan View 47 sq m with balcony and bath, infinity pool (as booked on Everest by Air and Across the Mechi)
  58. Shambaling Boutique Hotel: a 1970s estate built as a guest house for Tibetan pilgrims, restored over two years, seven minutes' walk from Boudhanath, with a meditation room (as booked on Footsteps of the Buddha)
  59. Buddha Maya Gardens: five minutes' walk from the main temples at Lumbini, Deluxe and Super Deluxe rooms, pool and spa (as booked on Footsteps of the Buddha); 2025 reviews call the rooms basic
  60. Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge's own introduction gives its open season as mid September to mid June (as used on Kathmandu, Pokhara and the Annapurnas)

Facts checked against official and published sources, September 2026. Roads, permits and fees change: we confirm every detail again for your dates.

Darjeeling's houses spread along the forested ridge with the snow peaks of the Kanchenjunga range rising above the cloud Continue the journey Darjeeling Dorje-ling: the place of the thunderbolt
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