Nepal's Cultural Legacy: Kathmandu, Pokhara & Lumbini

Your quotation names the Kathmandu and Pokhara hotels, Hotel Barahi Kathmandu and Temple Bell Boutique Hotel & Spa, and confirms the premium 4-star stay in Lumbini at booking. It also confirms in writing the meal plan, every domestic flight or road arrangement, and which entrance fees are included. Everything on this page assumes daily breakfast only, plus the hosted dinner or cultural programme on Day 2.

Several things on this route depend on others. Domestic flights run to the airlines' schedules and the weather. Narayanhiti Palace Museum and the International Mountain Museum keep their own opening days, and monastery access in Lumbini varies. We check all of these for your dates before the programme is confirmed, and your guide adjusts the order when needed.

Pack for two climates. Kathmandu can be cool in the mornings and evenings outside summer, while Lumbini on the plains is warmer. Keep luggage within domestic baggage limits if you can, and carry some Nepalese rupees in cash for small purchases and tips.

Singapore passport holders can get a Nepal tourist visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport. The fee is US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days, and the 15-day visa covers this 9-day itinerary. Your passport needs at least six months' validity on entry.

Before you fly, complete the online tourist visa form on the Department of Immigration portal, nepaliport.immigration.gov.np, and keep the confirmation with your passport. Bring the fee in US dollars in cash. No trekking or park permits are needed for Pokhara or Lumbini.

The visa fee is not included in the tour price. Rules and fees can change, so check the Department of Immigration shortly before you travel.

Singapore Airlines flies direct between Changi and Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport in about five hours. Recent schedules land in Kathmandu in the evening, which is why Day 1 is kept free. Nepal runs 2 hours 15 minutes behind Singapore, and schedules change by season, so check the current timetable when you book.

Inside Nepal, the Kathmandu to Pokhara flight takes about 25 to 30 minutes and Bhairahawa to Kathmandu about 30 minutes. A flight of about 20 minutes links Pokhara and Bhairahawa, but it runs far less often. International flights are not included. We always plan a night in Kathmandu after the domestic return, so your flight home never depends on a tight connection.

Nothing on this route is at a height that needs special preparation. Kathmandu sits at about 1,400 metres, Pokhara at about 820 metres and Lumbini at about 150 metres on the plains. The optional Sarangkot viewpoint near Pokhara reaches about 1,600 metres. The walking is on paved squares, temple steps and garden paths.

Lumbini is warmer and more exposed than the hills, so bring a hat, sunscreen and water for the Sacred Garden day. The hill road from Pokhara winds, so bring motion-sickness tablets if you need them. Drink bottled or filtered water. Travel insurance that covers medical treatment, cancellation and flight disruption is strongly recommended and is not included.

Every major site on this route is a place of living worship. Walk clockwise around stupas and prayer wheels, remove your shoes where asked, and keep shoulders and knees covered. At Pashupatinath, the main temple is open only to Hindus, and cremations on the riverbank should be watched quietly and not photographed.

In Lumbini, pilgrims from many countries come to pray and meditate. Keep your voice low in the Sacred Garden, remove your shoes before entering the Maya Devi Temple premises, and leave food and drinks at the entrance as the Lumbini Development Trust asks. Monasteries set their own visiting rules, so follow your guide's lead.

Ask before photographing people, and expect a namaste and a smile to go a long way.

From your first enquiry, you deal with a team that plans and runs trips in Nepal. We reply with a quotation built around your dates and party, and we tell you plainly what is confirmed and what still depends on flight schedules, opening days or monastery access.

On the ground, your dedicated guide travels with you, and drivers meet you at every airport and hotel. If a flight is delayed or cancelled, the team rearranges the transfer or switches to road, and our local team is reachable throughout your stay.