The Nepal Road Trip Private Tour is an 11-day, 10-night loop by road from Kathmandu through Bandipur, Pokhara, Lumbini and Chitwan. It costs $798 to $1,098 per person, depending on group size. Hotels, breakfast, a private vehicle, rafting with lunch, a jeep safari and main entrance fees are included.
First, you see four of Kathmandu’s World Heritage sites and raft the Trishuli River. Then you stay in Bandipur and spend three nights in Pokhara. After that, you head south to Lumbini and a jeep safari in Chitwan. Finally, you finish with a morning in Bhaktapur.
This is our suggested plan, but you can change the hotels, days or pace, or add a guide. For example, you could add a night in Chitwan. Just tell us, and we’ll send a new quote.
We’re a Kathmandu-based company, registered since 2018. So you plan directly with us. See the group prices or message us on WhatsApp.
| Trip Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 days, 10 nights |
| Start / End | Kathmandu |
| Travel | Private vehicle, the whole loop by road |
| Highest Point | Sarangkot, about 1,600 m |
| Difficulty | Easy, but three long driving days |
| Accommodation | 3-star hotels, deluxe rooms |
| Meals | Daily breakfast, plus lunch on the rafting day |
| Transport | Car, jeep, van or Hiace by group size |
| Activities | Trishuli rafting and a Chitwan jeep safari |
| Entrance Fees | Main gate fee at every guided site |
| Guide | Optional, on request |
| Best Time | October to November and February to April |
| Group Size | 1 to 12, private |
Kathmandu → Trishuli River → Bandipur → Pokhara → Lumbini → Chitwan → Kathmandu
Most short tours of Nepal fly between two or three places. This one drives the whole loop, so you see how the country changes from one day to the next. You go from Kathmandu’s temple squares to a river gorge, a hill town, a lake city, and finally the flat jungle of the south.
Each stop adds something different. Bandipur is a quiet Newar bazaar on a ridge, with no traffic on its main street. Pokhara gives you three nights, so there’s time for Sarangkot, Begnas Lake and paragliding if you want it. Lumbini and Chitwan bring Buddhist history and wildlife into the same trip.
The drives are real, and some days are long. However, your private vehicle stops whenever you want, and your driver handles the roads. If you’d rather fly and keep it short, see the 6-day Kathmandu & Pokhara tour. For culture and wildlife without Pokhara, see the 9-day Kathmandu, Chitwan and Lumbini tour.
Three days involve long drives. These are Day 3 to Bandipur with rafting, Day 7 to Lumbini, and Day 9 back to Kathmandu. Roads are often slow and winding. Sarangkot and Bandipur start before dawn. Non-Hindus can’t enter the main Pashupatinath temple, but you can see it from across the Bagmati River.
Vehicles: A private car for 1–4 travellers (up to 3 if a guide joins), a jeep or van for 5–7, and a Hiace for 8–12. A guide rides in the same vehicle. A larger vehicle is available on request.
Flight upgrade: On Day 9, you can fly from Bharatpur to Kathmandu instead of driving, at extra cost. The flight takes about 25 minutes.
Guide: The tour runs with a driver only. A licensed guide can join for any day or the whole tour, in English, French, German, Spanish or Chinese, including a local guide in Bandipur. Ask us for a quote.
Rooms: 3-star hotels with deluxe rooms. Solo travellers get a single room. Groups share twin rooms; a group of three gets one twin and one single, with a supplement.
Best Time to Visit: October to November and February to April are the best months. December and January are cool, with fog in the Terai. From June to September, high water can stop rafting, jeep safaris inside the park pause, and cloud often hides the mountains.
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Altitude: 1,400 m | Drive: Airport transfer | Meals: None | Stay: 3-star hotel, Kathmandu
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest, and we go over the plan for the trip.
Altitude: 1,400 m | Drive: Private vehicle, full day | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Kathmandu
A full day across the valley. Start at Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa on the west side of the city. Next, visit Patan Durbar Square, with its Newar temples and palace courtyards. In the afternoon, see Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River, Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. End at Boudhanath as people walk the evening circuit around the stupa.
Altitude: 1,030 m | Drive: Private vehicle, about 5 hours plus rafting | Meals: Breakfast, lunch | Stay: 3-star hotel, Bandipur
Leave Kathmandu early and drive west on the Prithvi Highway to the Trishuli River. After a safety briefing, raft a half-day stretch of the river with a licensed crew. Lunch and rafting gear are included, and the crew sends the trip photos to your phone for free. Then continue west and climb the side road to Bandipur. The evening is yours to relax.
Altitude: 822 m | Drive: Private vehicle, about 2–3 hours | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Pokhara
Walk up the stone steps of Gurungche Hill to Thani Mai Temple for sunrise over the Himalaya, if the sky is clear. On the way down, wander the quiet lanes of the bazaar and pass the old Padma Library. After breakfast, walk out to the Tundikhel ground for the view, and climb the steps to Khadga Devi Temple. If you like, ride the cable car down to Dumre (about 7 minutes, extra cost) while your driver meets you at the bottom. In Pokhara, the evening is free at Lakeside, where a Hindu aarti takes place by Phewa Lake around 6 pm.
Altitude: 822 m (Sarangkot about 1,600 m) | Drive: Private vehicle | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Pokhara
Leave before dawn for Sarangkot. From the Panchmukhi Ganesh temple viewpoint, watch first light on the Annapurna range and Machhapuchhre, weather permitting. Stop at Bindabasini Temple, then return for breakfast. Later, visit Pumdikot Mahadev, the World Peace Pagoda, Davis Falls and Gupteshwor Cave. Finish at the International Mountain Museum, which covers the Himalaya’s peaks, climbers and mountain people.
Altitude: 822 m | Drive: Private vehicle | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Pokhara
A slow morning and a late breakfast. Then drive east to Begnas Lake, quieter than Phewa, with fish farms and small boats along the shore. If you’d like more action, add paragliding from Sarangkot or a zipline at extra cost. Both depend on the weather, so tell us when you book.
Altitude: 150 m | Drive: Private vehicle, about 7 hours | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Lumbini
A long day on the winding Siddhartha Highway, about 7 hours of driving. If you’d like a break, stop in Tansen, a hill bazaar in Palpa district known for its brick houses and dhaka weaving. About an hour is enough to see Tansen Durbar, the rebuilt Palpa palace, and the old streets around it. The Tansen Durbar entrance fee is not included. Then continue down to the Terai and on to Lumbini.
Altitude: Terai lowlands | Drive: Private vehicle, about 4–5 hours | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Chitwan
After breakfast, load your bags into the car and check out. Private cars can’t drive inside the Lumbini Development Area, so your driver waits at the main gate. From there, hire an electric rickshaw (paid locally) for a one-way loop through the Monastic Zone.
Visit the white marble Royal Thai Monastery, the Myanmar Golden Temple and the Chinese Zhong Hua Monastery. See the Cambodian temple, inspired by Angkor Wat, and the German Lotus Stupa with its painted interior. Stop at the World Peace Pagoda at the north end of the park.
Then walk south through the Sacred Garden, which is vehicle-free. Pass the Eternal Peace Flame, the ancient brick ruins and the Bodhi tree. Inside the Maya Devi Temple, see the marker stone for the Buddha’s birthplace, with the Ashoka Pillar just outside. Grab a quick lunch near the gate, and leave for Chitwan at about 1 pm.
Altitude: 1,400 m | Drive: Jeep safari, then private vehicle about 5–6 hours | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Kathmandu
After an early breakfast, go on a jeep safari inside Chitwan National Park with a local nature guide. Look for one-horned rhinos, deer, crocodiles and birds. Then drive back to Kathmandu, reaching the city in the evening. To skip the drive, fly from Bharatpur instead (about 25 minutes, extra cost).
Altitude: 1,400 m | Drive: Private vehicle, half day | Meals: Breakfast | Stay: 3-star hotel, Kathmandu
Drive east to Bhaktapur, the best-kept of the valley’s three old royal cities. Walk its brick lanes, Durbar Square, the potters’ square and the five-roofed Nyatapola temple. You’re back in Kathmandu by about 2 pm. The afternoon is free for shopping, and Kathmandu Durbar Square is an easy walk from the main shopping streets if you want to see it.
Altitude: 1,400 m | Drive: Airport transfer | Meals: Breakfast
Time for last-minute shopping if your flight allows. We drive you to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before your international flight.
It is an 11-day, 10-night private road trip from Kathmandu through Bandipur, Pokhara, Lumbini and Chitwan, and back. It includes 3-star hotels, a private vehicle, daily breakfast, Trishuli rafting, a Chitwan jeep safari and all entrance fees. Prices run from $798 to $1,098 per person, depending on group size.
Most days have short drives, but three are long. Kathmandu to Bandipur takes about 5 hours, plus rafting. Pokhara to Lumbini takes about 7 hours, with an optional break in Tansen. Chitwan to Kathmandu takes about 5 to 6 hours. Times depend on traffic and road works.
Yes. On Day 9 you can fly from Bharatpur to Kathmandu, which takes about 25 minutes, instead of the 5 to 6 hour drive. The flight is an optional upgrade at extra cost. Tell us when you book, and we will add it to your quote.
No. The tour runs with a private driver. You can add a licensed guide for any day or the whole tour, including a local guide in Bandipur. Guides speak English, French, German, Spanish or Chinese. The Chitwan jeep safari comes with a local nature guide.
The Trishuli is one of the most popular rafting rivers in Nepal and is usually run by first-timers. You raft with a licensed crew, with life jackets, helmets and a safety briefing. Lunch and your trip photos are included. In the monsoon, from about June to September, high water can stop rafting, and we change the plan.
Yes, as an optional extra on Day 6. Paragliding takes off from Sarangkot and lands near Phewa Lake, and a zipline is another option. Both depend on the weather, so tell us in advance and we will book a slot.
No. The cable car down to Dumre is optional and paid on the day. It takes about 7 minutes, and your driver meets you at the lower station. If you skip it, you simply drive down with your driver.
The main entrance fee at every guided site is included, from Swayambhunath to Lumbini and Bhaktapur. Chitwan park entry for the jeep safari is included too. Separate fees inside a site, such as a museum or camera fee, are not. Kathmandu Durbar Square on your free afternoon, the cable car and the Lumbini rickshaw are also extra.
Breakfast every day from Day 2, and lunch on the rafting day. Other lunches and dinners are not included, so you can eat where you like. We also give you one complimentary welcome or farewell dinner in Kathmandu, depending on your flight times.
3-star hotels with deluxe rooms for all 10 nights. Solo travellers get a private single room, and groups share twin rooms. A group of three gets one twin room and one single room, with a supplement.
Yes. This is a suggested plan, and the tour is fully customisable. You can add nights, swap sites, upgrade hotels, add a guide or fly part of the way. Tell us what you want, and we will send an updated plan and quote.
The 6-day tour is Kathmandu and Pokhara only, with flights both ways. The 9-day tour covers Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Nagarkot, Chitwan and Lumbini, with a flight back. This 11-day tour drives the whole loop and adds rafting, Bandipur and Begnas Lake.
