--- title: "Ten Days in Nepal for Walkers: Three Ways to Spend Them" canonical: "https://lokoon.com/blog/ten-days-nepal-trekkers" author: "Lokoon" published: "2026-11-15T04:52:49.134770+00:00" modified: "2026-11-15T04:52:49.134922+00:00" kind: "blog" --- # Ten Days in Nepal for Walkers: Three Ways to Spend Them > Ten days is the awkward middle: too short for Everest, long enough for a serious trek. Three tested outlines, with the trade-offs of each. Many people can take ten days off work, including travel. For a walker, that is enough time in Nepal to get properly into the mountains, provided you choose a route that begins close to a road and resist the pull of the most famous names. Below are three outlines, each a complete trip from arrival to departure. The fixed costs Whatever you choose, some days are spoken for. - Day 1: arrive in Kathmandu, meet your agency, sort out permits and gear. - Day 10: fly home, ideally in the afternoon or evening. - One buffer day before departure, in case of road or flight delays. That leaves seven days. How you use them is the question. Option A: Langtang Valley Best for: people who want the most mountain for the least travel. - Day 1: Kathmandu. - Day 2: Drive to the trailhead at Syabrubesi, seven to eight hours. - Days 3–5: Walk up the valley through forest and yak pastures to the last settlement, Kyanjin Gompa, at about 3,870 metres. - Day 6: Climb one of the viewpoint hills above the village, then begin the descent. - Days 7–8: Walk back down to the road. - Day 9: Drive to Kathmandu. This doubles as the buffer. - Day 10: Depart. Advantages: no domestic flights; a single valley with a clear objective; real altitude and glacier scenery; Tamang villages rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake. Trade-offs: two long days on a rough road; the ascent is fairly quick, so take the third day slowly; you walk out the way you walked in. Option B: Annapurna Base Camp, express Best for: fit walkers set on standing among the big peaks. - Day 1: Kathmandu. - Day 2: Fly to Pokhara in the morning; drive to the roadhead and walk two or three hours. - Days 3–5: Climb through Chhomrong and the Modi Khola gorge to the base camp at 4,130 metres. - Day 6: Sunrise in the sanctuary; descend to the forest. - Day 7: Continue down to the hot springs at Jhinu. - Day 8: Walk out and drive to Pokhara. - Day 9: Fly to Kathmandu. - Day 10: Depart. Advantages: one of the great mountain amphitheatres; varied scenery; good lodges; a soak on the last night. Trade-offs: this schedule has no slack on the trail, and the climb to base camp is brisk. It depends on two flights going to plan. Days are long, with a great many stone steps. Not for a first-time trekker. Option C: Poon Hill plus Pokhara Best for: first-timers, mixed-ability groups and anyone who wants walking with comfort. - Day 1: Kathmandu. - Day 2: A morning of sightseeing in the valley; afternoon flight to Pokhara. - Day 3: Drive to the roadhead; walk to Ulleri or Banthanti. - Day 4: Walk to Ghorepani. - Day 5: Dawn climb to Poon Hill; continue to Tadapani. - Day 6: Descend to Ghandruk; afternoon in the village. - Day 7: Drive back to Pokhara. Boat on the lake. - Day 8: Free day in Pokhara: paragliding, the peace pagoda walk or rest. - Day 9: Fly or drive to Kathmandu. - Day 10: Depart. Advantages: moderate altitude; a celebrated sunrise; villages and forest; time to enjoy Pokhara; a relaxed pace. Trade-offs: busier trails; you look at the high mountains from a distance instead of walking among them. How to choose - Never trekked before? Option C. - Experienced and want height? Option A. - Experienced, fit and travelling in a stable season? Option B. - Travelling in winter? Option C, or A with warm gear. - Dislike flying in small aircraft? Option A. Two alternatives worth knowing Mardi Himal can replace Poon Hill in Option C for stronger walkers: five days on a ridge to a viewpoint above 4,000 metres. Pikey Peak, in the lower Everest region, fits the Langtang template: a drive from Kathmandu, five days on a quiet ridge trail and a distant view of Everest from just over 4,000 metres. What not to attempt Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit over its high pass, and Manaslu all need twelve days or more on the ground once acclimatisation and flight delays are allowed for. Squeezing them into ten is how people get ill or miss flights. The honest summary Ten days will not let you see everything, and trying to will spoil what you do see. Pick one valley or one loop, walk it at a sensible pace and leave a day spare. You will go home tired in the right way, with a clear memory of one piece of the Himalaya, which is worth more than a blurred memory of three. Source: https://lokoon.com/blog/ten-days-nepal-trekkers