Overview
This Pokhara and Chitwan tour by flight fits Nepal's two most visited places outside Kathmandu into three days by replacing the longest drive with a short flight. You fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara on the first morning and spend the day on Phewa Lake and at the city's main sights. Next morning you drive up to Sarangkot for sunrise over the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, return for breakfast and then drive down to Sauraha, on the edge of Chitwan National Park. On the last morning you go on a jeep safari to look for one-horned rhino, then drive back to Kathmandu. It suits travellers who are short on days and happy with early starts.
The itinerary
- Morning domestic flight of about 25 minutes from Kathmandu to Pokhara
- Boat across Phewa Lake to the island temple of Tal Barahi
- Visit Davis Falls, Gupteshwor Cave and the World Peace Pagoda above the lake
- Evening free to walk the Lakeside promenade
- Pre-dawn drive of 30 to 45 minutes up to Sarangkot at 1,600 m (5,249 ft)
- On a clear morning, sunrise light on Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Machhapuchhre and Manaslu
- Back to the hotel for breakfast and check-out
- Drive down to Sauraha on the edge of Chitwan National Park, usually three to five hours
- Early jeep safari in the national park with a park-certified guide
- Look for one-horned rhino, deer, crocodiles and birdlife; tigers are rarely seen
- Back to Sauraha to freshen up and check out
- Drive back to Kathmandu, about 6 hours on the road, arriving in the evening
Things to carry
- A small daypack; keep domestic flight luggage light
- A warm jacket for the Sarangkot sunrise
- Clothes in muted colours for the safari
- Insect repellent and sunscreen
- Binoculars or a camera with a zoom lens
Good to know
Complete guide
Pokhara and Chitwan are the two places most visitors want to add to Kathmandu, and they sit in very different worlds: one is a lake city under the Annapurnas, the other a lowland national park full of rhino. This Pokhara and Chitwan tour by flight joins them in three days by flying the first leg. It is a compact trip for people with limited leave, and we are honest below about where it feels rushed.
What the Pokhara and Chitwan tour by flight covers
You fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara on the first morning. The flight takes about 25 minutes, against most of a day by road, which is why we use it. In the afternoon you cross Phewa Lake by boat to the Tal Barahi temple on its island, see Davis Falls, where the lake's outflow drops underground, and Gupteshwor Cave, and go up to the World Peace Pagoda, built in 1996 above the southern shore.
On the second morning you drive up to Sarangkot, at 1,600 m (5,249 ft), for sunrise. On a clear day the light reaches Dhaulagiri, the Annapurnas, Machhapuchhre and Manaslu before it reaches the lake. You return to the hotel for breakfast and then drive to Sauraha, on the edge of Chitwan National Park; the road journey is around 160 km and usually takes three to five hours. The last morning is a jeep safari inside the park with a certified guide, followed by the drive back to Kathmandu, about six hours.
How it differs from the road and six-day versions
We run three versions of this route. This one is the fastest: one flight, one safari, one day in Pokhara. The four-day Chitwan and Pokhara tour by road visits the same places in reverse order, avoids flying altogether and gives Pokhara a full day instead of an afternoon. The six-day Golden Triangle tour of Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara adds Kathmandu sightseeing and a slower pace. If you can spare the days, the longer versions are more comfortable; if you cannot, this one still gives you the lake, the mountains and the park.
The honest bits: weather, flights and early starts
Domestic flights in Nepal depend on the weather, and delays are more common in the monsoon. If the Pokhara flight is disrupted, we move the day around or drive you instead. Mountain views are never certain: Pokhara's clearest months are November to February, spring is often hazy, and from June to September cloud usually hides the peaks.
Days two and three both begin before dawn and end with a long drive. The final drive back to Kathmandu uses the main Prithvi Highway, where roadworks near the city can add delays. None of this is difficult, but it is full, and we would rather you knew before you book.
What you are likely to see in Chitwan
Chitwan National Park was Nepal's first national park, set up in 1973, and a World Heritage Site since 1984. The 2021 count found 694 one-horned rhino there, and a morning jeep safari has a very good chance of finding one, along with deer, monkeys, crocodiles and many birds. Tigers and leopards are present but rarely seen, and the jeep must stay on the park tracks. We arrange the one-day park permit and the licensed guide that the park requires.
Adding a day in Kathmandu
The tour starts and ends in Kathmandu, and many guests add a day either side for the valley's temples and squares. The Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage day tour covers all seven listed monument zones in one day with a guide. Send us your arrival and departure dates and we will suggest how to fit the pieces together.
